Advanced Spanish: Memory and Fiction: (Re)creating (Our)selves

This course focuses on the creation and recreation of (our)selves and the construction of national memories. The course will have two approaches: On one hand, we will explore how breaking the boundaries between memory and fiction allows writers and artists of the Hispanic world to construct their own image. The second approach will be devoted to the evaluation and discussion of the “politics of memory” that shape the recovering of historical processes in Spain and Latin America. We will study a selection of journals, theatre, short fiction, poetry, interviews, autobiographies, autofiction, paintings, photography, testimonials, and films—paying close attention to the processes of self-representation and the cultural tasks of memory. We will emphasize, through literary and cultural analysis, several aspects of the texts in relation to their social and historical contexts, while improving oral communication, lexical, grammatical, and written skills. Evaluation will be based on active participation in class discussions, preparedness to class, short response papers, brief presentations, interviews with New York-based writers and artists, and individual projects elaborated with the instructor during conferences. Students are welcome to explore their own memories and to participate in the process of writing themselves. Weekly meetings with the language assistant are a requirement. Advanced level. This course will be taught entirely in Spanish. It is strongly recommended that students take the Spanish placement test in addition to interviewing with the instructor.