What Classes Should I Take?

PORT 300 / Portuguese for Speakers of other Romance Languages / Euridice da Silva

Did you know that Portuguese is the 6th most spoken native language in the world? PORT 300 is a great way to learn the essentials of Portuguese in just one semester. Receive major credit for Language & World Business or LACS!

HILA 383 / Afro-Latin America / Beau Gaitors

Latin American culture is tied to certain music (Salsa, Samba), beverages (rum, coffees) and products (tobacco, esp. Cuban cigars)—many of which speak to the role that African descendants have played in the region’s history. This course examines the presence of African descendants in Latin American society from slavery to the present day. In this course we will discuss the countries of Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, and Mexico (among others. ) We will learn about the political activities, diverse religious traditions, cultural practices, and modes of artistic expression of African descendants in Latin America.

Using films, fiction, and historical sources, this class is an introduction to the history and theory of monsters, ghosts, and the fantastic in Latin America. The focus will be on modern monsters and ghosts — why and how they persist beyond what is supposed to be a rational modernity that replaced the supposed age of superstition. Topics include monster theory, folklore, the uncanny, and the broad question of haunting. Our topic the whole semester will be Latin America and Latin American history, using horror films and criticism as a lens.