Journalism and Media in Lat Am

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Literary Journalism and Media Culture in Latin America: Most of the best-known authors in Latin America have not only written poetry and fiction, they have written newspaper crónicas, developing public personae whose discussions of art, culture, and daily life reflect the social issues of their day. In this class we will explore those intersections of journalism and literature, from the 19th century to today. Framing our discussion with theories of media reception and production, we will consider how the literary newspaper genre shapes, and is shaped by, public discourses on class, race, and gender. We will also consider how the crónica has echoes in contemporary media forms such as radio narrative, blogs, and podcasts. With its roots in both travel and the minutiae of everyday life, the crónica further allows us to see how local community identities have long been shaped by transatlantic flows of information that set the stage for globalized media discourse today. Authors to be considered may include José Martí, Rubén Darío, Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, Alfonsina Storni, Cube Bonifant, Elena Poniatowska, Clarice Lispector, Carlos Monsiváis, Roberto Bolaño, Pedro Lemebel, María Moreno, and Leila Guerriero.