Apocalyptic Representations in the Culture of the Americas

The apocalyptic book of Revelation is one of the most influential books in Western culture. In this course we will study how the Biblical text has impregnated culture, from Canada to Patagonia. By focusing on theories about the apocalyptic imagination (e.g. Padilla, Baudrillard, Žižek), we will concentrate on different cultural discourses: e.g. political, economic, environmental, literary, and ludic (gaming). Some examples include literature (e.g.  John Barth, Homero Aridjis, Pedro Palou), cinema (e.g. Brazil, The Matrix, The Book of Life), art (e.g. Apocalyptic Virgins, vanitas painting, Chicanx art), TV series (e.g. The 100, The Walking Dead), and video games (e.g. The Last of Us, Rock of Ages, Inka Madness). Students will also be encouraged to explore the apocalyptic narrative in other genres (e.g. music, cuisine, cartography, and virtual reality). This course will be taught in Spanish. AP in Spanish, placement exam at the 300 level, or by permission from the instructor. This seminar is appropriate for native speakers of Spanish, bilingual students, and students who have scored 720 or above on the Spanish SAT II, or 5 on the Spanish AP exam. 3 hrs. sem.