Making of the "Other" Americas

Catalog description

This course offers a critical dimension to hemispheric studies and to student's understanding of Texas, American, and Latin American histories by the vast and continued influence of France in the New World from Canada to the Caribbean to South America. The cultural development of the New World is inextricably linked to France not only in Canada and the United States but also in the Caribbean, Central and South America. This course introduces students to everything from discussion about colonization, the "noble savage," and the Atlantic slave trade to cultural hybridity, creoleness and music. The trajectory begins with the French colonies and extends to an analysis of its contemporary stakes in its territory in the French Antilles and Guyana where the European Space program is centered. The course takes advantage of new technologies and content delivery methods that complement the inherent multi-media aspects of culture, for example, newsreel footage, radio broadcasts, political speeches, and television commercials.