SPAN 354 - Here and There: Superando Limites

Living an identity that is multipositional is a familiar reality for many people in the 21st century. The seventeenth century Hispanic world reveals surprisingly diverse and complex societies in which literature-and sometimes life itself-provided a space for trying on different social clothes, so to speak, in an exploration of early modern identity. This course will allow students to enjoy prose, drama, poetry and historiography from both Spain and Spanish America and to witness how writers from both sides of the Atlantic were pushing aesthetic and societal limits of religion, ethnicity and gender in their writing. We view Baroque art from Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and colonial Mexico and Peru, and read some pertinent critical perspectives that will help enrich our readings of the literature. To bring the plays to life, students will select fragments of dramas to “rescript” and perform for their classmates. This course satisfies the Area 1 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 307 or consent of the instructor. Generally taught alternate years. (4 Credits)