Spanish and Portuguese Spanish 120
Elementary Spanish II
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 110 or permission of the course coordinator.
Spanish 120, the continuation of Spanish 110, is a second-semester elementary Spanish course. This course emphasizes the development of foundational reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will participate in pair, small-group and whole-class activities that focus on meaningful and accurate communication skills in the target language.
Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.
Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement in Spanish may not take basic level language courses (110-145) in the same language. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 121
Elementary Spanish
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): A score of 380-440 on the SAT II or 285-383 on the online placement examination.
Spanish 121 is designed for students who have some prior experience in Spanish. It is an intensive elementary-level language course which in one semester covers the material studied over two semesters in Spanish 110 and Spanish 120. The course provides a quick-paced review of material normally covered in a first semester Spanish course and then proceeds to introduce new material so students will be prepared to take Spanish 130 during the subsequent semester.
As other Spanish courses, Spanish 121 emphasizes the development of foundational reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will participate in pair, small-group and whole-class activities that focus on meaningful and accurate communication skills in the target language.
By the end of this course, students will be able to engage in simple conversation on familiar topics, talk about the past and the future, make comparisons, give commands, describe people and things in increasing detail, etc. Students will also develop reading and listening skills that will allow them to understand simple articles in Spanish as well as pick out pertinent information when listening to a native speaker.
Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.
Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement in Spanish may not take basic level language courses (110-145) in the same language. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 130
Intermediate Spanish I
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Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 112, 120, 121 or 125 or a score of 450-540 on the SAT II or 384-453 on the online placement examination.
Spanish 130 is a first-semester intermediate-level language course that emphasizes the development of the four basic skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking skills) within a culturally based context. Class time will focus on communicative activities that combine grammatical concepts, relevant vocabulary, and cultural themes. Students will participate in pair, small-group and whole-class activities to practice linguistics skills in meaningful contexts. Major course goals include: the acquisition of intermediate-level vocabulary, the controlled use of the past tense, and the development of writing skills at a paragraph level with transitions.
Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.
Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement in Spanish may not take basic level language courses (110-145) in the same language. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 134
Intermediate Spanish I and II: Accelerated
Staff
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Spring semester Prerequisite(s): Permit required from the course coordinator.
Spanish 134 is an intensive intermediate-level language course that covers the material presented in Spanish 130 and Spanish 140. The course emphasizes the development of the four canonical skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) within a culturally based context. Class time will focus on communicative activities that combine grammatical concepts, relevant vocabulary, and cultural themes. Students will participate in pair, small-group and whole-class activities to practice linguistics skills in a meaningful context. Major course goals include: the acquisition of intermediate-level vocabulary, the controlled use of the past tense and major uses of the subjunctive, and the development of writing skills.
During the spring semester, Spanish 134 is limited to those students who have satisfied the language requirement in another language.
Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.
Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement in Spanish may not take basic level language courses (110-145) in the same language. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 140
Intermediate Spanish II
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Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 130 or 135 or a score of 550-640 on the SAT II or 454-546 on the online placement examination.
Spanish 140, the continuation of Spanish 130, is a fourth-semester intermediate-level language course that emphasizes the development and integration of the four basic skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) while developing awareness and appreciation of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will participate in pair, small-group and whole-class activities to practice linguistics skills in meaningful contexts. Topics studied include the environment, the arts, social relations, and conflict and justice. Major course goals include the acquisition of intermediate-level vocabulary, the formulation of hypotheses, and the development of writing skills at a paragraph level with transitions.
Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.
Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement in Spanish may not take basic level language courses (110-145) in the same language. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 202
Advanced Spanish
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 140 or equivalent.
The purpose of this course is twofold: (a) to develop students' communicative abilities in Spanish, that is, speaking, listening, reading and writing, and (b) to increase their awareness and understanding of Hispanic cultures and societies. Homework and classroom activities are designed to help students build their oral proficiency, expand and perfect their knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures, improve their reading and writing skills, and develop their critical thinking abilities. The material for this class includes short stories, newspaper articles, poems, songs, cartoons, video clips and a novel, such as César Aira’s La villa. At the completion of this course students will feel confident discussing and debating a variety of contemporary issues (cultural and religious practices, family relationships, gender stereotypes, political events, immigration to the USA, etc.).
Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 208
Business Spanish I
Prof. Lebaudy
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Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 140 or equivalent.
Spanish for Business I provides advanced-level language students with technical vocabulary and communicative skills covering business concepts as they apply to the corporate dynamics of the Spanish-speaking world, with a special emphasis on Latin America. Through readings, presentations, discussions, and video materials, we shall analyze those cultural aspects that characterize the business environment in the region as well as focus on economies and markets in light of their history, politics, resources and pressing international concerns.
Any questions about placement should be directed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 212
Advanced Spanish Grammar
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or equivalent.
Spanish 212 is an advanced grammar course that emphasizes the acquisition of a solid knowledge of those major points of Spanish grammar. Through discussion and correction of assigned exercises, analysis of authentic readings, and contrastive study of Spanish and English syntax and lexicon, students will develop an awareness of the norms of standard Spanish with the aim of incorporating these features into their own oral and written linguistic production.
Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 215
Spanish for the Professions I
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or equivalent.
Spanish for the Professions is designed to provide advanced-level language students with a wide-ranging technical vocabulary and the enhancement of solid communicative skills within the cultural context of several developing Latin American countries. Focusing on topics such as politics, economy, society, health, environment, education, science and technology, the class will explore the realities and underlying challenges facing Latin America. Through essays, papers, articles, research, discussions, case studies, and videotapes, we shall take an in-depth look at the dynamics of Latin American societies. The course will focus on--but not be restricted to-- Mexico, Cuba and Argentina.
Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish 219
Hispanic Texts and Contexts
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 212.
The primary aim of this course is to develop students' knowledge of the geographical, historical and cultural contexts of the Spanish-speaking world. At the same time that they are introduced to research techniques and materials available in Spanish, students strengthen their language skills through reading, oral presentations, video viewing, and regular writing assignments. The course is designed to give students a broad understanding of Hispanic culture that will prepare them for upper-level course work.
Spanish 250-601
Major Works Spanish and Latin American Literature
Prof. Regueiro
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From the rise of the novel with Cervantes' Don Quixote in early-modern Spain to the Latin American "boom" with García Márquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude, this course will examine these and other major works in Hispanic literature within the cultural, political, and social context of each period.
Span 325-301
Introduction to Translation: Spanish <> English
Prof. Grabner-Travis
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
In an increasingly globalized world, communication takes place not only in a face-to-face, verbal/aural fashion, but also in written form. And with international business and other types of collaboration growing, this means that documents written in one language frequently need to be available in multiple other languages. Thus, it can only be an advantage for multilingual speakers to also have the knowledge to translate documents between languages. This is not as straightforward a process as it might seem; just because someone speaks two languages does not automatically mean they will be able to effectively transfer the meaning of a written document from one language to the other. There are innumerable considerations to be taken into account in transferring meaning from one language to another.
The purpose of this course is to introduce Spanish students to many of these considerations and to get them started on the road to mastering the art of communicating the same essential meaning in two different languages. This course is designed for students who already have a solid foundation in Spanish and English grammar. The course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of translating between English and Spanish, and offers a general review of any necessary grammar structures. It addresses important topics such as discourse strategies, register and mood, dialect, sociolect, genre, stylistic considerations, and cultural norms linked to written communication.
The course will offer intensive practice of the theoretical concepts studied, across a range of writing genres, including fiction, academic/professional/technical writing, journalism and advertising, persuasive writing, and even subtitling of movies/videos. Class time will be spent discussing reading assignments, critiquing classmates’ work, and practicing shorter translation assignments. Although it is a writing-intensive course, class time will be spent primarily on discussion and interactive, collaborative activities.
Span 380-301
The Spanish Contemporary Short-Story: History and Workshop
Prof. Moreno Caballud
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course will study some of the techniques and trends of the short story in Spain since the end of the Civil War until today. We will explore the major characteristics of the genre, as well as its avant-garde modifications. We will investigate its borrowings and crosses with journalism, poetry, novel, and essay. The course will have a strong creative and practical component: students will learn through imitation of literary models and techniques. We will use texts by authors such as Max Aub, Carmen Martín Gaite, Quim Monzó, Enrique Vila-Matas, Luis Mateo Díez, José María Merino, and Bernardo Atxaga.
Span 384-401
Spanish Contemporary Documentary Films
Prof. Moreno Caballud
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course will explore the classic tradition of Spanish documentary films paying special attention to the recent flourishing of the genre in the last two decades. We will study poetic and social documentaries in their socio-historical context. For this we will need to engage not only films and film theory texts, but also historical recounts of contemporary Spain, from dictatorship to democracy. We will also analyze the limits between documentary and fiction film, focusing on some works that have critically blurred the distinction between the two genres.
Span 386-401
“Ghosts”: The Spanish Civil War in Literature and Cinema
Prof. León Blázquez
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
From its very eruption, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) gained the attention of artists and writers, who saw it both as a national conflict and as the crossroad where the new geopolitics of the 20th century would be defined. Today, seventy years later, it continues being an unsolved trauma in Spanish society, producing images that reveal an ongoing need for collective catharsis. Over the course of time, these representations have changed considerably. We will examine them in their specific contexts, studying those which appeared during the conflict itself, after the advent of the Francoist dictatorship and the massive exile of dissidents, and with the later return to constitutional monarchy. We will consider the impact that the situation of emergency during war, the subsequent Francoist and Cold War censorships, and the later “pact of silence” undertaken by Spanish democracy had on these representations. Our discussions will cover narrative works, memoirs, poems, theatre plays, songs, works of art, documentaries and movies.
Span 390-401
From Literary Fiction into Film: Spain and Latin America
Prof. Guadalupe
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course focuses on how a literary work is transformed into cinematic form when the camera lens replaces the reader’s eye. We will analyze narrative as a common feature in both media, the relations between verbal and visual language, and the impact of the written word and the film image. The study of the adaptation of the literary work into film and the comparative analysis of both texts will highlight the similarities and differences between literature and film as well as questions the possibilities and limitations of each art form. Literary and cinematic texts will be studied both as a means of artistic communication, paying close attention to the demands raised by the literary text for its visual translation, as well as a mirror and interpretation of Hispanic’s historical, social, and cultural reality. Course includes readings of Spanish and Latin American literary works covering all genres (drama, short stories, novel) and periods, from the Renaissance to Modern times. For their cinematic counterparts special emphasis is given to contemporary films from the 1980’s to the present.
SPAN 390-402
Women in Hispanic Cinema
Prof. Caballo-Márquez
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course will explore representations of women in Latin American and Spanish cinema over the last century. By looking into a wide variety of depictions of women (cabareteras, prostitutes, immigrants, historical figures, etc.), we will craft a history of women in Hispanic cinema. We will analyze how the portrayals of women change in different social, political, historical, and cultural contexts. What is Hispanic cinema telling us about how our societies imagine women and femininity? How have female roles evolved in a century of Hispanic cinema? How do different conceptualizations of gender affect female representations? The film selection for this course will include works by Pedro Almodóvar, María Luisa Bemberg, Icíar Bollaín, Luis Buñuel, Alberto Gout, Lucrecia Martel, Helena Taberna, and Fina Torres.
Span 390-403
“Subversive Screens”: The Marriage between Latin American Film and State Politics from Revolution to Revolution: 1959-2011
Prof. Farrell
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
In this course, we will explore the close relationship between the film industries throughout Latin America and their respective states. Through film and theoretical readings we will begin with Cuba's first established ministry in 1959, which later became the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Industry (ICAIC). The ICAIC served as a model to protect and foster both Cuban filmmakers and a critical Cuban audience. The ICAIC worked to bring films to the countryside for the first time in Cuban history while also opening a rare space for criticism of the revolution. Next we will explore "New Latin American Cinema" and the use of film to denounce dictatorships, cultural imperialism, and social inequalities throughout Latin America. These films were explicit protests and were often viewed illegally as works against the state.
Since the 1990’s many countries have abandoned their national film projects and have chosen to work on co-productions with other Latin American and European countries. As of 2004 in Venezuela we see a return to a national film project, borrowing from the ICAIC and Cinema Novo past, to celebrate national identity and the current political agenda through film. We will conclude the course attempting to answer the following questions: What is revolutionary film? Can it come from within the state? Are state productions merely propaganda? Can we reach authentic representations of Latin America through film?
Span 394-401
Latin American Narrative in the 2000’s
Prof. Laddaga
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
The course will review the work of some the main authors and map the dominant trends in Latin American written and audiovisual narrative of the last decade. We will analyze novels, short stories, and plays of writers as diverse as Alan Pauls, Mario Bellatin, Lucrecia Martel and José Manuel Prieto, and put them in relation to social and cultural processes taking place in the region. We will pay particular attention to the ways in which new technologies have affected artistic production.
Span 394-402
Writing About Oneself: Autobiography, Memory and Testimony in Latin American Literature
Prof. Escalante
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course will study autobiography, memory and testimony as representations of subjectivity and identity. We are going to consider political, cultural and ideological aspects of these genres as well as esthetic ones. We are going to discuss also the importance of temporality in the formation of identity and how this is represented in each of the texts of our list. Some authors we will read include Servando Teresa de Mier, Flora Tristán, Asunción Silva, Pablo Neruda, Alfredo Bryce Echenique, Julio Ramón Ribeyro, Gabriel García Márquez, Reinaldo Arenas, Miguel Barnet.
Span 394-403
Less Nation State, More Literature?: Crime Fiction and the Crisis of the State in the Contemporary Cuban, Mexican, and Columbian Novel
Prof. Montoya
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course will study the crime novel in three important Latin American literary traditions: Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia. We will analyze the different roles that this genre played in relation to the official cultural agendas of the Nation-State, both in socialist Cuba, in PRI- and post-PRI Mexico, and in the contemporary convulsed history of violence in Colombia. Course readings will consist of a selection of short stories and novels; possible authors may include Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Paco Ignacio Taíbo II, Leonardo Padura Fuentes, Fernando Vallejo, and Evelio Rosero.
Span 396-401
Travel Writing in Latin American Literature
Prof. Escalante
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course will study the relation between travel and the notions of subjectivity, identity, temporality, memory, ideology, race and gender in Latin American Literature. We are going to start our course analyzing the first chronicles that describe the discovery of America, then we are going to study nineteenth century texts and we will end our course reading contemporary travel writing. This chronological order will give us the opportunity to study the diversity of ways in which travel was conceived, imagined and represented throughout Latin American history. Some of the authors we will read include Cristóbal Colón, Hernán Cortés, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Gómez Carrillo, Rubén Darío, Horacio Quiroga, Octavio Paz, and Mario Vargas Llosa.
Span 396-402
Detectives, Criminals, and Writers in Contemporary Latin American Literature
Prof. Montoya
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
Born as a sub-genre, crime fiction (a denomination which encompasses a wide number of texts: classical detective stories, hard-boiled, true-crimes and the non-investigative crime novel) has become one of the most attractive literary forms for writers, and one of the favorites for readers. Because it is built around topics like the crime and the law, the search of the truth and the unstable identity of the subject in mass societies, it has become an ideal vehicle for the expression of the anxieties and fears that dominate the contemporary culture. Its versatility has been used by many Latin American authors to express the social and political conflicts of the continent, as well as to explore its literary possibilities through formal searches, characterized by parody, meta-literary and auto-referential games.
The aims of this course are, on the one hand, to offer a panoramic vision of the crime fiction in Latin America through the reading of some representative authors; and, on the other, to explore how they can be can be read from different theoretical approaches.
Span 396-403
Painting in Latin American Narrative
Prof. Giménez
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
This course analyzes textual relationships between artists and Latin American contemporary novels in which painting appears in some form. While this group of novels is quite eclectic and disparate, all of them are enriched by their contacts with paintings. Different artistic or esthetic concepts nourish and strengthen these novels on different levels and with different results. The course will analyze the intertextual relationships between European painters such as Pablo Picasso, Tamara de Lempicka, René Magritte, Francisco de Goya and Hans Staden, and in the works of Contemporary Latin American authors such as Julio Cortázar, Cristina Peri Rossi, José Donoso, Alejo Carpentier and Juan José Saer.