Drug production, trafficking, and consumption have had an immeasurable impact on culture in Latin America, affecting the region’s politics and way of life as well as its art and literature.  This course will examine the euphoria and the tragedy surrounding the drug trade, from psychedelic 1960s creative experiments, to Pablo Escobar’s cocaine empire in the 1980s, to the tragic wave of drug violence Mexico faces today.  These topics will be studied through the rigorous analysis of the region’s cultural production, including literature, fiction and documentary film, journalism, electronic media, political discourse, and visual arts.