Hispanic Studies

Spanish Study Abroad

A full immersion experience abroad that includes living with Spanish speaking families while learning and using the language in its cultural context. Daily morning classes, and afternoon and weekend cultural visits and activities complement this three-week program. Prerequisite for SPAN 200: SPAN 112. Prerequisite for SPAN 300: SPAN 213. Offered intermittently.

Beginning Spanish I

An introduction to the Spanish language and culture. Focuses on cultural aspects. Emphasizes the development of basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Audiovisual materials supplement the program. Prerequisite: no previous instruction in Spanish. Offered every semester.

Beginning Spanish II

An introduction to the Spanish language and culture. Focuses on cultural aspects. Emphasizes the development of basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Audiovisual materials supplement the program. Prerequisite: SPAN 111 with a grade of C or higher or proficiency as determined by the Department. Offered every semester.

Intermediate Spanish

Development of conversational and writing skills through review of familiar and complex structures, and extensive oral-aural practice. Students attain fluency at a secondary level and the ability to interpret written material adequate for the level. The course also looks at general aspects of the Spanish-speaking world relevant to the understanding of its culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 112 with a grade of C or higher or proficiency as determined by the Department. Offered every semester.

Seminar in Hispanic Cultures

A travel course focusing on the contrasting diversity and unifying elements of the Spanish-speaking world. Topic varies depending on the chosen destination. Students experience the culture and visit museums, historical landmarks, and key sites in order to examine the features that make Hispanic societies distinctive. May be repeated for credit as topic and destination vary. Satisfies the study abroad requirement in the Spanish major. Prerequisites: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

U.S. Latino Culture

Studies the Latino phenomenon in the U.S. as peculiar to a diaspora strongly united by language and adherence to a common cultural legacy. Students examine the circumstances causing the migration of specific groups entering the U.S. Emphasizes social issues such as labor, health, education, diversity within the Latino community, the acculturation process, and the overall impact of the Latino minority in U.S. society today. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Topics in Advanced Conversation and Composition

Emphasizes reading for comprehension and the articulation of ideas in Spanish. An introduction to Spanish Civilization and Culture through the analysis and discussion of carefully chosen publications written by Latin American and Peninsular writers. Can be taken more than once for credit. Prerequisites: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Cultural Encounters

This course examines the intersections between geography, natural and urban landscapes, and the culture of the locality of interest. Students will visit specific regions to experience the natural and cultural diversity, and the inclusion of the service-learning component will expose students to direct interaction with the individuals in the area. Course fee is estimated to be $2,700-3,100 excluding international airfare. Prerequisite: Sophomore status and the approval of the faculty member teaching the course. In addition, for Hispanic Studies majors and minors, SPAN 213 or equivalent is required and their coursework will need to be completed in Spanish. Offered every J-term, contingent on student demand.

Survey of Latin American Literature

The most important works of Spanish American prose, poetry and essay from the Conquest to the present are studied against the cultural background. Introduces students to Latin American civilization as well as the literature. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Studies in Hispanic Poetry

Studies representative poets, periods, and poetic traditions and styles of Spain and Spanish America. Critical analyses of the texts in their original form is complemented with discussion of the author's work in translation. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Civilization of Spain

Studies the history of Spain and its rich cultural legacy. Students become familiar with the most transcendental events in this nation's past. Focuses on distinct artists and their work, iconic figures, traditions, and popular trends that have had an impact in and outside Spain's national borders. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Civilization of Latin America

Students learn about Latin American countries, their people, and their civilizations through the study of major works of literature, art and music. Ideas presented in class are reinforced through films, slide presentations, and guest speakers. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Political Writings of Latin America

Focuses on readings from the political writings of selected Latin American thinkers. Students analyze writings that range in time from the Spanish Conquest to the present, providing a historical overview of the development of the political thought in Latin America. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Latin America through the Cinema

Analyzes a selection of Latin American feature films and documentaries in order to understand the political, social, and economic conditions that characterize this region. Students explore the constitution of national identities, questions of ideology, class, race, ethnicity, and gender. They address the conditions of film production in light of globalization and Hollywood's competition and use of film as a tool for social change. Films are screened outside of class. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Hispanic Professional Competence

Designed for students and professionals who wish to learn Spanish for use in a practical business context. Prerequisite: SPAN 213 or equivalent or consent.

Poetics of Violence in Chilean Culture

Studies the poetic representations of violence and the militancy of cultural production in the context of the Chilean institutional crisis of 1973 and thereafter. It has an emphasis on the aesthetic and political nature of literature, especially poetry as Chile is known to be a country of poets. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Seminar in Spanish Literature

Focuses on specific topics of Spanish literature to offer students the opportunity of in-depth examination. Students are encouraged to explore the topics comparatively and through other forms of cultural and artistic productions such as theatre and film. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Hispanic American Women Writers

An overview of the history of Hispanic American women writers from the colonial period to the present. Includes an analysis of key economic, social, and political conditions in the development of their writing. Poetry, short story and the novel are included. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Disease and Disability in Hispanic Cultures

Provides a range of perspectives on the concepts of disease and disability in the literature from the Hispanic world. We will analyze artistic expressions, scientific and alternative medicine literatures, and brief theoretical approaches that focus on disease and its impacts on society and the individual. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Myths, Rituals, and Reality in the Hispanic Syncretic Imagination

Examines the Hispanic culture through ideological notions, myths, iconic figures, traditions, and religious manifestations such as rituals. Discussion centers on the key issues that have resulted from the meeting of the two worlds and adaptation of the American first nations to the transformative reality of colonialism. (Includes travel component when taught during summer or January Terms.) Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

The Latin American Short Story

The Latin American short story is one of the richest manifestations of contemporary Latin American narrative. A study of its evolution from the origins to the present, paying close attention to the principal literary, social and political movements that produced those stories: Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Regionalism, Existentialism, the Boom, the post-Boom and Feminism, among others. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Topics in Mexican Culture and History

A multidisciplinary approach to Mexico and its diaspora throughout history based on discussion of specific issues. Students examine specific topics that define Mexican culture using a selection of fictional and non-fictional literary pieces and other forms of cultural and artistic expression. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Analysis of the Spanish Language

Provides the opportunity to improve knowledge of Spanish, develop a better understanding of the process of learning a second language, and expand knowledge of the many facets of the Spanish language. Students planning to teach Spanish will learn about issues of second language acquisition, including application of basic concepts of phonology, syntax, and morphology to the teaching of Spanish, and topics of the Spanish language that are usually problematic for English-speaking learners of Spanish. Discussion of latest research on language acquisition, the teaching of Spanish as a second language, the use of technology, and proficiency assessment is part of the course. Students who do not plan to teach benefit from the presentation of linguistics points in a larger context instead of isolated cases. Also provides the opportunity to be acquainted with the relationship between language and society and culture. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

The Latin American Novel

A study of the development of the Latin American novel from the 19th century to the present. Examines theme, form, style, and technique; the historical and social context and Latin American women as authors and as characters. Prerequisite: Open to all students with SPAN 213 equivalence. Offered intermittently.

Practicum in the Teaching of Spanish

Students learn various methods for the teaching of grammar, writing, and speaking in Spanish. They also serve as assistants and tutors in SPAN 111, 112, and 213. Prerequisite: By consent, but the course is primarily intended for Education students with SPAN 213 equivalence and an advanced ability to use Spanish effectively. Offered intermittently.