The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the outstanding Jewish writers, filmmakers, and other creators from Latin America, with special emphasis on those who portray in their work the situation of the Jewish communities of their respective cities and countries.  The readings will include works by both Ashkenazic and Sephardic writers and from a range of Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, along with one Brazilian author and several who represent U.S. Latino Jewish writing in English, in addition to relevant films. Another topic will be the Jewish themes that appear prominently in some of the writings of a non-Jewish author, the renowned Jorge Luis Borges.

            One of the requirements of the class is to write a term paper of at least 1700 words (approximately 6-7 pages in normal-size type) on a topic not covered in the syllabus.  Each student will need to analyze literary works that are not in the course readings, although other writings by the same author may appear in the syllabus.  Any student with a reading knowledge of Portuguese is welcome to write his or her term paper on a Brazilian Jewish writer. The alternative to writing a literary analysis for the term paper is to research and write a paper on a Latin American Jewish creative figure working in some other medium, such as a painter, sculptor, or film director.  

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the outstanding Jewish writers from Latin America, with special emphasis on those who portray in their work the situation of the Jewish communities of their respective cities and countries. The readings will include works by both Ashkenazic and Sephardic writers and from a range of Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, along with one Brazilian author and several who represent U.S. Latino Jewish writing in English. Another topic will be the Jewish themes that appear prominently in some of the writings of a non-Jewish author, the renowned Jorge Luis Borges.

Nature of Course:  General.  Please note that it is a course not only on Spanish American narrative but also on literary and cultural criticism.

In this course, we will examine five significant works of Spanish American narrative and a sampling of recent critical commentary on these texts.  The five texts, all of which have been attracting considerable critical study in recent years, represent Spanish American writing of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. The emphasis of the course is not so much on introducing the narrative works as on examining varying critical approaches to a given text and how problems or issues in literary research are identified, explored, and, in many cases, abandoned in favor of newer perspectives.  A closely related issue is how literary and cultural criticism is assessed and what is meant by such evaluative terms as “well written, “original,” “coherent,” and “based on sound scholarship.”

Each student will be required to write a term paper of 17-20 pages. The approach must be metacritical, surveying and analyzing a particular problem or question in the scholarship on a given text.  The text may be either a literary work or some other type of cultural artifact.  The term paper cannot be first and foremost a textual analysis; its primary focus must be a current problem in literary and cultural research and commentary.

Grading Criteria:

term paper:  proposal, 30% of final grade

final version:  60% of final grade (17-22 pages double spaced and following either MLA or Chicago bibliographic style)

reports in class, 10%

Provisional list of readings:

Each primary text will be read together with a number of critical articles, which will be collected in a course packet.

Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Sab

María Luisa Bombal, La última niebla, “El árbol,” “Las islas nuevas”

Alejo Carpentier, Los pasos perdidos

Mayra Santos Febres, Sirena Selena vestida de pena

Santiago Gamboa, El síndrome de Ulises

Course Title: Latin American Jewish Writers

Instructor Name: Naomi Lindstrom

 

Description:

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the outstanding Jewish writers from Latin America, with special emphasis on those who portray in their work the situation of the Jewish communities of their respective cities and countries.  The readings will include works by both Ashkenazic and Sephardic writers and from a range of Spanish-speaking Latin American countries.  We will also look briefly at the work of Spanish American (mostly Argentine) writers who have made aliyah and have created a Spanish-language literary scene within Israel.

Another secondary focus will be the Jewish themes that appear prominently in some of the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges.

No Brazilian works are included among the required readings because the course is offered in Spanish.  However, any student with a reading knowledge of Portuguese is welcome to write his or her term paper on a Brazilian Jewish writer.

 

Texts:

There will be a course packet containing essays, poetry, and short stories by Spanish American Jewish writers.  In addition, the class will read and discuss several novels,

which will be made available through the University Co-op.  The list below is still provisional because the texts need to be obtained from international suppliers.  If any text proves to be too difficult to order, it will be replaced.

Gerchunoff, Los gauchos judíos

Glantz, Las genealogías

Steimberg, Músicos y relojeros

Goldemberg, La vida a plazos de don Jacobo Lerner

Freilich, Cláper

 

 

Grading: 

proposal for term paper 15%

midterm examination 25%

final version of term paper 27.5%

quizzes and participation 5%

final examination 27.5%

Main literary trends and principal writers in Spanish America from the sixteenth century through Modernism. Taught in Spanish.

 

 

 

Fall 2009 Course Syllabus:    

 

Latin American Jewish Writers

 

SPN 352 (Unique 48170) JS 363 (Unique 40670) LAS 370S (Unique 40920)

 

Meets in:  BEN 1.124, MWF 11:00-11:50

 

Language of Instruction:  Spanish

 

Instructor:  Prof. Naomi Lindstrom

       voice mail:   232 4527

       e-mail:  lindstrom@austin.utexas.edu

       office:  BEN 4.116, M 2:30-3:30, W 2:30-3:30, Th 3-4

 

Required Texts: 

 

Should be at University Co-op.  In addition, there is a course packet.  You must purchase the packet because it contains required readings.  It is at Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2200 Guadalupe Street, Austin 78705, tel. 473 8669, fax 476 6505, or jenns@io.com.

 

Timerman, Preso sin nombre, celda sin número

 

Gerchunoff, Los gauchos judíos

 

Shúa, El libro de los recuerdos 

 

Freilich, Cláper (University Co-op will have bound photocopies of this novel)

 

Steimberg, Músicos y relojeros

 

Grading Criteria:  proposal for term paper, 15%, due Wed., Oct. 7

                            midterm examination, 27.5%, Fri., Oct. 23

                            final version of term paper, 22.5%, due Fri., Dec. 4

                            quizzes and participation 5%

                            final examination 30%, Wed., Dec. 9, 7:00-10:00p

 

Attendance Policy:  Attendance is a requirement.  Four cuts permitted;  subsequent unexcused absences result in 1% grade reduction each.  An excused absence is an absence satisfactorily explained by a note.

 

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the outstanding Jewish writers from Latin America, with special emphasis on those who portray in their work the situation of the Jewish communities of their respective cities and countries.  The readings will include works by both Ashkenazic and Sephardic writers and from a range of Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, along with one Brazilian author and several who represent U.S. Latino Jewish writing in English.  Another topic will be the Jewish themes that appear prominently in some of the writings of a non-Jewish author, the renowned Jorge Luis Borges.

            One of the requirements of the class is to write a term paper of at least 1700 words (approximately 6-7 pages in normal-size type) on a topic not covered in the syllabus.  Each student will need to analyze literary works that are not in the course readings, although other writings by the same author may appear in the syllabus.  Any student with a reading knowledge of Portuguese is welcome to write his or her term paper on a Brazilian Jewish writer. The alternative to writing a literary analysis for the term paper is to research and write a paper on a Latin American Jewish creative figure working in some other medium, such as a painter or film director.   Please note that the term paper must be on a cultural topic and not on non-cultural themes, such as Jewish education or problems in estimating the population of Jewish communities in Latin America.  Your topic must be approved by the instructor for you to receive credit for this assignment,

Any student who requires accommodation because of a disability may request

it.  He or she may be asked to present a note from the Office of Services for

Students with Disabilities specifying the accommodations needed.  Students in this course are expected not to disrupt the normal progress of the class.  Any student who persists in being disruptive will first receive a warning letter from the instructor.  If the problem persists, it will be reported to the Dean of Students.

 The course syllabus indicates what you should have read ahead of time to

prepare for that day’s class.  In some cases a media activity, such as showing of clips from a film, is planned for that class session.  You do not need to study for such a session beforehand.

 

August

 

26 general introduction to course

 

28 historical background to Jacobo Timerman’s story;  begin reading

            Preso sin nombre, celda sin número

 

31 Timerman, Preso sin nombre

 

September 

 

2  Timerman, Preso sin nombre

 

4  historical background on Jewish immigration to Argentina and

            Alberto Gerchunoff;  Gerchunoff, Los gauchos judíos

 

7   Labor Day, University closed

 

9  Gerchunoff, Los gauchos judíos 

 

11 Gerchunoff, Los gauchos judíos

 

14 Carlos M. Grünberg, “Un esposo” from Cuentos judíos (in packet)

           Mordejai Alperson, “El coronel Goldsmid” from Colonia Mauricio (in packet)

 

16 Margo Glantz, excerpt from Las genealogías (in packet)

 

18 Glantz, second excerpt (in packet)

 

21 Background on Ana María Shua;  Shua, El libro de los recuerdos  

 

23 Shua, El libro de los recuerdos

 

25 Shua,  El libro de los recuerdos, information on term paper proposal

 

28 scenes from film Legado  (Yom Kippur;  attendance will not be taken)

 

30 Victor Perera, “Guatemala I,” from The Cross and the

            Pear Tree (in packet)    

 

October

 

2  Perera, “Guatemala II” (in packet)

 

5  Leo Spitzer, “Rootless Nostalgia:  Vienna in La Paz, La Paz

               in Elsewhere” (in packet)    

       more about topics for term paper

 

7  Marjorie Agosín, “Osorio,” “My Husband,” both excerpts from A Cross and a Star: 

            Memoirs of a Jewish Girl in Chile (in packet)

    DUE DATE, proposal for term paper

 

9  Jacobo Fijman, “Canto del cisne” (in packet)

             Edna Aizenberg, “How a Samovar Helped Me Theorize Latin American

             Jewish Writing” (in packet)

 

12 Teresa Porzecanski, “Rojl Eisips” (in packet)

             José Luis Nájenson, “Una parábola neojasídica” (in packet)

 

14 Introduction to Isaac Goldemberg;  poems by Goldemberg (in packet)    

 

16 Moacyr Scliar, “El ejército de un solo hombre” (in packet)

 

19 Glusberg, “Mate amargo”,  Marcos Aguinis, “Profeta en Níneve” (in packet)

 

21 review session for midterm

 

23 midterm examination in regular classroom

 

26 scenes from Adió Kerida

 

28 Freilich, Cláper

 

30 Freilich, Cláper

 

November

 

2  Freilich, Cláper

 

4  Jorge Luis Borges, “Emma Zunz,” “El Golem” (in packet)

 

6  Borges, “La muerte y la brújula” (in packet)

        Introduction to Alicia Steimberg

 

9  Steimberg, Músicos y relojeros  

 

11 Steimberg, Músicos y relojeros  

 

13 Steimberg, Músicos y relojeros  

 

16 Ruth Behar, “Juban American” (in packet)

 

18 Ilan Stavans, “Lost in Translation” (in packet)

 

20 Isaac Chocrón, excerpt from Rómpase en caso de incendio (in packet)

         More on final version of term paper

 

23 scenes from documentary film Havana Nagila 

 

25 question and answer session

 

27 day after Thanksgiving, University closed

 

30 Ariel Dorfman, “The Discovery of Life and Language at an Early Age”

            (in packet)

December

 

2  Ricardo Feierstein, “Judíos latinoamericanos:  una nueva forma del

            mestizaje” (in packet)

 

4  last class day;  term paper due;  review for final examination

 

 

                                                 ***FINAL EXAMINATION***

 

                                           ***  WED., DEC. 9, 7:00-10:00 p.m.  ***