| Unit name | Latin American Futurisms |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP30103 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. King |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit offers an in-depth look at traditions and practices of imagining the future in Latin America. Through discussion of a range of cultural texts and objects, from science fiction literature and multi-media art to architecture and video games from across Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin America, we will explore how ideas about the future both reflect and inform the dominant political tensions of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Topics of debate will include: Afrofuturisms and indigenous futurisms; video games and the gamification of race; avant-garde aesthetics in art and architecture; environmental crisis and post-apocalyptic fictions; decolonising technology in science fiction; and race, gender and glitch aesthetics in contemporary multi-media art.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The unit will build on knowledge about Latin American culture and politics developed in both Portuguese and Spanish content units in Year 2. It will go on to introduce students to some of the key contemporary debates in the field centring on intersections between technology and power. It further develops the transnational focus of the degree programme through its examination of interventions within Latin America into global dynamics and debates. It also further develops the emphasis on transhistorical dynamics by exploring contemporary cultures through the lens of historical contexts from colonisation to the revolutionary politics of the 20th Century. The unit will also contribute to the University’s commitment to decolonisation through both a focus on Afro-Latin American and indigenous cultures (in particular Afrofuturism and indigenous futurisms) and facilitating direct dialogue with artists and researchers from the Global South.
An overview of content
The unit will be structured around the following five topics: Afrofuturisms and indigenous futurisms; video games and the gamification of race; avant-garde aesthetics in art and architecture; environmental crisis and post-apocalyptic fictions; decolonising technology in science fiction; and race, gender and glitch aesthetics in contemporary multi-media art. Each topic will include one primary set text and a range of secondary critical material. When choosing a topic for an assessment, students will be encouraged to use class discussions and the materials discussed within them as a springboard into independent research.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
By the end of the unit, students will have acquired expertise on the central topics of the unit as well as the ability to apply this knowledge to the assessment exercises in a creative and critical way. The emphasis on independent research will encourage students to be self-motivated and responsible as well as being capable of deep reflection on some of most important debates in contemporary Latin America. Group assessments will require students to display creativity as well as an ability to work collaboratively with fellow students in their group, communicate effectively with the cohort as a whole, and make connections with the artists and designers as relevant to their chosen topic.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
Each week there will be a 2-hour seminar in preparation for which students will be expected to read/ watch or familiarise themselves with a primary ‘set text’ (whether it is a novella, work of multi-media art or a video game) and critical materials (usually one or two academic articles or essays). The first hour will be led by the lecturer. The second will be led by students and be an opportunity to discuss ideas and receive feedback for the creative group assessment. Students will lead the class discussion in the groups that they will be divided into for the first assessment. The second formative assessment will be a detailed research proposal for the long essay. This will include an abstract, literature review and a plan. The emphasis throughout the unit will be on students using the essential reading and class discussions as a springboard into independent research on the topics of the topics chosen for the group project and long essay.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1 x 20-minute group podcast (25%). [ILOs 1-3]
1 x 4000-word essay (75%). [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISP30103).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
