LAS 370S • 4-INTRO TO SPN AM LIT THRU MOD
PROF. LINDSTROM (36615) This course brings together Spanish American literary history and social history. It surveys the development of Spanish American literature from the days of the Spanish Conquest to 1900. In the early weeks of the course, most of the readings are historical documents having to do with the conquest of the Amerindian populations. Later more literary readings reflect the intellectual life in Spains American colonies and the ferment leading up to the wars of Independence. Romanticism, realism, and the early years of modernismo are covered in the second part of the semester. Grading System: Grading Criteria: proposal for term paper 15% midterm examination 27.5% final version of term paper 22.5% quizzes and participation 5% final examination 30% Attendance Policy: Four cuts permitted; subsequent unexcused absences result in 1% grade reduction each. Textbooks and Class Materials: Required Text: Raquel Chang-Rodríguez and Malva E. Filer, Voces de Hispanoamérica Boston: Heinle and Heinle, 1996. 2nd ed. Should be at University Co-op. Course Packet: Abels Copies, 715D West 23rd St., 472 5353 You must purchase the packet because it contains required readings.
PROF. BEYERSDORFF (36620) In this course we will examine a broad range of Spanish American literary writings within the cultural-historical circumstances that produced them. The readings, spanning Mexico to Argentina, begin with the Mexica/Aztec migration histories, Mesoamerican (Guatemala) and Andean myth/history (Peru) and accounts of Spanish exploration and Conquest (Colón, Cortés and Pizarro, La Monja Alférez) We will read dramas for the evangelization of the Indian (Motolinía), essays on Inka history (Garcilaso Inka de la Vega), and on the origin of the natural world in the Americas (José de la Acosta). These are followed by important examples of Colonial letters: poetry and biography of convent women, (Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and La Madre Castillo) the cartas of the Liberator, Bolivar, and the Indian leader, Tupac Amaru and, finally, for the Republican era: essays on national identity and language (Sarmiento and Prada), anecdotes on customs or Tradiciones (Palma) and stories of the frontier (regional cultures) (Gorriti). Evaluation is based on 1) completion of Study Guide questions 2) writing assignments (Comentarios or essays) covering the seven topics in the Syllabus, 3) discussion in class on readings and 4) regular attendance and participation in class discussion. The course will also stress reading comprehension, vocabulary building skills, and practice in organizing your thought orally in discussion. Our readings will be accompanied by study guidelines and/or questions, and for homework, you will be expected to prepare an answer for one or more of the questions or topics for class discussion. Some readings marked * provide background for a historical period of literature. Grading System: Homework: Composition of paragraphs on readings 30% 3 writing assignments (Comentarios) on readings 45% Participation in class discussion on readings (topics in Study Guide) & videos 25% Textbooks: Course Packet of Readings (University Co-op). Colonial Latin America, 4th edition, by Mark A. Burkholder & Lyman L. Johnson