A thorough panorama of contemporary Caribbean societies and their diasporic communities, this course enhances the students' knowledge of the region's main historical, political, and sociocultural trends. We will examine Caribbean multiple narratives of survival and resilience within a global context, through the study of 20th and 21st-centuries literary, cinematographic, musical, visual and performative works. The cultural analysis will be supported by a theoretical framework encompassing critical Caribbean theories on identity and identification.

Studies in Modern and Contemporary Latin American and Latinx Culture is an upper-division seminars focusing on significant issues or historical moments in Latin American and Latinx culture. Course content may vary. Please see specific Section Details.

Why has Latin American narrative of the 1960s and 70s enjoyed such popular and critical success? What distinguishes this literature from that which was written earlier or later or outside Latin America? Who were the major writers of the boom generation, and what unites or separates them? In this course we will consider these questions as we read important works of fiction by authors such as Cortázar, Donoso, Fuentes, García Márquez, and Vargas Llosa as well as criticism that sheds light on the phenomenon of the boom.

Studies in Modern and Contemporary Latin American and Latinx Literature is an upper-division seminar taking a literary-studies approach to Latin American cultural production of the 19-21st centuries. Traditions covered may include Spanish American, Brazilian, and U.S. Latinx literature. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese-studies/undergraduate/hispanic-studies

Contemporary Latin American and Spanish Cinema offer a great reflection on the role that new technologies have in the film industry, and in our lives, in the digital era. Often, we find that technologies are used in an original way to overcome financial shortages in times of crisis, or when resources are limited. In this context, sometimes it is actually thanks to the new technologies that the work of new directors can be produced or distributed. Some recent Latin American and Spanish sci-fi movies find genuine ways to bring about social and political commentary through the use of technological narratives. Reflections on technology are often found in many other film genres too. Our aim in this course will be to explore the use of technology in film in the present and in the past, as well as to study narratives that place technology at the center. We will focus our study on films where technology is a key factor and will reflect on the impact of technologies in our experience as spectators as well.

This course treats the major works of the Spanish Middle Ages in light of their cultural and historical context. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese-studies/undergraduate/hispanic-studies

Although it’s possible to read a short story or a novel on your own, approaching a text using theoretical tools produces a more insightful reading and leads the reader to a deeper appreciation of the text. In this course we shall read and discuss varied and stimulating literary works written by both canonical and non-canonical Hispanic authors, while you familiarize yourself with important theoretical and critical terms, notions, and debates. (Post)structuralist theorists offer an indispensable gateway to popular genres such as fantastic literature and science fiction; Ecocriticism will focus our attention on the portrayal of nature, shedding light on our contemporary environmental concerns; Marxist notions of class struggle provide useful tools when examining the conflicts between social groups presented in a text; a feminist or queer approach inform a literary work by foregrounding gender or sexual differences; and a psychoanalytical view may shed light on stories portraying family dynamics or a child’s behavior. By the end of the semester, you will have gained valuable skills and insights to act as a more informed interpreter of literature and culture.

Although it’s possible to read a short story or a novel on your own, approaching a text using theoretical tools produces a more insightful reading and leads the reader to a deeper appreciation of the text. In this course we shall read and discuss varied and stimulating literary works written by both canonical and non-canonical Hispanic authors, while you familiarize yourself with important theoretical and critical terms, notions, and debates. (Post)structuralist theorists offer an indispensable gateway to popular genres such as fantastic literature and science fiction; Ecocriticism will focus our attention on the portrayal of nature, shedding light on our contemporary environmental concerns; Marxist notions of class struggle provide useful tools when examining the conflicts between social groups presented in a text; a feminist or queer approach inform a literary work by foregrounding gender or sexual differences; and a psychoanalytical view may shed light on stories portraying family dynamics or a child’s behavior. By the end of the semester, you will have gained valuable skills and insights to act as a more informed interpreter of literature and culture.

Although it’s possible to read a short story or a novel on your own, approaching a text using theoretical tools produces a more insightful reading and leads the reader to a deeper appreciation of the text. In this course we shall read and discuss varied and stimulating literary works written by both canonical and non-canonical Hispanic authors, while you familiarize yourself with important theoretical and critical terms, notions, and debates. (Post)structuralist theorists offer an indispensable gateway to popular genres such as fantastic literature and science fiction; Ecocriticism will focus our attention on the portrayal of nature, shedding light on our contemporary environmental concerns; Marxist notions of class struggle provide useful tools when examining the conflicts between social groups presented in a text; a feminist or queer approach inform a literary work by foregrounding gender or sexual differences; and a psychoanalytical view may shed light on stories portraying family dynamics or a child’s behavior. By the end of the semester, you will have gained valuable skills and insights to act as a more informed interpreter of literature and culture.

The primary aim of this course is to develop students' knowledge of the geographical, historical and cultural contexts in those regions where Spanish is used . At the same time that they are introduced to research techniques and materials available in Spanish, students strengthen their language skills through readings, class discussions, and frequent writing assignments. This course is designed to give students a broad understanding of Hispanic culture that will prepare them for upper-level course work and study abroad.