LAST 1100a / HIST 305a, Introduction to Latin American Studies: History, Culture and Society  Lorena Ojeda-Davila

This course provides a political and social introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean, an extraordinarily diverse group of countries in the Western Hemisphere. Latin America is often presented as a region characterized by poverty, inequality, crime, drugs, political instability, and armed conflict. However, this stereotype does not reflect the remarkable economic and political development over the last few decades. While social, legal, political, and economic factors vary within and between the countries of the region, since the 1980s, many countries that faced authoritarian regimes transitioned to democracy; Most children in the region now have access to healthcare and attend school; The subcontinent is at the center of the climate justice agenda while dealing with new forms of colonialism from the “Global North”; Latin America is pioneering women’s inclusion in politics, parity policies, and legal landmarks to combat gender-based political violence; Latin American feminism, queer activism, and movements advocating for the rights of black people, indigenous communities, and environmental protection are vibrant and have achieved pivotal accomplishments. Still, some governance challenges persist, and new ones have emerged.  HU
MW 4pm-5:15pm

LAST 1170a / AFST 2170a / ER&M 2568a / PORT 2170a, A Luta Continua: African, Asian, and Indigenous Responses to Coloniality in the Lusophone World  Kevin Ennis

What did it mean to be anticolonial in the era of revolution against the Portuguese Empire, and what does it mean today in the twenty-first century across the Portuguese-speaking world? In this course we examine the reverberations of anticolonial movements in Portuguese-speaking African and Asian territories, as well as in Indigenous movements in Brazil. Focusing on political, social, and cultural dimensions of emancipation, we ask: How have African, Asian, and Indigenous writers and artists imagined emancipatory endeavors for their peoples, their countries, and their worlds? What is the role of cultural expression in world-sharing and world-building in response to centuries of colonialism and its legacies? This course also aims to further develop communicative proficiency in Portuguese and enhance knowledge of the diverse cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world.  Prerequisite: PORT 140, or equivalent in placement.  L5, HU
TTh 9am-10:15am

LAST 1200a / PLSC 2430a, Introduction to Latin American Politics  Staff

Introduction to major theories of political and economic change in Latin America, and to the political and economic systems of particular countries. Questions include why the continent has been prone to unstable democratic rule, why countries in the region have adopted alternatively state-centered and market-centered economic models, and, with the most recent wave of democratization, what the remaining obstacles might be to attaining high-quality democracy.  SO  0 Course cr
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LAST 1214a / AFAM 1986a / PLSC 2417a / SOCY 1704a, Contesting Injustice  Staff

Exploration of why, when, and how people organize collectively to challenge political, social, and economic injustice. Cross-national comparison of the extent, causes, and consequences of inequality. Analysis of mobilizations for social justice in both U.S. and international settings. Intended primarily for first years and sophomores.  SO  0 Course cr
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LAST 2165a / FILM 2167a / PORT 2165a / SPAN 2090a / WGSS 2165a, Through the Lens of Memory: Other Perspectives on Dictatorships in Latin America and Iberia  Giseli Tordin

This course examines the cinematic portrayals of military dictatorships in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Portugal, exploring how film serves as both a historical document and a means to reinterpret and reconstruct the past. As a language course, it allows students to engage with multiple modes of meaning–linguistic, visual, auditory, tactile, gestural, and spatial–through which cinema conveys its narratives. Students analyze how films reconstruct memory, challenge hegemonic historiography, and reinscribe erased or silenced perspectives. The course reflects on the relevance of these works in contemporary struggles against violence and oppression, considering how they teach us to critically engage with power, resistance, and collective memory. It also focuses on women's cinematic productions and representations, examining how gender, race, and political resistance intersect in the visual representation of repression, violence, and memory. The course incorporates both Spanish and Portuguese, encouraging students to express their ideas and develop projects in either language. Languages: Portuguese and Spanish. Prerequisite: PORT 1400 (or equivalent) or SPAN 1400 (or equivalent).   L5, HU
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

* LAST 2222a / SPAN 2050a, Legal Spanish  Mercedes Carreras

An introduction to Spanish and Latin American legal culture with a focus on the specific traits of legal language and on the development of advanced language competence. Issues such as human rights, the death penalty, the jury, contracts, statutory instruments, and rulings by the constitutional courts are explored through law journal articles, newspapers, the media, and mock trials. Enrollment limited to 18. A maximum of one course in the 200-230 range may count as an elective toward the Spanish major.  L5
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* LAST 2223a / SPAN 2020a, Spanish in Film: An Introduction to the New Latin American Cinema  Staff

Development of proficiency in Spanish through analysis of critically acclaimed Latin American films. Includes basic vocabulary of film criticism in Spanish as well as discussion and language exercises. Enrollment limited to 18.  L5
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* LAST 2227a / SPAN 2100a, Creative Writing  Mayte López

An introduction to the writing of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, with a focus on developing techniques and abilities that are essential for crafting imaginative texts and honing self-expression. Through in-class tasks, substantive discussions on composition and craft, and analyses of contemporary Latinx, Latin American, and Spanish works, students enhance their writing skills and nurture their unique voices as writers. This course takes on the format of a workshop, with students receiving constructive feedback from both the instructor and their fellow writers. Conducted in Spanish.  Enrollment limited to 15. A maximum of one course in the 200-230 range may count as an elective toward the Spanish major.  L5, HU
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LAST 2228a / ER&M 1678a / SPAN 2145a, Borders & Globalization in Hispanophone Cultures  Luna Najera

The borders that constitute the geographical divisions of the world are contingent, but they can have enormous ordering power in the lives of people and other beings. Human-made borders can both allow and disallow the flow of people and resources (including goods, knowledge, information, technologies, etc.). Like geographical borders, social borders such as race, caste, class, and gender can form and perpetuate privileged categories of humans that constrain the access of excluded persons to resources, education, security, and social mobility. Thus, bordering can differentially value human lives. Working with the premise that borders are sites of power, in this course we study bordering and debordering practices in the Hispanic cultures of Iberia, Latin America, and North America, from the 1490s to the present. Through analyses of a wide range of texts that may include treatises, maps, travel literature, visual culture, material culture (e.g., currency), law, music, and performance art, students investigate the multiple ways in which social, cultural, and spatial borders are initiated, expressed, materialized, and contested. More broadly, we explore, describe, and trace the entanglements of bordering, globalizations, and knowledge production in Hispanophone cultures. Some of the questions that will guide our conversations are: What are (social) borders and what are the processes through which they persist? How do the effects of practices that transcend borders (e.g., environmental pollution, deforestation) change our understanding of borders? What can we learn from indigenous peoples’ responses to bordering process and globalization?  Prerequisite: SPAN 140 or 145, or in accordance with placement results. The course is conducted entirely in Spanish. Readings are available electronically through Canvas and the University Library. To be conducted in Spanish.  L5, HU
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* LAST 2261a / SPAN 2510a, Critical Contexts in Medieval and Early Modern Iberia  Jesus Velasco

This course offers a panoramic introduction to Iberian written cultures from the medieval to early modern period (ca. 800-1700). Organized chronologically and guided by the methodology of close reading, we will analyze a wide range of concepts and topics relevant for understanding the multilingual, multireligious contexts in which literary and non-literary works were produced, including knowledge and hospitality; borders and negotiation; authority and power; autobiography and eyewitness narrative accounts; courtly love and love sickness; makeup and cosmetic theory; prostitution and public health; gender dissidence and transgressive bodies; masculinities and misogyny; economic crisis and decline; black Africans and the African diaspora; the Inquisition and religious orthodoxy.  Open to students who have placed into L5 courses or who have successfully completed an L4 course in Spanish. Counts toward the major in Spanish.  L5, HU
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

* LAST 2266a / SPAN 2310a, Critical Contexts in Colonial Latin America  Lisa Voigt

This course offers a panoramic introduction to the written and visual cultural production of colonial Latin America (ca. 1492-1800). Organized chronologically and guided by the methodology of close reading, we analyze works of various genres and formats whose creators were of Indigenous, African, Spanish, and mestizo descent. We investigate how these texts reveal, critique, reimagine, or participate in the power relations of multiethnic societies founded on conquest, colonization, and slavery. Among our objectives is the development of the skills of critical analysis of texts written in Spanish, which we pursue through class discussion, oral presentations, and written and creative projects.  L5, HU
MW 1pm-2:15pm

* LAST 2605a / SPAN 4605a, Pacific Bridges: Asian Diasporas Across Latin America  Inês Forjaz de Lacerda and Anibal González-Pérez

What do Borges and Bashō have in common? Why is K-Pop so popular in places like Chile and Brazil? And what can Shōgun teach us about the world? In this course, we dive into the unexpected connections between Asia and Latin America, tracing stories of migration, cultural fusion, and artistic exchange from colonial encounters to today’s global pop culture. Our travels take us from early modern Japan, India, and the Philippines to today’s Cuba, Brazil, Peru, and Argentina, with several other stops along the way. Through literature, film, music, and anime, we explore how Asian diasporas shaped, and were shaped by, the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds. Readings include Jorge Luis Borges, Cristina García, Chen Li, Augusto Higa Oshiro, Octavio Paz, Adriana Lisboa, and José Watanabe, among others. All materials are in English, with optional readings in Spanish and Portuguese for those interested in the original texts. Taught in English. 
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

* LAST 2675a / AFAM 3675a / AMST 3355a / ER&M 3574a / FREN 3675a, Haiti Writes I  Marlene Daut and Kaiama Glover

From nineteenth-century antislavery pamphleteering to accounts of ecological catastrophe in 21st-century fiction, Haitian literature has resounded across the globe since the nation's revolutionaries declared independence in 1804. Starting with pre-revolutionary writing, including the emergence of Haitian Creole letters, moving through a long, largely francophone nineteenth century, to present-day Haitian writing in the English language, this two-semester exploration of Haitian literature presents the political, cultural, and historical frameworks necessary to comprehend Haiti's vast literary output. Whether writing in Haiti or its wide-ranging diasporas, Haitian authors have boldly contributed to pressing conversations in global letters while reflecting Haiti's unique cultural and historical experiences. Considering an expansive array of poets, playwrights, and novelists - such as Baron de Vastey, Juste Chanlatte, Demesvar Delorme, Edwidge Danticat, René Depestre, Kettly Mars, Dany Laferrière, and Évelyne Trouillot – this course engages students in a fresh examination of Haiti’s richly polyglot and transnational literary tradition that spans more than two centuries.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* LAST 3068a / ANTH 3968a, Science Stories: Communicating Discovery Across Cultures  Diego Golombek

How do scientists share their discoveries beyond the lab—and why does it matter? In an age of misinformation, climate crisis, and global health challenges, communicating science is no longer optional: it’s a core scientific responsibility. This course invites students from the natural and exact sciences—and anyone curious about the power of knowledge—to explore how to turn complex ideas into stories that inspire, inform, and empower diverse audiences. Blending theory and practice, we will experiment with different media platforms: from writing and museum exhibits to live performance and digital storytelling. Special attention will be given to cultural context: how does science communication change across borders, languages, and worldviews? For students affiliated with CLAIS, the course will also offer deeper engagement with Latin American approaches to science, narrative, and public dialogue. Students will leave the course with practical communication skills, a portfolio of creative work, and a critical understanding of how science lives in society—not just as facts and data, but as a shared human endeavor.
T 9:25am-11:15am

* LAST 3230a / HSAR 3230a, Illustrating Andean History: The Work of Guaman Poma  Staff

One of the most famous manuscripts to survive from the Spanish colonial Americas is the 1615 El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno (The First New Chronicle, and Good Government, often called Nueva corónica or New Chronicle). The author was Indigenous Andean Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala (c. 1535–c. 1616). This work is one of the most important sources for understanding Inka culture and colonial rule from an Indigenous perspective. It consists of 1,189 pages with 398 full-page ink line drawings. Few illustrated manuscripts survive from this period, and Guaman Poma’s has no rival. The New Chronicle was written in Peru in Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, and Latin. But one might even consider the many images a fifth, purely visual language that combined Andean and European representation systems. Its images have become the most common illustrations of Andean history. In this course, we delve into the work’s history and many-layered subtleties of its images to understand its import and the legacy of this Indigenous author.   0 Course cr
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* LAST 4491a, The Senior Essay  Ana De La O

Preparation of a research paper about forty pages long under the direction of a faculty adviser, in either the fall or the spring term. Students write on subjects of their own choice. During the term before the essay is written, students plan the project in consultation with a qualified adviser or the director of undergraduate studies. The student must submit a suitable project outline and bibliography to the adviser and the director of undergraduate studies by the third week of the term. The outline should indicate the focus and scope of the essay topic, as well as the proposed research methodology. Permission may be given to write a two-term essay after consultation with an adviser and the director of undergraduate studies and after submission of a project statement. Only those who have begun to do advanced work in a given area are eligible. The requirements for the one-term senior essay apply to the two-term essay, except that the two-term essay should be substantially longer.
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LAST 4492a, The Senior Project  Ana De La O

A project of creative work formulated and executed by the student under the supervision of a faculty adviser in the fall or spring term. Students work on projects of their own choice. Proposals for senior projects are submitted to the adviser and the director of undergraduate studies by the end of the term preceding the last resident term. An interim project review takes place by the fifth week of the term the project is developed. Permission to complete the senior project can be withdrawn if satisfactory progress has not been made. An exhibition of selected work done in the project is expected of each student.  Approval by the DUS and advisor by the end of the term preceding the last resident term. 
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