Exploring Latin American Culture Through the Short Story
Class - Spring Only | Registration opens Monday, January 5, 2026 9:30 AM MST
One of the most significant phenomena of the mid-20th century in Latin America was the emergence of writers who propelled Latin American literature to the international scene through their critical and commercial success. Many of their works became household names even among English speakers.
This course will explore the Latin American Literary “Boom” and its historical/literary context from about 1960 to 1980. We will read two short novels and several short stories. In addition to being great literature, these works also help us understand some of the cultural bases of today’s Latin America.
Important Note: This will be the last time this class will be offered. Since it depends on ample class participation, unless there are at least 15 registrations, the class may be cancelled.
NO CLASS on Jan. 27 (Utah Tech Make-Up Day)
NO CLASS on March 10 (Spring Break)
Read Gilgen
Read Gilgen has a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature. His dissertation was: Short Story of the Absurd in Latin America. Read taught 5 years at University of North Carolina and 3 years at University of Wisconsin and was the language technology director at Wisconsin for 26 years. He has 30 years experience providing technology support for faculty at Universities of Wisconsin and North Carolina and for ICL. Read is the author of several technology books and is the PowerPoint and technology coordinator for ICL.