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College Catalog 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses

 

International Studies
  

  • INTL 485 - Senior Seminar: Confronting Global Hatred

    Drawing on several disciplines, this course confronts global hatred from three angles. The first is the hater’s internal world and looks at how human nature, genetic structure/instincts, and individual psychology may foster hatred. The second is external, exploring the role history, culture, ideology, social structure, religion, and mass psychology play. The third seeks to apply the insights gained from the first two, asking: how might we break the devastating cycles of hatred so present in our world? Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 487 - Senior Seminar: Globalization and its Discontents

    Globalization has helped the international community to come together with an unprecedented immediacy. It has also enabled individuals and on-state actors to assume powers and duties formerly exclusive to state. The dispersion of state prerogatives can be liberating, as when oppressed people use new communication technologies to overthrow their masters. It can also provide opportunities for criminal enterprises and other agents of disorder to act with impunity. Our senior seminar will explore the tensions between the centripedal forces that bring us together, and the centrifugal forces that tear the global community apart. The state will most often be the law. The Westphalian sovereign state has often been declared vanquished by globalization, yet it is still very much alive, and has proven creative in deriving new means to control its subjects. It must do so because those subjects have proven equally creative in resisting state control; and globalization, in both its modern and older forms, has provided those subjects with many tools of resistance. Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. Every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 488 - Senior Seminar: Thinking on a World Scale

    For more than a century, many fine minds - St. Lucian poets, Russian linguists, Mexican mystics, German forest historians, American sociologists, Bengali novelists, and Macalester International Studies students among them - have been drawn to thinking on a world scale. This senior seminar begins by reading some of them at essay length, then tackles current world-scale books the instructor himself has not yet read. Finally we generate some world-scale writing of our own. Open to all geographies and disciplinary specialties.  Corequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 489 - Senior Seminar: Capitalism and World (Dis)Order

    Capitalism, for many, is synonymous with the “natural” exchange of goods and services through “the free market.” But fuller examination shows capitalism to be neither natural, free, nor limited to economic transactions. Capitalism more precisely is a historical social system and a way of being which now penetrates all forms of life: cultural, ecological, civic and more. This senior seminar aims to identify capitalism’s origins and development, and interrogate its contemporary status. Thinkers such as Smith, Marx, and Braudel will loom, but readings will focus on works by Beaud, Weber, Tawney, Kotz, Wallerstein, and others. The course concludes with a significant research paper on a topic, relevant to the theme, of a student’s choice. Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 494 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 601 - Tutorial

    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • INTL 602 - Tutorial

    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
  

  • INTL 603 - Tutorial

    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)
  

  • INTL 604 - Tutorial

    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 611 - Independent Project

    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • INTL 612 - Independent Project

    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
  

  • INTL 613 - Independent Project

    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)
  

  • INTL 614 - Independent Project

    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 621 - Internship

    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/SN) only, but may be included on International Studies major plans. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • INTL 622 - Internship

    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/SN) only, but may be included on International Studies major plans. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (2 Credits)
  

  • INTL 623 - Internship

    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/SN) only, but may be included on International Studies major plans. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (3 Credits)
  

  • INTL 624 - Internship

    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/SN) only, but may be included on International Studies major plans. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 631 - Preceptorship

    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (1 Credits)
  

  • INTL 632 - Preceptorship

    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (2 Credits)
  

  • INTL 633 - Preceptorship

    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (3 Credits)
  

  • INTL 634 - Preceptorship

    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (4 Credits)
  

  • INTL 641 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • INTL 642 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
  

  • INTL 643 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)
  

  • INTL 644 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)

Japanese
  

  • JAPA 101 - First Year Japanese I

    Introduction to Japanese language and culture. Practice in basic sentence patterns and conversational expressions to enable students to speak and write Japanese. Fall semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 102 - First Year Japanese II

    Continuation of JAPA 101. Spring semester. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 101  or its equivalent. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 125 - Classical Chinese

    Cross-Listed as CHIN 125  
    This translation-focused course allows students direct access to classical Chinese texts in several genres of poetry and prose. The readings differ every time the courses is offered, so it may be taken up to four times for credit. Prerequisite(s): Third Year Chinese or above, or Fourth Year Japanese or above. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 150 - Language and Gender in Japanese Society

    Cross-Listed as  ,   and WGSS 150 
    Japanese is considered to be a gendered language in the sense that women and men speak differently from each other. Male characters in Japanese animation often use “boku” or “ore” to refer to themselves, while female characters often use “watashi” or “atashi.” When translated into Japanese, Hermione Granger (a female character in the Harry Potter series) ends sentences with soft-sounding forms, while Harry Potter and his best friend Ron use more assertive forms. Do these fictional representations reflect reality? How are certain forms associated with femininity or masculinity? Do speakers of Japanese conform to the norm or rebel against it? These are some of the questions discussed in this course. Students will have opportunities to learn about the history of gendered language, discover different methodologies in data collections, and find out about current discourse on language and gender. Offered alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 194 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 203 - Second Year Japanese I

    Continuation of JAPA 102. While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of kanji and begin to work with short texts. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 102  or its equivalent. Fall semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 204 - Second Year Japanese II

    Continuation of JAPA 203. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 203  or its equivalent. Spring semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 251 - Fiction of Modern Japan

    This course introduces major authors, texts, and issues in modern Japanese literature from 1868 to the present. The focus will be on works of fiction (mainly novels, novellas, and short stories) and how they mediate and complicate the relationships between: self and other, tradition and modernity, nation and empire, and history and memory. One of the central themes of the course is the role of literature in the production, transformation, and contestation of the national narratives and cultural constructs-or the fictions-of modern Japan. In addition to the literary or textual aspects of individual works (such as language, style, and narration), we will consider the specific historical, political, and socioeconomic factors informing these works. No prior knowledge of Japan or Japanese is required. Readings are in English or English translation. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 254 - Japanese Film and Animation: From the Salaryman to the Shojo

    Cross-Listed as ASIA 254 
    This course surveys the history of Japanese film from the “golden age” of Japanese cinema to the contemporary transnational genre of anime. While introducing methodologies of film analysis and interpretation, it develops knowledge of how major works of Japanese film and animation have expressed and critiqued issues of modern Japanese society. In doing this, we trace the development of two related archetypes: the middle-class salaryman and the adolescent girl (shojo). These figures - as well as their incarnations as cyberpunks and mecha-warriors, sex workers and teen rebels - help us explore Japanese film’s engagement with the strictures of middle-class society, the constrained status of women, fantasy and escapism, sexuality and desire. Weekly screenings and discussion will be supplemented by readings in film theory and cultural criticism. Directors include Ozu Yasujiro, Akira Kurosawa, Oshima Nagisa, Miyazaki Hayao, Anno Hideaki, and Hosoda Mamoru. No prior knowledge of Japanese required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 260 - Narratives of Alienation: 20th Century Japanese Fiction and Film

    Cross-Listed as ASIA 260  
    The sense of being out of place in one’s society or one’s nation, estranged from one’s self or the world - this is the feeling that has motivated many of the narratives of modern Japanese fiction. Through stories of precocious adolescents, outcast minorities, vagabond women, disillusioned soldiers, and rebellious youth, this course examines the social implications of narrative fiction (including film, anime, and manga) within the context of modern Japanese history. While introducing methods of literary analysis and developing a familiarity with major works of Japanese fiction, the course aims to cultivate an understanding of how stories can be used to engage and think about the quandaries of modern society. We will explore the way these narratives express marginal experiences, rethink the foundations of human and societal bonds, and articulate new ways of being in the world. Works covered include stories by Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Kawabata Yasunari, Oe Kenzaburo, Mishima Yukio, and Murakami Haruki, as well as films by Akira Kurosawa, Koreeda Hirokazu, and Otomo Katsuhiro. No knowledge of Japanese required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 281 - Dialects, Multilingualism, and the Politics of Speaking Japanese

    Cross-Listed as ASIA 281  and LING 281  
    This course will examine linguistic diversity in Japan as well as issues of identity and politics involved in the act of speaking Japanese in Japan and other parts of the world. Students will be engaged with questions such as the following: How do dialects become revitalized? How does the media portray dialect speakers? Does the Japanese government promote multilingualism? How do multilingual/multicultural individuals manage their identities? How do heritage speakers in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru deal with the politics of speaking Japanese? What does it mean to speak Japanese as a non-native speaker? No Japanese language ability is required. Once every three years. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 288 - Identity, Race, and Ethnicity in Japan

    Cross-Listed as AMST 288  and INTL 288  
    From notions of the “pure self” to teenage ganguro (“face-blackening”), Japanese culture is rife with instances of ideology and performance that reflect a deep complexity in its engagement with issues of identity and foreignness. This course traces the roots of this complexity back to Japan’s beginnings as a modern nation and examines its cultural development into the present day. Works of fiction will be paired with readings in history and criticism to explore the meanings of identity, race, and ethnicity as they are expressed and contested in Japanese culture. The course will cover the literature of Korea and Taiwan, the experience of domestic minorities, and the contemporary cultures of cos-play (“costume-play”) and hip-hop. No prior knowledge of Japanese required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 294 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 305 - Third Year Japanese I

    Continuation of JAPA 204. Emphasizes continued development of conversation skills, while not neglecting the development of reading skills. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 204  or permission of instructor. Fall semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 306 - Third Year Japanese II

    Continuation of JAPA 305. Emphasizes strong development of reading and writing skills. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 305  or permission of instructor. Spring semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 335 - Analyzing Japanese Language

    Cross-Listed as ASIA 335  and   
    Our perception is greatly influenced by the language we use. Without knowing, we limit ourselves to thinking that our current perspective is the only way by which to view ourselves and the world. By analyzing Japanese, students can experience perceptual and cultural systems that are different from their own. At the same time, students may also discover that there are certain qualities that are common even in “exotic” languages such as Japanese. What is the function of the topic marker? Why can’t you translate “he is cold” into Japanese word for word? Why are there so many different personal pronouns in Japanese? How do you express your feelings in Japanese? What is the relationship between your identity and gendered speech? This course provides opportunities to discuss these questions that students of Japanese commonly have. Students will also experience examining authentic Japanese data. Japanese Language and Culture majors who are juniors and seniors may count this course as their capstone experience. Prerequisite(s):  JAPA 204  or permission of instructor. Offered every three years. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 394 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 407 - Fourth Year Japanese I

    This course aims at the acquisition of advanced level proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students are given opportunities to develop abilities to narrate and describe, to understand main ideas and most details of connected discourse on a variety of topics, to read prose several paragraphs in length, and to write routine social correspondence and join sentences in simple discourse of at least several paragraphs in length on familiar topics. In addition, students will practice language that is sociolinguistically appropriate in specific situations. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 306  or permission of instructor. Fall semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 408 - Fourth Year Japanese II

    This course is a continuation of Fourth Year Japanese I. It continues work on the acquisition of advanced level proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students are given opportunities to understand the main ideas of extended discourse, to read texts which are linguistically complex, and to write about a variety of topics. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 306 . (JAPA 407  and JAPA 408 are not sequenced courses. Therefore, students may choose to enroll in JAPA 408 without having been enrolled in JAPA 407 .) Spring semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 488 - Translating Japanese Literature: Theory and Practice

    Cross-Listed as   
    This workshop for advanced students of Japanese explores the craft and cultural implications of Japanese-to-English literary translation. It aims to give students not only a facility and sophistication in translating Japanese, but also a closer familiarity with the Japanese language itself. Through weekly translation assignments, we will examine the expressive qualities of the Japanese language, tracing major developments of prose style in the modern period and studying the socio-historical context manifested in those linguistic innovations. Our work will be informed and enhanced by engagements with theories of translation as well as essays on Japanese-to-English translation specifically. We will cover a broad range of genres, including essays, poetry, manga, and film (subtitles). The course will culminate in an original project translating a Japanese work of one’s choice. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 305 - Third Year Japanese I  or higher. Every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 494 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 601 - Tutorial

    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 602 - Tutorial

    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 603 - Tutorial

    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 604 - Tutorial

    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 611 - Independent Project

    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor and department chair must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 612 - Independent Project

    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor and department chair must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (2 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 613 - Independent Project

    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor and department chair must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (3 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 614 - Independent Project

    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor and department chair must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 631 - Preceptorship

    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (1 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 632 - Preceptorship

    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (2 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 633 - Preceptorship

    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (3 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 634 - Preceptorship

    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 641 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (1 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 642 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (2 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 643 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (3 Credits)
  

  • JAPA 644 - Honors Independent

    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (4 Credits)

Latin American Studies
  

  • LATI 141 - Latin America Through Women’s Eyes

    Cross-Listed as   and WGSS 141  
    Latin American women have overcome patriarchal “machismo” to serve as presidents, mayors, guerilla leaders, union organizers, artists, intellectuals, and human rights activists. Through a mix of theoretical, empirical, and testimonial work, we will explore issues such as feminist challenges to military rule in Chile, anti-feminist politics in Nicaragua, the intersection of gender and democratization in Cuba, and women’s organizing and civil war in Colombia. Teaching methods include discussion, debates, simulations, analytic papers, partisan narratives, lecture, film, poetry, and a biographical essay. This class employs an innovative system of qualitative assessment. Students take the course “S/SD/N with Written Evaluation.” This provides a powerful opportunity for students to stretch their limits in a learning community with high expectations, but without a high-pressure atmosphere. This ungraded course has been approved for inclusion on major/minor plans in Political Science, Latin American Studies, and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 151 - Caribbean Literature and Culture: Aesthetics of Resistance

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 151  
    Explore literary, visual and musical expressions of resistance against colonialism and neocolonialism in the Caribbean, and examine street performance as a means of redefining public space and creating community. Students will learn about the tensions between culture and capital. Offered as a First Year Course only. Occasionally. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 181 - Introduction to Latin America

    Cross-Listed as HIST 181  
    This course offers a general survey of the complex and heterogeneous region we somewhat reductively term Latin America. It follows a roughly chronological approach, beginning with the eve of encounter and continuing through the contemporary era. Discussions will consider themes such as the institution and legacy of colonialism, the search for new national identities, and the onset of modern racial and political strife. The course will emphasize the import of global economic, political, and cultural trends on the formation of the region. Offered every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 194 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 235 - Captives, Cannibals, and Capitalists in the Early Modern Atlantic World

    Cross-Listed as AMST 235  and HIST 235  
    This course explores cross-cultural encounters in the Americas that characterized the meetings of Europeans, Africans, and Americans in the early modern world between 1492 and 1763.  During this period, the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent land masses became critical locations for economic, biological, and cultural exchanges.  This course focuses on the Americas as sites for discovery, mutual incomprehension, and exploitation.  The course explores the ways that conquest, resistance, and strategic cooperation shaped peoples’ “new worlds” on both sides of the Atlantic. It also considers how colonialism framed and was framed by scientific inquiry, religious beliefs, economic thought, and artistic expression.  Students interrogate primary sources-written, visual and aural–that emerged from these encounters and the secondary literatures that have sought to make sense of them. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 239 - Neotropical Landscapes

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 239  
    The Neotropical realm refers to the biogeographic region that includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and South America’s temperate zone. These areas are home to immense biodiversity, including many endemic and threatened species, and provide critical services both locally and globally including water sources and climate mitigation. They are also home to various human populations and support their livelihoods. This course offers an introduction to these landscapes from a geographical perspective. It is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the most important biophysical and social characteristics of the dominant landscapes of the Neotropics. Among others, these include tropical rain forests, Andean páramos, woodland savannas and tropical dry forests. For each of these landscapes, we will analyze the key climatological, biogeographical and ecological processes that define these areas as unique ecoregions or biomes. We will also study the peoples that live in them-indigenous communities, afro-descendants, and mestizo populations-and how they interact with their environment. Finally, we will study the main threats that these places face, including deforestation, afforestation, and climate change, and the key stakeholders driving, maintaining or reducing these processes. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 244 - Urban Latinx Power in the U.S.

    Cross-Listed as

      and   
    Comparative study of Latinx political struggles in U.S. cities.  How did Chicana feminists transform student social movements on college campuses?  In San Antonio, Denver, and Los Angeles, how did multiracial coalitions elect pioneering Latino mayors?  And in Chicago, who fought for immigrant rights and who stood in their way? We will explore the themes of subordination and empowerment through study of anti-immigrant ballot initiatives in California, Cuban dominance in Miami politics, multiracial violence in Los Angeles, and battles over labor conditions, affirmative action, bilingual education, and racial profiling.

      Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 245 - Latin American Politics

    Cross-Listed as POLI 245 
    Comparative study of political institutions and conflicts in several Latin American countries. Through a mix of empirical and theoretical work, we analyze concepts and issues such as authoritarianism and democratization, neoliberalism, state terror and peace processes, guerrilla movements, party systems, populism, the Cuban Revolution, and U.S. military intervention. Themes are explored through diverse teaching methods including discussion, debates, simulations, partisan narratives, lecture, film, and poetry. This class employs an innovative system of qualitative assessment. Students take the course “S/SD/N with Written Evaluation.” This provides a powerful opportunity for students to stretch their limits in a learning community with high expectations, but without a high-presure atmosphere. This ungraded course has been approved for inclusion on major/minor/concentration plans in Political Science, Latin American Studies, and Human Rights and Humanitarianism. Every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 246 - Comparative Democratization

    Cross-Listed as POLI 246  
    This course focuses on theories of democratic breakdown, regime transitions, and democratization in Southern Europe, Latin America, and Post-Communist Europe. Some of the cases we will study include Pinochet’s coup and Chile’s return to elections, the end of the South African apartheid regime, and Russia’s post-Cold War shift toward both democratic elections and new strands of authoritarianism. Building on the literatures on transitions, consolidation, civil society, and constitutional design, the course culminates in an examination of democratic impulses in Iran and the Middle East. Themes are explored through diverse teaching methods including discussion, debates, simulations, partisan narratives, lecture, film, and poetry. Prerequisite(s): POLI 140  or LATI 141  recommended. Offered every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 248 - Struggles for Reproductive Justice: A Global Perspective

    Cross-Listed as SOCI 248  and WGSS 248  
    This course focuses on reproductive health as a human right following the reproductive justice framework. It will focus on women and how they navigate the system to expand their rights. The course will pay particular attention to women who are marginalized due to their race, class, gender identity, indigeneity, and religion. In doing so, this course studies reproductive health and human rights in relation to the broader structural context in the Americas (e.g. national laws and international conventions). As the topic of women’s reproductive rights is vast, we will be focusing on abortion, domestic violence, and motherhood. Students in the class will study these issues from the perspective of women’s organizations that have mobilized to expand reproductive rights. This course will be comparative in nature as it will focus on reproductive rights in the U.S. and Latin America from the 1980s onwards. These two regions are intimately connected politically and economically, and in regards to reproductive rights. For example, the gag rule introduced by the Reagan administration in 1984 jeopardized the reproductive health services provided in Latin American countries that received funding from the U.S. government. Yet another way that these two regions have been coupled is through feminist networks that have been working to expand reproductive rights in the Americas.  Every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 249 - Environment and Society in Latin America

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 249  
    This course offers geographical perspectives on one of the world’s most vibrant regions, Latin America and the Caribbean. Extending from the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego, this world region stretches across diverse landscapes, from tropical rainforests to the snowcapped peaks of the Andes, from mega-cities to verdant plains and sparsely populated deserts. This course combines thematic and regional approaches to understanding the geography of Latin America. Major topics include the dynamics of climate, physical geography, and natural hazards; how indigenous peoples of the Americas transformed their environments, especially through agriculture; how European colonialism and the Columbian Exchange altered patterns of land use, labor, and trade; the development patterns of modern nation-states within a globalized economy; the environmental and social impacts of commodity production (e.g. coffee in Central America, rubber in the Amazon); challenges to and persistence of small-scale agriculture in the Andean region; the causes and consequences of tropical deforestation; conflicts over land and natural resources; the resilience and political resurgence of indigenous groups and people of African descent, and the evolution of pluriethnic or multinational states; the causes of mass urbanization and the environmental problems of cities; patterns of international migration, including flows between Latin American countries and towards the US and Europe; and the development of Latino culture and identity in the U.S. Along the way, we will examine the human-environment geography of various regions and countries such as The Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, Brazil, the Andean Countries, and Argentina. Every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 251 - Politics of Memory in Latin America

    Cross-Listed as ANTH 251  
    This course examines and critically analyzes various approaches to the study of how different individuals and communities in particular historical and cultural scenarios in contemporary Latin America create meanings about their past experience with political violence. The course addresses questions related to the tension between remembering and forgetting, the presence of conflicting memories and truths and how these are negotiated or not through distinct forms of representation. The cultural analysis of different means of representation: human rights and truth commission reports, testimonials, film, art and memorials will be the basis for class discussions on different notions of truth and different forms of truth-telling. A close examination of these forms of representation will reveal the extent to which they can conflict with each other while at the same time feed on each other, creating “effects of truth” and leaving room for secrecy as a mode of truth-telling. Finally, the course will also compel students to think about what consequences the politics of memory have for the future. Alternate years (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 255 - Latin America in Motion

    Cross-Listed as ANTH 255  
    This course is an introduction to the cultural diversity and complexity of Latin American societies. We will examine regional differences from an anthropological perspective and discus how social institutions and cultural practices and traditions have been shaped, and how they have dealt with continuity and change. Ethnographic case studies will allow us to explore relevant topics related to ethnicity, social stratification, gift-giving/reciprocity, kinship, rural/urban relationships, cosmology and religion, and gender. These issues will be examined within the context of particular histories, considering the legacy of colonialism, the formation of the nation-state, the emergence of social movements, post-colonial nationalism, the impact of migration and urbanization, and the effects of neo-liberalism and globalization. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101  or ANTH 111 . Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 258 - Immigrant Voices in Times of Fear

    Cross-Listed as SOCI 258  
    According to the International Organization for Migration (OIM), in 2019, the United States had the largest foreign-born population in the world. During the same year, immigrants represented 15% of the United States population while 53% of the foreign-born migrants came from Latin America. At the same time, we are observing the securitization of the US-Mexico border that is resulting in the removal of undocumented individuals from the U.S. in large numbers, specifically Latino men. The course examines recent U.S. immigration as part of a global (historical) phenomenon to understand how we got to where we are. While we will become familiar with immigration policies, we will pay attention to the experiences of immigrants, particularly those coming from Latin America. We will explore questions such as: What motivates people to migrate? How does migration reconfigure social relations, such as parental and community relations? This is a discussion-based course and includes guest speakers and a civic engagement project with a local organization. Every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 281 - The Andes: Landscape and Power

    Cross-Listed as ENVI 281  and HIST 281  
    This course explores the interaction between landscape and power in Andean history from the colonial period to the present day. The dramatic mountains have both shaped and have been shaped by sociopolitical relations, from the “vertical archipelagos” of ancient Andean peoples to the extractive economies of the Spanish and post-colonial Andean states. The course incorporates analytical perspectives from environmental, cultural, and urban history, alongside eyewitness accounts, to consider the relationship between the natural and built environments, on the one hand, and Andean racial and social identities, on the other. In selected years, this course will involve collaboration with contemporary Andean communities deploying oral history as a means of community and environmental preservation. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 282 - Latin America: Art and Nation

    Cross-Listed as HIST 282 
    This course presents an historical overview of the interaction between artists, the state, and national identity in Latin America. After an introduction to the import of images to crafting collective identities during the colonial era and the 19th century, we will focus on the 20th century. Topics to be discussed include the depiction of race, allegorical landscapes and architectures, the art of revolution, and countercultures. Multiple genres will be explored with an emphasis on the visual arts, architecture, and popular music. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 283 - Amazon: A Cultural History

    Cross-Listed as   
    This course traces depiction of the Amazon rainforest from the 16th century to the present with an emphasis on three central allegories - the Amazon as cultural crossroads; the Amazon as untapped economic resource; and the Amazon as a-historical paradise (or hell). Every other year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 285 - Cold War Latin America

    Cross-Listed as HIST 285  
    During the Cold War, Latin America was a decidedly “hot zone.” This course considers this phenomenon as a result of internal and external pressures, including political and socioeconomic instability, a deep tradition of revolutionary and socialist activism, and the region’s conflictive relationship with the United States. The class examines dramatic moments of the Latin American Cold War, such as the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala, the Cuban and Nicaraguan revolutions, and the Dirty Wars in Chile and Argentina. It also examines less heralded aspects of the Latin American Cold War, such as its important role in fostering transhemispheric solidarities, the creative possibilities of Cold War cultural production, the emergence of a youth counterculture, and the many attempts by Latin Americans across the political spectrum to reject the premise of the Cold War altogether. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 294 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 307 - Introduction to the Analysis of Hispanic Texts

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 307  
    This course presents the student with essential tools for the critical analysis of a broad range of topics and forms of cultural production (literature, cinema, art, e-texts, etc.) in the Hispanic world. It also teaches the student advanced language skills in written composition and public oral presentation. This course satisfies the Area 2 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 305  or SPAN 306 . Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 308 - Introduction to U.S. Latinx Studies

    Cross-Listed as   and SPAN 308  
    This course provides an interdisciplinary discussion of the Latino experience in the United States with a focus on Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban- Americans. Using fiction, poetry, films and critical essays, we will examine issues of race and ethnicity, language, identity, gender and sexuality, politics, and immigration. This course satisfies the Area 2 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 305  or SPAN 306   Every semester. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 316 - Mapping the New World: Exploration, Encounters, and Disasters

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 316  and INTL 316  
    Europeans were by no means the first peoples to explore new territories and human populations. Renaissance scientific methodology, however, led European travelers to meticulously document each New World encounter in writing and develop new tools with which to navigate and represent space, devices that subsequently became weapons of colonial domination. But as Nature and indigenous populations refused to be subjected to European epistemology, failure and disaster were frequent events: shipwrecks left Old World survivors stranded among unknown lands and peoples in the Americas; Amerindians rejected the imposition of a foreign culture and religion, murdering colonists and missionaries; Africans rebelled against slavery and escaped to mountains and jungles to form autonomous communities. An examination of maps, exploration logs, missionary histories, travel literature, historiography and colonial documents will provide the foundation for this course on the ambivalent reality of the Old World’s encounter with the Americas, in which Europeans were often the losers. This course satisfies the Area 1 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 305  (though SPAN 307  recommended) and another 300-level Spanish course, or consent of the instructor. Generally taught alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 331 - Journeys though Brazil: Oral and Written Expression

    Cross-Listed as PORT 331  
    Primarily designed to improve oral communication and to strengthen students’ written proficiency and their awareness of grammar intricacies in Portuguese. In relation to writing, it serves as a bridge to upper-level courses. Conversations and compositions are based on the civilization and cultures of Brazil, which despite its continental size and being among the largest world economies remains a mystery to many. This course explores the socio-historical, political and cultural trajectory Brazil has undertaken while, at the same time, reflecting on how ideas such as nation, identity, race, ethnicity, and class have transformed the face of the country. A wide array of texts and materials -literature, music, painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, and cinema- is used to gain a broad and critical understanding of the Brazilian universe. It involves extensive reading appropriate to the level. Prerequisite(s): PORT 221   Spring semester (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 341 - Comparative Social Movements

    Cross-Listed as POLI 341  
    How did the Arab Spring and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement deploy a similar tactical repertoire, yet provoke different outcomes?  Comparing movements for Black lives in Colombia and South Africa, does participant diversity boost or undercut mobilization?  And does mobilization of identity explain how indigenous Bolivians ejected U.S. corporations and scored lasting victories against the white power structure?  This advanced research seminar engages theories that seek to explain the origins and development of movements, including LGBTQ+ movements struggling to avoid deradicalization in Germany, feminist organizations in Nicaragua navigating tensions between autonomy and agenda-setting, mobilization of Brazilian prisoners resisting pandemic lockdowns within lockdowns, and artists making visible the erased contributions of Kenyan women to the global climate justice movement.  Students planning to conduct social movements research while studying away may write a research prospectus to launch that field research project. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 342 - Urban Politics of Latin America

    Cross-Listed as POLI 342  
    Democratic elections have penetrated metropolitan Latin America, offering the urban poor new avenues for demand making. In this research seminar, we will explore how the changing rules of political competition affect urban struggles for land, racial equality, and municipal representation. The course focuses on mayoral elections, urban segregation, informal communities, and social movements in major cities such as Caracas, Lima, Mexico City, Montevideo, Porto Alegre, and São Paulo. Major student responsibilities include seminar leadership roles, a research project, and presentation of your findings in a public colloquium. For students with previous coursework in Latin American or urban politics. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or permission of instructor. Every year. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 355 - Cultural Resistance and Survival: Indigenous and African Peoples in Early Spanish America

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 355  and INTL 415  
    In the Old World, Spain defined its national identity by locating its “others” in Jews, conversos , Muslims, moriscos , Turks, gypsies, pirates and Protestants. In the New World, Spaniards employed many of the same discursive and legal tactics-along with brute force-to subject Amerindian and African peoples to their will and their cultural norms. But indigenous and African populations in the Americas actively countered colonization. They rejected slavery and cultural imposition through physical rebellion, the use of strategies of cultural preservation and the appropriation of phonetic writing, which they in turn wielded against European hegemony. We will examine a fascinating corpus of indigenous pictographic codexes, architecture, myths, and histories and letters of resistance, along with a rich spectrum of texts in which peoples of African descent affirm their own subjectivity in opposition to slavery and cultural violence. What will emerge for students is a complex, heterogeneous vision of the conquest and early colonization in which non-European voices speak loudly on their own behalf. This course satisfies the Area 1 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 305  and another 300-level Spanish course or consent of the instructor. Generally taught alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 362 - Modern Hispanic Novel and the Visual Arts

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 362  
    We use an interdisciplinary approach to narrative that focuses on the cooperation between the written and the visual text. For example, how did nineteenth-century painting influenced the novel? Or, what are the connections between cinematic adaptations of narratives? We also consider the perennial dilemma of literal versus personal interpretation. This course satisfies the Area 2 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 307  or consent of the instructor. Generally taught alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 376 - Spanish Dialectology

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 376  and LING 436  
    A survey of modern dialectal variations of Spanish that includes examination of American Spanish dialects as well as those of the Iberian Peninsula. Sociolinguistic issues and historical aspects of dialect variation and study will be addressed, along with other extralinguistic factors. Through this course, students will be provided an introduction to theories of language change, as well as the history of the language, and will gain a broad understanding of the different varieties of Modern Spanish. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 309  or consent of the instructor. Generally taught alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 381 - Transnational Latin Americas

    Cross-Listed as INTL 381  and HIST 381  
    Examines critical and primary literatures concerning the transnational, hemispheric, Atlantic, and Pacific cultures that have intersected in Latin America since the early colonial era, with a particular focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Prerequisite(s): One 100- or 200- level history course or consent of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 385 - Frontera: The U.S. Mexican Border

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 385  and AMST 445  
    The border region between the United States and Mexico exists as both a physical space and an ideological construct. This seminar uses literary and filmic narratives to explore issues of identity, opportunity, and violence that arise from this contested space. How does the border shape individual and cultural identities? In what ways does the border create opportunities for both advancement and exploitation? How do these works engage conflicts and tensions of race, nationalism, gender, and power? The course will include writers and filmmakers from both countries, and we will read original texts both in Spanish and English. This course satisfies the Area 2 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 308  or consent of the instructor. Generally taught alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 386 - Constructions of a Female Killer

    Cross-Listed as SPAN 386  and WGSS 346  
    Explorations of the relationship between women and violence typically take place from the perspective of women as victims. However, how does the discourse change when the traditional paradigm is inverted and we explore women as perpetrators of violence? This seminar examines representations of women who kill in Latin American and Latino narratives (including novels, short stories, films, and newspapers). Drawing on feminist theory, media studies, criminology, and literary criticism, we will seek to understand the ways women’s violence has been read and framed in contemporary society as well as how their violence intersects with discussions of nationalism, race, class, and gender. This course satisfies the Area 2 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 307  or consent of the instructor. Generally taught alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 387 - Latinx in the Midwest

    Cross-Listed as AMST 387  and SPAN 387  
    This course uses literature, film, and scholarly works to explore the Latinx experience in the Midwest. We will examine how this population creates and sustains community, constructs their own sense of Latinidad, and how that identity and its cultural practices are informed by and impact the region. Events involving the Twin Cities’ Latinx communities will enrich our learning and discussions. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 308   Alternate years. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 394 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 488 - Senior Seminar

    An integrative, research-oriented capstone which gathers senior majors of diverse regional and disciplinary focuses during the final semester. A faculty convener will integrate a schedule of issue-area seminars, faculty methods and topics presentations, talks by visiting speakers, and student reports on research projects. The course culminates in a lengthy final paper. Every fall. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 494 - Topics Course

    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
  

  • LATI 601 - Tutorial

    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular catalog offerings. Prerequisite(s): Approval of program director and permission of instructor and department chair. (1 Credits)
  

  • LATI 602 - Tutorial

    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular catalog offerings. Prerequisite(s): Approval of program director and permission of instructor and department chair. (2 Credits)
  

  • LATI 603 - Tutorial

    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular catalog offerings. Prerequisite(s): Approval of program director and permission of instructor and department chair. (3 Credits)
 

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