Dr. Prieto's research interest is in Colonial Latin American literature, culture and history. He is particularly interested in 16th- and 17th-century South America and South American Jesuits. Recent work focuses on the slavery of native peoples as one of the fundamental features of the Chilean 17th century. By bringing slavery to the fore, he is proposing a reevaluation of the cultural and social history of the Chilean colonial period that moves away from the traditional views of a war-dominated society or a frontier society to one in which the Chilean colony is seen as a society based on and made possible by the enslavement of native peoples. Dr. Prieto also studies the different political and theological strife within the Jesuit order in Peru during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the impact these disagreements had for the Spanish colonial project in Peru and the Spanish empire writ large. This topic is addressed in his latest book, The Theologian and the Empire: A Biography of José de Acosta (Brill, 2024). Although Jesuit contributions to European expansion in the early modern period have attracted considerable scholarly interest, the legacy of José de Acosta (1540–1600) is still defined by his contributions to natural history. The Theologian and the Empire presents a new biography of Acosta, focused on his participation in colonial and imperial politics. The most important Jesuit active in the Americas in the sixteenth century, Acosta was fundamentally a political operator. His actions on both sides of the Atlantic informed both Peruvian colonial life and the Jesuit order at the dawn of the seventeenth century.
keywords
Colonial Latin American literature, culture and history, 16th- and 17th-century South America, South American Jesuits
FYSM 1000 - First Year Seminar
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019
Provide first year students with an immersive experience in an interdisciplinary topic that addresses current issues including social, technical and global topics. Taught by faculty from across campus, the course provides students with an opportunity to interact in small classes, have project based learning experiences and gain valuable communication skills. Seminar style classes focused on discussion and projects.
PORT 3220 - Latin American Culture: Spanish America and Brazil
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2024
Examines literary, artistic, and philosophical currents in Spanish America and Portuguese America (Brazil), from pre-Columbian times to the present. Taught in Spanish. Recommended prerequisites: PORT 2110 and PORT 2120. Same as SPAN 3220.
SPAN 3010 - Advanced Rhetoric and Composition
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022
Designed to refine expository and argumentative writing in Spanish, this course will center around four main areas of study: culture, linguistics, sociopolitical and economic reality, and literature and criticism. A multi-draft process-based approach will guide the writing and revision of essays. Additionally, there will be a focus on grammar and lexical issues most challenging for students at the third-year level.
SPAN 3100 - Literary and Cultural Analysis in Spanish
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023 / Fall 2023
Fosters critical thinking and the ability to discuss texts from a historical, sociological, ideological and formalistic viewpoint. Analyzes literary and cultural expressions from Latin America, Spain and the US Latino traditions in different genres, ranging from fiction to poetry, and media from the written word to cinema and other visual arts.
SPAN 3220 - Latin American Culture: Spanish America and Brazil
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2024
Examines literary, artistic, and philosophical currents in Spanish America and Portuguese America (Brazil), from pre-Columbian times to the present. Same as PORT 3220.
SPAN 4220 - Special Topics in Spanish and/or Spanish American Literature
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018
Examines intensively particular topics or issues concerning Spanish and/or Spanish American literature selected by the instructor. May be repeated up to 7 total credit hours. Recommended prerequisites: SPAN 3120 and an additional course above SPAN 3000.
SPAN 5300 - Seminar: Spanish American Literature, Colonial Period and/or 19th Century
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
Treats various topics, as needs and resources dictate. Gives special attention to developing historical and current theoretical and critical background of each topic. Representative topics might include pre-Columbian literature, colonial prose and narrative, colonial poetry, romantic novel, the realist and naturalist novel and short story, 19th-century poetry, and gaucho literature. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Same as SPAN 7300.
SPAN 7300 - Seminar: Spanish American Literature, Colonial Period and/or 19th Century
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
Treats various topics, as needs and resources dictate. Gives special attention to developing historical and current theoretical and critical background of each topic. Representative topics might include pre-Columbian literature, colonial prose and narrative, colonial poetry, romantic novel, the realist and naturalist novel and short story, 19th-century poetry, and gaucho literature. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Same as SPAN 5300.
