Postgraduate Course: Reading Latin American Poetry (ELCH11009)
Course Outline
School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Summary | This course gives a broad introductory survey of poetry from Latin America. Its primary focus will be on close reading of individual poems, but with reference to their wider political and cultural context. Through reading poetry ranging in style from the intimate and lyrical to the epic and social, this course aims to foster appreciation of the huge variety of Latin American poetry, and stimulate an understanding of the value of poetry and of the challenges peculiar to reading, interpreting and indeed defining poetry. |
Course description |
What is poetry? What is, or has been, its role in Latin American society? Who is poetry for? What are the different ways of writing poetry? Such questions will propel our exploration of a diverse range of Latin American poets. Seminars will focus on key topics such as gender, revolution, nature, the city, identity, and will use contrasting poems by poets from different Latin American countries and contexts to illuminate these topics. Each seminar will include close reading, reading aloud and listening to poets¿ own recordings of individual poems where available.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students must have a good reading knowledge of Spanish (4 years of study or equivalent). |
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate analytical and interpretive skills through close reading of, and textual commentary on, a range of poetry from Latin America from different periods, authors and countries.
- Compare and contrast different styles and forms of poetry.
- Explain the socio-cultural context and wider literary movements associated with these poems.
- Express an understanding of the poem delivered as performance, including being able to identify and discuss elements such as rhetoric, rhythm, sonic effects, accent.
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Reading List
The reading list will vary from year to year. The themes covered will be drawn from the following:
¿ Metrical considerations, common forms, common devices
¿ The nature of poetry
¿ The poet¿s task, the ars poética
¿ Isolation and community, the solitary versus solidarity
¿ Sense of place and identity, relationship to ¿Latin America¿, to USA, to Europe etc.
¿ Gender
¿ Indigenous cultures
¿ Religion
¿ Political movements, revolution, repression
¿ Specific social issues ¿ poverty, education, corruption, violence
¿ The everyday versus the extraordinary
¿ Language, the relationship between language and the world
¿ Imagery ¿ e.g. the natural world versus urban society
¿ Intermedial gestures towards painting, photography, music
¿ Intertextual references to earlier poets/writers and biblical/mythical references
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Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
Special Arrangements |
Jointly taught with undergraduate students (ELCH10053) |
Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Fiona Mackintosh
Tel: (0131 6)50 8303
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Kat Zabecka
Tel: (0131 6)50 4026
Email: |
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