ENGL 2083 - Latin American Literature

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture 3 Lab 0
Course Description: This college course intended for all students concentrates on the exploration and analysis of literature by Latin American authors. Focus is placed on examining key works that have shaped the region’s literary traditions from the colonial period to the present. Through novels, short stories, poetry, and essays, the course will engage with topics such as identity, history, revolution, magical realism, and the intersection of Indigenous, African, and European influences. Typical authors may include Bartolomé de Las Casas, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, and Sandra Cisneros.
MnTC Goals
6 Humanities/Fine Arts, 8 Global Perspective

Prerequisite(s): Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940  with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950  with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051  with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052  with a grade of C or higher.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: ENGL 1020   with a grade of C or higher OR ENGL 1021  with a grade of C or higher.

Major Content

1. An overview of elements of literature, including plot, character, point of view, setting, theme, tone, as well as styles unique to American literature and Latin American literature.  
2. Diverse literary works expressed by Latin American authors from a variety of cultures, regions, ethnicities, and/or classes to support a definition of “literature”, “Latin American”, and canon formation.  
3. A variety of the literary traditions of Latin American authors and literature, including various nations, geographical spaces, historical eras, such as variety of genres potentially including oral storytelling, creative non-fiction, and memoir-style prose, traditional and experimental poetry, literary fiction, speculative fiction, graphic novels, etc.   
4. Authors’ life experiences, identities, and influences on Latin American literary works as well as artistic trends in Latin American literary expression such as the Pre-Colonial Period, the 19^th Century Narratives, Dictatorship, Resistance, and Testimonial Literature, The Boom, Post-Boom, etc.  
5. Historical and contemporary influences on Latin literary works including social justice and migration, diaspora, transnational voices, the digital age, and emerging authors.

1. describe the scope, variety, and impact of works in Latin American Literature.

   2. analyze these works as expressions of individual and human values within a historical and social context.

   3. respond critically to works in Latin American literature.

   4. articulate an informed personal reaction to works in Latin American literature

   5. analyze basic literary elements in the works studied.

   6. describe the social and economic influences of Latin American culture on the literary contributions of its authors.

   7. interpret recurring themes, symbols, and imagery within Latin American literature as a reflection of social and economic trends.

   8. analyze the common environmental, economic, political, and social issues that the United States shared with the culture of Latin America.

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