LAST201 “Popular Culture in Latin America”

TuTh, 2pm-3:30pm, Mathematics 204

description

The culture of everyday life, both rural and urban: issues of identity, popular memory, resistance, negotiation, as expressed through ritual, crafts, the body, social movements, films, music, and literature.

Set texts: These will all be available online.

Blog: You will write a c. 400 word response to each week’s reading on a blog (either one you already maintain, or one you set up specifically for the class); you should add tags or categories to underline the main themes you are addressing. Blog entries must be ready by Monday at 11:59pm. You will also comment on at least two other students’ blogs by Wednesday at 11:59pm.

Assessment: One mid-term examination (20%), one 4-6 page final paper due at the end of the semester (30%), and a final exam (35%). Blog entries and comments, plus attendance and participation, will constitute the final 15% of your grade.

Note that if you miss more than three classes over the semester without written justification (such as a doctor’s note), your grade will be affected: for each extra absence, it will be reduced by 5%. And if you come to class unprepared, i.e. without having done the reading or written your blog, you may be marked down as absent. Failure to complete your blog entries or to comment on other students’ blogs can seriously affect your grade.

Course convenor: Jon Beasley-Murray (jon.beasley-murray@ubc.ca). His office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12pm to 1pm, in Buchanan Tower 808. Be in touch if you have queries or problems. Deal with problems when they arise; don’t just hope they’ll go away!