LACS 016 A-Z - (CC, IS) The Latin American Experience

Semester Hours: 3

Periodically

This is a special topics course designed to immerse students in the social, political, economic, historical, cultural, religious, artistic, or diasporic experiences of peoples, communities and countries in the region. Taught from a multidisciplinary perspective, each time it is offered, the course will have a new, fresh focus and coverage, while always engaging with issues of race, gender, class, nation, and sovereignty.

Current Special Topics:

LACS 016A - Popular Culture in Latin America

This course introduces students to the history of Latin America and the diaspora through popular cultural practices including sports, food, and dance. We will study major political events, such as European colonization, slavery, and the Cuban Revolution through the lens of popular culture. The course texts will focus on such topics as the history of samba and carnival in Brazil, baseball in the Caribbean, and Mexican women’s art. The impact of migrations, including the African Diaspora, Asians to the Caribbean, and Latinx to the United States will be central to our case studies. In addition, we will explore the ways in which Latin American creators and producers have influenced the global marketplace of cultural commodities.

Cross-listed as HIST 010

LACS 016B - Cuban Cinema

This course studies the historical evolution and aesthetic achievements of Cuban cinema from the silent period to the present day. Students explore the history of motion pictures in Cuba in three different phases: the early industrial (1930s to 1950s), the Revolutionary (1960s to 1980s), and the Special Period (1990s to today). Together we watch and analyze the most significant feature films made in the island, but also focus on alternative modes of representation - such as animation, documentary, experimental cinema, short films, etc. Our approach incorporates a transnational framework (to study US, Mexican, and Soviet-Cuban co-productions) as well as an intermedia perspective (to understand the relationship of the national film industry with Cuba’s theatre, radio, literature, television, etc). Special attention is also paid to Afro-Cuban, women, foreign, and LGBTQI+ filmmakers.

Cross-listed as RTVF 157

LACS 016C - Immigration and the Law

This course will provide students with the analytical tools to understand the dynamics driving the politics of the current wave of immigrants from the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, and Africa and how it affects American society and culture. It will also focus on current and past legislation about immigration to the United States. Can a state control migration, including “unwanted” migrants? How do we understand the politics of immigration in the context of the criminalization of immigrants? In an era of uncertainty, how can we pursue policies that will ensure the security of our borders without closing off flows which are often considered necessary for our economic security?

Cross-listed as SOC 139

LACS 016D - Reading Karl Marx Today

This course is an intensive study of the first volume of Karl Marx’s Capital from the perspective of the present. We will apply Marxian categories to present-day capitalism, determining their contemporary relevance and usefulness. We will also review how capitalism itself has evolved since the time of Marx and consider whether economic changes necessitate an extension or an abandonment of the Marxian analytical framework. Students who complete this course will have developed their own well-founded conclusions regarding the strengths and limitations of the analysis presented in Capital, particularly regarding the applicability of this analysis to contemporary capitalism. This background will provide an excellent basis for further advanced work in any of the social sciences and/or humanities where many concepts that Marx originally proposed or developed are still used, often without attribution.

Crosslisted as LABR 155G , RHET 189Z

Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
As individual subjects are selected, each is assigned a letter (A-Z) and added to the course number. Any course may be taken a number of times so long as there is a different letter designation each time it is taken. Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.