Seminar: «Latin America in perspective: culture, history, politics, and media»
Description: This seminar offers a comprehensive approach to Latin America through the lenses of history, politics, culture, and the media. Throughout four modules, students will examine the key historical processes that have shaped the region, explore its cultural dynamics, and reflect on its contemporary challenges. The course promotes critical thinking and academic discussion in Spanish through assigned readings, media analysis, and debates.
Duration: 4 modules.
Format: Online (synchronous and asynchronous sessions).
Language: As the instructor is a native Spanish speaker, the course is taught in his native language.
Target audience: Non-native speakers of Spanish with an A2 level or higher who are interested in exploring different aspects of Latin American reality.
Seminar objectives: • Analyze the historical and political processes that have shaped Latin America. • Explore cultural dynamics and their representation in the media. • Understand the region's contemporary challenges within a global context. • Foster critical thinking and academic discussion in Spanish.
Content: Module 1: Foundations: identity, colonialism, and emancipation. • Hispanic America, Ibero-America, and Latin America. • Geographic, ethnic, and cultural diversity. • Identity, mestizaje, and syncretism. • The relationship between Latin America and Europe. • «Open Veins of Latin America».
Module 2: The 20th Century: revolutions, dictatorships, and media narratives. • Analysis of the Mexican and Cuban Revolutions. • Military dictatorships in the Southern Cone, resistance, and social movements. • The evolution of the media in Latin America: censorship, propaganda, and freedom of the press. • The role of the media in shaping public opinion during key historical conflicts.
Module 3: Popular culture and contemporary challenges. • The emergence of the telenovela and its interaction with social reality. • The rise of the narco-telenovela and the role of entertainment for migrants. • «How to Read Donald Duck». • How the Internet has transformed the communication model. • Technopolitics and digital citizenship in Latin America. • Inequalities, democracy, and the phenomenon of migration. • Latin America between China and the West.
Module 4: Present and future Latin American perspectives. • The search for new energy sources and green neo-extractivism. • Buen Vivir and the Southern Ecosocial Pact. • Digital sovereignty. • The environmental impact of digital extractivism. • Data colonialism and creative resistance. • Cognitive justice and the voice of the excluded in the code.
Teaching methodology: • Lectures supported by audiovisual materials. • Analysis of academic and journalistic texts.
Assessment: • Completion of assignments in each module. • Final essay (1,500–2,000 words) (not required for students enrolled in the «Base Rate» option, but mandatory for those enrolled in «Standard Fee» and «Personalized Support»).
Basic bibliography: • Dorfman, A. & Mattelart, A. How to read the Donald duck. • Galeano, E. Open Veins of Latin America. • Martín-Barbero, J. From the Media to Mediations. • Rama, Á. The Lettered City. • Tufte, T. Communication for Social Change.
About the professor: Daniel Lencina is an Argentine journalist and researcher with more than twenty years of experience in the fields of media and higher education. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Studies from the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas (Colombia) and a Ph.D. in Education and Social Communication from the University of Málaga (Spain). His research focuses on social communication in its various applications, including teaching, the planning and management of communication processes, journalism, and scientific research. See his LinkedIn Profile.
Seminarium: „Ameryka Łacińska z perspektywy kultury, historii, polityki i mediów”
Opis: Seminarium oferuje kompleksowe spojrzenie na Amerykę Łacińską z perspektywy historii, polityki, kultury i mediów. W trakcie czterech modułów uczestnicy przeanalizują najważniejsze procesy historyczne, które ukształtowały region, poznają jego dynamikę kulturową oraz podejmą refleksję nad współczesnymi wyzwaniami. Kurs rozwija krytyczne myślenie i sprzyja akademickiej dyskusji prowadzonej w języku hiszpańskim w oparciu o lektury, analizę mediów oraz debaty.
Czas trwania: 4 moduły.
Forma: Online (zajęcia synchroniczne i asynchroniczne).