Department of Black and Latino Studies
Baruch College • CUNY Winter 2025
Course: LTS/BLS/LACS 4902 Latin American and Caribbean Cultures and Societies
Professor: Dr. Rojo Robles
Email: [email protected]
Office (Student) Hours: Monday through Friday from 2:00 to 2:30 pm via Zoom and by appointment. This time is designated to discuss any questions or concerns about the class. We can meet briefly if you have a quick question or schedule a more extended session if you need help with coursework or content. If you would prefer to meet at another time, write to me.
Course Blog: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/culturesandsocieties/
The class meets synchronously on Zoom Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 5:00 pm, with some days off Zoom dedicated to asynchronous screenings.
Weekly Announcements: Mondays
Zoom Link: https://baruch.zoom.us/j/85135519568?pwd=yaknooxC5Ah8N8WdtV29V6bbbNxY7D.1
Meeting ID: 851 3551 9568
Passcode: LAT4902
Course Description: We will journey through the cultural expressions of Latin America and the Caribbean, exploring its blend of influences and ever-evolving nature. Focusing on cinematic storytelling, music, literature, and historical discussions, this interdisciplinary course offers a nuanced understanding of Latin American and Caribbean identities, examining cultures that defy monolithic definitions. This course is a gateway to cultures and societies that challenge established norms, geographies, and power structures, offering critical perspectives on colonialism and its impacts on identity and national discourse.
Course Materials: All readings and most films will be available on Brightspace as PDFs or free links. You might have to rent or watch some of the movies on Netflix.
Languages: Although I will conduct the class in English (and Spanglish sometimes), if you feel more comfortable and want to work in Spanish, Spanglish, Portuguese, or French, you may also write and create in any of these languages.
Student-centered Pedagogy: The student-centered approach puts participants’ interests first by acknowledging their needs as central to the learning experience. Rather than designing the course from the professor’s perspective, we will create it as a collaboration centering on the learners’ perspective. Each student will select their study path via an option-based practice.
Learning Goals:
. Communicating ideas and arguments in written, oral, and digital forms.
. Evaluating issues of social and racial justice using multi/transdisciplinary perspectives.
. Assessing and identifying reliable sources of research and information.
. Developing skills for research and problem-solving.
Course Objectives:
. Survey critical and theoretical debates about Latin America and the Caribbean’s transnational history, society, and cultures.
. Deepen knowledge of Latin America and the Caribbean’s cultural values, traditions, achievements, and history.
. Demonstrate understanding of the dynamics of colonialism, race, ethnicity, class, migration, and diasporic formations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Statement on Grades and Assessments: People learn when they are curious and find stimulus and, often, a joy to study. Grades do not reflect the subjective character of learning nor societal issues of access and equity. Everybody learns in complex ways that grades usually cannot reflect. This course will focus on qualitative assessment. Qualitative assessment is driven by understanding how people make meaning of and experience the sources they engage with. I will not use grades for individual assignments but add points based on your self-evaluations. I will also comment and ask questions that engage your work. At the end of the term, I will add all the points you have to determine your final grade.
Grade Breakdown:
Class presentation (in groups): 5%
Analytical Written Discussions (individual): 20%
Playlist Project (in groups): 25%
Podcast project (work-in-progress) presentation (in groups): 5%
Podcast project (in groups): 25%
Attendance: 10%
Participation: 10%
Self-evaluation: You will reflect critically on your learning (with rubrics) and evaluate your class projects. I reserve the right to change your self-assessment if there is a significant disparity between your self-evaluations and my appreciation of your work.
Grading: 93-100 A; 90-92 =A-; 87-89 =B+; 83-86 =B; 80-82 =B-; 77-79 = C+ 73-76 = C; 70-72 = C-; 67-70 = D+; 63-66 = D; 60-62 = D-; <60 = F
Attendance and Punctuality: Students must attend, be on time, and stay for all online sessions. Lateness is counted as arrival beyond the first 10 minutes of class. All absences are absences. Chronic lateness and absence will result in dismissal from the course.
Statement on Academic Honesty: Learning involves pursuing honesty and dialogue, which you cannot achieve by presenting someone else’s work as your own. Writing in college means taking part in a conversation with other scholars, writers, and thinkers. Using academic citation demonstrates the relationship between your ideas and those of others. On the other hand, plagiarism is the failure to prove that relationship. I want to hear your voices and read how you get involved in the dialogue. Part of your academic experience is to enter these conversations by learning different ways to engage with sources. If questions remain, ask me. For the record, if you violate the precepts of academic honesty, you will receive a zero for the assignment.
Online Plagiarism Tutorial for Students
Statement on Missing Work: If you have concerns about assignment due dates or the use of technology, please let me know ahead of time. I am ready to work with you. I will deduct the total percentage of missing work from your final grade. You are encouraged to email me or request a Zoom meeting for questions or further clarification of readings, audiovisual pieces, and assignments.
Beware of These Patterns:
.Submitting AI-generated work as your own. Doing this counts as plagiarism and will be handled accordingly. I will provide detailed prompts and models for your assignments throughout the semester.
.Submitting work after deadlines. If you are experiencing delays or obstacles, communicate your needs as early as possible.
.Disappearing from the class and re-appearing at the end of the semester, asking to make up all the work. Similarly unacceptable: attending classes without submitting assignments as scheduled, asking to make up all work at the end, or submitting only the final project and asking it to count as the total grade.
Mental Health Statement: In recent years, we’ve seen a significant rise in depression and anxiety disorders, both among students and the broader population. This reality reflects our immense pressures, especially in a world increasingly shaped by war and a toxic political and media environment. In our class, creating a space of calm reflection and openness is essential—a site where we can acknowledge our challenges and support each other’s mental well-being. Let’s commit to fostering an environment of empathy, respect, understanding, and mutual care, where our shared intentions towards better mental health can thrive.
If interested, the Counseling Center provides free and confidential Mental Health services to anyone currently enrolled and registered as an undergraduate or graduate student at Baruch College.
Statement of Care, Resources, and Community: We care about you at BLS. We also know that you have a life outside of school, that everyone learns differently, and that you came to college to succeed. For all of these reasons and more, you must have ready access to the resources and services that are free and available to you as a student at Baruch. Besides counseling, the college’s Student Services include support for veterans and families, Student Disability Services, and services for financial and housing emergencies. Healthy CUNY has food pantries accessible to all CUNY students in every borough. The college also offers a free food pantry.
As a Baruch student, you also have free access to Starr Career Development Center. The Writing Center offers one-on-one help with your writing. The Newman Library provides consultations on your research projects, online tutorials, and short-term use of computers and other technology. You also have free access to study spaces and places to take your online classes.
Are you looking for a minor or a major? Make BLS your choice: The Department of Black and Latino Studies offers interdisciplinary, intersectional approaches to the study of the ideas, history, politics, literature, music, religions, cultures, economic and social contributions of people of African and Latin American descent, including the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Our courses practice critical thinking and analysis skills, advanced writing, communication, and research. They also engage in digital literacies, collaboration, and project management— essential workforce skills. The interdisciplinary structure of our courses also offers excellent preparation for graduate school and careers in education, law, business, public relations, marketing, journalism, the arts, and education.