Academic Catalogs

ENGL A167H: Latin American and Latine Literature Honors

Course Outline of Record
Item Value
Eff Term Fall 2026
Curriculum Committee Approval Date 11/12/2025
Top Code 150100 - English
Units 3 Total Units 
Hours 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours 108
Total Student Learning Hours 162
Course Credit Status Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee No
Basic Skills Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable No
Open Entry/Open Exit No
Grading Policy Standard Letter (S), 
  • Pass/No Pass (B)
Associate Arts Local General Education (GE)
  • Area 3 Arts and Humanities 3A Theory (OC1)
Associate Science Local General Education (GE)
  • Area 3B Humanities (OSC2)

Course Description

Read, analyze, and write on important Latin American and Latine literary texts. Explore the historical, cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic implications of representative works from Latine North America, Central America, South America, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, from colonization to the present. Formulate and produce written analyses of assigned works. Enrollment Limitation: ENGL A167; students who complete ENGL A167H may not enroll in or receive credit for ENGL A167. ADVISORY: ENGL A100. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

  1. Write analytical arguments about Latin American and Latine literature and its historical, philosophical, social, political, cultural, and aesthetic influences.

Course Objectives

  • Demonstrate familiarity with important concepts, discourses, and theoretical approaches related to Latin American and Latine literature.
  • Analyze and interpret culturally significant literary texts representing themes and patterns of Latin American and Latine thought, with attention to questions of race, gender, class, language, and indigeneity.
  • Relate Latin American and Latine literature to its historical, philosophical, social, political, cultural, and/or aesthetic contexts.
  • Actively and critically read a variety of culturally significant Latin American and Latine literature.
  • Compose formal written analyses of texts that demonstrate appropriate academic discourse and the conventions of critical literary analysis relevant to the study of Latin American and Latine literature.
  • Appreciate how a work of literature can address, expand, and argue political and social issues relevant to Latin American and Latine history and thought.

Lecture Content

Definitions: These are texts written by people who, through nationality or ancestry, have a connection to the lands colonized by the Spanish and Portuguese empires. Latin American literature is written primarily in Spanish and Portuguese; Latine literature—named here after the gender-inclusive form of Latino/a—is written primarily in English. 

Texts included are representative texts for each genre included in course content. 

  1. Pre-Twentieth-Century Latin American Literature

    1. Indigenous texts: The Popol Vuh; The Florentine Codex; The Books of Chilam Balam.

    2. Chronicles of colonization: letters by Columbus and Cortés; histories by De las Casas, Cabeza de Vaca, and Cieza de León.

    3. Classics of Colonial Literature: The Royal Commentaries of the Incas by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega; selected poetry and the “Response to Sor Filotea” by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.

    4. The Nineteenth Century: Facundo by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (essay); Martín Fierro by José Hernández (epic poem); Sab by Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda (novel); Birds Without a Nest (novel) by Clorinda Matto de Turner; Backlands: The Canudos Campaign by Euclides da Cunha (history); “Our America”/Nuestra América” by José Martí (essay)

  2. Twentieth and Twenty-First-Century Latin American Literature

    1. Modernismo and Modernism (La Vanguardia): the poetry of Rubén Darío, César Vallejo, Gabriela Mistral, Juana de Ibarbourou and Pablo Neruda; “The Cannibalist Manifesto” by Oswald de Andrade.

    2. Mid-century and the Boom: short stories by Jorge Luis Borges, Silvina Ocampo, Rosario Castellanos, Julio Cortázar, Augusto Monterroso, and Horacio Quiroga; Novels: Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo, The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier; The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector; One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig; Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa; poetry by: Alejandra Pizarnik, Octavio Paz, Nicolás Guillén, Ernesto Cardenal, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Nicanor Parra, José Emilio Pacheco, and Dulce María Loynaz. 

    3. The Post-Boom and the Contemporary Period: testimonios (oral histories) by Rigoberta Menchú and Elena Poniatowska; crónicas (essayistic journalism) by Carlos Monsiváis, Pedro Lembel, and Fernanda Melchor; short fiction by Mariana Enriquez, Alejandro Zambra, Mónica Ojeda, and Samanta Schweblin; novels: Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño, Beauty Salon by Mario Bellatín, Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior.

  3. Latine Literature: Mexican American and Chicano/a Literature

    1. The 19th- and Early 20th Centuries: The Squatter and the Don (novel) by María Ruiz de Burton; George Washington Gómez: A Mexico-Texan Novel by Américo Paredes; corridos (popular ballads), including the anonymous “La Indita de Plácida Romero” and “El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez.”

    2. Mid-century and the Chicano Movement: Pocho (novel) by José Antonio Villareal …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him (novel) by Tomás Rivera; The Revolt of the Cockroach People (autobiography) by Óscar “Zeta” Acosta; City of Night (novel) by John Rechy; Bless Me, Ultima (novel) by Rudolfo Anaya; poetry by Rodolfo “Corky” González, Lalo Delgado, Raúl R. Salinas, and José Montoya.

    3. Chicana Literature: Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (autotheory) by Gloria Anzaldúa; This Bridge Called my Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (anthology), edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa; So Far from God (novel) by Ana Castillo; The House on Mango Street (novel) by Sandra Cisneros; Under the Feet of Jesus (novel) by Helena Maria Viramontes; poetry by Lorna Dee Cervantes, Lucha Corpi, and Denise Chávez.

    4. The late-20th and 21st Centuries: Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodríguez (memoir); Love and Rockets (comic book series) by Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernández; The People of Paper (novel) by Salvador Plascencia; Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García; Lost Children Archive (novel) by Valeria Luiselli; poetry by Jimmy Santiago Baca, Juan Felipe Herrera, Ada Limón, Natalie Diaz, Wendy Trevino, Francisco X. Alarcón, Natasha Carrizosa, and Emmy Pérez.

  4. Caribbean-American Literature

    1. Puerto Rican: the poetry of William Carlos Williams; the poetry of the Nuyorican Poets Café (Miguel Algarín, Tato Laviera, Miguel Piñero, and Pedro Pietri); Yo-Yo Boing! (novel) by Giannina Braschi; We the Animals (novel) by Justin Torres; poetry by Martín Espada, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Mariposa, Uraoyoán Noel, and Roque Raquel Salas Rivera.

    2. Cuban: The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (novel) by Oscar Hijuelos; Dreaming in Cuban (novel) by Cristina García; Her Body and Other Parties (short stories) by Carmen Maria Machado; the poetry of Achy Obejas, 

    3. Dominican: In the Time of the Butterflies (novel) by Julia Alvarez; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (novel) by Junot Díaz; Papi (novel) by Rita Indiana; poetry by Tomás Rivera Martínez, Franklin Gutiérrez, Rhina Espaillat, and Elizabeth Acevedo.

    4. Central and South American: poetry by Jaime Manrique, Javier Zamora, Laura Jaramillo, Cynthia Guardado, and Alexandra Lytton Regalado; War by Candlelight: Stories by Daniel Alarcón; In the Distance (novel) by Hernán Díaz; The MANIAC (nonfiction novel) by Benjamín Labatut. 

  5. Critical reading and writing strategies

    1. Close reading of literary and theoretical texts

    2. Observation vs inference

    3. Introduction to Latin American and Latine literature in various aesthetic genres (oral vs. written traditions; poetry, drama, novel, short story, film)

    4. Putting literature in conversation with theory

    5. Reading critically in translation and across cultural/linguistic contexts

    6. Putting texts in dialogue

  6.  Writing Strategies

    1. Analytical interpretation

    2. Argumentation

    3. Summary and description

    4. Evaluation and Application

    5. Thesis development

    6. Research skills and MLA citation

Method(s) of Instruction

  • Lecture (02)

Instructional Techniques

Lecture and application of ideas, discussion, instructor feedback on written papers and discussion, exams, peer feedback.

Reading Assignments

Students will spend a minimum of 4-6 hours per week outside of class researching writers and secondary sources, reading literary works--including but not limited to poems, plays, and prose--and critical analyses relevant to the period.

Writing Assignments

Students will average about 2 hours per week writing--a minimum of 3000 words (15 pages, 12 pt., double-spaced typed) about Latin American and Latine literature: (a) a minimum of 2000 words (10 pages) of the writing must be in the form of analytical essays, (b) the other writings may be in the form of tests requiring primarily short and/or long essay responses, journal writings, creative modeling of the literature, written notes outlining oral presentations, written scripts for film/video presentations, or other types of writings that demonstrate an understanding of the literature.

Out-of-class Assignments

Students will spend a minimum of between 4-6 hours each week on writing assignments—including(but not limited to) essays, summaries, reading responses, research essays using secondary sources and take-home exams.

Study Non-Contact Hours Recommended

108

Methods of Student Evaluation

  • Midterm Exam
  • Final Exam
  • Short Quizzes
  • Written Assignments
  • Essay Examinations
  • Projects (Individual/Group)
  • Problem Solving Exercises
  • Oral Presentations
  • Skills Demonstration

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Scheduled written examinations, including a midterm and final exam; short written discussions of the works and ideas related to them, weekly quizzes.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Write a minimum of 3000 words (15 pages, 12 pt. double-spaced typed) about Latin American and Latine literature: (a) a minimum of 2000 words (10 pages) of the writing must be in the form of analytical essays, (b) the other writings may be in the form of tests requiring primarily short and/or long essay responses, journal writings, creative modeling of the literature, written notes outlining oral presentations, written scripts for film/video presentations, or other types of writings that demonstrate an understanding of the literature.

Resources Subscreen

  • Textbook: Carlos Fuentes and Julio Ortega eds.. The Vintage Book of Latin American Stories. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (2000 (Classic)).
  • Textbook: Ilan Stavans, Edna Acosta-Belén eds.. The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature. WW Norton (2011 (Classic)).
  • Textbook: Ilan Stavans (Editor). The FSG Book of Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry: An Anthology. Macmillan (2012 (Classic)).
  • Textbook: Rigoberto González ed.. Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology. Penguin (2024).
  • Textbook: Jorge Luis Borges. Labyrinths (stories). New Directions (2007 (Classic)).
  • Textbook: Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser. The Hour of the Star. New Directions (2011).
  • Textbook: Juan Rulfo translated by Douglas J. Weatherford. Pedro Páramo. ‎ Grove Press (2024).
  • Textbook: Mariana Enriquez translated by Megan McDowell. Things We Lost in the Fire. Random House (2023).
  • Textbook: Gloria Anzaldúa. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Aunt Lute Books (2022).
  • Textbook: Junot Díaz. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Riverhead Books (2008 (Classic)).
  • Textbook: Wendy Trevino. Cruel Fiction. Commune Editions (2018 (Classic)).

Eligible Discipline(s)

  • English: Master’s degree in English, literature, comparative literature, or composition OR bachelor’s degree in any of the above AND master’s degree in linguistics, TESL, speech, education with a specialization in reading, creative writing, or journalism OR the equivalent. Master's degree required.