UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH AND LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
SPAN 227: Introduction to Latin American Poetry and Drama
Professor: Dr. Sergio Rivera-Ayala
E-mail: sriveraa@uwaterloo.ca
Office: ML 320
Tel: (519) 888-4567 ext. 38906
Class meets: Wednesdays and Friday 10:00-11-20 in AL 208
Office hours: MWF 1:30 – 2:30PM
COURSE OUTLINE
Course Outline:
This course presents an introduction to Latin American poetry and
theatre produced since pre-Columbian times. Through the study of
representative works the course covers the most important periods
and movements of Latin American poetry and theatre, and
introduces the student to literary analysis by paying special attention
to questions of terminology, genre, and literary history.
Course Objectives:
o introduce students to the study of poetry and drama in a Latin
o To
American context.
o To develop basic research skills, as well as critical reading and
comprehension skills necessary for written and oral analysis of
poetry and drama.
o To study representative literary texts with a focus on their
historicity fundamental to an understanding of Latin American
culture.
o Through discussions of these texts, to nurture students’ abilities to
think critically, make connections, develop clear arguments, and
explore their personal relationship to literature.
Prerequisite:
SPAN 201B
Textbook:
Courseware reader “SPAN 227 –Latin American Poetry and
Drama”
Method of Evaluation:
In-class participation and assignments
Comentarios de lectura (4 x 1½-2 pages)
Learning log
Final Group Project – Stage a play
Performance
22%
Production Log
6%
Reflection Paper
12%
10%
40%
10%
40%
CLASS SCHEDULE
November
October
September
Date
Readings and Assignments
11
Introduction to poetry
13
18
20
25
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, “Sonetos”
Alfonsina Storni, “Cuadrados y ángulos”, “Peso ancestral” y “Hombre pequeñito”
Alfonsina Storni, “Cuadrados y ángulos”, “Peso ancestral” y “Hombre pequeñito”
Vicente Huidobro, “Arte poética” y “Nipona”
27
Nicolás Guillén, “Sensemayá” y “Balada de los dos abuelos”
Comentario #1 due today (“El hijo” o “Tú me quieres blanca” de Alfonsina
Storni)
2
4
9
11
Pablo Neruda, “Poema 20”, “Oda a los calcetines”
Octavio Paz, “El pájaro” y “Dos cuerpos”
Rosario Castellanos, “Valium 10” y “Poesía no eres tú”
Rosario Castellanos, “Valium 10” y “Poesía no eres tú”
Comentario #2 due today (“Búcate plata” de Nicolás Guillén o “Walking
Around” de Pablo Neruda)
16
18
23
25
30
José Hernández, Martín Fierro.
José Hernández, Martín Fierro.
Introduction to drama
Sergio Vodanovic, “El delantal blanco”
Sergio Vodanovic, “El delantal blanco”
Comentario #3 due today (“El delantal blanco” de Sergio Vodanovic)
1
Osvaldo Dragún, “El hombre que se convirtió en perro”
6
Osvaldo Dragún, “El hombre que se convirtió en perro”
8
Carlos Solórzano, “Los fantoches”
13
15
Carlos Solórzano, “Los fantoches”
Comentario #4 due today (“Los fantoches” de Carlos Solórzano)
Emilio Carballido, “El censo”
20
22
27
Emilio Carballido, “El censo”
Representaciones teatrales
Representaciones teatrales
29
Representaciones teatrales
COURSE POLICIES
Comentario de lectura: Students will write four 1.5-2-page commentaries on a particular aspect of the texts
specified in the Course Schedule. No critical sources are required for this assignment. Group discussions of
the text are highly encouraged. May be resubmitted for credit.
Participation and in-class assignments: Participation is understood as meaningful contribution to
class/group discussion and includes both questions and comments relevant to the texts being discussed. Inclass activities, such as writing exercises, will also be included under this rubric. Please note that disruptive or
disrespectful behaviour during lecture will have a negative effect on a student’s participation grade.
Learning log: Keep an open-ended journal of the course in which you will explore your responses to the
material presented in lectures as well as class discussion of it. The purpose of this journal is not to improve
your writing skills (at least not directly) but to stimulate thinking about issues, questions, and problems raised
by your study of Latin American poetry and drama. For the most part you will be rewarded for the process of
thinking, rather than for the end product you produce. The kind of writing you will be doing is called
“exploratory” or “expressive” writing – that is writing that lets you “think out loud on paper” without having
to worry whether your writing is effective for readers. Therefore, such features of formal writing as
organization, correct sentence structure, neatness, and spelling will not matter in your journal.
For writing entries, you will use a technique commonly referred to as freewriting – which means writing
nonstop for a set period of time. In this course you will write weekly for 15 minutes. You can choose to
summarize lectures, to explain why a text is difficult to understand, to disagree with a point made by someone
in class, to raise questions, to apply some aspect of the course to personal experience, to make connections
between different strands of the course, to express excitement at seeing new ideas, or for any other purpose.
The journal will be graded on a +, √, - basis (+ = 2 pts, √ = 1 pt., and - = 0.5 pts.) and scored out of 24.
Group Project: Produce one of the plays studied in the course for performance during the last week of
classes. Each group will consist of a director, enough actors to fill all roles, a set designer, and a costume
designer. The responsibilities of each include, but are not limited to:
Director



Decides on the interpretation of script.
Coach actors (Where should actors / characters go so that the focus in the right place?
In consultation with designers, arranges stage picture so as to direct audience’s attention to
the appropriate character, object, or event.
Actor



Analyze the role to be played (use the script to help determine all information about the
character-- and fabricate what the script does not tell you. Determine the character’s
objectives. What function does this role serve within the play?)
Decides on the interpretation of the play
Of course, always know your lines cold!
Set designer



Design and implement of all scenic elements of the production, including lights, sound, and
all props.
In consultation with the director and the costume designer arranges stage picture so as to
direct audience’s attention to the appropriate character, object, or event.
Decides on the interpretation of the play
Costume designer



Design and implement all elements of costume design including designing and/or building
all costumes, as well as makeup and hair.
In consultation with the director and the set designer arranges stage picture so as to direct
audience’s attention to the appropriate character, object, or event.
Decides on the interpretation of the play
Production log: Keep a production log as a record of the staging process, from pre-production to dress
rehearsal and performance. This log will follow the model of the learning log (see above), but with the
following modifications: 1) the production log consists of 5 entries, 2) write for 10 minutes for each entry, 3)
the log is meant to help you explore and understand the process of translating the author’s words into a
theatrical performance, therefore, in each entry consider some of the following questions: what choices and
decisions are you facing? What are their implications? What is the most challenging aspect of the production
you are currently facing? What makes it challenging?
Reflection paper: Write a 5-page essay reflecting on how the process of staging the play has changed and
shaped your understanding of the play. Consider how your personal relationship with the play changed, as
well as insights into the text gained through production.
Cross-listed course: Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter
under which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major
average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric.
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of
Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing
academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action
constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or
about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic
advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred,
disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of
offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been
unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and
Grievances, Section 4, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm
Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student
Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an
appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm
Academic Integrity website (Arts): http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/ugrad/academic_responsibility.html
Academic Integrity Office (UW): http://uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/
Note for students with disabilities: The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles
Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for
students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require
academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the
beginning of each academic term.