Definitions of Gender in Latin America
Spanish 406 T 6-9pm SC 134 CRN 20456 Spring 04
Instructor: Dr. Jorge J. Barrueto
Email: jbarrueto@walsh.edu
Office hours: MWF 4-5 PE 203
This is an interdisciplinary introductory course on the Latin American women’s experience. These readings reflect historical moments, philosophies and political programes that have deeply affected how Latin American women see themselves and how they are perceived as social actors. These readings reflect personal experiences in crucial moments of Latin American History such as the age of “discovery,” colonial times, “civilización y barbarie” and independent times all in which women have been active and passive agents. All readings are available in reserve at the library. Please make copies of the articles and return them in a timely fashion.
Objectives:
· To acquire a basic knowledge of Latin American women’s history
· To understand the idea of women’s condition as reflection of ideology and politics
· To introduce students to theories of women’s writing.
· To understand the history and politics of Latin America through personal experiences (letters, court cases, wills, etc)
· To analyze key texts by female authors that focus on gender roles in contemporary Hispanic societies
· To provide the cultural and socio-historical contexts for each text.
· To develop writing skills in Spanish
· To increase an awareness of different attitudes towards women’s role in Latin American history
Attendance policy: Attendance will be taken each meeting. Students will be allowed 2 unexcused absences during the semester. Students with more than 2 unexcused absences at the end of the semester, will have their final grade automatically lowered 2% for each absence. Excused absences include only personal medical excuses, and it is the student’s responsibility to provide their instructor with sufficient information to verify this (Doctor’s name and phone #). It is not the instructor’s responsibility to excuse unexcused absences. Unless you have a verifiable medical excuse, it counts as one of your unexcused absences. Do not count on your unexcused absences being excused; use them wisely.
Texbooks:
· Cuentistas Hispanoamericanas, ed. Gloria da Cunha and Anabella Acevedo
· Short Stories by Latin American Women, ed. Celia Correas de Zapata
· Articles in reserve at the library
Grading:
Midterm 30%
Final 30%
Participation, attendance 20%
Presentations 20%
94-100 A 91-93 A-
86-89 B+ 83-85 B
80-82 B- 77-79 C+
74-76 C 71-73 C-
Schedule:
I. Colonial and Classical inheritance
January 6
Discovery and Classical Views on Women
· Read: Aristotle and women (Aristotle)
· Read: the female in the Iberian world (Ann Pescatello)
· Read: before Columbus (Susan Socolow)
· Read: Vespucci and Indians (Vespucci)
January 13
Colonial Times/ Ideology and Political Administration
· Read: conquest and Civilization (Socolow)
· Read: the arrival of Iberian Women (Socolow)
· Read: Guaman Poma’s Letter (Poma)
· Read: Iberia: Frontier, Fidalgos, Families and Females (Ann Pescatello)
January 20
Suffering as Ideology/Denial of Knowledge/Marriage
· Read: Marianism (Stevens)
· Read: Women Saints (Mills and Taylor)
· Read: Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz’s Letter to Sor Filotea (Mills and Taylor)
· Read: Women, Marriage and Family (Socolow)
January 27
Personal Documents of Oppression
· Read: “Affairs of the Courtroom” Boyer and Spurling (on uxoricide)
· Read: “Catarina Maria Complains… ” Boyer and Spurling(On rape)
· Read: “On her Deathbed…” Boyer and Spurling (Accusations of witchcraft)
· FILM: LA TIGRA. Written and directed by Camilo Luzuriaga
II. Late Colonial State/Independent Times/Nineteenth Century
February 3
· Read: “Slave Women’s Strategies.’ (Chavez)
· Read: “Civilizing Domestic Life. Life in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.” (Rodriquez)
· Read: “ Y vendimos la lluvia” Naranjo
· Read: “Marina y su olor” Mayra Santos Febres
February 10
Strengthening Patriarchy in Argentina and Mexico
· Read: “Parent before the Tribunals.” (Donna Guy)
· Read: “Modernizing Patriarchy.” (Vaughn)
· Read: “el vastago” Ocampo
· Read: “Nuestras vidas son los rios” Garro
February 17. President’s Day. No class.
February 24 Imagining Women
· Read: “Rape and the Anxious Republic Revolutionary Colombia” (Earle)
· Read: Read: “Commemorating the Heroinas: Gender and Civic Ritual in Early-Twentieth –Century Bolivia” (Gotkowitz) Read short story
· Mid-term due
March 1-6 Spring Break
March 9 Women imagine themselves
Read: “Act of vengeance” Isabel Allende
Read: “Poisoned tale” Ferre
Read: “big-bellied cow”
III. Patriarchal Inheritance. The Twentieth Century
March 16 Gender, families and households
Read: Chant chap. 7
Read: “Story of a cat”
Read: “Penelope’s Lesson”
March 23 gender and health
Read Chant chap. 5
Read: “la tuberculosa” Rosa Briton
Read: “La muneca menor” Ferre
· March 30 Gender and sexuality. Read Chant chap. 6
· Read: “Armatura” del Rio
· Read: “la fiesta simo”
· Film: Doña Barbara
April 6 Presentations
April 13 Taking Command
· Read: “Domesticating Men. Building and Class Compromise in Popular-Front Chile” (Rosenblatt)
· Read: “State, Gender and Institutional Change. The Federation of Mujeres Cubanas” (Molyneux)
“Getting Gender on the Policy Agenda: A Study of a Brazilian Feminist Group.” (Macaulay).
April 20 Finals Week. Final Exam due.
Integration of Knowledge and Skills
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate understanding of Latin American cultural, social and intellectual character as seen in women’s condition
2. Show an understanding that women’s condition in Latin America is a diachronic but a synchronic phenomenon
3. Demonstrate an understanding that women in Latin America play an important role in social change.
4. Express in written work with greater fluency and coherence and show an improved ability to assess and evaluate historical analysis and argument.
5. To show a development of personal transferable skills, including analytical, problem solving, communication skills, study skills and teamwork, which are useful and effective for a lifetime.
6. Identify a range of representations of gender in a selection of Hispanic texts written by men and women.
7. Critically assess ways in which texts reinforce or challenge traditional constructions of femininity and masculinity.
Assessment is achieved through the assignments
Note: this course is given in Spanish
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