Fall 2014 Undergraduate Courses in Spanish

Spanish 110- Elementary Spanish I

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Prerequisite(s): A score below 380 on the SAT II or below 285 on the online placement examination.

Spanish 110 is a first-semester elementary language course designed for students who have not previously studied Spanish. 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 112- Elementary Spanish I and II: Accelerated

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Permission needed from department

Prerequisite(s): Permit required from the directors of the Spanish language program

Spanish 112 is an intensive course designed for students who have already satisfied the language requirement in another language and have not previously studied Spanish. By combining the curriculum of Spanish 110 and 120, Spanish 112 seeks to develop students' reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities 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.

Spanish 115- Spanish for the Medical Professions, Elementary I

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Prerequisite(s): A score below 380 on the SAT II or below 285 on the online placement examination.

Offered through the Penn Language Center, Spanish 115 is a first-semester elementary medical Spanish language course and the first in the Spanish for the Medical Professions sequence. It is designed for students with no prior coursework in Spanish. This course teaches beginning students the fundamentals of practical Spanish with an emphasis on medical situations and basic medical terminology. In this course, particular attention will be given to developing speaking and listening skills, as well as cultural awareness. It incorporates activities, vocabulary, and readings of particular interest to healthcare practitioners, while adhering to the goals and scope of Spanish 110, the first-semester Spanish language course. Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.

Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.

Students who have completed SPANISH 110 or any SPANISH course above that level may not take SPANISH 115. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level, and therefore students will not receive credit for SPANISH 115.

Spanish 121-Elementary Spanish

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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.

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.

Spanish 135- Spanish for the Medical Professions, Intermediate 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.

Offered through the Penn Language Center, Spanish 135 is a first-semester intermediate-level medical Spanish language course that emphasizes the development of the four basic skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and the acquisition of medical terminology. Students will be expected to participate in classroom activities such as role-plays based on typical office and emergency procedures in order to develop meaningful and accurate communication skills in the target language. Students will also review and acquire forms and structures useful both inside and outside the medical field.

Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.

Students who have completed SPANISH 130 or any SPANISH course above that level may not take SPANISH 135. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level, and therefore students will not receive credit for SPANISH 135.

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.

Spanish 145- Spanish for the Medical Professions, Intermediate 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.

Offered through the Penn Language Center as the continuation of Spanish 135, Spanish 145 is a second-semester intermediate-level medical Spanish language course. This course emphasizes the development of the four basic skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and the acquisition of medical terminology. Students will be expected to participate in classroom activities such as role-plays based on typical office and emergency procedures in order to develop meaningful and accurate communication skills in the target language. Students will also review and acquire forms and structures useful both inside and outside the medical field.

Students who have previously studied Spanish must take the online placement examination.

Students who have completed SPANISH 140 or any SPANISH course above that level may not take SPANISH 145. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level, and therefore students will not receive credit for SPANISH 145.

Spanish 180- Spanish Conversation

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La casa hispánica residents only.

Spanish 202- Advanced Spanish

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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 209-Business Spanish II (Advanced Spanish in the Business World)

Prof. Lebaudy

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Pre-requisite(s): Departmental permission required.

This course is specifically designed for advanced speakers of Spanish (i.e., native speakers, high-level heritage speakers, and students who have studied in a Spanish-speaking country for at least one semester). Students will take an in-depth look at the corporate dynamics of a number of countries in Latin America, focusing on their economies and markets, as well as on the cultural and business protocols of each region. Through the creation of an entrepreneurial project and the writing of a business plan, students will enhance their business and language skills.

Any questions about placement should be addressed 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 219- Hispanic Texts and Contexts

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or Spanish 212.

The primary aim of this course is to develop students' knowledge of the geographical, historical and cultural contexts in those regions where Spanish is used. At the same time that they are introduced to research techniques and materials available in Spanish, students strengthen their language skills through readings, class discussions, and frequent writing assignments. This course is designed to give students a broad understanding of Hispanic culture that will prepare them for upper-level course work and study abroad.

Spanish 223- Perspectives of Spanish and Latin American Literatures

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or Spanish 212.

Literature from Spain and Latin America contains a wealth of information about language, history and culture. The goal of this course is to help students develop skills to carefully read Spanish literary works while preparing them for upper-level courses and study abroad. We begin reviewing the main characteristics of various literary movements and of the four genres (narrative, poetry, theater and essay). During the second part of the semester students become familiarized with a wide variety of theoretical approaches to the study of literature with the purpose of applying them to their own analytical writing. In the last part of the course students produce their own essays on a text chosen by them and based on research. Sample essays written by other students and included in the textbook will serve as models. Throughout the course students will have ample opportunities to hone their skills through the close reading and class discussion of varied and stimulating works by Miguel de Cervantes, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Roberto Bolaño, etc.

Spanish 317- Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics

Prof. Esposito

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

This course is an introduction to Hispanic linguistics, with emphasis on the sound system and the flexional and derivational morphology of Spanish. Topics to be covered include articulatory phonetics, use of the phonetic alphabet, English and Spanish contrastive phonology, regional and social variations of Spanish, structure of the Spanish verb, word formation and inflection. Readings are in both Spanish and English. Evaluation is based on homework assignments, frequent quizzes, mid-term, and final examination during finals week.

Course Materials/Textbooks for all sections of this course will be available at the

Penn Book CENTER (130 S. 34th Street; (215) 222-7600).

Spanish 330-301- The Literature of Love in Medieval Spain

Prof. Solomon

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This course explores medieval Iberian writings on love from Andalusian Hispano-Arabic lyric through late-fifteenth century Castilian prose and theater. Selected works include Ibn Hazm’s El collar de la paloma, Juan Ruiz’s El libro de buen amor, and Fernando de Rojas’ Celestina. Special attention will be paid to the relation between literature and sexual hygiene, and to the notion that love is an “inborn suffering” and a disease requiring medical intervention.

Spanish 380-301- Spanish Nationalism and the Generation of 1898

Prof. López

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

In this course we shall study the literature of the so-called Generation of 98 and their view of Spain. The Generation of 98 was formed by a group of writers who appeared on the national literary scene after Spain's defeat in the war with the United States that resulted in the loss of the last remnants of the Spanish empire. The writers of 98 called upon themselves to produce a new definition of Spain as a nation. We will read works by Unamuno, Azorín, Machado, Baroja, and Valle-Inclán among others. A paper written in stages and one or two oral reports will decide the final grade.

Spanish 384-401- Spanish Contemporary Documentary Films

Prof. Moreno-Caballud

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

This course will explore the classic tradition of Spanish documentary films and pay 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 fictional films, focusing on some works that have critically blurred the distinction between both genres.

Spanish 386-302- Spanish Culture and the Economic Crisis

Prof. Moreno Caballud

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

One of the main changes of our times is the rise of a culture of technological and social networks that tends to substitute cooperation for competition. In Spain, this change has been accelerated by the catastrophic economic crisis that started in 2008 and that has only continued to worsen. Facing massive unemployment, rising taxes, and the reduction of public services, Spanish people are increasingly turning to each other for help in addressing basic needs. The Spanish artistic and cultural scene, perhaps because it feeds on a strong tradition of Mediterranean sociability, emerged as one of the global leaders in exploring practices of sharing and collaborating as alternatives to the aggressive pursuit of individual profits. Spanish collaborative artistic and cultural networks play a very important role in spreading methodologies and mythologies of cooperation that help to regenerate the energy of a damaged society. In this course we will study literary, audiovisual and other types of artistic projects that take part in the Spanish collaborative and cultural networks.

Spanish 390-401- Women Writers in Latin American Literature

Prof. Escalante

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

In this course, we will study literary works written by women from the end of the 19th century to the present. We shall analyze how these texts are a testimony to women's subaltern position in society and discuss women’s attempt to criticize or subvert the rigid rules of the traditional and patriarchal societies of Latin America. Other topics include the representation of desire, sentimentality, and body image. Some of the authors we will read include Flora Tristán, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Delmira Agustini, María Luisa Bombal, Alejandra Pizarnick, and Cristina Peri Rossi.

Spanish 390-402- Contemporary Latin American/Spanish Short Stories

Prof. Garcia-Serrano

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

In this course we will analyze a selection of short stories written by both canonical and non-canonical Hispanic authors: Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Augusto Monterroso, Roberto Bolaño, Imma Monsó, and Guadalupe Nettel. The texts selected explore a variety of issues, such as subjectivity, gender, desire, love, power, fantasy, technology, and language. Readings on contemporary literary theory will provide students with analytical and interpretative tools to examine these narratives, especially its ideological underpinnings.

Spanish 396-401- Travel Writing in Latin American Literature

Prof. Escalante

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

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 shall start our course by analyzing the first chronicles that describe the discovery of America, we shall then 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.

Spanish 396-402- There Will Be Blood: The Image Of the Conquistador

Prof. Téllez

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

Who was the Spanish conquistador? A brave soldier? A devoted religious man or a voracious murderer? An enemy or a benefactor? This course will explore representations of the Spanish conquistador in Latin America, from early 15th and 16th century chronicles, poems and paintings to contemporary literature and film. We will study the complex relationship between the conquistador and the Indigenous peoples with texts that display different aspects of the Spanish conquest and colonization of the so-called “New World”.

Spanish 397-401- Contemporary Latin American and Latino Theater and Performance

Prof. Felicano-Arroyo

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

This course will focus on the theatrical tradition of Latin America during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In addition to reading some of the most influential playwrights of the region, we will discuss the aesthetic theories and socio-historical contexts that have shaped contemporary Latin American and Latino theater and performance practices. We will also explore how the stage has served as a space in which to represent, debate, negotiate, and complicate issues related to national, gender, political, and ethnic identities and formations. We will study works by René Marqués, Coco Fusco, Osvaldo Dragún, and Sabina Berman, among others.

Spanish 397-402- An Architecture of Latin American Identities: Who Am I? Who Are You? Who

Are They?

Prof. Grabner-Travis

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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.

Sociological theory maintains that identities, like the meaning of utterances in a conversation, are not fixed and unchanging. Rather, they are negotiated, or constructed, if you will, through our interactions with others in the world around us. This course will explore such social architecture in an attempt to elucidate just a few of the many “floors” (or layers) of experience that contribute to the conception of a “Latin American” identity, in both social and personal terms. We will study a variety of texts of literary, cultural and theoretical origins that theorize, identify and exemplify various means of expressing or manifesting identity, including nationality or citizenship, gender, ethnicity, religion, and even transnationalism, or identity expressed across borders.

The goals of this course are to increase students’ understanding of regional and sociocultural differences in the Hispanic world and to enable them to theorize and analyze identity construction in general, and constituted Hispanic identities in particular. In the process, they may come away with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for both Hispanic and their own respective cultures. They will also develop and improve communication skills through cooperative group work, expressing their ideas clearly in written and spoken Spanish.

Spanish 400-301- The Spanish and Latin American Essay Film

Prof. Solomon

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This Capstone Seminar for Spanish majors explores often-overlooked and tenuously defined genre of the Spanish essay film. Focusing on films such as Luis Buñuel’s Las Hurdes (Spain), Val del Omar’s Fuego en Castilla (Spain) , Getino and Solanas’s La hora de los hornos (Argentina and Cuba), Esteva and Jordà’s Dante no es unicamente severo (Catalonia) , and Santiago Alvarez’s Now (Cuba)—to name a few—we will interrogate what Paul Arthur calls the cinematic intersection of “subjective rumination, and social history” in films that resist the canons of narrative and documentary cinema.

As a final capstone project, all students will be required to produce their own essay film on a cinematic work or movement from Spain or Latin America. Using clips, stills, voiceovers, superimpositions, non-diegetic music, and creative editing techniques, students will present their visions, interpretations, and ruminations about a particular film or film movement from Spain or Latin America. Knowledge of basic film editing software (or a willingness to learn) is essential.

This course is open only to seniors who are majoring in Spanish.

Spanish 400-302- Contemporary Latin American Literature: Between the Norm and the Exception

Prof. Montoya

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This course’s aim is to teach students how to formulate a research problem on contemporary Latin American literature. It offers a survey of theoretical and methodological tools developed by Latin Americanism, focusing on those moments in which writers and critics reflected on Latin American particularities or exceptionalities: magical realism, testimony, dictatorial trauma, and post-dictatorial societies. The seminar will emphasize how current Latin American literature returns to those moments, trying to redefine what it means today writing from and about Latin America.

This course is open only to seniors who are majoring in Spanish.