Latin American Studies

This seminar course invites guest lecturers to present on a variety of interdisciplinary topics pertinent to contemporary Brazil including: Brazilian culture, history, and music; BRICS and International Relations; democracy; migration; race relations; environmental issues; urban planning; education. Excursions to relevant locations throughout Rio de Janeiro are included to build on topics discussed in class.

Using a variety of texts and genres as case studies (including the short story, novel, theater, and poetry), this course explores the way in which 20th-century writers in the Hispanic world have reflected upon their social and cultural realities. Through an examination of new aesthetic trends and new treatments of stock themes such as religion, politics, and love, it appraises the very characteristics of modern Latin American and Peninsular Spanish cultures.

This course provides a first approximation to the study of Latin American politics, encompassing a wide range of topics in international relations and comparative politics. Although intended as a survey of main political science debates, the course also imparts basic knowledge about the culture, geography, and history of the region. It therefore follows a chronological ordering of topics to answer questions such as (1) How did colonial history shape politics in the region? (2) How did current national states form and consolidate? (3) How did political regimes and political parties evolve in two centuries of independent history? (4) Why is Latin America, simultaneously the most peaceful region considering international violence, and the most violent at the domestic level? (5) Which are the main challenges to political stability, economic growth, and development? The spirit of the course is  to identify how Latin America can contribute to broader theories as well. 

This course provides a study of Latin American films from the late nineteenth century to the present day and reflects on various political, social, and cultural scenarios of the countries in which these films are set. It critically analyzes the thematic and formal proposals of the films, as well as the aesthetic concepts used in the visual imagery associated with Latin America. The course examines the common problems and historical moments that were projected through film in silent cinema, new cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, and finally, in contemporary works.

The course examines the relationship between the historical, aesthetic, and social dimensions of the Latin American popular music in the 20th century and its impact on Chile today. Topics include: african roots; european heritage; authorial trends.

This course discusses human rights from an historical perspective as well as present day in Chile. It explores the search for truth, justice, memory, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition after the restoration of democracy. The course reflects on the causes and social consequences of political violence, both during the dictatorship and in democracy, the difficulties in moving towards a more egalitarian and cohesive society, the challenges of the rule of law and democracy, and the main struggles for social justice in Chile today.