Clara Román-Odio is professor of Spanish, Latin American literature and Latino cultural productions at Kenyon College in Gambier. She has contributed extensively to the critical examination of the work of the Mexican Nobel Laureate, Octavio Paz, especially his long poems. Her salient contributions in the field include Octavio Paz en los debates críticos y estéticos del siglo XX (TresCTres Editores, España 2006) and journal articles on the author’s poems Blanco, Piedra de sol and Pasado en claro.
Román-Odio's more recent scholarship focuses on decolonial cultural productions by feminists of color; a field in which she has authored Sacred Iconographies in Chicana Cultural Productions (Palgrave 2013), a number of journal articles and co-edited the volumes Transnational Borderlands in Women's Global Networks (Palgrave 2011) and Global, Local Geographies: The (Dis)locations of Contemporary Feminisms (Letras Femeninas 33.1, 2007). She also maintains a strong pedagogical commitment in the area…
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Clara Román-Odio is professor of Spanish, Latin American literature and Latino cultural productions at Kenyon College in Gambier. She has contributed extensively to the critical examination of the work of the Mexican Nobel Laureate, Octavio Paz, especially his long poems. Her salient contributions in the field include Octavio Paz en los debates críticos y estéticos del siglo XX (TresCTres Editores, España 2006) and journal articles on the author’s poems Blanco, Piedra de sol and Pasado en claro.
Román-Odio's more recent scholarship focuses on decolonial cultural productions by feminists of color; a field in which she has authored Sacred Iconographies in Chicana Cultural Productions (Palgrave 2013), a number of journal articles and co-edited the volumes Transnational Borderlands in Women's Global Networks (Palgrave 2011) and Global, Local Geographies: The (Dis)locations of Contemporary Feminisms (Letras Femeninas 33.1, 2007). She also maintains a strong pedagogical commitment in the area of community-engaged learning.
Education
1993 — Doctor of Philosophy from UNC Chapel Hill
1983 — Master of Arts from Purdue Univ West Lafayette
1981 — Bachelor of Arts from Univ Puerto Rico Mayaguez
Courses Recently Taught
SPAN 321
Literature and Film: Advanced Writing in Spanish
SPAN 321
This course uses literature and film to give advanced students the opportunity to strengthen their ability to write analytically and creatively in Spanish. The course will also have strong emphasis on speaking and reading in Spanish. Works from various literary genres and selected Spanish-language films are among the materials on which class discussion and writing assignments will be centered. To deploy this content, we will use digital technology that supports the acquisition of advanced vocabulary, the development of reading comprehension and writing. A grammar review, focused mainly on typical areas of difficulty, may also be included. Prerequisite: SPAN 213Y–214 or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 344
Contemporary Spanish American Short Stories
SPAN 344
This course presents an overview of the Spanish American short story from 1940 to the present. It examines the antecedents of the new Spanish American narrative, the so-called "Spanish American Boom," and a narrative of the periphery. The national literature of the "boom" will be read with attention to subgenres such as the fantastic, magic realism and the marvelous real. It will be shown how these subgenres are transformed and eventually challenged by an ethnic, feminine and postmodern narrative, which instead of focusing on the representation of the nation explores other social subjects and forms of cultures. Among the authors included are Jorge Luis Borges, Juan Rulfo, Julio Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel García Márquez, Luisa Valenzuela, Isabel Allende, Ana Lydia Vega, Diamela Eltit, Ricardo Piglia and Elena Poniatowska. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 354
Spanish American Poetry Since 1880
SPAN 354
This course is designed to introduce students to the literary trends and the poetics that underlie 20th-century Spanish American poetry, including those labeled "modernism," "avant-garde," "social poetry," "anti-poetry" and "conversationalism." Through close readings of representative works, the course will examine the representation of nation, class, gender, ethnicity and sexuality by the practice of these poetics. Some of the authors included are: Martí, Darío, Mistral, Vallejo, Storni, Girondo, Huidobro, Borges, Guillén, Neruda, Lezama Lima, Burgos, Paz, Parra, Cardenal, Castellanos, Benedetti, Varela, Gelman and Pacheco. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 355
The Literature of National Experience in Mexico
SPAN 355
Using literature, art and history as the primary sources of exploration, this course examines aesthetic constructions of Mexico from the movement of independence led by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1810 to the present. Through close analysis of the most representative and influential works of Mexican literature and art, the course explores thematically and chronologically an array of issues, including early nation building, the Mexican Revolution, caudillismo, political repression, machismo, malinchismo and diverse conceptualizations of national identity. The course will focus on how prominent writers such as Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, Mariano Azuela, Rodolfo Usigli, Elena Poniatowska, Elena Garro and Sabina Berman, as well as the "muralistas" Rivera, Siqueiros and Orozco, have responded to these issues, contributing to the historic myths of the Mexican nation. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 371
Gender, Identity and Power in Women's Literature
SPAN 371
The artistic discourse of Latin American women has been largely omitted in academic studies, yet the contributions of women's works have been instrumental in shaping and changing our worldviews. In this course we will examine Latin American women's use of the dimension of gender to produce a critique of their culture and oppressive structures of power. Art, film and literature will be used as the primary sources of exploration. Recurring themes such as self-knowledge, affirmation of female eroticism, and struggles for social and gender equality will be examined within the framework of the historical and sociopolitical realities of Latin American societies. Contemporary feminist theories will serve to interpret writing and creative strategies used by these women to produce an experimental language that embodies new human relationships. Among the filmmakers, painters, and writers included are María Luisa Bemberg, María Novara, Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, Tilsa Tsuchiya, Julia de Burgos, Claribel Alegría, Luisa Valenzuela, Gioconda Belli, Cristina Perri Rossi, Pia Barros, Elizabeth Subercaseaux and Diamela Eltit. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 380
Cultural Productions of the Borderlands
SPAN 380
Chicana/o culture produced in the U.S. is a vast field, often underrepresented in undergraduate curricula. Even so, Chicana/os' contributions to literature, visual and public art, music, film, cultural theory and political activism are among the richest in this nation. This absence is symptomatic of a larger societal reality, namely, a history of cultural and economic oppression, which results in silencing "the other" America. In this regard, Gloria Anzaldúa, one of the most important borderland theorist in the U.S., states: "I write to record what others erase when I speak, to rewrite what others have miswritten about me, about you." In "Cultural Productions of the Borderlands," students gain deep understanding of theories and representations of borderlands within the context of their colonial legacies. Students may choose to read, write and test in either English or Spanish, and work with an array of cultural materials including, literature, visual art, film, music and Chicano/a history, as sites of opposition to sexist, racist, classist and homophobic ideologies. This is a core course within the Latino/a Studies concentration. It also counts towards majors in American studies, international studies, women and gender studies, religious studies, and Spanish area studies. No prerequisite. Generally offered every two years.
SPAN 381
Resisting Borders: Contemporary Latino(a) Literature and Film
SPAN 381
In this course we will study the experience of Latinos/as in the United States and the idea of borders as conceived by Latino writers and filmmakers who have lived between cultures, territories and value systems. We will study the Hispanic and Indigenous heritage, with special emphasis on Mexican-American, Puerto Rican and Cuban American productions, and especially those works that while produced in the United States are written in Spanish. We will pay close attention to local constructions of identity,and also focus on how these representations and constructions are connected to global processes. The course also offers students opportunities to learn through community-engaged learning. \n
SPAN 493
Individual Study
SPAN 493
This course offers an opportunity to study on an individual basis an area of special interest — literary, cultural or linguistic — under the regular supervision of a faculty member. It is offered primarily to candidates for honors, to majors and, under special circumstances, to potential majors and minors. Individual study is intended to supplement, not to take the place of, regular courses in the curriculum of each language program. Staff limitations restrict this offering to a very few students. To enroll in an individual study, a student must identify a member of the MLL department willing to direct the project and, in consultation with them, write up a one-page proposal for the IS which must be approved by the department chair before the individual study can go forward. The proposal should specify the schedule of reading and/or writing assignments and the schedule of meeting periods. The amount of work in an IS should approximate that required on average in regular courses of corresponding levels. It is suggested that students begin their planning of an IS well in advance, so that they can devise a proposal and seek departmental approval before the registrar's deadline. Typically, an IS will earn the student 0.25 or 0.50 units of credit. At a minimum, the department expects the student to meet with the instructor one hour per week. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study preferably the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval before the registrar’s deadline.
WGS 242
Transnational Feminisms
WGS 242
This course examines the impact of globalization on feminist discourses that describe the cross-cultural experiences of women. Transnational feminist theories and methodologies destabilize Western feminisms, challenging notions of subjectivity and place and their connections to experiences of race, class and gender. The course builds on four key concepts: development, democratization, cultural change and colonialism. Because transnational feminisms are represented by the development of women's global movements, the course will consider examples of women's global networks and the ways in which they destabilized concepts such as citizenship and rights. We also will examine how transnational feminisms have influenced women's productions in the fields of literature and art. Key questions include: How does the history of global feminisms affect local women's movements? What specific issues have galvanized women's movements across national and regional borders? How do feminism and critiques of colonialism and imperialism intersect? What role might feminist agendas play in addressing current global concerns? How do transnational feminisms build and sustain communities and connections to further their agendas? This counts toward the diversity and globalization requirement for the major.This course paired with any other .50 unit WGS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Prerequisite: Any WGS course or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.
Academic & Scholarly Achievements
2012
Sacred Iconographies in Chicana Cultural Productions: Feminism and Empowerment in Transnational Networks (Forthcoming in Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).
2011
Transnational Borderlands in Women's Global Networks: The Making of Cultural Resistance. Clara Román-Odio and Marta Sierra, eds. New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
2006
Octavio Paz en los debates críticos y estéticos del siglo XX . Santa Comba (A Coruña), España: TresCTres Editores, 2006.
2007
Global and Local Geographies: The (Dis)locations of Contemporary Feminisms. Román-Odio, Marta Sierra, eds. Letras Femeninas. Vol. 8, summer 2007.
2019
Román-Odio, Clara; Chavez Erazo, J. Sebastián. “Octavio Paz.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Latin American Studies. Ed. Ben Vinson. New York: Oxford University Press (forthcoming 2019).
2018
"Public Humanities and Community-Engaged Learning: Building Strategies for Undergraduate Research and Civic Engagement.” Civic Engagement in Diverse Latina/o Communities: Learning from Social Justice Partnerships in Action. Mari Castañeda & Joseph Krupczynski, eds. Critical Studies of Latino/as in the Americas Series: Peter Lang, 2018.
2017
“Latinos in Rural America: A Public Humanities Community-Engaged Learning Project.” Article of the Week. Great Lakes Association Consortium for Teaching and Learning (Read more) (2017).
2014
“From Cultural Critique to Aesthetics: Octavio Paz’s Sense of Loss in (Pos)Modernity.” The Willow and the Spiral Essays on Octavio Paz and the Poetic Imagination. Roberto Cantú, ed. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014.
2013
“Colonial Legacies and the Politics of Weaving in Consuelo Jiménez Underwood’s Fiber Art. American Tapestry Alliance: Honoring, Inspiring Innovation The Textile Society of America, Educational Articles (Read more) (2013).
2013
“Ecofeminismo, espiritualidad y el mercado global en el arte de Marion C. Martínez.” Unidiversidad: Revista de Pensamiento y Cultura de la BUAP. México (12): 2013.
2012
“Globalización de-centrada: feminismo transnacional, política cultural y la Virgen de Tepeyac en el arte visual de las chicanas.” Brincando Fronteras: Creaciones locales mexicanas y globalización. Patrice Giasson, ed. CONALUTA, 2012.
2012
“En Estado de Nepantla: Memoria terrorista y visión espiritual en el arte visual de Liliana Wilson.” Fronteras de la Memoria: cartografías de género en artes visuales, cine y literatura en las Américas y España. Bernardital Llanos, ed. Santiago, Chile. Cuarto Propio, 2012.
2011
“Undocumented Borderlands: Sites of Struggle and Spiritual Survival in Consuelo Jiménez Underwood’s Visual Art.” Leaflet for Consuelo Jiménez Underwood's solo exhibition Undocumented Borderlands, Fresno State University, Ca, September 2011.
2011
"Queering the Sacred: Love as Oppositional Consciousness in Alma Lopez's Visual Art" (in Our Lady of Controversy: Alma Lopez's Irreverent Apparition. Austin, TX: UT Press, 2011)
2008
"Disrobed: The Virgin of Guadalupe and Social Activism in Chicanas' Writing." Pembroke Magazine 40, 2008. 187-200.
2008
"Global-Local Parodies in María Amparo Escandón's Santitos" (forthcoming Letras Femeninas, Winter 2008).
2008
"Transnational Alliances, U.S. Third World Feminism, and Chicana Mestizaje in Ester Hernández' Visual Art" (under review by Latino Studies, 2008).
2008
"Decentralizing Globalization: Cultural Politics, Transnational Feminisms, and Religious Iconography in Chicana Artistic Productions" (under review by Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social, 2008).
2007
"La Virgen de Guadalupe y el feminismo transnacional de Ester Hernández" Confluencias en México: Palabra y Género. Patricia González Gómez Cásseres y Alicia V. Ramírez Olivares, eds. Editorial: Fomento Editorial, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 2007. 299-315.
2003
"Classroom Assessment of Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Developing a Strategy for College Faculty". Hispania 86.3 (2003): 591-607.
2003
"Julia de Burgos". Dictionary of Literary Biography, Modern Spanish American Poets. María A. Salgado, ed. 290 Modern Spanish Poets. Bruccoli Clark Layman, 2003.
2002
"Chamanismo y sexualidad en la escritura de mujeres hispanas" Confluencia: Revista Hispánica de Cultura y Literatura 18.1 (2002): 59-68.
2000
"'Blanco', a Western Mandala." Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispánicos. 24. 3 (2000): 503-15.
"From Writer to Producer: Conflicting Voices in Like water for chocolate." CINE-LIT III: Essays on Hispanic Film and Fiction. Corvallis: Oregon State UP, nd. 84-89.
1996
"Eros retrospectivo / Eros visionario: el sujeto dividido dePiedra de sol." Hispania 79 (March 1996): 28-35.
1996
"Clarividentes, curanderas y los nuevos rituales de la novela latinoamericana." SECOLAS Annals 27 (March 1996): 41-48.
1996
"La narrativa reversible de Julio Cortázar." Studies in Honor of María A. Salgado. Millicent A. Bolden & Luis A. Jiménez, ed. Newark: Juan de la Cuesta, 1996. 163-178.
1990
"Space as a Theme in La Vorágine." Romance Languages Annual. Ben Lawton and Anthony J. Tamburri, eds. Purdue Research Foundation, West Lafayette, IN 1 (1990): 394-396.
1989
"La sutileza poética en El libro de Buen Amor." RILCE. Revista de Filología Hispánica de la Universidad de Navarra 2 (1989): 307-316.
1985
"'Altazor': una nueva perspectiva del creacionismo." Selected Proceedings: The Thirty-Fifth Annual Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference. Ramón Fernández-Rubio, ed. Furman University, Greenville, SC (1985): 289-299.