LGBT 227: Machismo and the Latin Lover

Interrogates the intersection of sexuality and gender in Latin American and Iberian literature and film. Beginning with representations of Don Juan in 16th- through 19th-century Spain, students see how during that period of imperial expansion a particular brand of masculinity spread throughout the new world. The second part of the course focuses on writings and films from artists whose works draw on and questions myths of Hispanic masculinity by looking at non-white, female, and queer versions of the Don Juan archetype in Latin America. Lastly, students examines how the figure of the Latin Lover has been appropriated and critiqued by writers and directors in non-Hispanic contexts. These are analyzed together with critical works on masculinity, gender theory, and cultural studies.