Undergraduate Spanish Course Descriptions

Spanish Language Placement Exam
Current Schedule of Courses
Spring 2009 Course Descriptions

Course Offering, Fall 2008


SPANISH 101: Elementary Spanish I
SPANISH 201: Intermediate Spanish I
SPANISH 212: Advanced Practice in Spanish
SPANISH 215: Reading & Writing Strategies in Spanish
SPANISH 300WR: Reading in Spanish: Texts and Contexts
SPANISH 301WR: Early Spanish and Spanish American Culture
SPANISH 302WR: Modern Spanish and Spanish American Culture
SPANISH 312WRp: Theories and Histories of Hispanic Theater, Film, and Performance (this section is permission only)
SPANISH 312WR: Theories and Histories of Hispanic Theater, Film, and Performance (this section no permission required)
SPANISH 314: Internship in Spanish
SPANISH 410S: The Romance Languages (cross-listed with LING 385S 6 spaces; ITAL 376R 3 spaces, PORT 412S 3 spaces)
SPANISH 410S: Theory and Practice of Literary Translation (cross-listed with LING 385S, 3 spaces) 
SPANISH 420R: The Islamic West: Muslim Spain, North Africa, and Sicily, 600-1600 (Same as REL 370R, MESAS 370R)
SPANISH 450S: Hot and Cold: Spain and Europe in 1930’s and 1960’s
SPANISH 460S: Latin American Theater and Performance
SPANISH 460S: The Cuban Revolution: Past, Present and Future

SPANISH 101: Elementary Spanish I
Faculty MTWF (multiple sections) Max: 18

CONTENT: This course helps students develop a basic ability to communicate in Spanish. Class time is dedicated to interactive activities which allow students to acquire skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Through activities and readings, students are introduced to many aspects of Hispanic culture. Class meets five times per week and is conducted exclusively in Spanish in order to maximize exposure to the language. Workbook and language Lab activities are also incorporated in order to develop students' listening skills and pronunciation.

TEXTS: Caycedo Garner, Rusch and Domínguez. 2008. ¡Claro que sí! 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

PARTICULARS: Evaluation will be based on participation, homework, workbook, Language Laboratory work, quizzes, exams, and compositions.

PREREQUISITES: None, but students must take the Spanish Placement Exam and receive an Official Placement for SP101 from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

SPANISH 201: Intermediate Spanish I
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 15

CONTENT: This course develops students' communicative abilities in Spanish as well as understanding of the cultural context in which the language is used. Students learn to communicate through activities in speaking, listening, reading and writing; review and learning of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation; and study of Hispanic cultures and societies. Classroom activities are highly interactive and focus on speaking and listening. Reading about Hispanic cultures is emphasized, as are informal writing (to develop fluency) and brief compositions (to develop accuracy). Language Lab activities are also used to improve listening skill and pronunciation.

TEXTS:
1. Rusch, Domínguez and Caycedo Garner. 2005. Fuentes: Conversación y gramática, 3rd. edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
2. Tuten, Esterrich and Caycedo Garner. 2005. Fuentes: Lectura y redacción. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
3. Rusch, Domínguez and Caycedo Garner. 2005. Fuentes: Activities Manual. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

PARTICULARS: Evaluations are based on participation, homework and Language Laboratory work, quizzes, exams, formal compositions, informal writing, and an oral interview.

PREREQUISITES: Spanish 102 or equivalent. Students must take the Spanish Placement Exam and receive an Official Placement for SP201 from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

SPANISH 212: Advanced Practice in Spanish
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 15 TPL Theory Practice Learning Class

CONTENT: This course reviews and expands knowledge of many areas of Spanish vocabulary and grammar and develops the student's ability in listening, speaking, reading and writing, though the development of oral proficiency is emphasized in this course. Discussion centers on short texts, films, and community activities that deal with various aspects of contemporary Hispanic culture (tradition and change, cultural diversity, politics and human rights, sexual stereotypes and gender roles).

NOTE: Section 212.000 and Section 212.010 have been designed as special focus sections. Although similar language skills will be developed, the course topics and readings will differ from other sections of Spanish 212. Section 212.000 (taught by Prof. Lisa Dillman), will focus on "The Environment and Sustainability". Section 212.010 (taught by Prof. Irina Zaitseva) will focus on "Medicine and Health." These topics will be discussed as global issues and as issues of particular importance in Hispanic societies and cultures. These sections may be enrolled in by permission only. Students must contact the instructor to obtain a permission number.

TEXTS:
1. García Serrano, Cash, and de la Torre. 2004. ¡A que sí! 3rd Ed. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
2. García Serrano, Cash, and de la Torre. 2004. ¡A que sí!: Workbook. 3rd Ed. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

PARTICULARS: Evaluation is based on participation, homework, quizzes, exams and oral interviews.

PREREQUISITES: Spanish 202 or equivalent, or students must take the Spanish Placement Exam and receive an Official Placement for SP212 from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

SPANISH 215: Reading & Writing Strategies in Spanish
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 10

CONTENT: This is an advanced course designed to improve students’ writing and reading skills in Spanish. Students are introduced to a variety of Spanish texts and are required to recognize their formal characteristics and to practice them in formal writing. Special emphasis is placed on critical reading as well as accurate use of grammar and vocabulary in translation and creative writing.

TEXTS:
1. IGUINA AND DOZIER, MANUAL DE GRAMÁTICA, 4TH EDITION(copyright 2008 )
ISBN-13: 9781413032192
2. Harper Collins Spanish Dictionary (Unabridged Edition) or Oxford Spanish Dictionary. Also suggested: the Pequeño Larousse Spanish-to-Spanish dictionary that is required for Spanish 300.
3. Mendoza, Eduardo. Sin noticias de Gurb. Seix Barral, 1991.
4. Additinal text to be announced
5. Readings available on e-reserves.

PARTICULARS: Valuable for students who wish to perfect their writing and reading skills in Spanish. May be taken before or with Spanish 300. Evaluation will be based on participation, two midterm exams, quizzes on the readings, daily informal writing, two oral presentations, four formal compositions and a final exam.

PREREQUISITES: SPANISH 212 or equivalent.

SPANISH 300WR: Reading in Spanish: Texts and Contexts
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 10

CONTENT: A course in Hispanic cultural literacy and critical skills that also develops students' reading ability, vocabulary, and ability to express ideas in writing. The course is designed to give students a broad understanding of Hispanic culture that will prepare them for upper level course work. The primary reading text is Carlos Fuentes' El espejo enterrado. As students read this text, they will learn about the history, geography, values, art, and literature of the Hispanic world. Supplementary texts are also used.

TEXTS:
Fuentes, Carlos. 1992. El espejo enterrado.

PARTICULARS: Required for the Major.

PREREQUISITES: Spanish 212 or equivalent (5-6 years of high school study and permission of Director of the Language Program).

SPANISH 301WR: Early Spanish and Spanish American Culture
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 12

CONTENT: This course engages in an in-depth study of Spanish and Colonial Spanish American culture(s) from the Pre Roman Period through the seventeenth century. Among the topics included are: Islamic Spain, the Spanish Reconquest, the Inquisition, the Origins of the Spanish Language, Sephardic Culture in Spain, the Pilgrimage Route to St. James, Picaresque Literature, Golden Age Spanish Drama, pre-Columbian civilizations, the Conquest of the New World, and the establishment of colonial rule in Spanish America.

TEXTS: Primary and secondary readings accompany each topic.

PARTICULARS: Required for the Major. The final grade is based on two papers (6-7 pp.), oral presentations, a mid-term exam and a final exam.

SPANISH 302WR: Modern Spanish and Spanish American Culture
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 12

CONTENT: This course engages in an in-depth study of certain key moments and texts in Spanish and Spanish American culture from the eighteenth century to the present. Among the topics dealt with are: the "failed" Enlightenment of Spain and Spanish America, the Napoleonic invasion of Spain, the revolt against Spanish rule and the creation of new nations in Spanish America, Modernism and the politics of avant-garde, the Mexican and Cuban revolutions, The Spanish Civil War and Franco dictatorship, the Latin American "boom" narrative, postmodernism and globalization in contemporary Spain and Spanish America.

TEXTS: Primary and Secondary readings accompany each topic. The course also incorporates painting and film.

PARTICULARS: Required for the Major. The final grade is based on two papers (6-7 pp.), oral presentations, a mid-term exam and a final exam.

SPANISH 312WRp: Theories and Histories of Hispanic Theater, Film, and Performance (this section is permission only)
Maria Carrion, MWF 10:40-11:30 Max: 12

CONTENT: This course is designed to give students a working vocabulary for the study of theater, film, and performance, underscoring their theoretical and historical dimensions and their relation to race and gender. A comparative perspective on theater, film, and performance will be articulated whenever possible, devoting discrete classes to different media while teasing out the foundational aspect of theater and performance.  The course will prepare students for work at the 400 level on film, theater, and performance, providing them with an introduction to both the theoretical framework guiding the study of texts, and a "hands-on" feel for theatrical, film, and performance work.

The close textual analysis of Hispanic theater, film, and performance will be done in a seminar-type discussion group.  Written assignments: five 1-page essays; two exams focusing on audiovisual language; three reviews of performance pieces; a performance project.
 
THEATER: Lope, El perro del hortelano and El castigo sin venganza; Zorrilla, Don Juan Tenorio; García Lorca, Bodas de sangre; Díaz, La orgástula y otros textículos; Boal, Teatro del oprimido and Ejercicios para actores y no actores; Sánchez, Quíntuples.

FILM AND VIDEO: Cuarón, Y tu mamá también; Pérez, Suite Habana; Gilpin y Bernaza, Mariposas en el andamio; Amenábar, Tesis; Medem, Lucía y el sexo; del Toro, El laberinto del fauno; Buñuel, Un chien andalou; Miró, El perro del hortelano; Aranda, Juana la Loca; Saura, Bodas de sangre; Haines, Dance With Me; Gutiérrez Alea, Memorias del subdesarrollo; Troyano, Your Kunst Is Your Waffen; Martel, La Ciénaga.  Clips of Gutiérrez Alea, Fresa y chocolate; Torres, Mecánica celeste; Medem, Los amantes del círculo polar; Leigh, Topsy-Turvy; Martín, I Like It Like That; Gatlif, Latcho Drom; Subiela, Hombre mirando al sudeste; Almodóvar, La  flor de mi secreto; Coixet, Cosas que nunca te dije; Keedron, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. Music videos by Celia Cruz, Maná, Ricky Martin, Jennifer López, Shakira, and others.

PERFORMANCE ART: Carmelita Tropicana, I, Carmelita Tropicana, and Milk and Beyond; Mendieta, Filmworks; Monica Palacios, Latin Lezbo Comic: A Performance About Happiness, Challenges and Tacos; Vaginal Crème Davis, Beware the Holy Whore, Orifice Descending, Intimacy and Tomorrow; Marga Gomez, Marga Gomez Is Pretty, Witty, and Gay; Guillermo Gomez-Peña, La Pocha Nostra; Dinasty Handbag, The Quiet Storm, Break Up Day, and Soup Eyes.
 
PARTICULARS: Attendance and class participation, short essays (30%); theater/film/performance project (20%); three reviews (30%); two exams (20%)

SPANISH 312WR: Theories and Histories of Hispanic Theater, Film, and Performance (this section no permission required)
José Luis Boigues, MWF 11:45-12:35 Max: 12

CONTENT: This course seeks to introduce students to a working vocabulary for the study of Hispanic theater, film, and performance, underscoring their theoretical and historical dimensions. Main contents will include the history and concepts of Hispanic film, theater, and performance; and the theoretical analysis of their main genres: el melodrama, la tragedia, la comedia and la Comedia, el entremés, el auto, el drama romántico, etc. A comparative perspective on theater, film, and performance will be articulated whenever possible, devoting discrete classes to different media. The course will prepare students for work at the 400 level in Hispanic film, theater, and performance, providing them with an introduction to both the theoretical framework guiding the study of texts, and a "hands-on" feel for theatrical, film, video, and performance work. The close textual analysis of Hispanic theater, film, and performance will be done in a seminar-type discussion group. Students will be expected to write daily reaction compositions to the texts discussed in class, three 4-page reviews, and to present a final project on theater / film / performance media; on all verbal and written assignments students will be expected to show command of the materials covered in this class.

TEXTS:
A) Print: Lope de Vega, El perro del hortelano / El castigo sin venganza; Zorrilla, Don Juan Tenorio; García Lorca, Bodas de sangre; Troyano / Tropicana, I, Carmelita Tropicana; and others, including a selection of articles.

B) Films: Almodóvar, Tráiler para amantes de lo prohibido / Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón; Cuarón, Y tu mamá también; Miró, El perro del hortelano; Medem, Lucía y el sexo; Amenábar, Tesis / Abre los ojos; Aranda, Juana la Loca; Buñuel, Un perro andaluz; Saura, Bodas de sangre; Padrón, Vampiros en La Habana; Ibáñez Serrador, La residencia; Berlanga, Bienvenido Mr. Marshall; Tricicle, Tricicle 20; Truffaut, La nuit américaine; Argento, Profondo rosso; and a selection of short films.

PARTICULARS: Attendance and class participation; daily assignments; two exams; three reviews (of a play, a film, and a performance art piece); theater/film/performance project; presentation of the project.

SPANISH 314: Internship in Spanish
Vialla Hartfield-Méndez Max: None

CONTENT: Applied learning in a supervised Spanish speaking work or volunteer environment. Students will be expected to complete a certain number of hours on site (to be determined in consultation with the on-site supervisor and the instructor) and to fulfill all academic requirements for the course, to be determined in consultation with the instructor (readings, journal, paper, etc.)

PARTICULARS: Spanish 300 (or its equivalent) is a prerequisite for this course. Written permission of Professor Vialla Hartfield-Méndez required prior to preregistration. May be counted towards the major for 2 credit hours but not repeated for credit.

SPANISH 410S: The Romance Languages
Don Tuten MWF 12:50-1:40 Max: 18 (cross-listed with LING 385S 6 spaces; ITAL 376R 3 spaces, PORT 412S 3 spaces)

CONTENT: This course aims to provide an understanding of the history and development from Latin of the different varieties of Romance (e.g., Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian), focusing on their structure and use. It will also provide students with an introduction to the fields of historical linguistics and language change. We will examine changes in the pronunciation (phonetics/phonology), the grammar (morphology/syntax), the lexicon, and also changes in use (pragmatics). However, beyond this examination of what changes occurred when and where they did, we will also ask: how and why did specific changes occur in specific times and places (but not others)?; and more importantly, why does language change and vary at all? To respond to these questions, we will consider how learning and cognition interact with sociohistorical and cultural factors to shape language change. We will consider too how and why the Romance languages came to be seen as languages different from Latin and from each other, and how modern institutions have come to promote some kinds of change and discourage others.

Readings and discussion will be in English, but significant previous study of at least one Romance language is required.

PARTICULARS: Students enrolling under Spanish, Italian or Portuguese must complete their final research project on some issue relating to the language under which they enrolled.

PREREQUISITES: At least two years of college-level study (or equivalent) of any Romance language (e.g., Catalan, French, Galician, Italian, Occitan, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish). Previous or simultaneous study of Linguistics 201 (Foundations of Linguistics) is strongly recommended but not required. By permission only.

SPANISH 410S: Theory and Practice of Literary Translation (cross-listed with LING 385S, 3 spaces)
Cristina de la Torre MWF 11:45-12:35 Max 15

CONTENT: This course examines the history, theory, and practice of literary translation. Part seminar, part workshop, the course will challenge and expand the students´ command of Spanish language and culture, as well as their ability to critically interpret literary texts. We will
a. Explore basic methods, techniques, and problems of translating from Spanish into English.
b. Survey various strategies for dealing with culturally specific items such as slang, or popular expressions.
c. Discuss issues such as when is the dictionary useful and when it is not, how to decide what the “right” word is, how much freedom does one have to interpret the text, the relation between translator and author
d. Compare/evaluate diverse translations of the same text
e. Determine the context, the audience, the purpose of the text

The course also provides an opportunity to engage in creative writing. Readings are in English and Spanish. Class discussion is in Spanish.

TEXTS: Susan Bassnett McGuire. Translation Studies; S. Hervey, et. Al. Thinking Spanish Translation, and articles on e-reserves.

PARTICULARS: The grade is based on one exam, one 15 page translation project, class participation, one oral presentation, and homework assignments.

SPANISH 420R: The Islamic West: Muslim Spain, North Africa, and Sicily, 600-1600
Vincent Cornell, TuTh 11:30-12:45, MAX: 5 (Same as REL 370R, MESAS 370R)

Content: This course is a historical and cultural survey of the medieval Islamic West (the Maghrib) as a single cultural unit, comprising Muslim Spain (al-Andalus), North Africa, and Sicily. A major theme of the course will be cultural and religious interactions between indigenous peoples and Arab Muslims, critically examining the notion of Convivencia (coexistence) as theorized by modern Spanish and North African historians. The course will also include discussions of material culture, music, and poetry.

Texts:
Cornell, Vincent, Realm of the Saint: Power and Authority in Moroccan Sufism
Fletcher, Richard, The Quest for El Cid
Gerber, Jane S., The Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience
Kennedy, Hugh, Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus
Lewis, David Levering, God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215
Lowney, Chris, A Vanished World: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain

Particulars: Two take-home midterm exams (60%: 30% each) and a take-home final exam (40%). Students may write a research paper (15 pages in length) that will count the same as one midterm exam. This paper may be written for extra credit, or to replace a midterm grade.

SPANISH 450S: Hot and Cold: Spain and Europe in 1930’s and 1960’s
Tatjana Gajic MW 2:00-3:15 Max: 15

CONTENT: This class will explore two key periods in the culture of the twentieth century Spain and Europe by focusing on the contrast and conflict between HOT and COLD cultural tendencies.  “Hot” stands for: individual and social liberation, experimentation with new forms of artistic and cultural expression, questioning of the existing gender and sexual norms, resistance to political oppression and the celebration of the revolutionary potential of desire.  “Cold” stands for: Fascism in the 1930’s and the Cold War in 1960’s, curtailing of freedoms, celebration of gender and national stereotypes, triumph of consumerist culture and the channeling of social energies towards the creation of wealth and material prosperity. The class will pay attention to the developments in the European history of the period (including Weimar Republic, Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe, and the May 1968 student uprising), and connect them to the Spanish culture, literature and film of the decades in question.  In the first period, we will examine the cultural revival taking place in 1920’s and 1930’s literature and film, relationship betweeen film, literature and urban life, modernization of Spanish society under the Second Republic and women’s struggle for social and political rights.  Moving to the second half of the century, we will examine the conflict between two opposing tendencies: on the one hand, the economic development of the country in the 1960’s, and the creation of the marketing slogan “Spain Is Different,” which played down the oppressive nature of Francoist regime and promoted the image of Spain as a “hot” country of blazing sun and unbridled passions, and, on the other, the appearance of new artistic collectives, such as “Escuela de Barcelona” and “Nuevo cine español”, which gave expression to the youth disaffected from the regime and dedicated to artistic experimentation and individual soul-searching.  

TEXTS: will include poetry of Luis Cernuda, Gil de Biedma, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, stories and novels by Rosa Chacel, José Díaz Fernández, Terenci Moix, Juan Marsé and others.

FILMS by Rosario Pi, Juan Antonio Bardem, Carlos Saura and Jaime Camino.

GRADING: Final grade based on Mid-term exam, 2 papers (one short, one long) and an oral presentation

SPANISH 460S: Latin American Theater and Performance
Ana M. Echevarría-Morales TuTh 2:30-3:45 Max: 15

CONTENT: This course introduces students to a selection of Latin American plays and performances and to their critical and theoretical commentaries. We will consider hegemonic and traditional works as well as marginal and experimental ones.  We will pay special attention to the ideological and cultural context of the studied texts. The class will be conducted as a seminar.

TEXTS:
Rodolfo Usigli: Corona de sombra
Griselda Gambaro: Malasangre
José Triana: La noche de los asesinos
Jorge Díaz: El cepillo de dientes
Nora Glickman: Noticias de suburbio
Luisa Capetillo: La influencia de las ideas modernas
Rene Marqués: Los soles truncos
Roberto Ramos-Perea: Mistiblú; Fundación L’Explose: Sé que volverás
Additional primary and secondary readings and performances that will be available on reserve.

PARTICULARS: Evaluation will consider attendance and class participation, a portfolio, an exam, a creative presentation/performance, and a final analytical essay.

SPANISH 460S: The Cuban Revolution: Past, Present and Future
José Quiroga TuTh 10:00-11:15 Max: 15

CONTENT: Cuba holds the key to some of the most important developments in Latin American culture for the second part of the Twentieth Century. The first Socialist government in the Americas has survived a US economic embargo, the loss of Soviet and Eastern European technical and commercial support, threats of popular subversion and the difficult situation of a divided Cuban nation. In 2007, its charismatic leader resigned from his position, and named as succesor his brother, who has the difficult task of setting the stage for new political transformations. It is time for a re-evaluation of the culture of the revolution and its aftermaths.
 
Texts include: Guilermo Cabrera Infante, Reinaldo Arenas, Zoe Valdés, Virgilio Piñera, Nicolás Guillén, Silvio Rodriguez, Gloria Estefan, Cristina García, Carlos Varela, Kcho, and others.
 
Requirements: Four reading commentaries, midterm, and oral presentations.