Time Schedule:
Julie Shayne
B CUSP 104
Bothell Campus
Examines an important social issue such as ecology, art, political change, the power of media, educational reform, or the role of science in contemporary culture through interdisciplinary investigation, and the lens of the visual, literary, and performing arts. Co-requisite: either B CUSP 101, B CUSP 107, or B CUSP 110.
Class description
Fall 2009: Imagining the Americas
This course explores four main themes: Human rights, revolution, gender, and immigration in/from Latin America. We will focus our analyses on Mexico, Cuba, and Chile and use a combination of film, fiction, poetry, social science, and testimony to understand a host of political and social problems. These issues include: Human rights violations in the region; the ways people respond to injustice vis-a-vis revolution; how men and women experience politics differently from one another, and what accounts for the mass exodus of Latin Americans from their countries of origin.
Student learning goals
Students should be able to articulate difficult ideas verbally.
Students should have improved reading and writing skills.
Students should be familiar with expectations, methods, and resources at UW.
Students should be energized to make connections between what they learned in class and the community outside of UW, ideally through community activism.
Students should see the importance of using non-fiction texts including film, novels, and poetry in learning about social, political, and historical issues.
Students should understand the place of human rights, revolution, gender, and migration in Latin America.
General method of instruction
The course will be a mix of lecture and class discussion. We will use a variety of different types of text including: Films, fiction, social science, history, testimonies, and memoir. Tentative list of films: Frida, Maquilapolis, The Motorcycle Diaries, Salvador Allende, and Machuca.
List of books: 1) Castillo, Ana. 2007. The Guardians. New York: Random House. Gonzalez, Juan. 2001. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin Books. 2) Skármeta, Antonio. 2008. The Postman, 2d ed. NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 3) Skidmore, Thomas and Peter Smith. 2005. Modern Latin America. New York: Oxford University Press. 4) Subcomandante Marcos. 1999. The Story of Colors. La Historia de los Colores. El Paso, Tx.: Cinco Puntos Press.
Recommended preparation
None required however you may contact us in advance for a syllabus.
Class assignments and grading
Assignments and exams will be a combination of short and long papers based on readings, films, and discussions.
Grades will be based on sound analysis, mastery of content, clear writing, informed class participation, and attention to detail.
