Course Description
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the popular culture of Latin America as it has developed since the region’s independence from Spain and Portugal in 1826. The material will be presented in an historical context.
Prerequisite
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Define, in a non-subjective way, the terms “culture” “popular culture” and “Latin America” as well as the various terms used to describe its inhabitants.
- Understand and be able to identify the major events of the broad outline of Latin-American history from 1826 to the present.
- Effectively identify and explain the major components of Latin-American culture.
- Explain the influence of Spain, Portugal, Africa, the U.S. and Native Americans on the culture of Latin America.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Discussions (Weekly) | 30% |
Homework (Weekly) | 20% |
Papers (Week 3 and Week 7) | 40% |
Final Exam (Week 15) | 10% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle
- John King, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Latin-American Culture, Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0521636513
- Chasteen John. Born in Blood and Fire; A Concise History of Latin America. 3rd ed. W.W. Norton, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-393-91154-1
- Laura Esquivil, Like Water for Chocolate, Anchor, 1995. ISBN-10: 038542017X
- Esmeralda Santiago, When I was Puerto Rican, Da Capo Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0306814525
Additional Resources
- One Latin-American film of students’ choice from list in chapter 12 of the text, available from Blockbuster, Netflix or your local library.
Course Schedule
| Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignment(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1, 2 | Latin America Today
|
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2 | 2 | Modern Latin America
|
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3 | 2 | Spanish American Literature I
|
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4 | 1, 3 | Spanish American Literature II
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5 | 1, 3 | Spanish American Literature III
|
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6 | 1, 3 | Brazilian Literature
|
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7 | 1, 4 | Latin-American Popular Culture I
|
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8 | 1, 4 | Latin-American Popular Culture II
|
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9 | 3, 4 | Latin-American Popular Culture III
|
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10 | 3, 4 | Art and Architecture
|
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11 | 3, 4 | Music and Theater
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12 | 3, 4 | Cinema
|
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13 | 1, 3, 4 | Hispanic USA
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14 | 1, 2 | The Hispanic Immigrant Experience
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15 | FINAL EXAM | ||
COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.