FRS 002J — Sec. 001
— (2 unit) — CRN 52936 — R 10:00 - 11:50am
— 109 Olson
Why Do Dead Men Play the Guitar? The Meaning of
Popular Culture
Icons in Mexico
Instructor: Linda Egan, Department of Spanish, College of
Letters and
Science
Description: Many of the most popular faces,
phrases and dates
in Mexican culture are by now commonplaces among U.S. residents of
Mexican descent.
Certain celebrations and expressions are well-known to non-Mexican citizens,
as well. But how did Cinco de Mayo, the macho and the Virgin of
Guadalupe become
meaningful today on both sides of the U.S-Mexican Border? Why is
Columbus Day
also El Dia de la Raza? And why do skeletons sing and dance? This
course will
explore the historical origins of some of the best-known cultural artifacts
of Mexican culture. Students will be encouraged to speculate on the
persistent
relevance of these topics. Information will be presented through
informal lectures,
readings, audiovisual materials and discussion.
Format: The seminar will meet for 2.5 hours each week. Each
session will focus on one or two specific popular culture topics
through video,
readings (to be provided), student reports and presentations, and
group discussions.
Students will write an introduction for and transcribe a live interview they
will conduct with a member of the community on one of the cultural topics of
the seminar. They will also compose a corrido, or popular
folk song of
fixed form, and a brief poem called a calavera.
Grading:
The course grade will be based on readings, presentations, participation and
three written assignments (1) an interview conducted with a member
of the community
on any one of the cultural topics of the course or yet another,
with agreement
of the professor;and (2) brief poems to be composed according to forms that
have become fixed over the centuries through oral tradition.
About the Instructor: Professor Linda Egan is Department of
Spanish's Mexicanist; although she teaches in the general area of
Latin American
literature, her research interests are focused primarily on
Mexico's literature,
history and culture. She has frequently taught courses in Mexican
culture and
the Mexican novel and short story, as well as the seventeenth-century poet,
Sor Juana.