Spanish and PortugueseSpanish 120 Elementary Spanish II
Staff
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Course Description
Spanish 120 is a second-semester language course designed for students who have some prior experience in Spanish. As in other Spanish courses, Spanish 120 emphasizes the development of foundational listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Through listening activities and videotaped interviews with native speakers, your aural and oral abilities will improve at the same time that you will become familiarized with different varieties of standard spoken Spanish. You will be given ample opportunities to practice orally and in writing so that you can reinforce newly acquired vocabulary and linguistic structures. Reading strategies will facilitate your comprehension of the texts included in the course syllabus. Readings focused on a specific country or region, visual items (such as maps, photos, films) and a class project will advance your knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices and products while increasing your intercultural competence.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide you with guided practice before moving to more independent and spontaneous language production. You will participate in paired, small-group and whole-class activities that simulate real-life situations that will help you gain confidence communicating in Spanish.
Goals
By the end of this course students can handle a variety of day-to-day situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as:
- Introduce themselves, use greetings, describe people, places and things, give instructions, tell time, go shopping, order meals in a restaurant, and make travel plans
- Talk about themselves, families and friends regarding academic life, daily routines, health, work, leisure, and preferences (using the present and past tenses)
- Use the cultural information learned in class as an icebreaker to find common ground with Spanish-speaking people around the globe
Prerequisites & Credit Regulation Form
The prerequisites for registering for this course are clearly detailed in this Credit Regulation Form:
SPANISH 120 CRF
Students will have to complete and submit this form during the first week of classes so their instructors can verify that they are enrolled in the appropriate course.
Spanish 121 Elementary Spanish
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 121 is designed for students who have some prior experience in Spanish. It is an intensive elementary-level language course that in one semester covers the material studied over two semesters in our 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 in other Spanish courses, Spanish 121 emphasizes the development of foundational listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Through listening activities and mini documentaries shown in class, students will develop their aural and oral skills at the same time that they will become familiarized with different varieties of standard spoken Spanish. Students will be given ample opportunities to practice orally and in writing so that they can reinforce newly acquired vocabulary and linguistic structures. Readings focused on a specific country or region, visual items (such as maps, photos, and films) and a class project will advance students’ knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices and products while increasing their intercultural competence.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide you with guided practice before moving to more independent and spontaneous language production. You will participate in paired, small-group and whole-class activities that simulate real-life situations that will help you gain confidence communicating in Spanish.
Goals
By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of day-to-day situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as:
- Introduce themselves, use greetings, describe people, places and things, give instructions, tell time, go shopping, order meals in a restaurant, and make travel plans
- Talk about themselves, families, and friends regarding academic life, daily routines, health, work, leisure, and preferences (using the present and past tenses)
- Use the cultural information learned in class as an icebreaker to find common ground with a wide a variety of Spanish speakers
Prerequisites & Credit Regulation Form
The prerequisites for registering for this course are clearly detailed in this Credit Regulation Form:
Students will have to complete and submit this form during the first week of classes so their instructors can verify that they are enrolled in the appropriate course.
Spanish 125 Spanish for the Medical Professions, Elementary II
Staff
See Timetable for times
Course Description
Spanish 125 is a second-semester elementary Medical Spanish Language that continues to develop the fundamentals of practical Spanish, with a special focus 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. 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. The class will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
Prerequisites & Credit Regulation Form
The prerequisites for registering for this course are clearly detailed in this Credit Regulation Form:
Students will have to complete and submit this form during the first week of classes so their instructors can verify that they are enrolled in the appropriate course.
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Intermediate Language Courses
Spanish 130 Intermediate Spanish I
Staff
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Course Description
Spanish 130, a first-semester intermediate-level course, emphasizes students’ acquisition of new vocabulary and linguistic structures in a cultural and communicative context while building on their previous speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills. A substantial amount of the course is devoted to learning and using the past tenses. As in other Spanish courses, students will take part in a wide range of activities including video blogging, role-plays, film viewings, listening to music, and class discussions of current social and cultural topics. Unique to this course is the creation of a “cultural journal” throughout the semester in which students pursue their own interests in the Spanish-speaking world while taking advantage of some of the rich resources within Philadelphia’s own Hispanic community.
Goals
By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of common situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as:
- Narrate past actions, ranging from personal anecdotes to historical events
- Give advice, recommendations, and commands to people
- Express their feelings and doubts when reacting to what others have said
- Talk about their future expectations and wishes
- Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Hispanic cultural practices and products
Prerequisites & Credit Regulation Form
The prerequisites for registering for this course are clearly detailed in this Credit Regulation Form:
Students will have to complete and submit this form during the first week of classes so their instructors can verify that they are enrolled in the appropriate course.
Spanish 134 Intermediate Spanish I and II: Accelerated
Staff
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Course Description
During the spring semester, Spanish 134 is limited to those students who have satisfied the language requirement in another language. During the summer (at the Penn campus and the Penn-in-Buenos Aires Summer Abroad Program), Spanish 134 is open to all students.
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.
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 Director of the Spanish Language Program.
Prerequisites & Credit Regulation Form
The prerequisites for registering for this course are clearly detailed in this Credit Regulation Form:
Students will have to complete and submit this form during the first week of classes so their instructors can verify that they are enrolled in the appropriate course.
Spanish 140 Intermediate Spanish II
Staff
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Course Description
Spanish 140 is a fourth-semester language course that both reinforces and enhances the communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) previously acquired while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Class activities are designed so that students can build up these four skills in order to function at an intermediate language level. Readings focused on contemporary social and political issues of the Hispanic world will advance your knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices while increasing your intercultural competence. Unique to this course is the preparation of an oral presentation on a topic related to the Hispanic world throughout the semester and presented during the last days of classes. The purpose of this task is to help students develop their presentational competence in Spanish.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide students with ample opportunities to work in small groups and in pairs while gaining confidence communicating in Spanish. This course satisfies the language requirement at Penn.
Goals
By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as:
- Express their opinions on a variety of contemporary events and issues
- Defend their position when presented with a hypothetical situation
- Deliver short presentations on a chosen subject after thorough preparation
- Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Hispanic cultural practices and products
Prerequisites & Credit Regulation Form
The prerequisites for registering for this course are clearly detailed in this Credit Regulation Form:
Students will have to complete and submit this form during the first week of classes so their instructors can verify that they are enrolled in the appropriate course.
Spanish 145 Spanish for the Medical Professions, Intermediate II
Staff
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Course Description
Spanish 145, the continuation of Spanish 135, is an intermediate-level integrated skills language course. It emphasizes the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities. Students will be expected to participate actively in classroom activities such as communicative activities, role-playing based on typical doctor/patient interactions as well as other medical situations. Students will also review and learn other essential tools of communication applicable both inside and outside the medical field. The class will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
Prerequisite & Credit Regulation Form
The prerequisites for registering for this course are clearly detailed in this Credit Regulation Form:
Students will have to complete and submit this form during the first week of classes so their instructors can verify that they are enrolled in the appropriate course.
Spanish 180 Spanish Conversation
Staff
La casa hispánica residents only.
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 Director of the Spanish Language Program.
Spanish 205 Advanced Spanish for the Medical Professions
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 140 or 145 or equivalent.
The goal of this course is to provide advanced practice in Spanish to those students who are interested in pursuing careers in the medical and healthcare fields. Through readings and authentic materials on contemporary health issues—for example, H1N1 influenza, comparative healthcare systems, malnutrition, Chagas disease, etc.—students will acquire the vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to discuss a wide array of topics pertaining to the health-related professions. Students will also gain awareness of those healthcare issues affecting the Hispanic/Latino patient. Short oral presentations and a poster session at semester’s end will complement topics covered in class.
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, videos, and class discussions, we will analyze the current business environment in the region taking into consideration local economies and markets in light of their recent history, politics, resources, and relevant current events.
Spanish 212 Advanced Spanish II: Grammar and Composition
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or equivalent
Spanish 212 is an advanced-level language course that emphasizes the acquisition of the tools necessary for successful written expression in Spanish. These tools include a solid knowledge of the major points of Spanish grammar, an ample vocabulary, control of the mechanics of the language (spelling, punctuation, etc.), and a thorough understanding of the writing process. Throughout the semester students will use these tools to analyze authentic texts and to produce a variety of written assignments. By the end of the course students will have developed their awareness of the norms of standard Spanish and learned to incorporate these features into their own writing. The class will be conducted in Spanish and students are expected to speak in Spanish at all times.
Any questions about placement should be addressed to the Director 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 Director of the Spanish Language Program.
Spanish 219 Hispanic Texts and Contexts
Staff
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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 Introduction to Literary Analysis
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or Spanish 212.
By helping students develop skills to carefully read and analyze Spanish literary works, Spanish 223 prepares them for upper-level courses and study abroad. After reviewing the main elements and conventions of the most popular genres (narrative, poetry, theater and essay), students become familiarized with current theoretical approaches to the study of literature with the purpose of applying them to their own analytical writing. The last weeks of the semester are devoted to the reading of a well-crafted detective novel and the examination of both its formal features and its ideological underpinnings. Throughout the course, students will have ample opportunities to hone their skills through the close reading and class discussion of varied and stimulating literary works produced by canonical and non-canonical Hispanic authors.
Spanish 348 Don Quijote
Prof. Solomon
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
As a foundational work of world literature and Hispanic culture, every student of Spanish will benefit from reading Miguel de Cervantes’ novel El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha. This course is designed to shepherd students through the novel, highlighting its major characters, plot points, themes, historical contexts, and literary techniques, while reinforcing an understanding of the work through 400 years of audiovisual representation—illustrations, cinematographic adaptations, animated versions, and musical scores. Course requirements include 12 weekly worksheets/short writing assignments and a final project.
Spanish 388-401 Cyborgs, Robots, Gadgets: Technologies in Contemporary Hispanic Cinema
Prof. Caballo-Marquez
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
Contemporary Latin American and Spanish Cinema offer a great reflection on the role that new technologies have in the film industry, and in our lives, in the digital era. Often, we find that technologies are used in an original way to overcome financial shortages in times of crisis, or when resources are limited. In this context, sometimes it is actually thanks to the new technologies that the work of new directors can be produced or distributed. Some recent Latin American and Spanish sci-fi movies find genuine ways to bring about social and political commentary through the use of technological narratives. Reflections on technology are often found in many other film genres too. Our aim in this course will be to explore the use of technology in film in the present and in the past, as well as to study narratives that place technology at the center. We will focus our study on films where technology is a key factor, and will reflect on the impact of technologies in our experience as spectators as well. The film selection for this course will include the works of directors Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Amenábar, Ignacio Ferreras, Kike Maíllo, Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori, Carlos Marques-Marcet, and Alex Rivera, among others. The course will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
Spanish 388-402 The Spanish Labyrinth: Films of Pedro Almodovar
Prof. Olga Guadalupe
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
The metaphor of the labyrinth has been used to explain the complexities of Spanish History that led to the Spanish civil war, and it has been recently employed again in the title of a recent monograph about Almodovar’s cinema to reflect on his iconic status both as a postmodern artist and as the best representative figure of the new and liberated Spain emerging from decades of dictatorship and cultural backwardness. One of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the world, Almodóvar is unquestionably the most international of today’s Spanish filmmakers. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with Pedro Almodovar’s films and to shed some light to the intricacies of its themes, cultural background, and visual style. Together with first and secondary literature, we will offer an overview of Almodovar’s career from his early iconoclastic Post Franco films of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s to his most recent work that has gained him a reputation as an international auteur. Some of the topics covered will include questions of nacional identity, gender, sexuality, as well as Almodovar’s original use of genre, visual style, and the director’s relationship to the postmodern concepts of performance and parody.
Spanish 388-403 Latin American Film
Prof. De La Campa
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This course aims to familiarize students with some of the best cinematography of Latin America covering a broad set of themes, nations and time periods. In particular, we will look at films that explore the multiple roles of revolution and other utopian discourses, the spread of migratory displacement throughout the hemisphere, the focus on new gender formation and the “state to market” turn now prevalent under neoliberal globalization. In Latin America, film almost always bears the mark of national inscriptions. We will thus begin by probing how these themes inform national history, particularly in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Cuba, nations that developed a vibrant cinematography at various points in the 20th Century. But the main goal in this course is not only to look at film as national representation nor to stay within those four sites of production but also to study how these films articulate, complicate and at times contradict such certitudes. Film theory and criticism will therefore accompany the discussion of screened movies.
The class will be taught in English. Students looking to receive major or minor credit in HSPN may submit their written work in Spanish.
Spanish 390-401 Stories We Tell: Latin America and the Short Story
Prof. Tellez
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
In this course, we will study the emergence and development of the literary form of the short story in Latin America, during the late 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. We will also reflect on the role of storytelling in Latin America from a broad perspective that includes the literary history of the form, as well as the development of other cultural productions such as graphic short stories and podcasts.
Spanish 390-402 Latin American Literary Landscapes
Prof. Brock
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
It is hard to imagine Latin American literature without its most iconic landscapes: the barren expanses of las pampas, los desiertos, los páranos, and los sertones, the densely woven vegetation and winding rivers of la selva, the steep ravines and precipices of los Andes, etc. Far from being inert backdrops for human activity, such landscapes often appear to drive the narrative, to exert control over the thoughts and actions of people, and to function as characters themselves. In this class, we will ask how the landscape informs individual, national, and literary identities and how texts that focus on natural landscapes might reflect on and respond to the environmental change and degradation that so often accompany projects of “civilization,” modernization, and industrialization. Course requirements include short written assignments, quizzes, an oral presentation, and a final paper.
Spanish 394-401 The Secret Circle: Fictions of Conspiracy in Contemporary Latin American Literature
Prof. Montoya
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This course will examine the figures of conspiracy and complot in a series of Latin American shorts stories and novels of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These ideas have been central to both political theory and literature. The image of a small group of individuals who secretly act to change the world order seduces the public imagination. Latin American writers have not been oblivious to this trend, and some of the more representative novelists have used it in order to represent, analyze, and criticize not only their societies, but also the literary and artistic milieus where they perform their creative practices. We will read political fictions, artist’s novels, detective, and spy narrations, among other genres.
Spanish 396-401 Mexico: Revolution and Culture
Prof. Beckman
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
Studies the central role played by cultural production in forging and imagining national revolutionary projects, from the 1910s to the 1970s. Focusing on literature, photography, painting, and film, we will examine the works of figures such as Diego Rivera, José Vasconcellos, Tina Modotti, Sergei Eisenstein, Octavio Paz, Juan Rulfo, Rosario Castellanos, Nellie Campobello, José Emilio Pacheco, and Carlos Monsiváis, among others.
Spanish 396-402 The New Latin American Literary Boom?: Women Writers in the 21st Century
Prof. Garcia Serrano
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
Something unprecedented has been happening lately in the Latin American literary market and scene. Women writers in great numbers have been publishing without encountering major constraints or pressures, and their fictional work has been receiving more awards and critical accolades than ever before. Hence, the assertion made by a critic in El País that “the other Latin American Boom is female” (“El otro ‘boom’ latinoamericano es femenino”) merits to be considered and unpacked. For example, compared to their literary precursors, have the 21st-century female authors presented the customary topics of family, motherhood, sexuality, illness, etc. in a radical new way? Which are the social, political, economic, and aesthetic conditions that have given raise to this proliferation of female authors and the wide acceptance of their fictional worlds? How do these conditions differ from the Latin American literary Boom of the 20th century? These are some of the questions that we will attempt to answer throughout the course of the semester while scrutinizing the narrative written by Samanta Schweblin (Argentina), Mariana Enríquez (Argentina), Mónica Ojeda (Ecuador), Lina Meruane (Chile), and Rita Indiana (Dominican Republic).
Spanish 397-401 Literature and Dictatorship in Latin America
Prof. Brock
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
In this class, we will examine Latin American texts from a wide range of genres and media (including graphic novels, films, and the visual arts,) created in or about dictatorships. We will ask how experiences of oppression, violence, and censorship shape the daily life, consciousness, and memory of those living under repressive regimes. What possibilities and limitations does literature (and art more generally) present as a means of expressing trauma and resisting tyranny? Though we will focus primarily on representations of the dictatorships in the Southern Cone in the second half of the twentieth century, we will draw on texts from a variety of national traditions and historical periods to better understand the continuities and differences among the forms that state repression and violence has taken in Latin America as well as the range of responses available to writers and artists. Course requirements include short written assignments, quizzes, an oral presentation, and a final research project.
Spanish 397-402 Labor in Contemporary Latin American Literature and Film
Prof. Beckman
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
Studies different forms of cultural production (film, novel, short story, critical essay) as entry-points into new settings and conditions for work in Latin America, in four sectors that have become especially salient in the region: services, finance, agro-industry and the informal economy (particularly drug trafficking). We will pay particular attention to how cultural production allows us to envision the coordinates of the larger, indeed global, economy into which workers are inserted. We will examine how cultural production allows us to map shifting class structures; we will also track how gender and race shape national and international divisions of labor.