Good Neighbors?: Hispanic Caribbean and Central American Literary Representations of the United Stat

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

In this course we will examine the relationships between the United States and the Hispanic Caribbean and Central American nations as seen through the eyes of writers, intellectuals, political figures, etc.. Though we will focus primarily on literary texts, we will also consider works from other fields such as politics, history, economics, law, anthropology, and music. Through their readings, students will come to appreciate that despite the diversity of opinions that the people of the Caribbean and Central America have of the United States, there has long been an overwhelming sentiment that their neighbor to the north is an aggressive nation with self-serving and imperialistic ambitions. We will study works by authors, political figures, musicians, historians, etc. who hail from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Puerto Rico.