Realities & Fictions in Latin America

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

8 hours per week. Total 96 hours.

Spanish 4 or Spanish 6 or Spanish Intermediate Language/Culture B or Spanish Post-Interemdiate 2B/3B or LaTrobe-Spanish Language & Culture 1B or equivalent.

Subject Code(s): SPAN10004 or SPAN20003 or SPAN10008 or SPAN200019 or SPAN30015 or SPAN10006

SPAN20023 Realities & Fiction in Latin America

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject allows students to study key aspects of Latin American culture, primarily through the analysis of specific literary texts and cultural production in the socio-historical context in which they are produced. Students undertaking this subject will be introduced to a number of issues in Latin America in order to uncover the diverse nature of Latin American cultural production and the social and political contexts which frame the emergence of post colonial theories as a way to move beyond the paradigm of modernity.

• Be familiar with relevant aspects of socio/political and historical conditions of Latin America
• Appreciate the way in which cultural production can reinforce and subvert particular ideologies
• Appreciate the diversity of Latin American political regimes and cultural expression in different political contexts.
• Acquire a broad familiarity with a number of key theoretical debates that have set the direction and tone for post colonial, post occidental and anti-globalization social movements in Latin America.

Two class tests of 750 words each (40%), a class presentation 1000 words (25%) during semester and a final research essay of 1500 words (35%). With the final essay, students will include a reflective-learning 300-word paragraph in English, describing the value and learning impact of the subject on their studies, demonstrating their analytic and meta-analytic abilities.

This subject has the following hurdle requirements:

• Regular participation in tutorials is required with a minimum of 75% attendance.
• All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day and in-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.

TBA

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

• Understand social, political, historical and cultural contexts and international awareness/openness to the world through the contextualisation of judgements and knowledge, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and new aspects of Hispanic culture, and by formulating arguments.
• develop analytic skills in the close reading of argumentative strategies, concepts, and institutional bases of postcolonial and anti-globalization debates, and explanatory skills to deal with the complexity of the social and political issues raised by such debates.
• Communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay and assignment writing, tutorial discussions and class presentations.
• Speak publicly with increasing confidence in self expression through tutorial participation and class presentations
• Identify and describe any perceived learning difficulty.
• Comment critically on a socio-cultural topic based on research synthesising information from prescribed texts and outside sources.
• Develop a persuasive argument on a topic that demonstrates subtle understanding of social issues relevant to the target culture/society.