Expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature. R1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R1B satisfies the second half.

In this course we will explore how the horror tropes differ between United States and Latin American literature and film and how these tropes are meant to critique the socioeconomic and sociopolitical states of these countries, especially the negative impact of foreign relations and the description of identities in relation to immigration. We will explore questions such as: How do ghostly apparitions speak about the past and the present? How do demonic manifestations in literature and film critique socio political unrest? And how does the “monstrous” shift from representations of the other to those of self identification? To answer these questions we will focus on comparisons between short stories, novels, and films stemming from the 19th century to the present. We will read a collection of short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, Ruben Darío, Julio Cortazar, Horacio Quiñones, and Silvina Ocampo, as well as novels such as Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo, and Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez. We will also look at films made by Guillermo del Toro and Jordan Peele, among others.

Requisites

• UC Entry Level Writing Requirement or UC Analytical Writing Placement Exam. 1A or equivalent is prerequisite to 1B.

Credit Restrictions

Students will receive no credit for COM LIT R1B after completing COM LIT N1B, COM LIT S1B, COM LIT H1B, or COM LIT 1B.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills