Queering Creation in the Arts of Latin America

Course Description

Summary

For this course, we will analyze, in depth, authors such as César Moro, Pedro Lemebel, Alejandra Pizarnik, and Felipe Cussen, who are representative voices of the counter cultural 20th and 21st Century Latin American literary and artistic scenery. We will discuss how different authors from diverse periods and regions develop queer textual and performative strategies to represent a world that, in the words of José Esteban Muñoz, is configured with “a critique of a present order, and of the overarching dictate of how things are and will always be in an unyielding status quo.” We will work with fluctuating definitions of Queer theory, especially from authors such as José Esteban Muñoz, Judith Butler, and David W. Foster, to outline a queer aesthetic dimension in Modern Latin American literature and the arts. This course focuses on student-generated discussion and critical thinking about a variety of texts and concepts, and students learn to defend their ideas in spoken and written language. Discussions, presentations, recitations, and performances will provide different means to develop the students’ oral proficiency. To solidify their writing skills, students will produce both analytical and creative work. Intermediate-High Level. In Spanish