Latin-American Culture and Current Affairs

In this course, we will explore Mexican cultural life during the first half of the 20th century through the works and personal stories of several artist couples. Their production — in the visual arts, photography, and literature — reflects a profoundly turbulent and creative period marked by political, social, and aesthetic transformation. Throughout the sessions, we will examine how dialogue, collaboration, and, in many cases, conflict within these relationships shaped the creation of vibrant and diverse art. We will also consider how each couple interpreted, through their own unique sensibility, the historical moment in which they lived. We will examine how dialogue, collaboration, and conflict within these relationships shaped a vibrant and diverse artistic landscape. The course includes key couples such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo, and Octavio Paz and Elena Garro.

This course offers a cultural and musical overview of the development of Latin American song from the 1960s onward, understood as a form of expression deeply connected to collective memory, identity, and the historical processes of the region. Through the analysis of songs, musicians, and historical contexts, we will explore how music became a privileged space for narrating social experiences, preserving traditions, and giving voice to diverse Latin American realities during times of political and social change. The course emphasizes the cultural, aesthetic, and human value of this repertoire. We will study representative cases from Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Cuba, observing how in each country song entered into dialogue with its historical environment and local musical traditions. Each session will include a music appreciation segment, with live performances by the instructor and, on occasion, by other Latin American musicians, offering a direct and engaging experience that is especially valuable for students of Spanish.

This workshop offers a space for reflection and creative engagement around Mexican muralism and its dialogue with contemporary Canadian art. Mexican muralism will be explored as a key movement of the 20th century, which emerged after the Mexican Revolution and used public art to express identity, history, and social commitment. Through artists such as Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros, the mural is understood as a pedagogical and collective tool. In contrast, Canadian art has approached identity through landscape, territory, and cultural diversity, particularly through the work of the Group of Seven. The workshop fosters a critical dialogue between both traditions to reflect on how art represents identity, territory, and collective experience. In a context shaped by cultural diversity, it offers tools to think about identity from an intercultural perspective and to strengthen artistic exchange between Mexico and Canada. It will be proposed to hold one of the sessions at the National Gallery to share reflections while contemplating Canadian art.

In this course, we will explore the art and cultural life that developed in Mexico after the end of the 1910–1920 Revolution, a period in which artistic creation became a fundamental part of the national reconstruction project. This course is divided into two parts (fall 1 and fall 2) Over two parts of the course, we will examine key works by artists such as Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, whose proposals—especially muralism—were addressed to a largely illiterate population. These works revalued an idealized pre‑Hispanic past and conveyed promises of a strong nation committed to eliminating social injustice. This cultural renewal was not limited to mural painting. It also profoundly transformed other artistic disciplines, including printmaking, sculpture, dance, music, cinema, and, of course, literature. Post‑revolutionary Mexico thus became a space of intense artistic experimentation and reflection on cultural identity.

This course explores the most relevant and current topics of Latin America, such as politics, economy, society, and culture, and analyzes them from an intercultural perspective, comparing them with the Canadian reality. Students will learn about the dynamics and challenges of the Latin American region and how these relate to and contrast with the diversity and multiculturalism of Canada. This course aims to present the main current topics and challenges in Latin America. Analyze these topics from an intercultural perspective, comparing them with the Canadian reality. Promote understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity and interactions between different contexts. Topics to be addressed include: -Politics and economy: Analysis of current policies and their economic impact in Latin American countries, compared with Canada's multicultural policies. -Society and culture: Exploration of social and cultural dynamics in Latin America, and how they relate to Canadian cultural diversity. -Challenges and opportunities: Discussion on the challenges faced by Latin America and the opportunities for intercultural collaboration with Canada. If you are interested in Latin American culture and current affairs, as well as Canadian diversity and multiculturalism, this is your course!

This first part of the course offers a panoramic overview of the visual arts and architecture in Mexico, from the pre-Hispanic period to revolutionary art. It examines the major pre-Hispanic cultures and their artistic expressions, as well as the art of the Viceroyalty, shaped by Spanish influence and religious art. The nineteenth century is analyzed as a period of political struggle and nation-building, with attention to symbolism, architectural interventions, and the Second Mexican Empire. The course also addresses the Porfiriato, a time of stability and modernization marked by a strong influence of French art. Finally, it explores revolutionary art and the emergence of new artistic movements connected to social and cultural transformation.

This second part of the course examines the development of architecture and visual arts in Mexico from the early 20th century to the end of the century. It explores the origins and Mexican reinterpretations of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, as well as the role of muralism in the 1930s and 1940s in relation to the State. The course analyzes Mexican landscape art, monumental works, and new approaches to modern architecture. It also examines the impact of economic recovery, urban growth, and periods of repression on artistic production. Finally, it addresses international trends such as La Ruptura and minimalism, mega-projects, object art, handicrafts, and the international recognition of major Mexican artists and architects in the 1980s and 1990s.

(This course is independent and may be taken without having completed Cultural Renaissance of Post-Revolutionary Mexico 1)* In this course, we continue exploring the art and cultural life that developed in Mexico after the end of the 1910–1920 Revolution, a period in which artistic creation was conceived as a fundamental part of the national reconstruction project. Throughout the course, we examine key works by artists such as Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, whose proposals—particularly muralism—were aimed at a largely illiterate population. These works revalued an idealized pre-Hispanic past and promoted the promise of a stronger and more just nation committed to reducing social inequality. This process of cultural renewal was not limited to mural painting. It also profoundly transformed other artistic disciplines, including printmaking, sculpture, dance, music, cinema, and literature. Post-revolutionary Mexico thus became a space of intense artistic experimentation and reflection on national identity.

This is a course that invites participants to explore the world through experience, language, and an attentive gaze. Over six dynamic sessions, we will explore the contrasts that run through every journey: the unknown, tradition and modernity, expectations and reality. Through oral exchanges, images, narratives, and shared reflections, participants will compare cultures, question stereotypes, and bring their own experiences into dialogue. A space to travel, communicate, and understand through diversity.