Spanish 2151

Spanish 2151

Latin American Literature and Culture

Course Description

 What would it be like to grow up in another culture? Get to know our American neighbors and learn about a variety of issues that Latin America presently faces.  The course offers a broad understanding of culture that in addition to artistic expression, values, and religion also includes politics, development, economics and social sciences.  Students will read short stories as well as view films as sources of cultural memory about conquest, native people, dictatorship, terror, and resistance movements.  The course will examine ethnic diversity, indigenous cultures, conflicts between indigenous and Mestizo (Spanish for mixed) populations.

The main topics of the course:

  • Conquest of Latin America and Colonial order
  • Indigenous pre-Columbian cultures
  • Indigenous modern cultures
  • Communism and daily life in Cuba
  • Dictatorships (Dominican Republic)

Cultures and Ideas

 Goals:
Students evaluate significant cultural phenomena and ideas in order to develop capacities for aesthetic and historical response and judgment; and interpretation and evaluation.

 Expected Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students analyze and interpret major forms of human thought, culture, and expression.
  2. Students evaluate how ideas influence the character of human beliefs, the perception of reality, and the norms which guide human behavior.
  3. Students will demonstrate the ability to synthesize cultural information taken from class readings, discussions, and films.

Active Learning

Our goal is to create a community of learners where we work together and learn from each other.  Students doing the same activity or assignment can learn differently depending on their intrinsic motivation to learn.  The role of the students is to be engaged in the projects, research and discussions facilitated by the instructor.

Films

Bitter Sugar by Leon Ichaso view online from Media Library

Even the Rain by Inciar Bollain view online from Media Library

Conquest of the Incas view online from Films on Demand playlist

 Films on Demand playlist Url: http://proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?URL=http://digital.films.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/play/ZSTW5X

Media Library Url: https://drm.osu.edu  (click “CC” for subtitles)