SPAN405A

Topics in Hispanic Literature and Culture

Del texto al paladar: Literatura, comida y sociedad en España y Latinoamérica (From Text to Palate: Literature, Food, and Society in Spain and Latin America)

The ancient link between food and books is particularly significant in the Hispanic World where eating has always been essential in defining individuals, groups, cultures, societies, and nations. Through an interdisciplinary approach to Hispanic short texts from a wide range of authors (Abu Hamid, Don Juan Manuel, Cervantes, Josep Plá, Manuel Vicent, Ricardo Palma, Juan José Saer, Pablo Neruda, Rosario Castellanos, Laura Esquivel, Zoe Valdés, Martín Caparrós), this course studies food (everything ingested) as a cultural product concocted by forces such as ritualization, technology, colonization, travelling, (de)globalization, or climate change. We will pay particular attention to the intersections of food with economy (i.e., production and consumption, ethical eating), social class (i.e., abundance vs. hunger, etiquette), religion (i.e., fasting and feasting, gluttony), gender (i.e., kitchen as gendered space), migration (i.e., fusion food), language (i.e., alimentary metaphors), and health (i.e., dietary prescriptions, disorders). Course materials and content will be divided into four modules that represent a four-course menu: Appetizer, First Plate, Second Plate, and Desert.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Instructor: Dr. Raúl Álvarez Moreno

Prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed SPAN_V 221, SPAN_V 302, SPAN_V 303 or successful completion of the language placement test.