CHID 480 A: Special Topics: Advanced Study of the History of Ideas

This Honors/CHID seminar invites students to think critically about art, violence, memory and social activism in Latin America. Theoretically, students will examine how notions of “otherness” and the power to label are central to the cultural politics of violence. After examining the forces and discourses of state authoritarianism, the gendered strategies of torture, and the role of race and coloniality in political violence, students will learn about the politics of struggle, resilience and hope. Specifically, students will learn about the role of art in social struggle and in enacting a politics of memory, and they will read and hear from artists, political activists and other social justice actors. In addition to ethnography and social scientific analysis, we will rely on films, documentaries, historical fiction, plays, and testimonials to interrogate the complexities and intersections of art, memory, and violence in Latin America. You can find the full syllabus here. This is a "living document," so do keep in mind that reading materials and schedules may change with input from students as the quarter develops.