Courses
SPAN 111: Beginning Spanish I
In this language course, students will develop essential listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Spanish. Spanish grammar instruction is supplemented with study of cultural materials from Spanish-speaking countries.
SPAN 112: Beginning Spanish II
One unit semester course. This language course continues the development of essential listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills begun in Spanish 111. Students will learn enough language to handle a meaningful conversation, read short literary texts, and speak and write about their experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Spanish grammar instruction is supplemented with study of cultural materials from Spanish-speaking countries Pre-requisite: Spanish 111 or placement by examination. Conference.
SPAN 211: Intermediate Spanish I
The primary goal for this course is to increase students’ fluency in both spoken and written Spanish, while introducing them to the study of literary and cultural texts from the Spanish-speaking world. The course offers a systematic review of Spanish grammar and numerous opportunities for students to develop their speaking and writing skills.
SPAN 212: Intermediate Spanish II
One unit semester course. The primary goal for this course is to increase students’ fluency in both spoken and written Spanish. The course continues the systematic review of Spanish grammar begun in Spanish 211, yet places more emphasis on the spoken and written analysis of literary and cultural texts from the Spanish-speaking world. Students who complete Spanish 212 will acquire the necessary fluency to take advanced literature or film classes in Spanish, or to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. Pre-requisite: Spanish 211 or placement by examination. Conference.
SPAN 312: Advanced Language and Culture: Speculative Fiction
The category of speculative fiction refers to a diverse set of nonrealist approaches to narrative, including science fiction, horror, fantasy and the fantastical, utopia and dystopia. In this course, we will discuss how speculative fiction in the Spanish-speaking Americas draws from and hybridizes a number of robust regional genres (e.g., magical realism, the Latin American fantastic, horror and cyberpunk). We’ll consider how authors and filmmakers use these genres to critique and reimagine many facets of modernity, including repressive political regimes, digital technologies, neoliberalism and ecological catastrophe. Alongside this thematic focus, this course is designed to refine and enhance language skills. It includes a focused consideration of problem areas of Spanish language and an introduction to various rhetorical forms. In addition to oral practice in class, students will write numerous short essays.
SPAN 321: Theory and Practice of Hispanic Literature
This course is designed to give students a theoretical, historical, and cultural framework for the more advanced study of Spanish and Spanish American literature. It will include considerations of genre, reception, and critical theory. Students will be responsible for undertaking close readings of the texts as well as research projects.
SPAN 373: Religion and Modernity in Latin American Literature
In this course we will discuss figures and concepts from the major religious traditions of Latin America as they appear in short stories, novels, poetry, and drama from the twentieth century. We will consider the definition of modernity as a “disenchantment of the world,” and ask what that means in a region that through the present day boasts vibrant Indigenous traditions and a strong Catholic presence with origins in colonialism. The course will focus on the use of religious thought as a critical tool for examining social and political issues, such as racial and economic inequality, sectarian violence, and national identity. We will consider whether religion is a unique way of knowing, the influence of theology and belief on political systems, and what role literature has in redrawing the boundaries between politics, culture, and tradition.