CAST 208: The Latinidad Question: Comparative Latin@ and Latin American Literature
Christopher Rivera
Christopher.Rivera@oberlin.edu
Office Hours: T,TH 11:30-1:30
Spanish, Latin American, Caribbean, Latin@, Chican@, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, and / or
Mexican are among the most commonly used terms to describe citizen-subject that inhabit the
Americas and share an origin in Spanish colonialism. Whether because of language, culture, or
colonial history, these groups are often times conflated, misrepresented or quite simply
subsumed under larger political categories that make them more easily understandable to
dominant, white culture in the U.S. In many instances it is not even about the place of origin—
that is to say whether born in the U.S. or outside of the U.S.—but rather about the way people
look and sound. Therefore the objective of this course will be to investigate the representation
and interpellation of Latin@s and Latin American subject navigating their way through the
American imagination. Issues of colonialism, postcolonialism, racialization and sexualization
will be the major themes covered in our readings. Students are expected to think critically about
the intersections between not just Latin@ and Latin American subjects, but also to consider how
these bodies are placed submissively in culture because of their visibility.
Course Goals:
• To think critically about the relationship between representations of Latin@ and Latin
American subjectification, identification, representation, and interprellation.
• To be able to distinguish how different literary and visual texts employ various methods that
produce different knowledges regarding how ambivalent subjectivities
• To understand ethical issues and power relations in social research, especially in relation to nation,
race, class, gender, and sexuality
• To articulate the role of critical interdisciplinary studies in feminist research
• To link theories of intersectionality to research design and feminist methodology
• To gain greater facility in designing a feasible research question
• To enhance skills in understanding and assessing existing research
List of Primary Texts:
Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands – Bilingual
Cisneros, Sandra. House on Mango Street - English and Spanish
Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate - English and Spanish
García Márquez, Gabriel. Memories of my Melancholy Whores - English and Spanish
La Fountain-Stokes, Larry. Queer Ricans - English and Spanish
Lispector, Clarice. Hour of the Star - English and Spanish
Ruiz, Don Miguel Ángel. Four Agreements - English and Spanish
Santiago, Esmeralda. When I was Puerto Rican - English and Spanish
Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit - English
Movies:
Before Night Falls (2000), Las Minas Saladas (1990), Zoot Suit (1981), Pixote (1981)
LATE WORK: All assignments must be completed on time. Papers not turned in on that date
will be penalized in grading and may not receive written comments. See **NOTE** below for
the only exceptions to this rule.
P/NP: Students opting for this grading system must complete all assignments to receive credit.
ACADEMIC INCOMPLETES at the end of the semester will not be given except in the case
of emergency. You must get approval from me at least 48 hours before the deadline.
HONOR CODE: This course adheres to the policies of the Oberlin College Honor Code which
applies to all work submitted for academic credit, whether it is a creative project, a quiz, an exam
or a paper. For quizzes and exams, this means you must complete the assignment independently
of other students. For papers, you must cite all written sources that you consulted, whether you
quote directly or paraphrase. This is true whether you are using electronic or printed materials.
Incomplete or improper citations are a form of plagiarism. If you are unfamiliar with proper
citation formats, or have questions please consult me, a reference librarian, a writing tutor and/or
a style manual. Lack of familiarity with proper procedures is not a defense.
At the end of each academic exercise, students shall write in full and sign the Honor
Pledge: “I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment.” See Oberlin
Honor Code, www.oberlin.edu/students/student_pages/honor_code2.html, for more
information.
Students with Disabilities: If you need disability–related accommodations for your work in this
class, please let me know. Support is available through Student Academic Series. Contact Jane
Boomer, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities for assistance in developing a
plan to address your academic needs.
Evaluation:
Attendance and Active Participation--------------------------------------------------------------------10%
(4) 3-4 page Close Reading Papers---------------------------------------------------------------------30%
These are analytical papers that focus on 1 theme from a text or two texts in comparison. They
must include direct quotes from the reading that students close read.
(1) In-Class Partial Exam---------------------------------------------------------------------------------20%
Students will be given 3 extended quotes from readings and be expected to contextualize it in
relation to the overall text, analyze its significance, and provide a something new that was not
discussed in class.
(1) Extended Close Reading Paper 8-10 pages--------------------------------------------------------30%
This is an extended version of the shorter close reading papers. Students must use three
different texts, choose two quotes from each that are thematically related and analyze the
intersections in a nuanced way.
(1) Oral Presentation with Annotated Bibliography--------------------------------------------------10%
Students will choose a topic either not discussed in class or only briefly touched upon
and elaborate in more detail the main points, what is interesting, and how it fits into the
larger scope of the course. No paper is expected however students will provide an
annotated bibliography with at least (10) sources, in MLA citation style with 2
paragraphs: one summarizing the arguments of the articles and one discussing the
relevance of this article to the oral presentation.
Schedule of Class Readings and Assignments
Tuesday, February 9 Class Introduction; Lecture on Interpellation and the American Imagination
Section I. Latin@s and Latin America Women Writers
Thursday, February 11 Borderlands
Tuesday, February 16 Borderlands continued; Lowe “The Intimacies of Four Continents”
Thursday, February 18 House on Mango Street; Gordon “Internal Colonialism and Gender”
Tuesday, February 23 When I was Puerto Rican Paper 1 Due
Thursday, February 25 When I was Puerto Rican continued; “Acosta-Belen, Lola Rodriguez De
Tio”
Tuesday, March 2 Hour of the Star
Thursday, March 4 Like Water for Chocolate
Tuesday, March 9 Like Water for Chocolate continued Paper 2 Due
Section II. Queer Latin@ and Latin American Representations
Thursday, March 11 Memories of my Melancholy Whores
Tuesday, March 16 Pixote (film); Stern “An Empire of Tests”
Thursday, March 18 Pixote continued
Tuesday, March 23 Exam Review / Q&A session
Thursday, March 25 In-Class Partial Exam
Tuesday, March 30-----------------Spring Recess
Thursday, April 1-------------------Spring Recess
Tuesday, April 6 Las minas saladas; Stoler “Intimidations of Empire”
Thursday, April 8 Queer Ricans
Tuesday, April 13 Queer Ricans continued Paper 3 Due
Thursday, April 15 Rodriguez excerpts
Tuesday, April 20 Zoot Suit
Thursday, April 22 Zoot Suit (film); Stoler “Tense and Tender Ties”
Tuesday, April 27 Diaz excerpts
Thursday, April 29 Before Night Falls
Tuesday, May 4 Four Agreements Paper 4 Due
Thursday, May 6 Oral Presentations Begin (annotated bibliographies due)
Tuesday, May 11 Oral Presentations Continued
Thursday, May 13 Oral Presentations End / Class Recap
Extended Close Reading Papers due the day of our scheduled final exam
** NOTE: Students will be allowed to make arrangements, if necessary, for (1) and only (1) of
the short reading papers to be handed in late. To not lose credit, students must contact me at least
three days prior to the deadline and it MUST be handed in no later than 36 hours after the
deadline. Any other situation will result in either a loss of 50% or a zero (0).**