Undergraduate Spanish Course Descriptions

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

Course Offering, Fall 2009


SPANISH 101: Elementary Spanish I

SPANISH 190: Freshman Seminar
SPANISH 201: Intermediate Spanish I
SPANISH 212: Advanced Practice 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 311:Theory of Hispanic Narrative: Narratives of Violence
SPANISH 312WR: Theories and Histories of Hispanic Theater, Film, and Performance (this section no permission required)
SPANISH 314: Internship in Spanish
SPANISH 430: Saints and Sinners: Female voices in Early Modern Spain and in the New World
SPANISH 460S: Drawing the Line: The Mexico-U.S. frontera and its Stories

SPANISH 460S: Disobedient Narratives in 20th Century Latin American Literature

SPAN 460S: All You Need Is Love? The 60s and Global Revolution
SPANISH 460S: The Cuban Revolution: Past, Present and Future

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

CONTENT: Spanish 101 is a beginning-level, integrated skills language course designed to promote communication in Spanish and to heighten cultural awareness. Students participate in paired, small-group and whole-class conversation/listening activities that focus on meaningful communication as well as reading and writing. Classes meet four times per week and are conducted in Spanish to maximize exposure to the language.  Students are expected to complete Quia ESAM (Electronic Student Activities Manual) workbook and lab manual activities in order to practice skills and to develop aural abilities and pronunciation.

TEXTS: (1) Caycedo Garner, Rusch and Domínguez. 2008. ¡Claro que sí! 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. (2) Quia ESAM passcode

PARTICULARS: Evaluation will be based on daily and active participation, homework, Quia ESAM activities, 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 190: Freshman Seminar:

Doctor Jekyll or Mr. Hyde:
Contrasting & Competing Images of the United States

Cristina de la Torre M/W 3:00-4:15 Max: 18 (Cross listed with LACS 190)

Content: Ever wonder what people really think about the US? Is it the land of opportunity or the imperialist ogre that tramples over less developed countries? And how are Americans perceived? Do they seem friendly and energetic, or arrogant and self-involved? Find out now by surveying how various peoples have reacted to and portrayed both the country and its citizens throughout the last century and particularly during the recent years. Our goal is to clarify and refine our own notions of the US and of ourselves.
The course is interdisciplinary in nature and includes aspects of history, politics, and culture in various forms of writing—both fiction and non-fiction--as well as documentaries, films, cartoons, and music. We will focus primarily, but not exclusively, on the observations of Hispanics (from Spain, Latin America, as well as immigrants to the US).  

Particulars: As a Freshman Seminar, class will consist of dialogue and discussion so that active student participation is essential. We will learn from each other´s observations and experiences with other cultures, carry out interviews, participate in field trips, and examine the cultural assumptions of texts and films. There will be regular writing assignments, short student presentations, student-led discussions, and a final project. 

Texts: Course Reader

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: The Hispanic World: Past and Present
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 18 TPL Theory Practice Learning Class

CONTENT: This course focuses on developing both cultural understanding and linguistic skills.  It explores past and contemporary cultural issues in the Hispanic world, such as a cultural diversity, identities, and gender roles, through discussion of short texts and films.  These texts also serve as the basis for expanding Spanish vocabulary and improving understanding of grammar, as well as honing listening, speaking, reading and particularly writing skills.

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 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
Jose Luis Boigues MWF 10:40-11:30 Max: 18

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:  Selection of texts available at BlackBoard.
- Téllez, Gabriel (Tirso de Molina, atribuido).  El burlador de Sevilla.  Alfredo Rodríguez López-Vázquez, ed.  Madrid: Cátedra, 1990.
- Caro, Ana. Valor, agravio y mujer.  Lola Luna, ed.  Madrid: Ediciones Castalia, Instituto de la mujer, 1993.

PARTICULARS: Required for the Major. The final grade is based on a final paper (8-10 pp.), one oral presentation, two exams, short daily assignments and class participation.

PREREQUISITES
Spanish 300

SPANISH 302WR: Modern Spanish and Spanish American Culture
Faculty MWF (multiple sections) Max: 18

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 311:Theory of Hispanic Narrative: Narratives of Violence
Ricardo Gutierréz-Mouat, T/Th 2:30-3:45 (Max 49)

Content: The course focuses on modes of representing violence in contemporary Latin American and Spanish narratives (plays, novels, stories, reportage, and film).  Students will learn a few facts about what has caused political violence and social breakdown in countries like Argentina, Chile, Colombia, México, and Perú, and about how societies can heal the scars of the past or fail to do so (Spain and the civil war). But the focus of the course is on the symbolic dimension (or discourse) of violence, i.e., on narrative representations that raise a different set of problems involving the relation between violence and the written word or film image.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: Grading will be based on a midterm and a final.

Prerequisites: Spanish 300

SPANISH 312WR: Theories and Histories of Hispanic Theater, Film, and Performance (this section no permission required)
José Luis Boigues, MWF 11:45-12:50 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 :The final grade is based on attendance and class participation, daily assignments, two exams, three reviews (of a play, a film, and a performance art piece), theater/film/performance project and a presentation of the project.

PREREQUISITES: Spanish 300

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 430: Saints and Sinners: Female voices in Early Modern Spain and in the New World

SPAN430 / CPLT389 / WS385
Ana Maria Diaz-Burgos, TTh 10-11:15 Maximum enrollment: 17 (SPAN: 7 / CPLT: 3 / WS: 7)

Content: This course aims to generate critical readings about gendered discourses originated in different realms of public and private life in Early Modern Spain and in the New World. We will explore female expressions of virtue and abjection in order to analyze the ways women were either recognized, or cut off from their societies. Different sorts of deeds and utterances will include women in their role as mothers, wives, nuns, and saints, witches, healers, rogues, and prostitutes.

Architectural texts: Fernando de Rojas. La Celestina. Madrid: Cátedra, 1974 Francisco de Quevedo. El Buscón Don Pablos. Madrid: Cátedra, 1980 Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Los empeños de una casa. Barcelona: PPU, 1989 María de Zayas. Desengaños Amorosos. Madrid: Cátedra, 1983. Tomo I

Particulars: Attendance and class participation (25%). Presentation (15%). Two Short Response Papers (one or two pages each one) (10%). Midterm (20%). 10-page paper (30%).

SPANISH 460S: Drawing the Line: The Mexico-U.S. frontera and its Stories
Vialla Hartfield-Méndez MWF 10:40-11:45 Max: 12 (Cross-list with LAS 490S 3)

CONTENT: This course explores the history of the Mexico-U.S. border from colonial notions of boundaries in New Spain through the Mexican-American War and the Mexican Revolution to the twentieth-century concept of "borderlands" and the present cultural and political tangle of migration, fence building, globalization, and multiple borderland spaces, not all of them located at the official dividing line.  Through reading (or viewing) and discussing various kinds of texts (crónicas, treaties and other government documents, fiction, poetry, music, visuals arts and film), students will gain a critical understanding of the ideological, political and cultural constructions of la frontera. 

TEXTS AND FILMS:   May include works by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Gloria Anzaldúa, Carlos Fuentes, Daniel Sada, Humberto Crosthwaite, John Sayles, Juan Rulfo, Francisco Alarcón, Rosario Sanmiguel, José Agustín, Alejandro González Iñárritu.  Other sources:  Treaties such as the Tratado de Guadalupe, dispatches from Henry Lane Wilson, cartography, official correspondence and other political documents, photography, visual art, corridos and songs from Los Tigres del Norte.

PARTICULARS:  Attendance and class participation (20%), written reading / viewing responses (20%), two research/writing projects (50%), and a final portfolio (10%).

SPANISH 460S: Disobedient Narratives in 20th Century Latin American Literature
Margarita Pintado Burgos MWF 2:00-2:50

CONTENT: This course introduces students to the movement of marginal or minor literature. We will focus on the works of a group of writers that constitutes a sort of anti-tradition, challenging the institutions of power as well as aesthetic and political ideologies. In our discussion, we will consider how these works deal with and reflect  their own  marginal status in both form and content. 

Texts: Los raros, Rubén Darío
Ferdydurke, Witold Gombrowicz (selections)
La carne de René, Virgilio Piñera
El oficio de perder, Lorenzo García Vega (selections)
Cómo me hice monja, César Aira
La estrategia de Chochueca, Rita Indiana Hernández
El escritor y la tradición, Borges

Particulars: Evaluation will include class participation, an exam, and two 7-10pp. essays.

Prerequisites: Span 301 or 302

SPAN 460S: All You Need Is Love? The 60s and Global Revolution
Dierdra Reber, T/TH 11:30-12:45 Max 18 (Cross listed LACS & CPLT)

CONTENT: So you say you still want a revolution?  A recent New York Times review of a novel about aging 60s-era radicals takes this question as its title, implying with its exasperated incredulity that the days of revolution are done and gone.  Yet the 60s have exploded into our global twenty-first-century field of vision.  Amy Winehouse with her huge beehive is the new Brigitte Bardot, Hugo Chávez is the new Fidel Castro, Barack Obama is the new Martin Luther King, Jr., Iraq is the new Vietnam.  What cultural need do we have for the 60s in the twenty-first century?  Where, when, and why do the 60s turn up?  Is our representation of the 60s pure and unadulterated, or have we been giving them a cultural update for twenty-first-century use?  The 60s are synonymous with social revolution—are we trying to use them to model radical social change for the twenty-first century, or is their appearance in our global mainstream more about marketing?  Can we separate the logic of marketing from our twenty-first-century concept of revolution?  We will keep these questions in mind as our interpretive touchstones, taking the role of love in the construction of the revolutionary hero as our principal unit of measurement between then and now as we analyze the 1960s in film, advertising, music, fashion, and politics in the global Americas, North and South.  The final weeks of class will be dedicated to the intensive workshop-style development of student presentations and final papers on the 1960s as seen through our own global eyes.

FILMS: Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Julio García Espinosa, Las aventuras de Juan Quin Quin (1967)
Glauber Rocha, Terra em transe (1967)
Santiago Álvarez, Now! (1965); 79 primaveras (1969)
Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino, La hora de los hornos (1968)
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Amores perros (2000)
Fernando Pérez, Suite Habana (2003)
Walter Salles, Diarios de motocicleta (2004); On the Road (2009)
Fernando Solanas, La dignidad de los nadies (2005)
Martin Scorsese, No Direction Home (2005)
Emilio Estevez, Bobby (2006)
Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men (2006); The Shock Doctrine (2007)
Steven Soderbergh, Che (The Argentine; Guerrilla) (2008)

PARTICULARS:Active participation in class is expected.  Weekly short analysis papers (1-2 pp).  Depending upon enrollment, final weeks of the class may be dedicated to an intensive writing workshop to develop a research paper on a relevant topic of the student’s choice. Throughout the semester, screenings will be arranged whenever possible according to student preference for scheduling (please note that these screenings will not be part of regular class meetings).  Class discussion and writing will be in Spanish.

 

SPANISH 460S: Contemporary Hispanic Caribbean and Latino Cultural Studies
Jose Quiroga; T/Th 1:00-2:15 Max: 18

Content: The course is chiefly concerned with recent cultural phenomena in Cuba, Santo Domingo, and Puerto Rico in literature, music, video and film. It is also intended to examine diasporic and exilic populations of Caribbean peoples in the United States.

Texts and authors include: Jose Marti, Jamaica Kincaid, Pedro Pietri, Luis Palés Matos, Nicolás Guillén, Zoe Valdes.

Particulars: Four short papers, midterm, and oral presentations

Prerequisites: Span 300