Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALX)
LALX 158 - INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
Short Title: INTRO LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: This course immerses students into Caribbean and Latin American studies by introducing them to the history, society, politics, and culture of the region, through a cross-disciplinary and a multi-national approach. Taught in English. Open to all students. Previously offered as SPAN 158 and LASR 158. Credit cannot be earned for LALX 158 if a student has previously taken SPAN 158 or LASR 158. Cross-list: SPAN 158.
LALX 230 - INTRODUCTION TO LATINX LITERATURE
Short Title: INTRO TO LATINX LITERATURE
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: This multi-genre course works to define the contours of Latinx literature by surveying texts drawn primarily from Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban migrations to the US. In addition to addressing the historical and socio-political conditions that frame the Latinx experience, the course broadly outlines the development of Latinx studies and the formation of its literary canon. Cross-list: ENGL 230.
Course URL: english.rice.edu
LALX 238 - SPECIAL TOPICS
Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Activity Course, Intensive Learning Experience, Independent Study, Internship/Practicum, Laboratory, Lecture, Lecture/Laboratory, Research, Seminar, Studio
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: Topics and credit hours vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.
LALX 251 - CONTINUITIES AND CHANGES IN BRAZILIAN HISTORY
Short Title: BRAZIL: CONTINUITY & CHANGE
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: An exploration of themes essential to understanding modern Brazil, such as the origins of a multi-racial society, the transition from monoculture to industry, authoritarian and democratic trends, the emergence of a uniquely Brazilian culture, and the conflicts - environmental, political, and economic - over the development of the Amazon. Cross-list: HIST 251.
LALX 263 - LATINX RESEARCH AND WRITING LAB
Short Title: LATINX LAB
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: The Latinx Research and Writing Lab surveys current research topics and methods in fields expressly focused on U.S. Latinx communities. The Latinx Lab support students who are interested in the actual conversion of research into a research paper, poster, or some multi-media format. Cross-list: ENGL 263.
LALX 265 - LATIN AMERICAN GENDER AND SEXUALITY
Short Title: LAT. AMER. GENDER & SEXUALITY
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: This interdisciplinary course provides students with a comprehensive overview of gender and sexuality in Latin America. Latin American gender and sexual identities are often represented as hyper-normative, heterosexual, violent, and strictly binary. While these stereotypes bear some truth, they are far from representative of the rich heterogeneity of the region and its relationship to non-normative gender constructs and sexual expressions. In this class we will analyze the progression of gender and sexuality in in the region from pre-Columbian expressions to present-day manifestations of queer (cuir) Latinidades.
LALX 290 - GLOBAL LATINIDADES: LATINX AND LATIN AMERICAN MIGRANTS AND CULTURE WORLDWIDE
Short Title: GLOBAL LATINIDADES
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: This course surveys experiences and cultural expressions of Latinidad in a global context. After delving into the genealogy and the trajectories of the discourse of Latinidad, we examine a variety of archives and cultural products that reveal the experiences of Latin American and Latinx subjects who migrate or reside for a significant time across the world (from the Americas to Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and Europe), as a result of labor demands, political and economic crises in Latin America, and military recruitment for major regional and global conflicts. We also study the global flow of Latinx and Latin American cultural products and practices.
LALX 330 - SUBVERSIVE STORYTELLING IN LATINX TV & FILM
Short Title: LATINX STORYTELLING TV & FILM
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Students will probe Latinx TV and film to identify subversive storytelling and stereotypes through characters and directors. We will examine how a century old discourse of criminality continues to dictate media representations of Latinxs. We will watch "The Mandalorian," "Andor," "Into the Spider-Verse," "Culture Shock," and many more. Taught in English.
LALX 332 - WRITING TO HEAL: U.S. LATINE NARRATIVES ON MENTAL HEALTH
Short Title: U.S. LATINE MENTAL HEALTH
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Examines literary depictions of mental health issues in the U.S. Latine community through critical close-reading of current fiction and non-fiction by modern-day authors of the genre. The course guides students in literary interpretation, reflection, analysis, and critique, focusing on themes connected to mental health and the U.S. Latine community.
LALX 345 - BIODIVERSITY AND CONFLICT IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
Short Title: BIODIVERSITY AND CONFLICT
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course examines a wide range of issues that arise in relation to biodiversity. The first one is conceptual. What do ‘we’ mean when we talk about biodiversity? The second is historical and geopolitical. Why is the topic of biodiversity particularly relevant and potentially conflict-prone in countries of the Global South? Most of the course will be devoted to discussing different dimensions of the intersection of biodiversity and conflict (with specific examples from Latin America, Africa, Asia or the US South): conservation and green colonialism; human-animal conflict; war and biodiversity loss; invasive species; empire and extinction; animal and plant trafficking; and multispecies justice. Cross-list: ENST 345.
LALX 350 - PIRATES, REBELS, NARCOS: LATIN AMERICAN OUTLAWS IN THE POLITICAL-CULTURAL IMAGINATION
Short Title: PIRATES, REBELS, NARCOS
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: The outlaw is a central figure in the political-cultural imagination on Latin America. Through a study of popular culture and literature, this course provides a critical exploration of this figure: from pirates and runaway slaves in colonial times, to nineteenth century bandits, and more recently guerrillas and narcos. Taught in English. Formerly offered as LASR 350.
LALX 360 - LATINX POETICS: SENSING & (MIS)REPRESENTING LATINX STUDIES
Short Title: LATINX POETICS THROUGH SENSES
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Centering on timely discussions and representations in Latinx Studies students will interact with fiction, poetry, photography, music, dance, and cooking to gain a better understanding of Latinx life as it is lived – through the senses. Specific texts, videos, and assignments will pay particular attention to taste, smell, touch/feeling, and sound. Not only will students be learning the curvatures of the themes being presented to them, but by an intentional emphasis on their senses and the ways that lived experiences appear in their scholarship students can then imagine different ways of “learning” and “doing research.” Taught in English.
LALX 378 - LATIN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT: IDENTITY, LIBERATION, MODERNITY
Short Title: LATIN AM. POLITICAL THOUGHT
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course gives students an overview of the main thinkers, currents, concepts, and topics in Latin American and Latinx political thought. It is organized around three modules that address central topics: identity & transculturation; liberation; and modernity. Taught in English. Counts toward the minor in PLST. Formerly offered as LASR 378.
LALX 390 - RECLAIMING THE FUTURE: CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE & SOCIETY IN LATIN AMERICA
Short Title: TECH CULTURE & SOC IN LATIN AM
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: What is the role of technology in helping Latin America articulate a post-neoliberal future? This course examines the past, present, and future of the relation between technology and society in Latin America, focusing on contemporary efforts in popular culture and media to syncretize old and new forms of knowledge and techno-social production. Taught in English. Formerly offered as LASR 390.
LALX 391 - REELS OF LIBERATION (AT THE HEART OF EMPIRE) LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN, AND AFRICAN CINEMA
Short Title: REELS OF LIBERATION
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This seminar explores how revolutionary and postcolonial filmmakers from the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa used cinema to confront colonial violence, racial injustice, and historical erasure. Set in Paris —itself a city shaped by colonial history and a global hub of film culture— the course weaves together screenings, critical theory, and visits to museums, archives, and public spaces to uncover how colonial legacies reverberate through both the moving image and the urban landscape. Students engage deeply with history, philosophy, and visual theory, while also meeting contemporary filmmakers and artists who continue to shape decolonial practices today. By the end of the course, students will view both cinema and Paris through radically transformed, decolonial lenses.
LALX 477 - SPECIAL TOPICS
Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Activity Course, Intensive Learning Experience, Independent Study, Internship/Practicum, Laboratory, Lecture, Lecture/Laboratory, Research, Seminar, Studio
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Topics and credit hours may vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.
LALX 490 - INDEPENDENT STUDY IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
Short Title: INDEPENDENT STUDIES
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1-3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: A variable-credit course designed for students who want to pursue intensive semester-long study of a particular topic not included in the curriculum. Language may be in English or Spanish. Instructor permission required. Repeatable for credit. Formerly offered as LASR 490. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
LALX 492 - DIRECTED RESEARCH
Short Title: DIRECTED RESEARCH
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Independent research and investigation on any aspect of Latin America, Latin American studies, or U. S. Latinx studies. This course includes directed research and/or a research project. Student will work independently with only minimal faculty supervision. Permission of the instructor is required. Formerly offered as LASR 492. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.