Spanish 382 - The Common Arts: Gardening, Telling, Making Refuge

(Offered as SPAN 382, ARCH 382 and LLAS 382) This course aims to reconsider the concept of community in the context of migration and refuge, rather than as a condition of settlement. It explores how communities form beyond traditional places of belonging and national allegiances. We will investigate the distinctions between building community and practicing radical hospitality, examine spaces that welcome these initiatives, and explore practices that give rise to history, memory, and (re)telling for these communities. The class will address these questions practically and theoretically, focusing on the Caribbean and Latin American diaspora in the USA, including the experiences of the students themselves. Local partnerships will play a key role: 1. Book & Plow: Students will participate in the initial stages of the "Seeds of the Diaspora" project, a community garden featuring seeds brought by migrants throughout their journeys. 2. Mead Museum: The class will engage with Michael Rakowitz's exhibit "Part of an Impossible Task." Students will work closely with these community partners, combining hands-on components with research assignments and written reflections. The curriculum will also include readings and assignments on hospitality, migration, refuge, gardening as an artistic and political practice, monuments, and memorials. Conducted in Spanish

Requisite: SPAN 301 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Spring Semester: Professor Ferrari.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference given to students completing the Spanish Major

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Emphasis on independent research and community-based artistic practices.