OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

SPN 407-001
Central American Literature and Film
Spring Semester 2021

T-TH 11:30 am -1:00 pm

Remote Course via Zoom Live

Professor: Dr. Viviana Plotnik

Email: vplotnik@oglethorpe.edu
Office hours: Via Zoom by appointment

Course Description
This course involves the study of twentieth and twenty-first centuries Central American fiction, film,
memoirs, and poetry taking into account the relevant socio-historical and political contexts. Some of
the topics we will study are the literary representation of imperialism, revolution, and civil war, and
the voices of minorities and oppressed groups within Central America, as well as the literature of the
diaspora. We will also examine developments in the current post-civil war period such as the crime
novel. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPN 302.

Goals
Students should become familiar with the main writers and literary works from Central America.
They should be able to connect literary works to appropriate historical, cultural and political contexts.

Zoom Class Etiquette

This course will take place live via Zoom every T and TH at the designated time. I know we cannot
always control the environment we are in but, if possible, be in a quiet room during class. You are
expected to show the Zoom class the same respect than a class in person; therefore, a physical
demeanor demonstrating engagement with and attention to the class is requested. Please be seated (do
not lie down in bed or a sofa), and show your face, unless you are at a public space and need to wear
a mask. Be on camera during the complete class period. Have your phone muted and do not use it.
Like during a class in person, avoid being distracted by or using electronic devices for things
unrelated to our class. Students who do not respect these policies will have their participation grade
diminished.

Technical Requirements
A computer to attend class via Zoom, and the capability of editing Microsoft Word documents are
needed.
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Required Texts (in reading order)

1. Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup

in Guatemala by Stephen Schlesinger and
Stephen Kinzer.
2. El arma en el hombre by Horacio
Castellanos Moya
3. Odisea del norte by Mario Bencastro
4. Nunca entres por Miami by Roberto Quesada

Grade Distribution
Class participation and quizzes 25% 0-100 points
Two Exams 50% 0-200 points (100 pts each)
Final Paper 25% 0-100 points

Grading Scale

The final grade will be based on a maximum of 400 points.

A 372-400
A- 360-371
B+ 348-359
B 332-347
B- 320-331
C+ 308-319
C 292-307
C- 280-291
D+ 268-279
D 240-267
F 239 and below

Course Requirements

1. Students should come to class prepared to

participate in discussions by having read the
assignments. Being absent from the previous
class is not a valid excuse for being
unprepared. It is students’ responsibility to
find out the assignment for the next class.

2. The participation grade will be based on

active class participation and engagement on
a regular basis. Active participation means
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students volunteer answers to questions;

demonstrate they have read the assigned
readings, have watched the assigned films
and have reflected on them; contribute to
class discussions; and engage thoughtfully
and enthusiastically with the course.
Absences, tardiness, and a lack of
engagement with the course affects this
grade.

3. Attendance matters. Having more than 2

absences will lower the student’s
participation grade by 10 points per absence.
If the student has a total of 7 or more
absences, a final grade of F or FA will be
earned, regardless of the grades in tests.

4. There may be unannounced quizzes at the

very beginning of some classes. There is no
make-up of quizzes. Absent or tardy students
get a zero.

5. There will be two exams during the semester,

and a final paper will be due at the end of it.
If a test is missed a grade of zero will be
assigned.

6. The course requires some film watching on

the students’ own time outside of class. Most
are on the kanopy.com website, which is free
of charge for OU students, some are on
YouTube, and one is on Netflix.

7. Students are expected to arrive on time.

Students who arrive late or leave early will
get half absences on those days.

Tests
There will be two written tests during the semester. Exams will be emailed to the OU account. A
missed test will be assigned a zero. No exceptions.

To be fair to all students, everyone should have the same available time between seeing and
completing a test.  Please complete and send the exams by the deadline.
It is your responsibility to verify you have sent a completed exam. I will not chase after your exam.
Exams not sent by the deadline, and empty, corrupted, and late files will be assigned a zero. Exams
arriving minutes late will lose one point per minute.
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If I have not received your exam by the deadline but you claim to have sent it, you must offer proof
by providing a copy of the original email sent to me. In addition, consultation with the university IT
services will follow. Lying to get more time than the other students will result in being reported to the
OU Honor Council for further sanctions, in addition to a zero on the assignment.

Email Communication
Email is the official medium of communication for Oglethorpe University so please check the
university account regularly.

I will respond to emails within 48 hours but only during normal business hours (9:00am-5:00pm).
Emails will not be checked or replied on evenings, weekends or holidays.

Policy on Academic Accommodations

If you are a student with a disability or disability related issue and feel that you may need a
reasonable accommodation to fulfill the essential functions of the course that are listed in this
syllabus, you are encouraged to contact Accessibility Services in the Academic Success Center at
404.364.8869 or accessibility@oglethorpe.edu.

Honor Code and Academic Honesty

Persons who come to Oglethorpe University for work and study join a community that is committed
to high standards of academic honesty. The honor code contains the responsibilities we accept by
becoming members of the community and the procedures we will follow should our commitment to
honesty be questioned.
The students, faculty and staff of Oglethorpe University expect each other to act with integrity in the
academic endeavor they share. Members of the faculty expect that students complete work honestly
and act toward them in ways consistent with that expectation. Students are expected to behave
honorably in their academic work and are expected to insist on honest behavior from their peers.
Oglethorpe welcomes all who accept our principles of honest behavior. We believe that this code will
enrich our years at the University and allow us to practice living in earnest the honorable, self-
governed lives required of society’s respected leaders.
Our honor code is an academic one. The code proscribes cheating in general terms and also in any of
its several specialized sub-forms (including but not limited to plagiarism, lying, stealing and
interacting fraudulently or disingenuously with the honor council). The Code defines cheating as “the
umbrella under which all academic malfeasance falls. Cheating is any willful activity involving the
use of deceit or fraud in order to attempt to secure an unfair academic advantage for oneself or others
or to attempt to cause an unfair academic disadvantage to others. Cheating deprives persons of the
opportunity for a fair and reasonable assessment of their own work and/or a fair comparative
assessment between and among the work produced by members of a group. More broadly, cheating
undermines our community’s confidence in the honorable state to which we aspire.”
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The honor code applies to all behavior related to the academic enterprise. Thus, it extends beyond the
boundaries of particular courses and classrooms per se, and yet it does not extend out of the academic
realm into the purely social one.
Examples of cheating include but are not limited to:
1.1 The unauthorized possession or use of notes, texts, electronic devices
(including, for example, computers and mobile phones), online materials or other such
unauthorized materials/devices in fulfillment of course requirements.
1.2 Copying another person’s work or participation in such an effort.
1.3 An attempt or participation in an attempt to
fulfill the requirements of a course with work other than one’s original
work for that course.
1.4 Forging or deliberately misrepresenting data or
results.
1.5 Obtaining or offering either for profit or free of
charge materials one might submit (or has submitted) for academic
credit. This includes uploading course materials to online sites devoted,
in whole or in part, to aiding and abetting cheating under the guise of
providing “study aids.” There is no prohibition concerning uploading
exemplars of one’s work to one’s personal website or to departmental,
divisional, University or professional society websites for purposes of
publicity, praise, examination or review by potential employers,
graduate school admissions committees, etc.
1.6 Violating the specific directions concerning the
operation of the honor code in relation to a particular assignment.
1.7 Making unauthorized copies of graded work for
future distribution.
1.8 Claiming credit for a group project to which one
did not contribute.
1.9 Plagiarism, which includes representing someone
else’s words, ideas, data or original research as one’s own and in
general failing to footnote or otherwise acknowledge the source of such
work. One has the responsibility of avoiding plagiarism by taking
adequate notes on reference materials (including material taken off the
internet or other electronic sources) used in the preparation of reports,
papers and other coursework.
1.10 Lying, such as: Lying about the reason for an
absence to avoid a punitive attendance penalty or to receive an
extension on an exam or on a paper’s due date; fraudulently obtaining
Petrel Points by leaving an event soon after registering one’s
attendance and without offering to surrender the associated Petrel
Point, or by claiming fictitious attendance for oneself or another;
forging or willfully being untruthful on documents related to the
academic enterprise, such as on an application for an independent study
or on a registration form.
1.11 Stealing, such as: Stealing another’s work so that
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he/she may not submit it or so that work can be illicitly shared; stealing
reserve or other materials from the library; stealing devices and
materials (such as computers, calculators, textbooks, notebooks and
software) used in whole or in part to support the academic enterprise.
1.12 Fraudulent interaction on the part of students
with the honor council, such as: Willfully refusing to testify after
having been duly summoned; failing to appear to testify (barring a
bona fide last-minute emergency) after having been duly summoned;
testifying untruthfully.

Students pledge that they have completed assignments honestly by attaching the following statement to
each piece of work submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a course taken for academic
credit:
“I pledge that I have acted honorably.” (Followed by the student’s signature)

The honor code is in force for every student who is enrolled (either full- or part-time) in any of the
academic programs of Oglethorpe University at any given time. All cases of suspected academic
dishonesty will be handled in accordance with the provisions established in this code. The honor council
has sole jurisdiction in matters of suspected academic dishonesty. Alternative ways of dealing with cases
of suspected academic fraud are prohibited. In cases of alleged academic dishonesty on the part of
students, the honor council is the final arbiter.
 Schedule
A reading or film-watching assignment must be completed before the class meeting date under which
it is listed.

February

T 9
Introduction to the course

TH 11
Guatemalan Context: the coup of 1954 and its consequences
Read Bitter Fruit (chapters 1-4)

T 16
Guatemalan Context: the coup of 1954 and its consequences
Read Bitter Fruit (chapters 5-10)

Th 18
Guatemalan Context: the coup of 1954 and its consequences
Read Bitter Fruit (chapters 11-13)

T 23
Guatemalan Context: the coup of 1954 and its consequences
Read Bitter Fruit (finish, including “Afterword” by Stephen Kinzer)

TH 25
Discussion of stories by Augusto Monterroso:
“Mister Taylor”, https://ciudadseva.com/texto/mister-taylor/
And “El eclipse”, https://ciudadseva.com/texto/el-eclipse/

March

T 2
Watch Film: When the Mountains Tremble
https://www.kanopy.com/product/when-mountains-tremble

TH 4
Watch Film: Los gigantes no existen
https://www.kanopy.com/product/giants-do-not-exist
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T 9
Exam 1

TH 11
Nicaragua: political context
Film: Kill the Messenger (Netflix)

T 16
Discussion of poems by Ernesto Cardenal
https://www.literatura.us/cardenal/antologia.html

and Gioconda Belli

https://www.poemas-del-alma.com/gioconda-belli.htm

TH 18
El Salvador
Context: Film “In the Name of the People: El Salvador’s Civil War” (1985)
https://youtu.be/lHO-WiiZba0

T 23
Film “Monseñor: The Last Journey of Oscar Romero”:
https://www.kanopy.com/product/monsenor-last-journey-oscar-romero

And “The Offended” on www.kanopy.com

TH 25
Film Voces Inocentes
https://youtu.be/QK94rQ4qvE4

Poems by Roque Dalton

https://www.poemas-del-alma.com/roque-dalton-garcia.htm

T 30
Post-Civil War Context
Read El arma en el hombre (chapters 1-14)

April

TH 1
Read El arma en el hombre (chapters 15-21 )
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T 6
Read El arma en el hombre (finish)

TH 8
EXAM 2

T 13
The Central American Diaspora

Read Odisea del Norte (chapters 1-19)

TH 15
Read Odisea del Norte (chapters 20-35)

T 20
Read Odisea del Norte, chapter 36- finish

Th 22
Read: Nunca entres por Miami: up to page 53

T 27
Nunca entres pp. 54-124

TH 29
Nunca entres pp. 125-170

T 4
Panamá:
Watch two films:

1. Panama Canal Stories

on www.kanopy.com

2. The Panama Deception

https://youtu.be/Zo6yVNWcGCo

We will listen to the song “West Indian Man” by Ruben Blades

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https://www.cancioneros.com/lyrics/song/1652029/west-indian-man-ruben-
blades

Th 6
Costa Rica/
Read about Quince Duncan on
https://discursoytradicion.wordpress.com/autores-y-recolecciones-distinguidas-
en-costa-rica/quince-duncan/
Under “Bibliografía read his short-story “La carta”.

Poem by Shirley Campbell Barr:

https://www.odiseacultural.com/2017/12/08/campbell-rotundamente-negra-
resena/

Final Paper due: TH May 13 at 2:00 pm

Late papers: students who turn in their papers after 2:00 pm will have their grade
lowered by one letter grade. Final papers will not be accepted after May 14th at
2:00 pm. The student will get a 0 or F in the assignment.