Humanities and Fine Arts 191HFA4 - FYS - OyeComoVa:Music&LitPR/

This course will feature music, short stories, and poetry created by Puerto Ricans of the diaspora (living off the island). We will discuss the various motivations authors and lyricists may have for choosing to use the language(s) they do, and the ways in which such choices help us understand negotiations of Latina/o identities in the U.S. more generally. Similarly, we will explore ways in which Salsa and Reggaeton music, for example, are both artistically and politically relevant, while examining the ways in which issues of race/racism are negotiated by musicians, artists, and writers. We will investigate the ways in which appreciating and understanding these dynamics and issues is particularly relevant in light of the upward demographic shifts of Latina/o populations and the richness these artists and writers bring to U.S. American culture. Assignments will include four brief analytical reflections and a final project, which will include a creative element.

Open to first-year Humanities and Fine Arts Exploratory Track students and first-year HFA Majors.