This course will provide an overview of the birth and growth of the 20th century movement for GLBT visibility, community and equality in the United States through and including the contemporary 21st century status of LGBT rights. Topics to be addressed include public opinion; state ballot initiatives; GLBT candidates, elections and interest groups; federal and state legislation; and state and federal court decisions affecting GLBT citizens.

By permission of the department, normally for senior majors.

Topics course. Enrollment limited to 14. This class will look at how Latin American filmmakers and writers have imagined this region?s place in the post Cold War global configuration since the 1990s. Through the analysis of films such as Maria, Full of Grace (2004) and City of God (2002), as well as recent literary works by authors from various backgrounds, we will explore cultural production as an alternate means of negotiating conflicts related to immigration, drug trafficking, free trade agreements, media and consumer culture, and continuing political instability.

Topics course. A study of two societies (Spain and Argentina) at a critical moment in their histories. With theoretical readings from an array of disciplines such as the political sciences, history, theater and art, we will examine at least two different responses to these societies' respectively traumatic transition from dictatorship to 'democracy'.

Topics course. This course examines the medieval and early-modern Iberian and North African understanding of sexuality in light of modern critical theory. Special attention will be given to the Arabic and Castilian representations of same-sex desire. Readings will include texts by Ibn Hazm, Juan Ruiz, al-Tifashi, al-Nafwazi, Wallada, Ibn Sahl of Seville, Ibn Quzman, and Fernando de Rojas. All readings in Spanish translation. Taught in Spanish. Enrollment limited to 14.

This course is designed for seniors who have spent a semester or year in a Spanish-speaking country. We will introduce the methodology of digital storytelling, in which images and recorded narrative are combined to create short video stories based on students' study abroad experience. As a group, students will listen, watch, and read compelling personal stories and then write their own stories. A few of the classes will be technology workshops and presentations.

An historical perspective of Latin American literature as an expression of the cultural development of the continent within the framework of its political and economic dependence, from the colonial period until the present time. Enrollment limited to 19.

Topics course. This course examines the medieval understanding of sex and the woman's body within an urban context. We will read medieval texts on love, medicine and women's sexuality by Iberian and North African scholars. We will investigate the ways in which medieval Iberian medical traditions have viewed women's bodies and defined their health and illness. We will also address women's role as practitioners of medicine, and how such a role was affected by the gradual emergence of "modern" medical institutions such as the hospital and the medical profession.

Topics course. This course addresses issues related to the Afro-Cuban world in literature, history and culture through the writings of Lydia Cabrera, Fernando Ortiz, and Alejo Carpentier, the testimonies of Miguel Barnet and the poetry of Nicolas Guillen. Special attention will be given to "official" mulatto identity declared by the Cuban State after 1959 and black participation in cultural life. Exploration of the Regla de Ocha religion and its influence on Afro-Cuban ritual theater today will be studied, as well as plays by Eugenio Hernandez, Gerardo Fulleda and Alberto Pedro.

Topics course. An overview of the representation of violence in Latin American narratives from the 20th century. We will study several literary works from differing countries, written since the 1940s, to analyze how their use of violence as a subject reflects on many conflicts present in Latin American societies. Close attention will be paid to how literary representation approaches the many challenges posed by real life violence in the region. Some related films will also be studied. Prerequisites: SPN 220 or above. Enrollment limited to 19.