Rationale for the Introduction of Paper SP13
The following paper was agreed by the MML Faculty Board and the Education Committee in the Lent and Easter Terms of 2008. Its recommendations are implemented for Tripos 2009.
Rationale
The current Part II paper entitled Latin American Literature (SP12) has become too big and unwieldy. Many topics are set, but only a proportion of these are taught either via lectures or the supervision system, and even fewer are tackled by students for examination. All lecturers working on this paper believe that it should be split into two papers, provisionally coded SP12 and SP13. Until recently, SP13 was listed in the Statutes and Ordinances as 'Latin American History', so there is a precedent for the existence of two generic (i.e., not single-country) Latin American papers at Part II. There is one Part II Paper dealing with Brazil (PG5), but this is currently suspended.
After working through the various merits of possible ways to split SP12, we propose to do so roughly by period, with SP12 covering the period until the late 1960s/early 1970s, and SP13 the more contemporary period. This point marks a discernible shift in literary practice often crudely expressed as 'Boom' or 'Post-Boom'. The more contemporary period is characterized by a growing challenge to the nation as a framework posed simultaneously by regions, local social movements, ethnic and popular cultures on the one hand, and by postnational forces, supra-national organizations, global mega-cities, exile, and huge diasporic populations on the other. SP12 would have a much greater emphasis on the rise of the nation as a cultural frame from the nineteenth century, and its tension with dreams of universality or with internally dislocated populations.
Name, content, rubric and structure of the proposed SP13 paper
The paper would be divided into two sections; candidates will need to answer at least one question from each section. The first would cover a range of comparative topics, while the second would contain questions on specific writers, film directors and artists. Candidates will be required to answer at least one question from each section. A list of topics and writers/directors/artists with suggested texts for study will be published (as for SP12) on the website and is attached to this proposal; the list includes some 'old' topics and writers from the more contemporary end of SP12 as well as some entirely new ones. The name of the paper should be 'Contemporary Latin American Culture'.
Proposed change to the name, content, rubric and structure of SP12
SP12 should be renamed 'Latin American Culture' (rather than '...Literature') to acknowledge the fact that visual arts topics are already taught within it. This represents a change in name only, not a change in existing content. We would prefer not to be specific about the time period for this paper (and for SP13, simply labelled 'Contemporary...'), because for pedagogical reasons we have occasionally found it important to be flexible about the watershed between them.
SP12 will now only cover Latin American literature, art and film up to the late 1960s/early 1970s. Some new topics have been added to the current list, and others have been suppressed (please see attachment). We would also like to restructure it to bring it in line with the proposed SP13, keeping the 'Topics' section (A) but conflating B ('Poetry') and C ('Narrative') into a single section, which would contain questions on poets, authors, film directors and artists.
At present candidates must write at least one of their SP12 essays on poetry (taken either from section B or section A). We would like to retain this compulsory element, but make it clear that it would be acceptable for poetry to be discussed as part of a comparative question (under Section A) which also discusses other forms of literature, art or cinema. The precise rubric can be noted on the sample examination papers attached.
Joanna Page, Rory O'Bryen, Steven Boldy, Geoffrey Kantaris, Erica Segre, Stuart Davis
