Bard High School Early College – SPAN 111: US Latinx Boom

Mar 2026 · 2nd Semester

The explosion of South American literary work in the 1970s and 1980s -aperiod referred to as the "Latin American Literary Boom"- was mirroredin U.S. in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In this course, we will analyzeshort fictional stories, poems, plays, and essays written by contemporaryLatinx authors in the U.S. FOCUS- EMPHASIS who have beenunderrepresented in anthologies and other collections, namely women andother less-well-known writers from a wide range of racial and culturalbackgrounds. Most of these Latinx writers strive to challenge thedamaging stereotypes that too often find their way into mainstream U.S.attitudes. At the same time, Latin American cultural behavior andtraditions are present beneath the surface of their characters'personalities, provoking their actions and emotions. This course will helpus understand the fact that many Latinxs have to balance, at least, two(usually very different) cultural perspectives that sift through theconnotations of language