SPAN-T 550: Hispanic Studies

In this course, students will deepen their understanding of the complexity of today’s Hispanidad in the US. We will take a diachronic approach to see how the past shapes the present. In doing so, students will critically analyze crucial events, periods and policies that have influenced and keep influencing the US’s relationship with its Latin-American neighbors and its Hispanic/Latinx communities at home. They will discuss key concepts about the interrelation between the US and the Hispanic World of the Americas, generating and sharing their own hypothesis and arguments on the themes examined. A wide range of materials/sources will be used (e.g., films, short stories, essays, newspapers, excerpts from books, maps, etc.).

Course topics include: The Hispanic presence in the US from 1493 to today; the Hispanic world and its indigenous peoples from 1491 to today; and issues of ethnicity, race, gender and representation of the Hispanidad in US society; among others.

These concepts will be essential to function effectively as teaching professionals of the Spanish language as well as of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.