Comparative Literature 594 | MALAS 600A | LATAM 580

Parábolas ópticas| Optical Parables


Latin American and Latinx Lit,

Art, Photography & Cinema


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Lecture (face to face!) | 9:30am to-10:45 T/TH | NE-271(Check, room may change!) | Professor William Nericcio

The letter "T" first letter in the word used here: "This."his is a Comparative Literature course for CompLit / English majors or minors, (or just about any other folks who are curious about the literatures and cultures of the Americas working their magic both north and south of the U.S./Mexico border). It is also a MALAS and a Latin American Studies course -- more on that to come!

 

The title of the class comes from a 1931 photograph by Manuel Álvarez Bravo entitled “Optical Parable/[Parábola Opticas]” – you can see a facsimile of it here opposite (and a self portrait of Bravo below). The photo can be read as a deep semiotic meditation on the nature of visual representation; but it can also be read as a joke, a bit, a gag – a photo of an optometrists shop printed in reverse (literally, a sight gag).



 

This dialectic between the deeply intellectual and the comedic will run through our class as we probe texts that are literary, photographic, painted, filmed, streaming, and more.


No expertise in Latin American or Latinx (Chicana/o/x, Boriqua/o/x, etc) literature or culture is expected or presumed nor should anyone worry if they’ve never studied film, photography, graphic narrative, or art at the collegiate level. The only requirement or prerequisite for this class is curiosity and a little drop of imagination!


The final lineup of works is still a little in flux. Readings / Screenings / Art include works by Alfonso Cuarón (y tu Mamá tambien), Myriam Gurba, Hector Ortega, Gabriel García Márquez, Flor Garduño, Junot Diaz, Cristina Rivera Garza, Raoul Peck, Gilbert Hernandez, Tina Modotti, Orson Welles (!), Alex Espinoza, yours truly, Salvador Plascencia, and other surprises!


Required Books
The best place to get books is where they are cheapest; some of the books have special deals associated with them if you get them through Aztec Shops Campus Bookstore--their book portal is here.

PLEASE NO DIGITAL BOOKS--all students must bring their delicious literary jewels made of paper, ink, and glue to our imagination laboratory / classroom for class discussion!

Also--note that the book links provided below are included to ensure you pick up the correct edition of the required books, NOT to make Jeff Bezos more money at Amazon. All the correct editions are available from Aztec Shops Bookstore--and do note that many of the books at the Aztec Shops store have the best price anywhere thru special deals we have arranged!

Are used books ok? Of course they are--but beware the notes and scrawls you find in these discarded receptacles of knowledge (not to mention the sneeze remnants lurking within their pages!!!

Click each cover below to see the proper edition of all the books we are studying together this semester!  Should you buy print editions or digital editions? What about pirated pdfs? You are welcome to pursue what you see fit, but, despite the expense, nothing beats working with the best, printed edition of the book. Should you rent or buy? That is up to you!  But remember, your bookshelf is like a mirror of the journey of your psyche -- a snapshot of the evolution of your imaginations: an empty bookshelf  =  an erased intellectual legacy/heritage.



OPTIONAL
TEXTS



Required Cinema (Screened in Class)
Touch of Evil, 1958, Orson Welles, Director


Y tu mamá también, Alfonso Cuarón, Director
PASSPORT

 CompLit 594 | MALAS 600A | LATAM 580
A Description of How Your Work Will Be Evaluated

This section of your subterranean syllabus documents how your work will be evaluated this Spring 2022 semester. Here you will find all the bureaucratic gates, cages, and locks -- all the meager statutes, ordinances, edicts, and formulas -- that will allow our zoom-based (thx Covid_19!) American Literature-focused literary collective to thrive. Let me underscore that you have absolute intellectual freedom in our seminar, BUT to receive these awesome rights, you must also follow the reasonable responsibilities outlined on this page. After all, we want to have a great time, be the best literature/film studies class on the West Coast even (take that USC! Eat my dust Stanford!) But to do that, we need room for intellectual play--a safe subterranean asylum that will allow us to complete our semester-long project.

PASSPORT RULE 1
BOOKS_BOOKS_BOOKS

BUY THE BOOKS AND READ THEM--DON'T LOG ONTO ZOOM WITHOUT HAVING READ YOUR BOOK! Though we very much adore living in the 21st century, I am asking you to use ANALOG, printed, old school, old gangster paper books in this class. Of course, if you prefer kindle, noom, etc, there is nothing I can do about it.

My main concern is that when I do a page call-out during lecture, you will not know where in the book I am doing a close reading.

Why is that important?

Because I want YOU to be in a critical position to question my close readings or to augment and adjust them with your own interpretations and suggestions. So the way it works is that when you log-onto Zoom for our synchronous class sessions, you will have completed the reading that appears on your the day-to-day class calendar!

Please note the word "finished" (not "started," not "skimmed," not "glanced," and most decidedly NOT "but I read the Cliffs/Sparks Notes!)

Coming to a university literature / film / cultural studies class without doing the reading is like a gardener trying to raise roses without getting her/his hands filthy, a surgeon trying to operate without a scalpel, a fireman without an axe ...

Do the readings. Do them twice if you can MAKE the time! The quality of our class depends upon your dedicated work and your relentless and independent curiosity. Without your periodic intellectual donations, the class is likely to evolve into a boring, even painful waste of time.

PASSPORT RULE 2 Charlie-Delta_Thief:

PLAGIARISM is for cads, thieves, and idiots who desire an "F" for the class. Plagiarism comes from the Latin word, "plagiarius" which means kidnapper, plunderer, or (get this!) thief--not a GOOD thing. In the university, plagiarism refers to the art and crime of presenting other people's work under your own signature, aka cutting and pasting copied crap from Wikipedia--definitely a BAD thing. While your professor is forbidden by CSU/SDSU code from tattooing the word LOSER on the foreheads of guilty students, he can promise that felonious students will be remanded to the state-authorized SDSU executioners.  Read THIS as well--SDSU is SERIOUS about this shit, so don't take any chances!  Rely on your own mind and your own precious imagination!

PASSPORT RULE 3 PUT
THE MONSTERS TO SLEEP!

Your laptop will be asleep IN YOUR BAGS during class--or, better yet, resting in your dorm room or apartment.

Have you noticed how anytime a student uses a laptop in an auditorium there is a "cone of distraction" alongside and behind the student using a computer?

This is usually due to said student surfing the web via wi-fi perusing erotic delights or god knows what. I was recently at a cool (ok, it was slightly boring, I confess) lecture by a noted writer--as I tried to listen to her, in front of me, a diverted student (attending the lecture, no doubt, for extra-credit) was perusing sites like these (nsfw or school).

So, laptops are GREAT for entering your notes AFTER class, but they will not be allowed in our lecture hall.

If you have an issue with this, schedule a meeting with me during office hours to chat the first week of class.

PASSPORT RULE 4 PARALYZE THE SMARTPHONE!

Your beloved magnificent iPhone, your cherished Galaxy, your fetishized Pixel, or even your primordial pager will be off, off, OFF during class meetings; if for some reason you are expecting an emergency call, set it on VIBRATE (for privacy, pleasure, or both!) and sit in the back near an exit after letting me know in advance before class that you are expecting an emergency phone-call. Cellphones KILL collective spaces of learning with their ill-timed, annoying clattering rings, bongs, squeaks, chirps, and themes.

Yes, the trauma of that delayed text, yes, the horror of that missed hook-up call, yes, the loss of the buzz of that random Tinder swipe will no doubt doom you to years and years on an psychoanalyst's couch, but we, the rest of us, will gain some silence, a kind of sanctuary without which ideas wither on the vine. We are NOT joking about this unthinkable edict! Don't end up like this former student from another class I taught back in the day: 


 click to enlarge


Major Course Requirements

GRADING INFORMATION
  • 25%  Attendance, Quizzes, In-class, In-class writing    
  • 25%  The Optical Parables Imagination Challenge (Essay)  
  • 25%  Final Examination    
  • 25%  Participation: in-class; online; social media; office hours, etc
THE OPTICAL PARABLES IMAGINATION CHALLENGE

You will be asked to write ONE 8-10 page essay (also know as THE OPTICAL PARABLES IMAGINATION CHALLENGE) during the course of the term. Please note that you will never be compelled to write about something you absolutely hate. Though I will provide you with a list of prompts, please feel free to see me at any time over the course of the semester during office hours to pitch/brainstorm essay ideas.

FINAL EXAMINATION

There will be an Imagination Challenge In-Class Festival (aka, the FINAL EXAM) on the last regularly scheduled day of class: Thursday, May 5, 2022 at our regular class time of 11am. Your final is absolutely comprehensive; it assumes you have read all the books and screened all the movies that are part of our required work. If you do the work, the final is a breeze--even "fun" if you can believe it.

QUIZZES & ATTENDANCE

During the semester, you can expect several In-class Panic-Inducing Challenges otherwise known as CHECK-YOU-DID-THE-READING QUIZZES. You can expect these miserable quizzes from time to time, the number of quizzes depending on how many of you are nostalgic for high school. In other words, if everyone acts like a talented university student, we will enjoy FEW if any quizzes during our semester.

Coming to class for each seminar session is NOT optional--the whole point of this class is to work together, the idea being that we creatively and magically convert our classroom into a chaotic, unpredictable, and exciting intellectual laboratory. Missing class, you miss, as well, the whole point of the adventure. So please bypass no more than three classes during the semester--you are responsible for any work/notes you miss when you are absent. If you miss MORE than three classes during the term and your grade will decay in an ugly way. EXAMPLES: your hard-earned A- will morph into a B-; your "gentleman's C" will appear on the webportal as a "D. Ditching this class too often will be as fun as a case of flesh-eating virus.

Do you receive any second chances in this class on the off chance you miss a quiz, blow an assignment, or generally screwup altogether? Luckily, your eccentric Professor is a recovering Catholic and believes in the wonders of absolution--from time to time we will have out-of-class cineTREK© assignments, aka EXTRA-CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES; these can be used to atone for an extra-absence, a missed quiz, or some other class-impacting catastrophe you may experience during the term.

DIGITAL/VIRTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

We will have a Tumblr class page here:

https://opticalparables.tumblr.com

This is a great place for folks who are shy about talking during class to post materials that connect to our class discussions!

OFFICE HOURS


Why visit me during 'office hours'? Why not? If only to experience the madness of my working studio space! You are warmly invited to visit me in office hours at least once during the semester if you can. At SDSU, it's easy to fall through the cracks, to feel that you are nothing but a Red ID# or some warm pile of sentient flesh filling a seat. In order to convince you that the Professor teaching you is occasionally human, please make a point during the semester to take the time to introduce yourself in person. My office hours will be on Tuesdays after class from 11 to 1 in AL 273 (if I am not there, look for me in the SDSU Press office, AL 283). If these hours are inconvenient, do not hesitate to email me for an appointment either at  memo@sdsu.edu or bnericci@mail.sdsu.edu You can also call me at 619.594.1524 either to schedule an appointment or discuss your questions via telephone, but keep in mind I don't check my answering machine very often!

Day to Day Calendario
Our menu of assignments for the semester--walk into class having completed the assignment listed for that date!
Thursday, January 20, 2022
It's the first day of class and though it is a tradition at SDSU (in some classes and with some professors) to waste the first day, we, intellectual revolutionaries that we are, will opt to move against said practice. Today we will sign on to Zoom having read "The Circular Ruins," an allegorical classic from Argentina's 20th century Shakespeare, Jorge Luis Borges (see the winsome young Borges opposite).

You'll find this story in FICCIONES, one of your required texts for this Spring 2022 Latin American / Latinx adventure!

Of course we will do more today than just discuss the wonders of Borges -- his method, his madness, his obsessions strike the keynote for our semester-long study of Latin American and Latinx literature, photography, cinema, and graphic narrative.

After all, Borges was a master of a specific form of fiction called the parable (usually only associated with a certain alleged son of a deity!):


As with allegories, parables mean something, and, simultaneously, mean something more, something apart, something deeper.

This tendency to "double-storytelling," already implicit in the Manuel Álvarez Bravo photograph (opposite) that inspired this class for your professor, is something we will encounter all semester in works from across the Americas.

After you finish the Borges tale, study this Álvarez Bravo visual parable and think about the connections between the two.

https://SDSU.zoom.us/j/81325656114

 
Tuesday, January 25, 2022


We are still very much at the beginning of our semester-long adventure together; what better way to advance it than to dive headlong into the prose magic of Jorge Luis Borges--an arch wizard of parables literary, narratological, philosophical, and otherwise. He really is a crossroads writer--and the impact of his efforts was to have an incalculable impact on other writers, from his contemporaries like Vladimir Nabokov, to the authors he influenced like García Márquez, Cortázar, Fuentes, and more. For today's class, re-read "The Circular Ruins" but add to your reading the following stories from FICCIONES: "The Garden of Forking Paths," "The Library of Babel," and "Funes, the Memorious." As you read, I, of course, want you to be attuned to literary matters (what are Borges's favorite themes? are there Borgesian motifs that dominate his storytelling, etc), but I also want you to consider other questions: Is Borges an author or a philosopher (and what is the difference between the two)? Most Borges stories seem to be built like a puzzle or a trap--is this a gimmick or part of some meta-effort to teach us something about fiction, about literature, about myth.



Thursday, January 27, 2022


"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" and "Pierre Menard" will end our first sessions on the works of Jorge Luis Borges, and our mini-seminar on the function and reach of parables in literature.  Each story will test you in different ways as they are truly at the crossroads of epistemology and existential philosophy as they relate to literature--but they are also, both, exquisitely crafted and delicious puzzles (especially Tlön with its air of paranoia). I want you to write a paragraph on one of these stories and be ready to share it with your colleagues: do not try to be comprehensive and whatever you do, DO NOT summarize what you read; instead, begin your paragraph with the following line and see where it takes you:

In the short story ["Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" OR "Pierre Menard"] we find a writer who wants to _____________
with our imagination; on top of that, we are treated to a story
that seems to [ finish the paragraph]




Tuesday, February 1, 2022


Change of pace / jumpcut -- we hurtle from the realm of Borges and prose fiction into the visual poetics of photography as we begin our "reading"/"seeing" of América Latina--our collection of Latin American photography (opposite). Read the front material of the book and carefully survey the images up to page 119--don't freak at the page count, it's mostly pictures! Come to class with a particular photograph you want to talk about picked out--also have that image ready and open on your desktop so you can share it via zoom screenshare and lead us in a discussion of the selected image. If you have never done image analysis or photographic analysis you might also want to read chapters from John Berger's WAYS OF SEEING and Susan Sontag's ON PHOTOGRAPHY to help lead you into the magnificent world of reading (and playing with) images.




Thursday, February 3, 2022

No class today as we big fond farewell to our Zoom-based optical parables adventures. Thrill to the delight of not being on camera, frolic existentially as you dodge the experience of speaking a minute or two on mute! Use the extra time to catch up on your reading or to read ahead for Gabriel Garcia Marquez next week!




Tuesday, February 8, 2022


Amazing--we finally get to meet and hang out with each other in person was we return to face to face learning and meet for the first time in North Education 271! Another change of pace as we move from photography back to prose fiction and the incomparable writing of Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez--come to class having read the entirety of CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD (no fainting spells, it is a novella-length work and will not tax the eyes or the soul). In class, we will have an open discussion of his writing so come prepared with a passage from the novela you want to analyze, break-down, turn upside down, riff off of etcetera.




Thursday, February 10, 2022

We will continue and bring to our close our discussion of Gabriel García Márquez's writing--in particular, come to class thinking about what links together his writing with that of Jorge Luis Borges: How are they similar; how do they differ. We will also continue our semiotic spelunking (optical interrogation) of the AMÉRICA LATINA PHOTOGRAPHS book. Come to class ready to share an interpretation of one of the photographs. Read and study the pictures up to page 209.





Tuesday, February 15, 2022
For today's class we head north from Colombia and García Márquez to the heady, electric, and always-in-metamorphosis space of Mexico City and to a little known theatrical production focused on the work of Prague's poster boy, Franz Kafka, Héctor Ortega's THE COMIC TRIAL OF JOSEPH K.: TEXT AND CONTEXT.

If you are not familiar with Kafka's THE TRIAL, you might want to read this synopsis here on Wikipedia and this outrageous illustrated version of the tale by Robert Crumb. Walk into class having read the entire book--the play itself, the supporting materials, and the critical essays.  Some questions to spur our discussion: Is there something particularly Kafkaesque about Mexico? What do you think inspired Ortega to transport this Eastern European classic to Mexico City. Come to class ready to volunteer to read parts from the play as we will strive to make this theatrical experiment come alive in our classroom, North Education 271.



Thursday, February 17, 2022


From the heart of Mexico we move north, now, towards the border, la frontera! Is the border una herida abierta (an open wound) as in the metaphors woven by Chicanx theorist/poet/goddess Gloria Anzaldúa (click above) ? Or something else? Something more? Something other? In my own writings, I have spoken of the border as a site of xicanosmosis, fusing the word Xicano/a/x with that of the biological processes of organic osmosis to characterize the flow of influences and intensities we live in and though on the border--wound? osmosis? something other?

Come to class having read to page 100 of ARTES PLÁSTICAS EN LA FRONTERA MÉXICO / ESTADOS UNIDOS / VISUAL ARTS ON THE U.S. /MEXICO BORDER. Again! Don't freak out--it is a bilingual edition so YOU choose whether to read the first 50 pages or so in English or Spanish. If you are studying Spanish, it might be fun to do a little of both, assessing the quality of the translation as you do so. If you have time, also read more of your AMERICA LATINA PHOTOGRAPHS and see if you can come to class able to apply something you have learned from ARTES PLASTICAS to the photography in this outstanding collection.




Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Come to class today having finished your reading of the ARTES PLASTICAS collection; in addition, read the introduction to TEX[T]-MEX. In class we will continue our discussion of La Frontera/the Border, adding Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL to the mix as well--in class we will screen the first 30 minutes or so of Welles's incredible opus.




Thursday, February 24, 2022


We will continue our screening of Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL in class as well as our discussion. Also read the first half of my essay on TOUCH OF EVIL in TEX[T]-MEX--roughly pages 39 to 61. One of the things you will note as you screen Welles's epic de/en la frontera is the director's concerted effort to confuse our sense of space: are we in Mexico? are we in the United States? and which is corrupt? which innocent? As you gathered from the introduction to TEX[T]-MEX, there is a tradition of seeing Mexico through a projected lens of corruption. How does Welles confirm that view; how does he shatter it?



Tuesday, March 1, 2022


How does our view / vision / projection of Mexico (and Latin America for that matter) impact the way we read arts coming from that region? And what happens to our perspective when we are not talking about a country or a region but about its frontier, its borders. Come to class having completed my chapter on TOUCH OF EVIL in TEX[T]-MEX, pp 62 to 80; also read the "interstitial" chapters, pages 31-38; and 173-190. In class, we will finish our screening of TOUCH OF EVIL and continue our discussion of the movie and of the border. Even though I wrote the essay, do NOT approach my essay in TEX[T]-MEX like a textbook--it is not true and possibly not even right! Look for ways to supplement, augment, and even challenge the findings you run across in my meandering sentences.
Thursday, March 3, 2022

No class today as your professor jets to his homelands of Tejas (I hope they let me back in to California!) for the wedding of the offspring of old friends from Laredo, Texas; use the time to catch up on your reading and to ponder the complexities of the US/Mexico borderlands!




Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Apologies! Once again I have to cancel class owing to a scheduling glitch that finds me lecturing on Chicanx Literature and culture at San Jose State University--enjoy the break and catch up on your readings from Tex[t]-Mex or get ahead on the Junot Diaz readings for Thursday!




Thursday, March 10, 2022

We are back LIVE from our early semester hiatus and we find ourselves leaping from Orson Welles's mind into that of Junot Diaz. Depending on your POV, Diaz is either a literary genius of the late 20th century and early 21st century or a canceled and loathéd casualty of #metoo-related shenanigans, and other documented sordid revelations of recent note. For the purposes of our Optical Parables adventures, we are going to carefully work our way through his breakout collection of short stories, DROWN. Read all the stories to page 117 in the collection. Come to class with a particular story YOU want to lead discussion on in class.




Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Over the weekend you have read to the end of Diaz's masterful early collection of short stories--with Junot Diaz's writing, we clearly move onwards from the world of Latin Americans, and the world of the Border, of la frontera, and onto a terrain that is Latinx. With Diaz, a Dominican American, but also a New Yorker, with their special brash voice and bravado.




Thursday, March 17, 2022
Today we fly back to the west coast and to the punk rock-fueled imagination of Gilbert Hernandez, one third of the Los Bros Hernandez, wizard creators of LOVE AND ROCKETS, one of the longest running series of sequential art since Charles Dickens (no kidding)! For class we will begin with three works. Gilbert (aka "Beto) Hernandez's illustrated biography of Frida Kahlo--linked here; the chapter on Gilbert's biography in my book Tex[t]-Mex; and the first 46 pages of HUMAN DIASTROPHISM (pictured opposite). Read the Kahlo bio by Beto first; my essay second (note, if, for some reason you have opted not to purchase Tex[t]-Mex, there is a free early version of the essay here); and the HUMAN DIASTROPHISM pages last. As you read HUMAN DIASTROPHISM, keep a keen eye trained on the young artist Humberto. As Gilbert's novel is graphic project, why do you think he included a proxy version of himself as a key part of the narrative? Is Humberto a Gilbert mirror of sorts?

One last thing--today a LINK will go live to your Imagination Challenge (aka the big essay) for the semester. More to come soon! The essay will be due Friday, April 15, 2022, at noon!




Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Read to page 80 in HUMAN DIASTROPHISM--Gilbert Hernandez, Chicano punk rocker from Agoura, Califas, sets his fictional tale in Latin American, in a place called Palomar. How does the American gaze of a Californian change/alter the dynamics of stories set in Latin America? Does it even matter? One last thing, Palomar, visited by an Anthropologist named Sven, is overrun by artifacts, statues, and talismans? How might that reality connect to this tale of a homesick serial killer?
Thursday, March 24, 2022

As you prepare for your Spring Break, walk into class having finished your reading of HUMAN DIASTROPHISM--you are welcome to read the entire book, but only expected to read up to page 122 where the original graphic novel ended. Come to class with a printout of two panels from the story (from different places in the book) that you feel resonate or "speak" to each other and that reveal something about Gilbert Hernandez's Latinx goals in crafting this masterwork.




Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Spring Break
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Spring Break





Tuesday, April 5, 2022


You come back from Spring Break all relaxed and recharged and electrified! Why electrified? Because you enter North Education 271, aka, the Labyrinth of Parables, having read to page 119 in Salvador Plascencia's THE PEOPLE OF PAPER. One part fantasy, one part sci-fi, one part novela de la frontera, Plascencia's opus is a trippy homage to fiction of yore! With echoes of Cervantes, Sterne, Borges, and more running through the mix. Pay special attention to the visually inventive interruptions sprinkled throughout the novel. Like Kurt Vonnegut's BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS and William Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING, THE PEOPLE OF PAPER is prose fiction with an optical/semiotic dimension
Thursday, April 7, 2022

Read to page 169 in Plascencia's PEOPLE OF PAPER. As the novel unfolds, more and more of its tricks are visuo/typographical... consider what the form of the novel adds to the "story" of the novel--in the Modernist literary tradition (Woolf, Faulkner, Fitzgerald) there was an uncanny symmetry between setting and psyche, with Plascencia we find the same, but with an added meta-fictional twist.




Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Walk into class having finished Plascencia's PEOPLE OF PAPER--note as well that today is the deadline to email me a proposal for your paper if you are developing your own thesis, by 9am! With or without know it, Plascencia has produced the great American novel, even though born in Mexico, and raised after the age of 8 in LA, he is both a Latin American and Latinx writer... his response to the question of whether he identifies as a Latin writer? "To be honest, I’m not really sure what that means. Professionally—albeit a meagerly profitable enterprise—I’m a writer. But I’m not a professional Mexican; that’s Ruben Navarrette’s gig. I’m a Latino. I’m a writer. I identify as both, but not when 'Latino' is serving as a modifier." Read the rest of the 2010 interview here before class.

Thursday, April 14, 2022

We come to class looking for a 75 minute respite from our angst about the paper due tomorrow at noon--so what do we do? We go to the movies and spend the bulk of class watching Alfonso Cuarón's masterpiece Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIEN. Like Welles earlier in the semester, this Mexican master of cinema immerses viewers in a world we know and one that we are also unfamiliar with. We are in Mexico, between classes and sexes with a conclusion that leaves us with more questions than answers. Make the time to screen this brief interview with Cuarón.


Friday, April 15, 2022 at noon! Your brilliant and stunning Imagination Challenge is due! Turn in a pdf copy to bnericci@sdsu.edu



Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Today we will finish our screening of Cuarón's mini-epic of Mexico between time, class, desire and more. I look forward to our discussion.
Thursday, April 21, 2022

We are all filled with a little sadness today as we enter the home stretch of the semester.

Sadness, too, as MEAN by Myriam Gurba, is a moving testimonial, a gutting memoir by one of the great American writers of our time. She is American and Latinx, and queer, loud, and beautiful, and magnificently talented. In a way, Gurba and Plascencia embody a next-generation Latinx aesthetic; how might we describe this phenomena? Or are they different enough in their creative visions that it is more productive to contrast their work in lieu of cataloging their resonances? For class today, read to page 85 of the book--be sure to come to class with a passage you want to analyze during our time together.





Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Over the weekend you have finished reading MEAN--why!? Because that is what we do! Why else!? Because the author is with us IN THE HOUSE!!! Today we welcome Myriam Gurba, author of MEAN, for a lecture entitled "Radical Pendejismo: Necessary Foolishness in Theme and Craft"


Thursday, April 28, 2022

...and today we welcome Alex Espinoza, author of Still Water Saints, for a lecture entitled: A Queer X-Ray Vision. Read to page 102 in Espinoza's first novel!




Tuesday, May 3, 2022

You walk into class almost in tears. It's not because finishing Espinoza's great first novel brought you any pain, it's owing to the fact that your semester of work is coming to an end. Today we will finish our discussion Alex's novel and review the work we have done this semester. An added plus and incentive to not miss class? I promise to give away one of the actual questions on the final exam!
Thursday, May 5, 2022

Final Exam!

THE FINE PRINT


IMPORTANT NOTE: The instruction modality of this course is face-to-face. However, during the first weeks of the semester, until February 4, class sessions will be conducted virtually (via Zoom), according to current University’s policies and guidelines (please note that policies may be updated during the academic term).


During the virtual modality period, it is the students’ responsibility to secure the equipment, connectivity, software, and devices necessary to attend sessions remotely, submit course assignments, and complete assessments. Once face-to-face teaching resumes, faculty will not be required to create a new, alternative on-line class as an accommodation for any student.


In either modality, some course components may involve computer-mediated work (e.g., submitting assignments via Canvas, taking quizzes online), and office hours may take place remotely (via Zoom), as indicated by your instructor.


Enrollment and continuous attendance in the course are taken as an acknowledgement that the syllabus has been read and policies/regulations accepted. Students who register for classes are expected to attend sessions, whether face-to-face or virtually, as indicated in the course schedule.


Students should fully comply with ALL Covid19-related policies regarding vaccination, testing, facial coverings, physical distancing, etc. Students who do not adhere to these policies or the directives of their faculty will be directed to leave the classroom and referred to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities.


Other important aspects of the course are described in this syllabus, thus it is essential to read it carefully. For more information, please refer to the Academic Operation Guide - Spring 2022:


https://sdsuedu.sharepoint.com/sites/stratcomm/SitePages/Provost/academic-operations-spring-2022.aspx

Students with medical conditions that would present a COVID-related risk in a face-to-face instructional setting should contact the Student Ability Success Center (https://sdsu.edu/sasc) to begin the process of getting support. Students who do not adhere to the Covid19 Student Policies or the directives of their faculty will be directed to leave the classroom and will be referred to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities. 

Do not come to campus if you do not feel well. Remain home and monitor your symptoms and seek medical attention as needed.

UPDATED January 2022
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SDSU REQUIRES BOOSTERS FOR STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES

The California State University system announced on Dec. 22, 2021 that all students, faculty and staff in the system will be required to have a COVID-19 booster on file to access campus facilities and programs in spring 2022. The new requirement will take effect immediately upon implementation of the policy; however, represented employees will not be subject to the booster requirement until the CSU concludes its meet-and-confer process with its labor unions.The requirement is effective at SDSU on Jan. 18, 2022, and students and employees will be required to have the COVID-19 booster on file with the university via HealtheConnect. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to their health care provider or locate booster availability online.

 Course materials: See ABOVE!
Course Design, Major Assignments, and Assessments:  See Above
Course Schedule: See above
Grading Policies: See PASSPORT, above!

Student Learning Outcomes

1.    Students entering the room with little knowledge of Latin American and Latinx Literatures, Cultures, and Media will leave knowing tons more.
2.    Students who know a little about the Americas and their arts will exit as experts on the meaning and impact of these cultural artifacts.
3.    Students who write poorly will learn to write better.
4.    Students whose brains are altogether inert will leave with brain matter re-energized.
5.    No student’s time will be wasted.

Communication

Students are provided with an SDSU Gmail account, and this SDSU email address will be used for all communications. University Senate policy notes that students are responsible for checking their official university email once per day during the academic term. For more information, please see Student Official Email Address Use Policy here.
My preferred gender pronouns are he, him, his. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name and/or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.

Technology

Since Gutenberg, printed books are one of the most remarkable inventions in the history of man—we will make great use of this invention.
●      University policy instructs students to contact their professor/instructor/coach in the event they need to miss class due to an illness, injury, or emergency. All decisions about the impact of an absence, as well as any arrangements for making up work, rest with the instructors. 

●      If a student misses class because of COVID-19, either because they have been diagnosed and are quarantined or are required to isolate and would like to request a class excuse letter, the student should send an email to vpsafrontdesk@sdsu.edu to notify the university. Student Affairs and Campus Diversity will initiate the process for absent letters to be sent to course instructors, Assistant Deans, and the Provost. Medical documentation may be required prior to the letter being issued.
●      Student Health Services (SHS) does not provide medical excuses for short-term absences due to illness or injury. When a medical-related absence persists beyond five days, SHS will work with students to provide appropriate documentation.

●      When a student is hospitalized or has a serious, ongoing illness or injury, SHS will, at the student's request and with the student’s consent, communicate with the student’s instructors via the Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity and may communicate with the student’s Assistant Dean and/or the Student Ability Success Center. 

Finding Help on Campus 

Need help finding an advisor, tutor, counselor, or require emergency economic assistance? The SDSU Student Success Help Desk is here for you. Student assistants are available via Zoom Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM to help you find the office or service that can best assist with your particular questions or concerns.

●      CAL Student Success Center: https://cal.sdsu.edu/student-resources/student-success
●      College of Education Student Success Center: https://education.sdsu.edu/oss
●      Center for Student Success in Engineering:  https://csse.sdsu.edu/
●      CoS Student Success Center: https://cossuccess.sdsu.edu/
●      FSB Student Success Center: https://business.sdsu.edu/undergrad/advising
●      HHS Advisors:  https://chhs.sdsu.edu/student-resources/advising/
●      IVC Student Success and Retention: https://ivcampus.sdsu.edu/student_affairs/retention

●      PSFA Advisors: https://psfa.sdsu.edu/resources/student_advisors

Academic Honesty 

The University adheres to a strict policy prohibiting cheating and plagiarism. Examples of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:

●      Copying, in part or in whole, from another's test or other examination;

●      Obtaining copies of a test, an examination, or other course material
without the permission of the instructor;
●      Collaborating with another or others in coursework without the permission of the instructor;
●      Falsifying records, laboratory work, or other course data;
●      Submitting work previously presented in another course, if contrary to the policies of the course;
●      Altering or interfering with grading procedures;
●      Assisting another student in any of the above;
●      Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include phrases, sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work);
●      Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it one's own;
●      Using information found from an online or offline source without giving the author credit;
●      Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting one's own words or phrases.
Unauthorized recording or dissemination of virtual course instruction or materials by students, especially with the intent to disrupt normal university operations or facilitate academic dishonesty, is a violation of the Student Conduct Code. This includes posting of exam problems or questions to on-line platforms. Violators may be subject to discipline.
The California State University system requires instructors to report all instances of academic misconduct to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities. Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary review by the University and may lead to probation, suspension, or expulsion. Instructors may also, at their discretion, penalize student grades on any assignment or assessment discovered to have been produced in an academically dishonest manner.

Classroom Conduct Standards 

SDSU students are expected to abide by the terms of the Student Conduct Code in classrooms and other instructional settings. Violation of these standards will result in referral to appropriate campus authorities. Prohibited conduct includes:
●      Willful, material, and substantial disruption or obstruction of a University-related activity, or any on-campus activity.
●      Participating in an activity that substantially and materially disrupts the normal operations of the University or infringes on the rights of members of the University community.
●      Unauthorized recording, dissemination, or publication (including on websites or social media) of lectures or other course materials.
●      Conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person within or related to the University community, including:
    1. Physical abuse, threats, intimidation, or harassment.
    2. Sexual misconduct.

Accommodations

SDSU via the Student Ability Success Center (SASC) provides accommodations for students with documented disabilities or medical conditions covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In keeping with current public health guidance, I cannot provide arrangements to students without an ADA-qualified disability or medical condition.

If you are a student with a disability and are in need of accommodations for this class, please contact the Student Ability Success Center at sascinfo@sdsu.edu (or go to sdsu.edu/sasc) as soon as possible. Please know accommodations are not retroactive, and I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from the Student Ability Success Center. SASC registration and accommodation approvals may take up to 10-14 business days, so please plan accordingly.

Student Privacy and Intellectual Property

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) mandates the protection of student information, including contact information, grades, and graded assignments. I will use tinyletter.com to communicate with you, and I will not post grades or leave graded assignments in public places. Students will be notified at the time of an assignment if copies of student work will be retained beyond the end of the semester or used as examples for future students or the wider public. Students maintain intellectual property rights to work products they create as part of this course unless they are formally notified otherwise.

Religious Observances

According to the University Policy File, students should notify instructors of planned absences for religious observances by the end of the second week of classes.

Academic Support Services

A complete list of all academic support services—including the Writing Center and  Math Learning Center—is available on the Student Affairs’ Academic Success website. Counseling & Psychological Services (619-594-5220, sdsu.edu/cps) offers a range of psychological services for students. Emergency support is available after hours at the same phone number. The San Diego Access and Crisis Line can also be accessed 24 hours/day (1-888-724-7240).

Sexual violence / TItle IX mandated reporting 

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. I am a mandated reporter in my role as an SDSU employee. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep the information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information regarding sexual violence on SDSU’s campus with the Title IX coordinator, Gail Mendez (619-594-6464). She (or her designee) will contact you to let you know about accommodations and support services at SDSU and possibilities for holding accountable the person who harmed you. Know that you will not be forced to share information you do not wish to disclose and your level of involvement will be your choice. If you do not want the Title IX Officer notified, instead of disclosing this information to your instructor, you can speak confidentially with the following people on campus and in the community. They can connect you with support services and discuss options for pursuing a University or criminal investigation. Sexual Violence Victim Advocate (619-594-0210) or Counseling and Psychological Services (619-594-5220, psycserv@sdsu.edu). For more information regarding your university rights and options as a survivor of sexual misconduct or sexual violence, please visit titleix.sdsu.edu.

SDSU Economic Crisis Response Team

If you or a friend are experiencing food or housing insecurity, technology concerns, or any unforeseen financial crisis, it is easy to get help! Visit sdsu.edu/ecrt for more information or to submit a request for assistance.
SDSU’s Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT) aims to bridge the gap in resources for students experiencing immediate food, housing, or unforeseen financial crises that impact student success. Using a holistic approach to well-being, ECRT supports students through crisis by leveraging a campus-wide collaboration that utilizes on- and off-campus partnerships and provides direct referrals based on each student’s unique circumstances. ECRT empowers students to identify and access long-term, sustainable solutions in an effort to successfully graduate from SDSU. Within 24 to 72 hours of submitting a referral, students are contacted by a member of ECRT and are quickly connected to the appropriate resources and services.
For students who need assistance accessing technology for their classes, visit our ECRT website (sdsu.edu/ecrt) to be connected with the SDSU library's technology checkout program. The technology checkout program is available to both SDSU and Imperial Valley students.

Land Acknowledgement

We stand upon a land that carries the footsteps of millennia of Kumeyaay people. They are a people whose traditional lifeways intertwine with a worldview of earth and sky in a community of living beings. This land is part of a relationship that has nourished, healed, protected and embraced the Kumeyaay people to the present day. It is part of a world view founded in the harmony of the cycles of the sky and balance in the forces of life. For the Kumeyaay, red and black represent the balance of those forces that provide for harmony within our bodies as well as the world around us. As students, faculty, staff and alumni of San Diego State University we acknowledge this legacy from the Kumeyaay. We promote this balance in life as we pursue our goals of knowledge and understanding. We find inspiration in the Kumeyaay spirit to open our minds and hearts. It is the legacy of the red and black. It is the land of the Kumeyaay. 'eyay e’haan My heart is good.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

There is one way all of us in our class are members of the same minority!  We are in a university—and most folks in the USA don’t go to university, let alone finish it. So we are all, each and every one of us, an educated minority and we will work to take care of each other throughout the year as our semester unfolds!


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