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Spring 2006
(Course information subject to change)
(Cross-reference with Department roster)
Spanish 110
Elementary Spanish
Staff
MTWRF 9:00-10:00
This course is intended for students with no previous study experience in Spanish. It introduces students to the language and to Hispanic culture, while promoting the development of the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students develop the ability to communicate in Spanish in everyday, practical situations and begin reading and writing short texts in the language.
Spanish 115
Spanish for the Medical Professions I
Staff
MW 6:30-8:30 PM
This course introduces beginning students to the fundamentals of practical Spanish usage in medical situations. The course is two-pronged: linguistic competence in Spanish will be stressed along with a focus on applied medical terminology. Emphasis will be placed on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing, with a specific focus on perfecting speaking and listening skills. Students will be expected to participate actively in classroom activities such as role-playing based on typical office and emergency procedures.
Spanish 120
Elementary Spanish
(See Timetables for times)
Spanish 120 is the continuation of Spanish 110. Students who place into a second-level Spanish course in the placement test should take Spanish 121.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN 110 at Penn
Spanish 121
Elementary Spanish
(See Timetables for times)
Spanish 125
Spanish For the Medical Professions II
Staff
MW 6:30-8:45 PM
Spanish 130
Intermediate Spanish
(See Timetables for times)
Spanish 130 is a third semester content-based language course designed to help students achieve intermediate-mid competency in Spanish. It emphasizes the development of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in an academic context. Throughout the course, students will explore the history and literature of Spanish-speaking countries. This course emphasizes the linguistic skills necessary to investigate, understand and express cultural themes in Spanish. Prerequisites: Spanish 120 or equivalent score on the placement exam or SATII.
Spanish 134
Accelerated Intermediate Spanish
Staff
MWF 9:00-10:00, TR 9:00-10:30 AM
Spanish 135
Spanish for Medical Professionals, Intermediate I
Staff
MW 6:30-8:30 PM
Spanish 140
Intermediate Spanish
(See Timetables for times)
Spanish 140 is a fourth semester content-based language course designed to help students achieve intermediate-mid competency in Spanish. It emphasizes the development of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in an academic context. Throughout the course, students will explore the history and literature of Spanish-speaking countries. This course emphasizes the linguistic skills necessary to investigate, understand and express cultural themes in Spanish. Prerequisites: Spanish 130 or equivalent score on the placement exam or SAT II.
Spanish 145
Spanish for the Medical Professions, Intermediate II
Staff
MW 6:30-8:30 PM
Spanish 180
Spanish Conversation in Residence
Staff
Time TBA
Students must be residents of the Modern Language College House.
Spanish 202
Advanced Spanish
(See Timetables for times)
The purpose of this course is twofold: (a) to develop students’ communicative abilities (that is, speaking, listening, reading and writing) in Spanish 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 readings for this class include short stories, newspaper articles, poems, songs, cartoons, and the novel by Gabriel García Márquez, Crónica de una muerte anunciada. Three Hispanic films (with English or Spanish subtitles) are seen outside of class during the semester. 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 USA, etc.).
Prerequisite: successful completion of Spanish 140 or its equivalent
Spanish 208
Business Spanish I
(See Timetables for times)
This course is designed to develop students' use of Spanish for business purposes. It is conducted in Spanish. In addition to technical vocabulary, an outline of the geography, demography, forms of government, and current economic issues facing Latin American countries and Spain is presented in lectures, readings, and translations.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 140 and/or having passed the proficiency exam.
Spanish 212
Advanced Spanish Syntax
(See Timetables for times)
A rigorous advanced grammar course. Emphasis on acquisition of a solid knowledge of all important points of Spanish grammar, plus rules governing colloquial usage. Required of all majors and minors. Also useful for non-majors who wish to improve their language skills before beginning advanced courses on culture, or for those who want a practical working knowledge of Spanish for career work. Class work consists mostly of discussion and correction of assigned exercises.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or equivalent.
Spanish 215
Spanish for the Professions I
Prof. Lebaudy
TR 1:30-3:00
Spanish for Professions is designed to provide advanced-level language students (post-proficiency) with a wide technical vocabulary and understanding of key areas in the developing Latin American countries. Emphasis is placed on the enhancement of technical vocabulary and solid communicative skills. A series of topics including Politics, Economy, Society, Health, Environment, Education and Science and Technology will reveal realities and underlying challenges in the Latin American scenario. Through essays, papers, articles, research, discussions, case studies, and videotapes we will take an in-depth look at the dynamics of Latin American societies and future outlook. The course will focus on - but not be restricted to - Mexico, Cuba and Argentina.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or equivalent.
Spanish 219
The Contexts of Hispanic Civilization
Staff
(See Timetables for times)
The primary aim of this course is to develop students' knowledge of the geographical, historical, and cultural contexts in which 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 reading, oral presentations, video viewing, short papers, and frequent individual meetings with instructors. The course is designed to give students a broad understanding of Hispanic culture that will prepare them for upper-level course work. Required of all majors and minors. Discussion and all class requirements in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 212
Spanish 250
Major Works in Spanish and Latin American Literature
Prof. Regueiro
MW 5:00-6:30
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.
Spanish 319
History of the Spanish Language
Prof. Esposito
MWF 11-12
This course will explore two main issues:
(1) The external history of the Spanish language: How do linguists read history? What cultural and historical events are important for the development of the Spanish language? As linguistic historians, we shall follow a canonical chronology that will examine pre-Roman influences, Iberian Latinity, the linguistic fragmentation of the Peninsula, medieval attempts at standardization, the rise of the Academy, and the renaissance of the languages of the Autonomías. As critical readers, we shall interpret these linguistic cultures in light of their foundational ideologies.
(2) The internal history of the Spanish language: How did Latin become Spanish? Is a sound change innocent and free of cultural meaning? What features make Spanish unique in comparison to the other Iberian languages? To what end do we make such analyses?
Spanish 354
Cervantes on Spain
Prof. Fuchs
TR 10:30-12:00
This introduction to Cervantes' oeuvre will focus on his representation of Spain and of particularly Spanish problems. How does Cervantes identify and depict Spain's "others"? How does he represent the hierarchies, boundaries, and inquisitions that define Spanish identity? What vision of the nation emerges from his corpus? We will read primarily Cervantes' own texts (drama and prose, including both the novellas and the longer prose works) as well as early modern debates on the nature of Spanish identity.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 373
Romantic Drama of Spain
Prof. López
TR 1:30-3:00
A study of the canonical authors of Romantic drama in Spain. In this course we will read the main titles in nineteenth-century drama, we will pay attention how these works witness the sensibility of the period. Other topics: connection between literary works and the social and political movements, the position of the writer, and the evolution of the artistic taste. Two exams, class participation including an oral report, and a final paper will decide final grade.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 386-301
Hispanic Detective Novel
Prof. García-Serrano
MWF 11:00-12:00
This course aims to examine a selection of the best contemporary Spanish detective novels. After assessing existing theoretical approaches to this literary genre (definition, techniques, conventions, etc.), we will explore the relation between the detective novel and the political and social changes in Spain during the last part of the twentieth century. Also, we will scrutinize the ways in which women’s detective narratives differ from those produced by their male counterparts. Works include: El misterio de la cripta embrujada by Eduardo Mendoza, Los mares del Sur by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, La niebla y la doncella by Lorenzo Silva, and Día de perros by Alicia Giménez-Bartlett.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 386-302
Crossing into the Unknown: A Geography of the Other in Early Modern Spain
Prof. McInnis
MWF 1:00-2:00
During the Early Modern period, the Spanish Empire was established and grew to include a considerable portion of Europe and the New World. The rapid expansion generated numerous texts documenting the encounter with the Other, be he/she of another nation, a conquered territory, or the land of the enemy. On the one hand, this encounter fascinated writers eager to document the customs and beliefs of the inhabitants for the Spanish empire’s own mercantile and political objectives. On the other, it produced terror, both of the difference of the Other and of the potential corruption of the Spanish identity of the traveler. In this class, we will explore fictitious and real travel writing and captivity narratives that take place in Turkey, England, and the New World to gain insight into the Spanish representation of alterity during this period. Among the authors covered are Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Fray Ramón Pané, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, and Francisco Núñez de Pineda y Bascuñán.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 386-303
Spain at War: 1931, 1936, 1939
Prof. López
TR 3:00-4:30
The Spanish Civil War has been understood traditionally as the historical event where the "two Spains" reached a point of confrontation. Modern studies suggest a different and more complex understanding in which the situation in Spain resembles that of other European nations. According to this view, the War in Spain is the preliminary chapter of a wider confrontation of forces in the western world and, since Franco stayed in power until his death in 1975, that same event would last for three decades beyond the end of the world war, a situation repeated in other European nations. In this course we will begin by studying the failure of the democratic project (1931-1936), we will continue with a study of the military and political events of the war (1936-1939) in both their national and international dimensions, and we will conclude with the study of the dictatorship during the post-war period (1939-1975). Discussion and all class requirements in Spanish. Three exams, a final paper, and class participation will decide final grade.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 386-401
The Family in Spanish Cinema
Prof. Nadal
TR 12:00-1:30
The destinities of modern Spain seem unavoidable intermingled with filmic expression. The entry-ticket of the Spanish avant-garde to the international stage was a film, Un Chien Andalou; Franco's ideological manifesto for his idiosyncratic blend of fascism took the form of a screenplay, Raza ; Spain's transition to democracy was faithfully recorded and imagined in films that were a product of those very circumstances--Almodóvar's rendering of a quasi utopian “movida” is the better known example. By examining both films and critical essays, this course will explore the role of cinema as producer and product of the ambivalent identities of modern Spain. We will concentrate in the construction of the “family” as the centerpiece of this celluloid nation.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 390-401
The Contemporary Spanish American Short Novel
Prof. Knight
MWF 10:00-11:00
The second half of the twentieth century has been called the era of the Latin American novel, and with good reason. This phenomenally creative period gave rise to many works of critical and popular success that have attracted a worldwide readership. This course will present some of the major creators of this exciting nueva narrativa through their short novels. Authors covered include Arguedas, Bombal, Bioy Casares, Ferré, Fuentes, García Márquez, and Vargas Llosa. As they progress through the course, students will explore fascinating works of contemporary Spanish American fiction, learn techniques essential for narrative analysis, and develop an appreciation for the concise, intense genre of the novella.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 390-402
Monsters of Reason: Conceiving Difference in Spanish America
Prof. Austin
MWF 12:00-1:00
This course will consider representations of monstrosity in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-century Spanish American fiction, tracing the roots of this discourse to post-Enlightenment pseudo-scientific theories that were inspired by Darwin’s Origin of the Species to theorize biology, race, and society within nationalistic paradigms. We will further examine monstrosity as an artistic phenomenon as well, as conceived by Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” to designate the limits and limitations of creativity and culture. Through the dual lenses of aesthetics and biology we will consider Spanish American monsters as discursive articulations of alterity and deviance, and as such, as performing an inverted process of self-identification. During the semester we will read works by José Martí, Rómulo Gallegos, Horacio Quiroga, Julio Cortázar, and Jorge Luis Borges, among others.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 390-403
Adventures in Imagination: the 20th Century Spanish American Short Story
Prof. Knight
MWF 2-3
In this course we will read collections of short stories by six masters of the genre: Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina), Julio Cortázar (Argentina), Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), Augusto Monterroso (Guatemala), Juan Rulfo (Mexico) and Horacio Quiroga (Uruguay). As we analyze the themes and techniques of these authors we will discover what makes each a distinctive voice in Latin American literature. In addition to papers and exams, students will be required to maintain a reading journal.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 396-401
Entre lenguas: Bilingualism and Translation in Latin American and Latino Literature
Prof. Martínez-San Miguel
TR 3:00-4:30
The course will explore bilingualism and translation as two crucial elements and points of contact between Latin American and Latino literature. The main contention of this course is that the contact of different languages has been a defining feature of some of the key texts in Latin American and Latino traditions. Linguistic purity and cultural homogeneity will be questioned by reading some of the canonical texts as a process of negotiation and transculturation that will lead to the production of a “mestizo” Latin American and Latino identity. This class will start with theoretical texts on diglossia, aphasia, bilingualism, translation and code switching. This debate on linguistic contacts will then be studied in literary texts from Christopher Columbus, Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Miguel Barnet, José María Arguedas, Rigoberta Menchú, Gloria Anzaldúa, Sandra Cisneros, Esmeralda Santiago, Cristina GarcÍa, Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Tato Laviera, Julia álvarez and Sonia Rivera-Valdés.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 396-402
The Consequences of Globalization in Latin America and Latino Literature
Prof. Laddaga
TR 10:30-12:00 Noon
The objective of this course is to identify and describe the main cultural developments in Latin America in the last two decades, a time of sweeping changes and widespread innovation in the region. We will read books and articles by sociologists, cultural critics and fiction writers, films and works of visual arts, and pieces for digital media that are representative indices of the processes that are shaping public life in Latin America.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
Spanish 396-403
Eve in the Revolution
Prof. García-Serrano
MWF 1:00-2:00
In this course we will study the diverse creative responses to revolutions and other socio-political upheavals of the twentieth century by Latin American women writers. In their writings Latin American authors seem equally committed to exposing political abuses and injustice as finding new ways for self-expression. Our understanding of the literary works will be enhanced by readings on historical and postmodern literary theory; questions of subjectivity, language, power, and censorship will be explored. Readings will include such works as Los recuerdos del porvenir by Elena Garro (México), La mujer habitada by Gioconda Belli (Nicaragua), El cuarto mundo by Diamela Eltit ( Chile), Tiempo que ladra by Ana María del Río (Chile), and the anthology Caminos de Eva (Cuba).
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219.
Spanish 396-404
Representations of Indigenous Peoples in Andean Literature and Film
Prof. Knight
MWF 12:00-1:00
This course offers a survey of Andean literature and film starting with the Incan civilization in pre-Colombian Peru and ending with the Andean diaspora in the US at the present time. In addition to covering all of the major periods, we will also study a wide variety of works including documentaries, histories, chronicles, poetry, essays, short stories, novels, and film. Since the time frame is vast, and the texts are diverse, it will help us to organize our investigations around a central thematic focus: representations of indigenous peoples. As we examine how these subjects have been portrayed throughout the ages on the page and on the screen, we will gain a better understanding of the individuals, events, and cultural forces that have shaped the region.
Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219
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