Dr. Isabel
Arredondo
Office CVH 308 -- Phone 564-3840
Office
hours Mondays 8-9, Wednesdays 2-3
isabel.arredondo@plattsburgh.edu
|
Dr. Isabel
Arredondo
Office CVH 308 -- Phone 564-3840
Office
hours Mondays 8-9, Wednesdays 2-3 isabel.arredondo@plattsburgh.edu
|
Fall 2005
This class is dedicated to all my Puerto Rican and Dominican students
FLL245 /SPA 44O
Spanish Speaking Cultures of the Caribbean
The course will be divided into two sections. In the first section, we will look at the experiences of Caribbean people in US metropolis, such as New York. In the second part, we will concentrate on the history and culture of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from colonial times to the present, and also on the way in which such history intersects with the history of United States.
Readings: Dana Lindaman and Kyle Ward, History Lessons: How Textbooks Around the World Portray U.S. History, New York and London: The New Press, 2004.
Other selected readings on reserve.
Attendance to class is very important. Students may miss a maximum of one class. Students who miss more than one class will have two points deducted from their final grade for each class missed. Also students who are not present for an assignment will receive a 0 in that assignment. Homework or presentations are to be turned in in class only. If you have an excused absence (such as a field trip, or a game) let me know ahead of time.
FLL 245
Portfolio 10%
Research 30%
Journal 20 %
Final presentation 15%
Midterm 10%
Final 15%
SPA 440
Portfolio 10%
Investigación 30%
Diario en español 15 %
Presentación de una película sin subtítulos 10%
Presentación final 10%
Examen parcial en español 10%
Examen final en español 15%
Lesson Plan
Puerto Rican Power Otra filmografia de cine puertoriqueno Puerto Rico
Week 1 Sept 1
Film: 1492
How is Columbus portrayed? Is he a man of adventure? Is he fair? Is he knowledgeable? Is he an attractive man? Does Gerard Depardieu bring his star persona to the representation of Columbus? Or put differently, if another actor would have played the role of Columbus, would Columbus’ character be different? What is Columbus interested in, gold, adventures, prestige?
How are the indigenous people portrayed?
How many times and in what circumstances do the indigenous people appear? Do we know them individually? What are the differences among them? Does sexuality play a role to play in their differences? How would you compare the representation of the indigenous people and of Columbus crew?
How is Hispaniola represented?
Is the Island like paradise? Is it a hard place to live in?
Week 2 Sept 8
Los taínos Taino Indian Cultures
Readings: Columbus pp. 6-13.
Questions for the Readings on Columbus: To what group do the indigenous people of the island belong? Describe the differences and similarities in the Cuban and Caribbean accounts. How was the Dominican Republic first called? And Cuba? What is the island Columbus first arrived at? Was the expansion west inevitable? What is the Black Legend of Spain (find this information, it is not in the readings) and how is it represented in these readings?
Research: Lourdes Portillo, Columbus' diaries, Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles, Catholic Church in Los Angeles, celebrations of the five hundred years anniversary, other 1992 films on Columbus, multiculturalism, Chicanos, Taíno population and its disappearance.
Film: Columbus on Trial
What is Columbus on trial for? Of what is he being accused? Is Columbus a great adventurer? In your opinion, should Columbus be banned from the history books? Should the information about him be changed? Who accuses Columbus? What is his ethnicity? What does La Hispaniola have to do with Club Med? What does the accuser discus with a man of Afro-American origin? What is the relation between the Rodney King riots and Columbus? In what way does the film talk about multiculturalism and the mambo? What is the ethnic origin of the judge? Does the ethnic origin of the judge affect the trial? Who kills Columbus? Are the news important in making a story for Columbus? What is the role of the screen in the back of the court room? What do we see on that screen? What type of documentary is Columbus on Trial? Does experimentation play a role in the film? Is Christopher Columbus almost dead?
Week 3 Sept 15
Readings: Milagros Ricourt, "Ethnic identity and Dominicans in New York City," Dominicans in New York City, Power from the Margins, Routledge: New York, 2002, pp. 13-94.
Research: Washington Heights, Aaron Matthews, history of Dominican emigration to New York, economy of the Dominican Republic in the 1960-1990s.
Film: My American Girls
Why is the film called My American Girls? From what point of view is the film narrated? Can you tell in what part of New York the film takes place? How many jobs does Sandra have? How is life in the Ortiz's household? Is it a place where one can easily study? Can Sandra oversee the work of her three girls? Are Monica, Mayra and Aida alike? Where does Monica live? What are the dreams of Sandra and Bautista? Do you think that Sandra will retire and live in the Dominican Republic?
Week 4 Sept 22
Readings: Silvio Torres Saillant and Ramona Hernández, The Dominican Americans, Greenwood Press, 1998.pp. 121-145.
Research Instruction at the library.
Research: Rubén Blades, Blades' most important songs, history of Puerto Ricans in New York, Spanish Harlem, salsa in the Caribbean, salsa in New York, Leon Ichaso, "nuyorican" or "Newyorican"
Film: Crossover Dreams
When does the story take place? What does one gain and loose when one crosses cultures? What does Rudy choose? How are the Spanish and US cultures portrayed? What is to have a Puerto Rican identity? Are Newyorican identities fixed? Why does Orlando say "Here is another gringo to do the Latin thing"? Why does Liz want to go to Coney Island? The film has parts spoken in English and Spanish, what does the film associate with speaking Spanish? Could speaking Spanish be a political position?
Week 5 Sept 29
REading: Making films in the Puerto Rican Community
In addition, SPA 440 students need to read: El documental latino en los Estados Unidos
Film I: Brincando el charco
What does it mean "Brincar el charco"? Is it easy for Latinos to speak Spanish? give examples from the documentary. Does this documentary focus on the problems of the group or of the individual? According to this documentary, are the problems of Puerto Ricans in New York similar or different to those of other Latinos? Is whiteness a privilege? What does the protagonist consider herself, white or mestiza? Is heterosexuality another privilege? In what ways does sexual orientation have to see with Claudia Marin's Puerto Rican identity? Is it easier for Claudia to be who she wants in Puerto Rico or in Philadelphia? What does it mean for Claudia to belong to her family? Why does Claudia have to go back to Puerto Rico? Is the Puente aéreo important for Puerto Ricans? Do Puerto Ricans in New York have a feeling of belonging? Does Claudia want to live in Puerto Rico? According to Brincando el charco, is Puerto Rico a case of neo-colonialism? If the answer is yes, explain why. Are there more Puerto Ricans in the island or in the continent?
Review for the mid-term: everybody prepares one section
Week 6 October 6
Midterm.
Composition (not to exceed two double-space pages).
You have a choice of two topics:
b. Presuming that the films that we have seen in class do propose different identities, what identity do you prefer and why? Would you commit to a different kind of identity that we have not seen in class?
Turn in portfolios. Prepare to answer the question: What do you think that your strong points are? How can you improve your portafolio and your performance in the class?
Reading: ; The Monroe Doctrine pp. 57-64. On page 57, Why do British textbooks talk about security, while Latin American ones talk about economic interest? What does "American for Americans means"? Why were the British interested in Latin American independence? What role did the US take with relation to the new Latin American countries?
Research:
declamadores, verso negro, Eusebia Cosme, Nicolás Guillén, “Mulata,”
“Si tu supieras,” Langston Hughes, Luis Palés
Matos, “danza negra,” “Majestad negra,” “Falsa canción de baquiné,”
African American festival in Loíza (Puerto Rico), Fortunato Vizcarrondo
Film: Verso Negro (40 m.)
Is verso negro only poetry to be read in books or is it poetry to be performed? When was the tradition of verso negro stronger? Name two of the most important verso negro poets. Are there contemporary declamadores? Are there any declamadores in the US? Where do they perform? Who are the main authors of verso negro? Where there declamadoras, women who did verso negro? Where the Spanish speaking Caribbean authors related at all to US African Americans? What are the most important themes of verso negro? Does racism plays an important part? Give examples of songs.
Week 7 Thursday October 13
Homework: One paragraph summary on the Monroe Doctrine.
Research: Novel Francisco by Anselmo Suárez y Romero, film El otro Francisco by Sergio Giral, slavery in Cuba, Cuban independence, sugar cane production in Cuba during the XIX century, ICAIC, role of the British and the French in the commerce of the Caribbean during the XIX century
El otro Francisco: What are the interests of the British, the ruling Cuban class and the Church with regards to slavery? Do the British have noble intentions or do they also have economic interests? Are there more than one political positions within the Cuban ruling class with regards to slavery? With what position is the Church aligned?
Readings: Manifest Destiny 65-71; What does manifest destiny means? Does the theory of Manifest Destiny affect Latin American countries? According to the Mexican account, why did the US create the Monroe Doctrine and the theory of the Manifest Destiny? According to the Mexican account, were the annexations done as a "divine right"? According to the Mexican account, why did the US intervene in Cuba and Puerto Rico? According to the Brazilian account, had the US expansion an economic side? Why was the annexation of Florida in 1819 important?
Discussion of the mandatory trip. Think about the topic for your presentation.
Friday: October 15
We leave at 12 o'clock to go to New York.
Hotel West Side Inn and Hostel
237 W 107 St. , phone # (212) 866- 0061
Dinner at a Dominican restaurant. Salsa music.
Saturday: Sat October 16
Visit to
Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños.
Research for Saturday: ICAIC, political documentary, Luis Munoz Marin, Aguadilla (Puerto Rico), independentist, nationalist, Associate Free State (estado libre asociado), Albizu Campos, Guayama (Puerto Rico), Operation Bootstrap
Film I: Puerto
Rico
Puerto
Rico 1: 19 minutes. How would you describe this kind of documentary?
Is there a narrator in the documentary? If so, could you describe what kind of
political inclination does the voice have? Is the voice sure of what he is
saying? What supportive arguments are used? According to the voice over, is
the concern for the poor part of the population taken into account? What is
the opinion that the narrator has of Munoz Marin? What percentage of Puerto
Rico lives in New York? Are there any ecological consequences in the
development of the petroleum industry in Puerto Rico? Were new jobs created?
What does dependency means for Puerto Rico? What is the role of music in the
documentary? What does it mean to be a socialist? Do you also you have to be independentist?
Did Puerto Ricans go to Vietnam? Why does the narrator talk about US
imperialism and colonialism? What does it mean to say that Puerto Rico belongs
to the US but is not part of the US?
Manos
a la obra: Operation Bootstrap
What was the main product of Puerto Rico in 1898? How does the sugar monopoly affect the population? Could the US Congress overrule any decision in Puerto Rico? What was the first stage of Operation Bootstrap? Why did the initial investors and industries leave the island? What industry is important in Guayama?
Sunday October 17:
Visit to Museo del Barrio
Week 8 October 20
The Spanish American War 111-123 What are the covert and overt reasons why the US entered the Spanish-American war? Did Spain have many colonies in 1968? Did the Spaniards want US intervention? Do we know who blew the Maine? What is the explanation given in the Spanish account? What were the consequences of the Paris Peace?
Interview with Humberto Solás in Julianne Burton, "Every Point of Arrival is a point of Departure," Cinema and Social Change in Latin America, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1986, pp. 143-160. Reading is on reserve
Research: Humberto Solas, Lucia (the whole movie with its three parts), melodrama, Hollywood cinematic representations, relations Cuba-Spain, Cuban politics in 1975.
Lucía I From what perspective is the Cuban independence approached in the film? Who is Lucia? Lucia's family is pro-Spanish or pro-Cuban? Who participates in the independence wars? Who dies in the encounter between the Spanish forces and the Cuban ones? How does Lucia feel at the end of the film?
Presentations of the journal.
The goal of the journal is not to record a summary of what you see, but rather to reflect on what you observe. You will be graded on the organization of your personal narrative as well as on its content. In regards to content, I will look at you capacity to observe while in the streets, the museum, the research institute or in other encounters with people of the Latino community. In regards to organization, your personal narrative needs to be logically organized to sustain your comments and observations. In English for FLL 245 students, in Spanish for SPA 440 students. Use a personal narrative style. Eight pages long (300 words per page), at a space an a half.
Turn in the topic for your final presentation.
Week 9 October 27
Turn in journals.
Films: Trujillo, El poder del jefe and La gran fiesta, Dios los cria.
Readings: US Interventions in Latin American and the Caribbean 133-138 and 142-149. According to the Brazilian account, how is the continent divided? What are the ideological basis of the US expansion in Latin America? What kinds of rights did the US create for itself in relation to Latin America? Who claimed for itself the title of American? What is the Platt amendment? Who was behind the independence of Panama? Why? During the XIX century, who had the economic dominance of Latin American and the cultural one? Did US supremacy affect nationalist movements in Latin America? What was at the base of the legislation and economy of the Latin American countries? What determined Latin American production? What kinds of Latin American government did the US defend? What happened if a Latin American government expropriated US companies such as those of the United Fruit in Guatemala? What was the Alliance for Progress? What kind of governments did the US incited? Was Trujillo an ally of the US? Did the US invade more than one country?
Week 10 November 3
Cuban Independence 139-142 Was the Cuban movement for independence strong? According to the Cuban account, who were the main protagonist of Spain's defeat? Where people in the US opposed to Cuba's annexation? If so, for what reasons? Who took over the power after Cuba gained its independence? What was the Rural Guard and who did the guard favored? What happened to the Cuban nation's most representative bodies?
Reading: The Cuban Revolution 261-265;
Research: Problems of Cuba in the 1990s [Sarah]. Cuba and political prisoners [Lidia], Cuba and human rights violations [Isis], US embargo on Cuba [Megan], Cuba-USSR relations [Lauren], tourism and Cuba [Kevin], Fidel Castro [Maud], Ernesto “Che” Guevara [Miguel], AIDS camps in Cuba [Angel].
Film: Azucar amarga
What does Gustavo celebrate at the beginning of the film? Are Gustavo and Bobby alike? What do their names tell us? What do they like to do? In your opinion, why does Ichaso create these two brothers? What kind of problems is the film discussing through the brothers? What kind of problem does Yolanda illustrate? How is her mother? Does her mother like Gustavo? Are prisons and prisoners represented in the film?
What are the ingredients for the cake that they prepare to celebrate Gustavo’s graduation? Why is the cake a socialist cake? Does Gustavo have a future as an aeronautical engineer?
What Cuban problem does Tomás, the father, illustrate? What are his two jobs? Is Gustavo allowed to drink at bars reserved for tourists?
What kind of criticism does the film make? Does it criticize the Revolution? Does it criticize what the idealism that came after the revolution? Do you think that this film could have been produced in Cuba and directed by Cubans? Explain.
Is there a space for dissidents in 1990s Cuba? Why does Tomás says that he is playing the piano as if he were an exile? Did he really leave Cuba? What does Tomás means when he says that the Spanish are "reconquistando" (reconquering) them again?
11 November 10
Reading: The Cuban Missile Crisis, p. 297-306.
Presentations I
Week 12 November 17
Presentations II
Review session.
Isis: Manifest destiny, El otro Francisco, sugar cane production in Cuba
Lidia: Humberto Solás, Lucía
Sarah: Cuban Independence
Miguel: Operation Bootstrap, Puerto Rico
Maud: Latino art at the Museo del Barrio and the Monroe Doctrine
Kevin: Azucar amarga and Cuba after the 1990s
Angel: Trujillo, La gran fiesta y Dios los cría
Lauren: The Cuban missile crisis
Week 13
Fiesta
Week 14
Final y fiesta
Final exam: Based on what you have learnt in the class, do you think that the contemporary history of the Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean is best studied as a history of isolated cases (the history of Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico as separated histories) or in conjunction (as a common history affecting the three island in different ways). Defend your point by using the material presented in class (films, presentations and historical accounts), as well as your experience from the field trip. Cite at least eight sources that we have seen in class. Dedicate a section to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your choice, and the reasons that led you to choose one over the other (maximum 5 double spaced pages).