Amazonia in Word and Image

Undergraduate

Amazonia is globally known for its natural environments, especially the rainforest and the many rivers and tributaries that populate maps of the region throughout the centuries. Moving beyond stereotypical, monolithic views of the region, in this course, we examine how writers, artists, and other cultural agents imagine Amazonia—historically, literarily, culturally, and linguistically. How is Amazonia defined, and in what terms? What is the role of cultural expression in world-sharing and world-building in and from the region? This course focuses on the Brazilian Amazon in its interrogation of Amazonia, broaching these questions by reading a broad range of texts, watching films and documentaries, and looking at works of art that respond to questions of defining and understanding Amazonia from a variety of perspectives, human and more-than-human. Course units focus on recent news media portrayals of Amazonia; extractivism and environmental conflict in the region; Indigenous literatures and arts; and hope and optimism in and for Amazonia alongside contemporary environmental humanities. This course also aims to further build communicative proficiency in Portuguese and develop knowledge of the diverse cultures of the region through sustained reading, discussion, and writing. L4 Portuguese: PORT 140, PORT 1400 , PORT 1440 , or equivalent in placement. L5 , HU TTh 11:35am-12:50pm