El Mundo de Realismo Mágico


Here are the final project piece guidelines.


El mundo de realismo mágico

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"I had an idea of what I always wanted to do, but there was something missing and I was not sure what it was until one day I discovered the right tone—the tone that I eventually used in One Hundred Years of Solitude. It was based on the way my grandmother used to tell her stories. She told things that sounded supernatural and fantastic, but she told them with complete naturalness."
- Gabriel García Marquez

After our forays into very real, heavy issues with our first two projects: Explorando lo Polémico and Conociendo Nuestra Comunidad, we are going to embark on a project in which fantastical elements blend with harsh realities through a fascinating literary style called Magical Realism.

According to Merriam Webster[1], Magical Realism is defined as "a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction."

This definition notwithstanding, it seems the only agreement about magical realism among the literati is that it is a problematic term. The controversy over this categorization is primarily due to two factors: its paradoxical nature and its origins among academics in a quest to define something distinctly non-Western using Western terminology. While this "genre" is contested, there are many authors whose work is typically considered as part of the canon of magical realism.

If we accept that magical realism is a genre as Merriam Webster defined, then following Latin American and Hispanic American authors are commonly thought to be part of this genre. We will be exploring many of the authors on this list, but Depending on the pace at which we move through texts, we may not get to everyone. Furthermore, this is not an exhaustive list of authors whose work is considered to be magical realism.

·      Isabel Allende
·      Gabriel García Marquéz
·      Julio Cortázar
·      Sabine Ulibarrí
·      Rudolfo Anaya
·      Jorge Luís Borges (often considered a predecessor of Magical Realism)
·      Laura Esquivel

Task
Every week or two, we will be exploring a new piece of literature or a film that fits within the decidedly indecisive boundaries of magical realism. We will explore these pieces in a variety of ways including: close readings, seminar-style discussions, artistic renderings, reflections, and basic comprehension activities.

As many of you are about to embark on your college careers, I am handling this much like a college-style course. To that end, my expectation will be that you will be participating in all in-class activities and doing related assignments to be prepared for class. If I believe that not everyone is pulling his/her own weight in terms of being engaged and prepared for class, I reserve the right to grade your for participation on the following types of activities:

·      In-class writing exercises
·      In-class reading
·      Reading assigned as homework
·      Completion of comprehension questions
·      In-class activities such as making predictions, analyzing grammatical structures, character analysis, etc.

The two graded components of this project are as follows:
1.    Seminar-style discussions on several of the pieces we explore. *I will support you in much the way Lori or Jessica prepared you for seminars, and then let you run the show. I will give you a clear rubric so you know what I am expecting of your performance in the seminar.
2.    A final choice assignment from the list below:
·      A literary analysis of one of the pieces we read/watch
·      An historical analysis based on one of the pieces we read/watch
·      A short story written in a magical-realistic style
·      A poem written in a magical-realistic style + artist's statement en español
·      An artistic piece + artist's statement en español

Exhibition

The majority of students in this class are seniors and will be deeply involved in Senior Projects for Humanities class. Thus, the exhibition for this project will be a website compilation of all of your final pieces.

Important Steps & Deadlines
Most project deadlines will be related to the reading at the moment, and will not be overarching/long-term. You can expect to spend about 30-minutes a night on Spanish work associated with continued grammar/vocabulary exploration and the short reflections, readings, etc. associated with El Mundo de Realismo Mágico project. The seminars will take place intermittently during the project, with at least a 3-day warning. The final task will be taking place from April 22nd - May 3rd.




*You will receive individual rubrics/descriptions of these larger tasks as we approach the due date. This is a general overview. ***Dates are subject to change.***

Task
Description
Due date
Seminars
Discussion of text, led by students
Frequent - 3-days prior warning given for seminars

1st Draft - Choice assignment (written component)
See specific rubric for your choice assignment. 
Friday, May 3rd EOC
Final Draft - Choice assignment

Thursday, May 9th BOC
DP update (25 participation points)
Completion grade based on DP update guidelines.
*Send DP link to Becca*
Wednesday, May 22nd  
EODay






[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magical%20realism

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