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Selection of recently-taught courses: 


Environmental Cultures of Latin America

An introduction to Latin American environments through cultural expression and social struggle. Students read a variety of texts (essays, short stories, and poetry) along with a selection of films and visual works (photographs, drawings, and maps) that engage creatively with the environment and, in many cases, seek out forms of environmental justice. Spanning the nineteenth century to the present, the modules of the course are organized according to the landscapes or “eco-regions” emblematic of Latin American
culture and history, such as Patagonia, the Atacama desert, the Andes mountains, the Amazon rainforest, and various Mexican and Central American borderlands. We study the fundamental characteristics of
literary and artistic genres while addressing interdisciplinary aspects of the “environmental humanities,” including connections with theology, natural science, gender studies, and politics. The course features both canonical perspectives and works of art and literature produced by women, Indigenous, and Afrodescendant authors. Course assessments include written essays as well as creative projects such as podcasts.



Latin American and Latinx Artists in the Bay Area

This intermediate-level language course provides an introduction to ties between the Bay Area and histories of muralism and public art across the Americas. In connection with the study of artworks and art spaces, we use authentic texts and multimedia to explore current community challenges surrounding migration, displacement, and gentrification. The course integrates periodic off-campus site-visits and dialogues with arts organizations in vibrant cultural contexts including downtown San José and San Francisco's Mission District.




Reading Mexico City: Maps, Narratives, Films

This course provides a broad introduction to the cultural history of Mexico City from its Indigenous foundations to the present. Student learn how to “read” urban space in different historical moments and through various artistic mediums, including maps, literary narratives, paintings, photographs, and films. We begin with codices and maps produced in Mexico Tenochtitlán, immersing ourselves in the distinct spatial concepts developed prior to Spanish conquest. Subsequently, we examine the
emergence of a “lettered” culture in the colonial era, exploring various interconnections between
literature, cartography, and the administration of the city’s spaces and populations as well as different modes of insubordination. The midpoint of the course brings us into the rapid modernization and expansion of the city during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a context which dovetails with a proliferation of photography and film. In the latter part of the course, we  explore the impacts of the Mexican revolution, the city’s industrial “miracle” and ensuing economic crises, social movements, demographic migrations and environmental catastrophes through films and literary texts. These works reveal not only the “centers” but also the “margins” of the city, the construction of which we will examine on both aesthetic and social terms. Students enrolled in the course will sharpen their analytical abilities with respect not only to artistic production but also to the city as social and cultural work in its own right. Classes consist of discussions, presentations, and collaborative mapping workshops, which are assessed along with short analytical essays and a series of blog posts throught the term.
Running on Cargo