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.

What space does culture create for perspectives from the periphery, broadly defined? In this course, we will begin to answer this question through our readings of short stories, films, novels, poetry, diaries, and other genres that explore disparate cultural and geographic marginalities. From migrations that shifted the “provincia” to the “frontera” to contemporary movements for self-representation in marginalized areas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, we will trace the literary development of the concept of the periphery, drawing on examples from the literatures of Brazil and Mexico, to understand comparative and connective approaches to national literatures in a global context. Some of the writers and filmmakers who will take us on these itineraries include: María Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Agustín Yáñez, Carolina Maria de Jesus, Jeferson Tenório, Cristina Rivera Garza, Omar Pimienta, Eduardo Coutinho, and Alfonso Cuarón. Through their work, we will ask ourselves: how can a close reading of literature and film about peripheries in Brazil and Mexico further our understanding of questions of cultural citizenship, human rights, and mobility? How do depictions of race, gender, and social class add nuance to the notion of the geographic periphery? What does it contribute to our understanding of global processes of marginalization to consider cultural objects from countries that are themselves often perceived as being on the periphery of intellectual production? How are our readings affected by situating these literary peripheries in the context of global, rather than purely regional, thought?

As part of the University’s R&C requirement, this course will help students refine their critical reading and writing skills. This is a writing-intensive course with a focus on formulating theses, finding and evaluating textual evidence, and conducting and incorporating secondary research.

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