Dana Khromov

The distinction between human and animal is foundational in Latin American cultural and political history, as well as in its contemporary social and political discourse, informing issues from national identity and citizenship to disputes over land and resources. In this class, we will look at how the figure of the animal informs, complicates, and subverts the nature/culture dichotomy as seen in literature and film. We will analyze how different figurations of the relationship between human and animal register shifting hierarchies of race, class, and gender in stories by the likes of Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, João Guimarães Rosa, Clarice Lispector, and Julio Cortázar, as well as in films such as La ciénaga (Lucrecia Martel) and Neon Bull (Gabriel Mascaro)—paying special attention to alignments/alliances between the animal and other subjects marginalized because of their race, gender, sexuality, and class. This course will introduce students to animal studies and ecocriticism through a survey of 20th century-21st century Latin American literature and film.

This course is intended for students who have at least one year of Spanish at the college level or more in high school. We will thoroughly review essential grammar concepts and broaden your vocabulary, improving your verbal and written communication as we hone your listening and reading skills. We will read and analyze the work of contemporary Latin American writers—such as Fernanda Melchor, Selva Amada, Lina Meruane, Mónica Ojeda, Camila Sosa, Samanta Schweblin, and Daniella Sánchez Russo—with a focus on literary strategies they use to explore issues such as sexuality, bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, definitions and redefinitions of gender, indigineity, violence, and resistance. In addition to class time, you will complete an individual conference project each semester and attend a conversation session each week with a language tutor.

This class is for students who have had some experience with Spanish but are still laying the foundations of communication and comprehension. We will do a thorough review of basic grammatical, lexical, and syntactical concepts at a more accelerated pace than the regular Beginning Spanish class. Working with music, visual art, film, and newspaper articles from both Latin America and Spain, students will develop the ability to navigate real-life situations and will expand their vocabulary through group exercises with a communicative focus. Weekly conversation sessions are also a fundamental part of this course.

This class is for students who have had some experience with Spanish but are still laying the foundations of communication and comprehension. We will do a thorough review of basic grammatical, lexical, and syntactical concepts at a more accelerated pace than the regular Beginning Spanish class. Working with music, visual art, film, and newspaper articles from both Latin America and Spain, students will develop the ability to navigate real-life situations and will expand their vocabulary through group exercises with a communicative focus. Weekly conversation sessions are also a fundamental part of this course.

What is the reality of the Caribbean beyond stereotypes of a tropical paradise for vacationers from abroad? What can the region teach us about art, politics, and revolution? In this class, we will consider different definitions of, and approaches, to the Caribbean and its positioning in relation to Latin America, Europe, and the United States regarding questions of race and ethnicity, colonialism and slavery, revolution, gender and sexuality, migration, and diaspora. We will analyze literature, theory, art, film, and music by the likes of Alejo Carpentier, Fernando Ortiz, Wilfredo Lam, and Sarah Gómez. This discussion-based course is intended for students who wish to further hone their communication and comprehension skills through advanced grammar review.

We will thoroughly review essential concepts of Spanish grammar and broaden your vocabulary, improving your verbal and written communication as we hone your listening and reading skills. In addition to individual and group exercises grounded in real-life scenarios, we will discuss Latin American and Spanish films within their political and cultural contexts to develop a technical vocabulary for film analysis as well as an understanding of issues such as revolution, modernization, Indigeneity, gender, class, and globalization in the Hispanic context. In addition to class time, you will complete an individual conference project each semester and attend a conversation session with a language tutor each week.