Writing by U.S. Hispanics constitutes a new voice in American letters. In this tutorial, we will read and discuss work by U.S. Latinos and examine the social backgrounds to their texts. The experiences of immigration and assimilation, and the specific complexities of being both Hispanic and North American will be addressed. Authors to be studied: Jos# Antonio Villarreal, Tom#s Rivera, Richard Rodr#guez, Sandra Cisneros, Rudolfo Anaya, Piri Thomas, Edward Rivera, Oscar Hijuelos, Victor Hern#ndez Cruz, Lorna Dee Cervantes, and historical texts by Carey McWilliams, and Rodolfo Acu#a. Given the absence of a critical consensus around these recent titles, our task is to gain some sense of their common traits as a tradition, and place them within the larger body of literature of the Americas and the world. The tutorial will examine one work or set of authors per week. A student will bring, written out in full, an oral presentation focusing on the artistic features and socio-cultural content of the assigned reading. Questioning of the presenter, on the part of the second tutee and the tutor, will follow. The course is designed to accommodate both Spanish and English speaking students. A student able to read and speak Spanish will be paired with another student of similar proficiency. Students who neither read nor speak Spanish will be paired together. Requirements: five short oral presentations/papers (about 20-25 minutes) and a final longer one (about 40-45 minutes). Prerequisite: some previous course work in any literature beyond the 100 level is helpful. Students selecting the Spanish option for credit toward the Spanish major must have taken at least one 200-level Spanish course or seek permission of the tutor.
Hour: BELL-VILLADA