This 10-weeks course surveys major Latin American literary works from pre-Columbian traditions to the period preceding the rise of modernism in the late 19th century. We will take a critical approach to the idea of "literature" by examining poetic and dramatic texts alongside historical, legal, ethnographic, and religious documents. Through this broad conception of textuality, we will explore the articulation, transformation, and preservation of identity across the colonial and early republican eras.
Syllabus Winter 2026 SPAN 261 Literature in Modern Latin America
This 9-weeks course provides an overview of some of the major trends in Latin American literatures since 1888, modernismo, the historical avant-garde, the "Boom," and end of the 20th century. The readings, class discussions and assignments will offer many opportunities to improve students’ oral and written Spanish. The course will emphasize various literary styles and ideological constructions that, in different ways, reflect the complexity of Latin American writing.
El plan era irme a Malta con Yadira
Hoy domingo 4 de enero falleció la escritora, narradora y profesora Yadira Álvarez Betancourt (La Habana, 1980). Fue ganadora del Premio Oscar Hurtado de cuento de ciencia ficción en 2009 con el ya clásico "Carne y pescado". Sus historias aparecieron en revistas como Isliada, las antologías Deuda temporal (2016), Las escritoras de Urras (2021) y El día después del eclipse (2025).
A caminar
"Las personas que caminan más de 100 minutos al día tienen un 23 por ciento menos de riesgo de sufrir problemas lumbares que aquellas que caminan 78 minutos o menos", explica Rayane Haddadj, investigadora doctoral de la Universidad Noruega de Ciencia y Tecnología (NTNU) especializada en salud pública.
Syllabus Fall 2025 SPAN 261 Literature in Modern Latin America
This course provides an overview of some of the major trends in Latin American literatures since 1888, modernismo, the historical avant-garde, the "Boom," and end of the 20th century. The readings, class discussions and assignments will offer many opportunities to improve students’ oral and written Spanish. The course will emphasize various literary styles and ideological constructions that, in different ways, reflect the complexity of Latin American writing.
Erick Mota’s Habana Undergüater and Cuba’s Collective Trauma of 1990 Socialism’s Collapse
The enthralling Mota's plots and characters reflect the ongoing negotiation of Cuban national identity at the dawn of the twenty-first century to a world that feels like a post-apocalyptic future. This integration of Afro-Cuban mythology also challenges traditional Western narratives: He never justifies the choice and instead presents a universe where diverse ontologies and knowledge systems coexist. It is a liberating and subversive political project, but still full of conflicts.
Bitácora de viaje 