SPAN 3610 - [Music and Politics in the Hispanic Caribbean]

(crosslisted)
(also ASRC 3610) (CA-AS) Satisfies Option 1.

Fall. 4 Credits.

Prerequisite: SPAN 2190 or permission of instructor. Next offered 2015-2016. Conducted in Spanish.

Staff.

In this course we will explore the long and rich tradition of 20th Century Afro-Caribbean popular music at its intersection with politics and literature. Since the early formation of the Caribbean region as a complex yet distinct geopolitical entity, music has played a key role in giving voice to the experience of political struggle. Rhythms like plena, bomba, salsa, and reggaeton share a fascinating historical lineage with the constitution of a modern literary tradition in the area, as scholars and writers have frequently adopted these musical modes of expression as literary tropes, in order to highlight the equivocal relationship that music entertains with politics. Through the analysis of literary and musical texts, students will have the opportunity to understand why and how music is so vital to the constitution of a literary and political ethos in the region. Authors and musicians discussed will include, but will not be limited to Nicolás Guillén, Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, Rubén Blades, and Calle 13.