Prospectus

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Culture: Latin America

Course
2016-2017

Admission requirements

This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies. Limited places are also open for exchange students. Please note: this course takes place in The Hague.

Description

When studying a particular region of the world, knowledge of its cultural and linguistic universe is crucial. The study of culture and the language in which it is expressed allows the understanding of the deeper structures behind history, politics and economy. This course looks at this vibrant and dynamic region, from the Caribbean to Patagonia, and revises the regional scholarly traditions in the study and circulation of culture.

The cultural and linguistic diversity is characteristic of the Latin American region. The colonial experience as well as modern processes of globalization and transnationalism have led to the encounter of cultures with a variety of effects. The presence of indigenous traditions, Western notions of modernity, structural inequality and experiences with amongst others neocolonialism and slavery have given shape to the languages, practices and products that nowadays constitute the cultural expressions of Latin Americans.
Drawing from insights in cultural studies and socio-linguistics, the course introduces key concepts, such as hybridity and transculturation, that enable a deeper comprehension of cultural phenomena in Latin America. It will cover topics such as representations of indigeneity, the Brazilian favela, Latin American cinema, etc.

Course objectives

To introduce to students to key concepts for the studying and understanding of a diversity of expressions of Latin American culture. – To create insight in the complexity and particularity of the processes in which cultural meaning is produced in the Latin American region. – To enable students to relate specific cultural expressions to its wider social and political context.

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website

Mode of instruction

Lecture course with tutorials. The course consists of 12 lectures and 4 tutorial sessions.

Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform the tutor of the course in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent without notification and valid reason or not being present at half or more of the tutorial sessions will mean your assignments will not be assessed, and result in a 1.0 for the tutorial (30% of the final grade).

Course Load

Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), this equals 140 hours, broken down by:

  • Attending lectures: 2 hours per week x 12 weeks: 24 hrs

  • Attending attending tutorials 2 hours per three weeks: 8 hrs

  • Assessment hours (midterms and final exam): 4 hrs

  • Time for studying the compulsory literature: 68 hrs

  • Time for completing assignments, preparation classes and exams: 36 hrs

Assessment method

Assessment

Midterm Exam:

  • Written examination with short open questions

Final exam:

  • Written examination with short open questions

Weighing

Tutorials 30%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 40 %

To complete the final mark, please take notice of the following: the final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average.

Resit

If the final grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), there is the possibility of retaking the full 70% of the exam material, replacing both the earlier mid- and endterm grades. No resit for the tutorials is possible.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used. For tutorial groups: please enroll in blackboard after your enrolment in uSis
Students are requested to register on Blackboard for this course.

Reading list

Reading list will be made available via Blackboard.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.

General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable.

Contact