Spring 2010 Courses
BI 325 TROPICAL ECOLOGY, 3 cr.TuTh, 12:40-2:00, M. Raveret-Richter
An introduction to the ecology of tropical regions, with an emphasis on Central and
South American forests. In this course, we will take an ecological approach to investigating
the patterns, processes, and organisms characterizing tropical ecosystems. We will
study the forces that give rise to tropical biodiversity, and discuss both the preservation
and destruction of tropical ecosystems.
FS 212 SPANISH AMERICAN LITERATURE, 4 cr.M, 2:30-4:20, B. Loyola
We will be reading Poetry, Narrative and Theatre from the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. Authors such as Dario Neruda, Mistral, Cortázar, Pax, Bombal, Rulfo, and
Valenzuela will be studied.
FS 220 LANGUAGE ACROSS the CURRICULUM: Spanish, 1 cr,
M, 1:25-2:20, C. Grant
M, 1:25-2:20, V. Rangil
A course designed for students who want to use their Spanish language skills in any
course taught in English at the college. Does not fulfill the Foreign Language distribution
requirement or count toward the major or minor in Foreign Languages and Literatures.
FS 363-002 NATION BUILDING: 19th-CENTURY SPANISH AMERICAN WRITERS CONFRONT THE CHALLENGE,
3 cr. WF, 12:20-1:40, M. Lander
In this course students will analyze the texts by some of the most prominent writers
of the period whose work explored issues of nation, identity, class and race. Through
different literary genres, students will look at how these texts prescribed, described,
and formulated the concepts that contributed to the building of the Spanish American
concept of "Nation." The course includes films and novels that recreated the period
such as Garcia Márquez's El general en su laberinto. Some of the writers and thinkers that students will read are Simón Rodriguez, Esteban
Echeverria, Ricardo Palma, and Teresa de la Parra, among others.
GO 209 LATIN AMERICAN PUZZLE, 4 cr. MWF, 9:05-10:00, A. Vacs
A comprehensive analysis of Latin American political, social, and economic processes
and institutions from a multidisciplinary perspective. The course examines Latin America's
political development, ethnic problems, gender roles, and economic strategies as well
as the changing role of institutions such as the state, socioeconomic organizations,
the church, and the military. It considers how Latin American societies changed after
independence while noting those political, social, and economic aspects that remain
unchanged.
GO 315 IMMIGRATION POLITICS, 4 cr. TuTh, 12:40-2:00, R. Turner
An examination of immigration and the issues arising from it--the reshaping of cities,
suburbs and rural areas, and the altering of racial dynamics, labor markets, politics
and culture in the U.S. Students will address varied topics such as the historical
evolution of American immigration policy, theories of immigration, the economic costs
and benefits of immigration, the assimilation of recent immigrants, and the future
direction of U.S. immigration policy.
HI 111: INTRO TO LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY, 4 cr. TuTh, 12:40-2:00, J. Dym
An introduction to the economic, political, social, and intellectual history of Latin
America. Organized thematically and chronologically, topics emphasize understanding
the emergence of European colonies into a group of distinct nation-states. Students
will explore Latin American society from initial encounters among Europeans, Africans,
and Native Americans, through independence and political, economic, and social challenges
of early nation-state formation. We conclude with the twentieth century, addressing
topics such as industrialization, revolution, U.S.-Latin American relations, and selected
intellectual trends.
HI 228C RACE, CLASS, & GENDER IN LATIN AMERICA, 4 cr.TuTh, 6:30-7:50, R. Lynch
Looks at how different ideas about race and ethnicity have shaped Latin American
politics and societies from colonial times to the present. Themes covered include:
interactions of Iberian, American, African, and Asian peoples; official and unofficial
management of multiethnic and multicultural societies; scientific racism; scientific
racism; and the relation between theories of race and development of ideas about class,
gender, and nation.