HISPANIC AMERICAN LITERATURE 1/2

The course is part of the Americas path of the "Comparative International Relations (RIC)" degree course and mutual with the course of study in "European, American and Postcolonial Languages and Literatures (LLEAP)" and with the course of studied in "Language Sciences".
The course aims to deepen the knowledge of cultural themes and dynamics characterizing ultra-contemporary literature in the Cono Sur.
Objectives of the course are: to deepen the specifics of cultural themes and dynamics of the Hispano-American subcontinent; provide methodological tools aimed at analyzing the Chilean and Argentine literary productions of the last decade, develop the ability to reflect on the proposed literary texts and carry out comparative analyzes.

The course intends to deepen the study of the most important Hispanic-American cultural phenomena of the 21st century using as a privileged instrument of analysis the literature produced, starting from the end of the 2000s, by the children of militants and disappeared during the Chilean dictatorship. The objectives of the teaching are:
1. deepen the specific knowledge of cultural and political themes and dynamics of the Hispano-American subcontinent;
2. provide methodological tools aimed at analyzing the most significant Hispanic-American literary productions of the twenty-first century intended, on the one hand, as cultural documents and, on the other, as aesthetic creations;
3. develop the ability to reflect on the proposed literary texts by recognizing in them the use of various literary genres such as the diary, the fictional story, the testimonial novel.
4. provide the theoretical tools for the analysis of the post-memory category
5. Finally, the course aims to develop the ability to learn the themes and tools offered during the course, as well as communication skills.

Students must have an adequate level of written and oral Spanish (level B2), as well as adequate language skills in Italian language.

Contemporary Chilean and Argentine literature produced "by the children" of the militants and disappeared during the military dictatorship.
The course intends to provide an overview of the most recent productions concerning contemporary Chilean literature with a comparative look on Argentine literature. By carrying out an analysis of the most significant Chilean productions, it is possible to note how the Chilean literature of postmemory differs from that of Argentina and to understand the impact that the post-dictatorial period has generated within society and artistic productions. Furthermore, the course aims to induce students to reflect on the re-elaboration, through literature, of their personal experiences during childhood and therefore from a marginal perspective. We will then analyze the hybrid literary genres that derive from it that are located halfway between fiction and documentary.
The course will be divided into two main parts:
1. At first, students will be provided with a political-historical framework of the dictatorships in the Cono Sur with a reflection on the differences between the Argentine and Chilean dictatorships. Subsequently, the general theoretical elements concerning the concept of postmemory and “literatura de los hijos” will be offered.
2. In the second part we will analyze a selection of texts by Chilean authors, mainly, and Argentine authors of the 21st century, born in the 1970s, focused on the re-elaboration, in literary productions, of the reality experienced during the dictatorial period by their infantile perspective, of children.
In this phase, students will also be invited to choose one or more of the themes proposed and develop a presentation in the classroom.

MAIN BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Zúñiga, Diego (2009). Camanchaca. Santiago: La Calabaza del Diablo (Literatura Random House, 2012).
Zambra, Alejandro (2011). Formas de volver a casa. Barcelona: Anagrama.
Costamagna, Alejandra [2013] (2020). «Había una vez un pájaro». Revista Casa de las Américas, 300, pp. 48-58.
Trabucco Zerán, Alia (2015). La resta. Santiago de Chile: Tajamar.
Dillon, Marta (2015). Aparecida. Buenos Aires: Sudamericana.
Reyes, Carlos — Elgueta, Rodrigo (2015). Los años de Allende (graphic novel). Hueders.
Fernández, Nona (2017). La dimensión desconocida. Literatura Random House.

Wood, Andrés (2004). Machuca (film).


To view the complete bibliography (Minimum, Critical and Support) please refer to the Moodle page of the course: https://moodle.unive.it/course/view.php?id=16247

The assessment of the learning will take place through the presentation in class of a topic chosen by the student and an oral final exam. The presentation aims to verify oral skills and the ability to carry out a critical reasoning; while the oral exam aims to verify the knowledge concerning the cultural contexts and the different literary issues of Hispanic America in the period considered, as well as the ability to understand cultural problems. The exam will last about 20 minutes and will consist of three questions.

The lessons will be carried out according to the conventional method (frontal lessons) and will be held in Spanish. Students will also be invited to choose one of the proposed themes and develop a presentation in the classroom using the theoretical tools presented and the proposed bibliography.
Should the covid health emergency affect the course attendance, the lessons will be carried out online in synchronous and asynchronous mode.
The exam will consist of an oral interview in Spanish on the authors, the texts and the issues considered in the classroom.

More critical information will be offer during the classes.
Moreover, every student is recommended to follow additional lessons and round-table conferences that may be held between September and December 2023.

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development