LET-LETK-RTC401
The Representation of Violence at the US-Mexican Border
Course infoSchedule
Course moduleLET-LETK-RTC401
Credits (ECTS)5
Category-
Language of instructionEnglish
Offered byRadboud University; Faculty of Arts; Romance Languages and Cultures;
Lecturer(s)
Coordinator
prof. dr. B.Y.A. Adriaensen
Other course modules lecturer
Lecturer
prof. dr. B.Y.A. Adriaensen
Other course modules lecturer
Contactperson for the course
prof. dr. B.Y.A. Adriaensen
Other course modules lecturer
Examiner
prof. dr. B.Y.A. Adriaensen
Other course modules lecturer
Academic year2019
Period
PER 3  (03/02/2020 to 10/04/2020)
Starting block
PER 3
Course mode
full-time
RemarksAccessible to exchange students.
Registration using OSIRISYes
Course open to students from other facultiesYes
Pre-registrationNo
Waiting listNo
Placement procedure-
Aims
After this course:
  • the student has a profound knowledge of the political, historical and cultural context of violence in the border region.
  • the student is familiar with several political and philosophical definitions of the concept of violence and the different methodologies that allow us to study the representation of violence in cultural production.
  • the student is able to analyze how the development of the study of violence in literary studies is linked to the development of the study of the concept in other disciplines from the humanities.
  • the student knows how to evaluate these theoretical discussions critically and to apply them autonomously on a selection of contemporary texts, from a personal perspective and with a thorough argumentation.
  • the student is able to elaborate his own research, knows how to delimit a subject, to formulate main and secondary research questions and investigate them with the relevant sources. He/she is able to report on his/her research in a written paper of an academic level.
Content
This course focuses on the relation between culture and identity in the context of changing political and cultural relations between Mexico and the United States. More particularly, we will focus on the representation of violence in the borderlands. In the first place, theories on violence will be explored (Achterhuis, Avelar, Dorfman, Galtung, Zizek). This leads to the analysis of the context of violence in the border region and cultural representations of that violence. This background information will help us to analyze literary works in which the representation of violence in the border region is a central issue (Roberto BolaƱo, Eduardo Antonio Parra), journalism (Valeria Luiselli, John Gibler) and television (Breaking Bad).
Level

Presumed foreknowledge

Test information

Specifics

Assumed previous knowledge
Bachelor Letteren, zie ingangsvoorwaarden Master Letterkunde en Master American Studies. Goede beheersing van het Engels en eventueel Spaans.
Note for exchange students: you cannot take this course if your English proficiency level is not at least C1 (TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC or Cambridge). A statement from your home university won't be accepted.

Recommended materials
Reader
Title:Reader with theoretical texts.
Book
Title:Selection of novels.

Instructional modes
Seminar
Attendance MandatoryYes

Tests
Presentation
Test weight30
Test typePresentation
OpportunitiesBlock PER 3, Block PER 4

Minimum grade
5,5

Paper
Test weight70
Test typeProject
OpportunitiesBlock PER 3, Block PER 4

Minimum grade
5,5