SPAN 1103 - [FWS: Nature in Latin America]

Fall. Not offered 2017-2018. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

First-Year Writing Seminar.

S. McDaniel.

Is race socially constructed or a biological fact? Where is “nature” and what is our relationship with it? In this course, we analyze the interplay of race, nature, and geography in Latin America from the first encounters between Amerindians and Europeans to environmental and social justice movements of the 21st century. Primary texts (letters, short stories, poetry, movies, maps, music art) and topics include: Columbus’s descriptions of the “New world,” colonialism, mestizaje, and nationalism (Marti), the cosmic race, South American landscapes, environmental, Americanisms (Neruda), Macondo and Magical Realism (Garcia Marquez), ecofeminism (Ferré), queer ecology, eco-socialsim and “Mother Earth,” and eco-racial imperialism (Avatar). Students are encouraged to develop their own interests and interpretations through short writing assignments aimed at sharpening critical thinking.