Argentine Tango

Melissa A. Fitch
Spring 2014
THURSDAYS |  
1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
January 30 until April 10, 2014 (no class on March 20 due to UA spring break)
Course Format: Hybrid
Location: Main Campus
Tuition: $195

Forget the rose-in-the-mouth cliché, and discover how tango relates to art, activism, and even therapy. We will analyze films, advertising, theater, poetry, art, documentaries, material culture, digital art forms, and public protests to examine the production, consumption, and diffusion of meaning found in global cultural narratives related to Argentine tango. Students will learn how tango was used to champion women’s rights and modernization in Turkey in the early 20th century, and how Jewish prisoners used it as a symbol of life and endurance during WW II. Participants will explore how tango has merged with Eastern practices and beliefs such as martial arts and Taoism. One session will focus on the dance itself, including a demonstration and lesson.

Required Reading

Paz, Alberto and Valerie Hart. Gotta Tango. Human Kinetics, 2007. ISBN-10: 0736056300.

Thompson, Robert Farris. Tango: The Art History of Love. Vintage, 2006. ISBN-10: 1400095794.

Recommended Reading

Winter, Brian. Long After Midnight at the Niño Bien: A Yanqui’s Missteps in Argentina. PublicAffairs, 2008. ISBN-10: 1586483706.

Meet Your Instructor

University Distinguished Professor

MELISSA A. FITCH is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Her research explores global representations of Latin American popular culture. A two-time Fulbright Scholar (to Hong Kong and India), she is the author of multiple books and the recipient of top teaching awards, including the UA Five Star Teaching Award and the Global Excellence Award. Her passion for teaching and global inquiry animates all her work.

Location

POETRY CENTER
Dorothy Rubel Room
1508 E Helen
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States

Located on the SE corner of Helen Street and Vine Avenue, one block north of Speedway and three blocks west of Campbell Ave.

Street map image of Poetry Center

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