Span 151 Civilization and Culture of Latin America

Professor Euisuk Kim

Email: euisuk.kim@csus.edu

Office: Mariposa Hall 2033

Phone: 916-278-6652

Office Hours: MWTh: 10 AM-12 PM and by appointment

McGraw Hill, 2005, 3rd edition

This course will prepare the student to engage with important political, social, and cultural topics in Latin American literature as well as to help develop critical analytical skills to be used in evaluating them. The course will survey Latin American culture through the readings of some of the most relevant poetry, short stories, essays, and interviews from the area and throughout history. Some of the topics to be discussed in the course include the social classes, the ethnicity, the urbanization, the family, the urbanization, the family, the education, the religion, and the cultural critics.

Your grade will depend on how well you read and write and incorporate all materials for the course into cohesive analytical arguments. By the end of the course, the student should be able to understand more about the histories and cultures of Latin America in general, as well as to be able to produce a critical comparative analysis of more than one text assigned for the course. Every student is expected to be able to read, write, understand and communicate in Spanish.

1. 
   Exams: There will be 2 exams for this course. Exams will cover information from the textbook as well as from student presentations and discussions of current events in class.
   

2. 
   Presentation: Each student will be expected to work with a partner to give one 20-minute presentation on a topic chosen from the list provided by the professor. Your presentation should include an informational component, at least one activity for the class to do related to your topic, discussion questions for the class, and a study guide based on your presentation for your classmates to use when studying for exams.
   

The presentation grade will be determined as follows:

Content: 60%

Class activity/activities (creativity, organization of activity, appropriateness of discussion questions): 10%

Language skills: 30%

3. 
   Essays: Each student will be expected to write 2 essays. First essay should be at least 2 pages long and the second one 3 pages. In it, you should explain briefly in your own words what your topic is about, and then offer your commentary or opinion on the situation presented. You might discuss why you found the topic interesting, analyze it in relation to the themes that we have been talking about in class, explain whether you think the situation would have been viewed (or occurred) differently in the United States, etc. You are free to comment as you wish. You will be graded on the extent of your analysis, the originality of the ideas, and the linguistic accuracy of your papers.
   

4. 
   6 ON LINE QUIZZES: You will have 6 online quizzes in total but the lowest grade will be dropped. The deadline to take the quiz is NOT by 11 am on Thursday but by 11 am on Tuesday. This is to help student to prepare the class with time. NO MAKE UP EXAM WILL BE PROVIEDED.
   

5. 
   Attendance: Only ONE absence is permitted. After two absences the student will receive a grade of WF. In addition, late arrivals will not be permitted to make up the reading quiz. Be on time!
   

Midterm: 15%

Presentation: 10%

6 ON LINE quizzes: 20% (4 X 5= 20)

Essays: 30% (FIRST 10% and SECOND 20%)

Final exam: 15%

Participation: 10%

January 27
Introducción al curso
February 3
Capítulo 2- Las clases sociales

1. 
   Introducción 28-33
   

2. 
   César Vallejo
   

3. 
   Victoria Ocampo
   

4. 
   Miriam Lazo Laguna, entrevista (I)
   

1. 
   Miriam Lazo Laguna, entrevista (II)
   

2. 
   Miriam Lazo Laguna, entrevista (III)
   

3. 
   Javier Díaz-Albertini
   

1. 
   Introducción 86-91 -------ON LINE QUIZ 1
   

2. 
   Nicolás Guillén
   

3. 
   Carolina María de Jesús
   

_______________________________

4. 
   Rosario Castellanos
   

1. 
   Entrega del ensayo # 1
   

2. 
   Introducción 130-138---------ONLINE QUIZ 2
   

3. 
   Homero Aridjis
   

4. 
   Gustavo Slau G., Andrés Yurjevic M.,
   

1. 
   Larissa Adeler de Lomnitz,
   

2. 
   Lourdes Arizpe S.,
   

3. 
   Repaso para el examen 1
   

1. 
   Introducción 166-172--------ONLINE QUIZ 3
   

2. 
   Gabriela Mistral
   

______________________________________

1. 
   Domitila Barrios de Chungara
   

___________________________________

2. 
   Mario Benedetti
   

1. 
   Judith Ortiz Cofer
   

___________________________________

2. 
   Capítulo 6: La educación
   

Introducción 198-203------------ONLINE QUIZ 4

1. 
   Entrega del ensayo # 2
   

2. 
   Sonya Rendón, entrevista (I)
   

3. 
   Sonya Rendón, entrevista (II) 212-218
   

_______________________________________

1. 
   Sonya Rendón, entrevista (III) 219-223
   

__________________________________________

2. 
   Paulo Freire
   

4. 
   Introducción 270-275------------------ONLINE QUIZ 5
   

5. 
   Camilo Torres Restrespo, entrevista
   

_____________________________________________

6. 
   Victoriano Araya Guillén, entrevista: El protestantismo en América Latina I, II 290-301
   

______________________________________________

1. 
   Introducción 316-319 -----------------------ONLINE QUIZ 6
   

2. 
   Marina Silva, entrevista
   

3. 
   Octavio Paz
   

4. 
   Ibsen Martínez