Spanish Major Courses – Fall 2020

All courses are taught in Spanish.

Spanish 250: Family and Gender Roles in Spain: 1900 to Present
GE: FOL-S & WRI
Section A – Prof. Gwen Barnes-Karol, T 9:35-11:00 / Th 9:30-10:50
Section B – Prof. Kris Cropsey, T 11:45-1:10 / Th 12:45-2:05
Section C – Prof. Leon Narvaez, T 1:20-2:45 / Th 2:15-3:35

How do you get into the mindset of another culture? How do individuals relate to a society as a whole? In this course, we’ll start to answer these questions with respect to the Spanish-speaking world by exploring different stories and documents about families in Spain from the early 1900s through 2010. We will work with strategies of academic reading in Spanish through analysis of a series of “cultural texts” – from statistical data to periodical press articles to films to a novel. You will respond to these texts and develop your skills in Spanish through class discussions and oral activities, and most importantly, through various modes of academic writing. The course includes participation in three out-of-class conversation groups.

Novel: Historia de una maestra (Josefina R. Aldecoa)
Film: La lengua de las mariposas 

• 250 is the next course for anyone continuing on after 232/233/234 and is required for all Spanish majors.
• Required for the Latin American Studies major
• Counts for Women’s and Gender Studies (major and concentration), Family Studies (concentration), and Management Studies (concentration)

Spanish 272: Cultural Heritage of Latin America
Prerequisite: Spanish 250
Prof. Ariel Strichartz
T 11:45-1:10 / Th 12:45-2:05

This course will explore the textual treatment of three fundamental moments in contemporary Latin American history–the Mexican Revolution (1910), the Cuban Revolution (1959), and Argentina’s most recent military dictatorship (1976-1983). Through the analysis of a variety of cultural texts–essays, political speeches, manifestos, stories, plays, films, and a novel–, we will examine how these events have shaped Latin American society and identity. Our interpretation of such texts will be informed by a careful study of the historical contexts in question. Classes will be predominantly discussion-based.

Tentative readings include but are not limited to the following:

Mal de amores (Mexico, 1996; novel)

Entre Pancho Villa y una mujer desnuda (Mexico; 1994; play)

Selected plays from Teatro Abierto (Argentina, 1981-1985)

Selected plays from Teatro x la Identidad (Argentina, 2000-Present)

El lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo (Cuba, 1991; story)

Fresa y chocolate (Cuba, 1994; film)

Guantanamera (Cuba, 1995; film)

• Prerequisite: Spanish 250
• Can count as a 270-level elective for the Spanish major
• Counts as a “focus on Latin America” course for the Spanish major
• Counts for the Latin American Studies concentration
• Required for the Latin American Studies major

Spanish 275: Exploring Hispanic Literature “Literature and the Spanish Civil War”
GE: ALS-L 
Prerequisite: Spanish 250
Prof. Gwen Barnes-Karol
T 1:20-2:45 / Th 2:15-3:35

First, you discovered Historia de una maestra. Then, you may have moved on to Aquí vivió: Historia de un desahucio, El libro de los americanos desconocidos or Soñar en cubano. You’ve had experience reading novels as cultural documents in Spanish 250 or 270-level courses. Now, you’re ready for the next step—reading literary works not just as cultural documents, but also as “literature.” In this course, you’ll make this transition by examining what literature is; learning key literary terminology; applying principles of literary analysis to poetry, short stories, theater, and the novel; and exploring how these four literary genres differ from other types of documents (historiography and graphic novels, for example). We’ll focus our work on the following texts that take off where Historia de una maestra left off and relate to various facets of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39):

• Poetry: war-time poems written by famous literary figures of the day as well as by everysday Spanish citizens that make the experiences of those who lived in both Republican and Nacional Spain come alive;
• Short stories: selected stories from the 1938 collection Valor y miedo by Arturo Barea that highlight war-time life in Madrid;
• Novel: Réquiem por un campesino español, by Ramón J. Sender, a novel originally written in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and published in Mexico because it was banned by the Franco regime; and
• Theater: Fernando Fernán-Gómez’s Las bicicletas son para el verano, an award-winning play written by one of 20th-century Spain’s foremost actors and playwrights.

The course also requires viewing films outside of class and two approved “comunidad de práctica” activities (for example, la mesa avanzada, or Casa Hispánica/Presente/Somos events).

• Required for the Spanish major
• May count for the Latin American studies major as a focus on Spain course (subject to approval; please consult the Director of LAS prior to registering)

Spanish 276:  Spanish as a First and Second Language
Prerequisite: Spanish 250
Prof. Maggie Broner
MWF 10:45-11:40
Counts for Linguistic Studies concentration
Counts for RACE

This course will introduce you to the cognitive and social processes involved in learning and using Spanish as second language. You will also explore Spanish as a first and Heritage language through the study of the different varieties of Spanish spoken in the Spanish-speaking world. With particular emphasis on Spanish and English bilingualism in situations of language contact (e.g. Spanish in the U.S.). We will also look at language and identity using Spain and the US as case studies. In order to do all this, this course will introduce some foundational notions from the fields of Second Language Acquisition and Hispanic Linguistics and sociolinguistics.

Tentative reading list:

• Packet of journal articles and book chapters (available through the Bookstore)
• Mi mundo adoraro by Supreme Justice Sonia Sotomayor (available through the Bookstore)

This course is required for the Spanish major
“Comunidad de Práctica”: This course requires attendance to 4 pre-approved out-of-class events (e.g. actividad en la Casa Hispánica, mesa avanzada, evento organizado por Presente o Somos, etc.).
Includes analysis of your current oral proficiency

Spanish 311: Language and Society: Language, Power, and Ideology
Prerequisite: Spanish 276
Prof. Maggie Broner
MWF 2:00-2:55
May count for focus on Spain or Latin America (please consult with your instructor)
Counts for RACE and Linguistic Studies

Spanish 313: Top: Social Inequality in Span Lit
GE: ALS-L
Prerequisite: Spanish 250 and 275
Prof. Jonathan O’Conner
T 9:35-11:00 / Th 9:30-10:50

When society leaves you with few options for making your way in the world, what do you do? In this course, we will examine Spanish literary responses to social inequality at several key points: 

1) the economic crisis of the late 16th century,

2) the industrial revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and

3) the economic crisis of 2008.

Each of these periods witnessed extreme socioeconomic circumstances that left many struggling to make their way in the world. Using historical context and tools of literary analysis, we will examine the special ways that literature confronts reality and gives us insight into society.

Tentative readings include the following:

• Lazarillo de Tormes, anonymous author: One of the best-known novels of the Spanish Golden Age, this satire tells the story of a young, destitute boy receives an “education” in how to survive in an unjust society.
• Otros textos TBD, pero habrá ejemplos de narrativa, drama y/o poesía de las tres épocas identificadas.

Class members will be expected to participate in at least 2 “comunidad de práctica” activities outside of class.

• Either 313 or 314 is required for the Spanish major
• Can count as a 300-elective if you’ve already taken 314 or 313 with a different topic
• Counts as a “focus on Spain” course