Literature courses
SPN 350: Introduction to reading Hispanic Literature
This course is designed to offer students an introduction to literary analysis in Spanish. Students will learn to analyze poetry, short stories, novels, and drama within their historical and social contexts in the Spanish-speaking world. We will focus on studying literary genres, movements, and authors in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of Hispanic literature. Students will improve their oral, listening, reading, and writing skills in Spanish as well as deepen their understanding of Hispanic cultures to prepare for more advanced coursework.
SPN 432: Latin America and its Literature
In this course we will analyze the development of literature in Spanish America from the Pre-Hispanic era until today. We will discuss topics such as colonialism, marginality, identity-formation, and gender issues, as well as the main literary movements in Spanish America and their characteristics. Additionally, we will read a short novel to study the new routes that Latin American literature is taken in contemporary times.
SPN 491: Breaking the Mold: Decoding Contemporary Latin American Women Writers
In the past two decades, there has been a significant focus on contemporary Latin American women writers, leading to what some critics and scholars call a “boom femenino.” This course will explore the modern landscape of Latin American literature from the perspective of women writers who are reshaping and expanding the literary canon. We will study short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, and essays to gain a comprehensive understanding of the texts produced by these authors. We will examine how these works challenge traditional narratives and offer fresh perspectives on cultural, social, and political issues, marking a profound transformation of the region’s literary scene. Additionally, we will utilize resources from Hablemos Escritoras—a comprehensive website, podcast, and encyclopedia dedicated to women writers—to enhance our exploration and understanding of the significant contributions these writers are making to Latin American literature.
Growing Up Latinx (Taught at UNC Chapel Hill)
An interdisciplinary discussion-based course, this class will expose students to a variety of texts that depict the process of growing up as Latina/o/x in the United States. While the primary reading list is made up of novels, secondary texts include essays, theoretical articles, podcasts, and videos. The course begins with an introduction to what it means to be Latina/o/x in the United States, followed by units on criminalization, education and bilingualism, gender and sexuality, and migration. Each of the works within these units will be analyzed based on the context in which it is written, as well as on class discussions surrounding the way specific issues affect the Latinx community as a whole.
Primary texts:
Richard Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory.
Luis J. Rodríguez’s Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in
L.A
Daisy Hernández’s A Cup of Water Under My Bed
Rigoberto González’s Butterfly Boy
Valeria Luiselli’s Tell Me How It Ends
Cristina Henríquez’s The Book of Unknown Americans
Culture and theory courses
SPN 412: Gender and Sexuality in Latin America
This course examines different aspects of Latin American cultural history as it relates to gender and sexuality during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries along with their role in what we know as contemporary Latin America. We begin by understanding the specificities of studying LGBTQ+ subjects in Latin America in order to analyze how gender identities and sexualities have shifted and been portrayed. We continue by delving into popular culture to deepen our understanding of how cultural productions influence the way we think about gender and sexuality. In our final unit, we focus on women who have fought and continue to fight towards equality and justice within deeply unequal and gendered societies.
SPN 412: Mexico: Gender and Identity Through Humor
In this course, we will study how humor reflects the multiplicity of ways in which Mexican society is shaped and re-shaped throughout time. By analyzing literary texts, films, social media content, and standup comedy, we will analyze what makes Mexicans laugh as well as the peculiarities of humor in Mexico. Likewise, by engaging with a diversity of primary texts, we will think critically regarding what humor can tell us about issues of identity, race, gender, and sexuality. Although we will be looking at primary sources from a broad perspective, we will analyze them while taking into account the specific context in which they are produced. Finally, we will both discuss what makes up Mexican identity while also questioning myths and stereotypes.
SPN 412: Women’s Latin America
This course examines different aspects of Latin American cultural history as it relates to women during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries along with their role in what we know as contemporary Latin America. We begin by understanding their contributions to major revolutions across the region in order to explore women’s pivotal function in building today’s societies. We continue by discussing the way in which art shapes, informs, and portrays women in society. Our third unit focuses on the current crisis of femicide in Latin America, along with the movements of resistance that it has sparked. Finally, we study the role of race and class and its intersection with issues of gender in a region so clearly marked by colonialism.
WS 307: Women of Color Feminisms
This course examines the diverse and intersecting feminist thought of women of color, with a transnational focus on the relationships between theory, activism, and lived experience. We will begin by briefly exploring foundational texts in U.S.-based women of color feminisms, such as Black, Indigenous, Asian American, and Chicana/Latina, and then turn to the specific contributions of Latin American feminists from the mid-20th century to the present. Through a transnational lens, we will interrogate questions of colonialism, racialization, migration, sexuality, labor, and state violence, as well as the creative strategies of resistance and coalition-building developed by women of color. Readings include theoretical essays, memoirs, manifestos, and cultural texts (poetry, narrative, performance) to highlight how feminist thought emerges across genres.
Hispanic Film (Taught at UNC Chapel Hill)
Drawing examples from the diverse audiovisual production of the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas, this class is designed to teach students the basics of film analysis and to introduce them to different theoretical approaches. Every week, we will view a feature-length film and analyze it immediately afterward during an extended class session. The second shorter class discussion each week will delve more deeply into theoretical and methodological problems, aided by readings in film theory and analysis. The semester is divided into four modules, each of which will be devoted to understanding how, since 1950, the cinema of the Spanish-speaking world has engaged with the problems of modernity, migration, colonialism, and memory, and gender and sexuality.
Language and grammar courses
Advanced Spanish in context (Taught at UNC Chapel Hill)
Advanced Spanish in context uses a variety of texts (literature, movies, newspaper articles, speeches and essays) as a basis for reviewing grammatical concepts, developing writing competency, and improving overall communication skills. Through work on authentic and original written texts, this course continues to focus on refining the four language skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. With the readings, students will explore their historical context and analyze the application of different grammar structures. Students will be expected to do a significant amount of reading and writing.
Spanish for the Medical Professions (Taught at UNC Chapel Hill)
This course is designed to integrate further language study within a healthcare focus. All materials (textbook and online videos) integrate healthcare terminology, scenarios and cultural elements into one unified course.
