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Hispanic Studies Courses (SPAN)

100/200/300   Spanish Study Abroad (4-8)
A full immersion experience abroad that includes living with Spanish speaking families while learning and using the language in its cultural context. Daily morning classes, and afternoon and weekend cultural visits and activities complement this three-week program. Prerequisite for SPAN 200: SPAN 112. Prerequisite for SPAN 300: SPAN 213. Offered every summer on demand.

104   Beginning Spanish for the Adult Learner I (4)
Designed for students in the Evening & Weekend Program. Prerequisite: admission to the Evening & Weekend Program. No previous instruction in Spanish. Offered every year.

105   Beginning Spanish for the Adult Learner II (4)
Designed for students in the Evening & Weekend Program. Prerequisites: admission to the Evening & Weekend Program and SPAN 104 with a grade of C or higher, or proficiency as determined by instructor. Offered every year.

111   Beginning Spanish I (4)
An introduction to the Spanish language and culture. Focuses on cultural aspects. Emphasizes the development of basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Audiovisual materials supplement the program. Prerequisite: no previous instruction in Spanish. Offered every year.

112   Beginning Spanish II (4)
An introduction to the Spanish language and culture. Focuses on cultural aspects. Emphasizes the development of basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Audiovisual materials supplement the program. Prerequisite: SPAN 111 with a grade of C or higher or proficiency as determined by the instructor. Offered every year.

213   Intermediate Spanish (4)
Development of conversational and writing skills through review of familiar and complex structures, and extensive oral-aural practice. Students attain fluency at a secondary level and the ability to interpret written material adequate for the level. The course also looks at general aspects of the Spanish-speaking world relevant to the understanding of its culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 112 with a grade of C or higher. Corequisite: consent determined by placement or other type of evaluation tool.

219/319    Seminar in Hispanic Cultures (4)
A travel course focusing on the contrasting diversity and unifying elements of the Spanish-speaking world. Topic varies depending on the chosen destination. Students experience the culture and visit museums, historical landmarks, and key sites in order to examine the features that make Hispanic societies distinctive. May be repeated for credit as topic and destination vary. Satisfies the study abroad requirement in the Spanish major. Prerequisites: SPAN 219: Taught in English; consent to travel required.  SPAN 319: SPAN 307 and/or consent is required; continue developing Spanish skills through oral practice and written assignments.  Offered in selected winter, spring and summer sessions. Formerly SPAN 313.

265/365   U.S. Latino Culture (4)
Studies the Latino phenomenon in the U.S. as peculiar to a diaspora strongly united by language and adherence to a common cultural legacy. Students examine the circumstances causing the migration of specific groups entering the U.S. Emphasizes social issues such as labor, health, education, diversity within the Latino community, the acculturation process, and the overall impact of the Latino minority in U.S. society today. Prerequisite for SPAN 265: consent. Prerequisite for SPAN 365: SPAN 213 or consent. Offered fall of even-numbered years. SPAN 365:(S).

270/370   Latin American Music and Dance (4)
Covers the history of dance beginning in ancient Europe and the Middle East and ends with the history of dance in Latin America, particularly that of the development of dance in the Hispanic society. Also studies the importance of Latin music and dance in Latin America and the U.S. In the practical portion of this course, students have the opportunity to learn a variety of Latin dances such as salsa, merengue, and bachata, which have become very popular in contemporary American society. This course is taught in English and does not fulfill the Foreign Language requirement. Offered in selected January Terms.

307   Topics in Advanced Conversation and Composition (4)            
Emphasizes reading for comprehension and the articulation of ideas in Spanish. An introduction to Spanish Civilization and Culture through the analysis and discussion of carefully chosen publications written by Latin American and Peninsular writers. Can be taken more than once for credit. Prerequisites: SPAN 213 or consent.

312   Survey of Latin American Literature (4)
The most important works of Spanish American prose, poetry and essay from the Conquest to the present are studied against the cultural background. Introduces students to Latin American civilization as well as the literature. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered alternate years or on demand.

316   Studies in Hispanic Poetry (4)              
Studies representative poets, periods, and poetic traditions and styles of Spain and Spanish America. Critical analyses of the texts in their original form is complemented with discussion of the author’s work in translation. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered in rotation.

317   Civilization of Spain (4)
Studies the history of Spain and its rich cultural legacy. Students become familiar with the most transcendental events in this nation’s past. Focuses on distinct artists and their work, iconic figures, traditions, and popular trends that have had an impact in and outside Spain’s national borders. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisites: Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered in rotation.

318   Civilization of Latin America (4)
Students learn about Latin American countries, their people, and their civilizations through the study of major works of literature, art and music. Ideas presented in class are reinforced through films, slide presentations, and guest speakers. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered alternate years.

321   Political Writings of Latin America (4)             
Focuses on readings from the political writings of selected Latin American thinkers. Students analyze writings that range in time from the Spanish Conquest to the present, providing a historical overview of the development of the political thought in Latin America. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered every fall.

329   Latin America through the Cinema (4)            
Analyzes a selection of Latin American feature films and documentaries in order to understand the political, social, and economic conditions that characterize this region. Students explore the constitution of national identities, questions of ideology, class, race, ethnicity, and gender. They address the conditions of film production in light of globalization and Hollywood’s competition and use of film as a tool for social change. Films are screened outside of class. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered intermittently.

333   Commercial Spanish (4)
Designed for students and professionals who wish to learn Spanish for use in a practical business context. Prerequisite: SPAN 213 or equivalent or consent.

345   Seminar in Spanish Literature (4)        
Focuses on specific topics of Spanish literature to offer students the opportunity of in-depth examination. Students are encouraged to explore the topics comparatively and through other forms of cultural and artistic productions such as theatre and film. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered in rotation.

350   Hispanic American Women Writers (4)
An overview of the history of Hispanic American women writers from the Colonial period to the present. Includes an analysis of key economic, social, and political conditions in the development of their writing. Poetry, short story and the novel are included. Prerequisite: SPAN 307 or consent. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.

355   Myths, Rituals, and Reality in the Hispanic Syncretic Imagination (4)  
Examines the Hispanic culture through ideological notions, myths, iconic figures, traditions, and religious manifestations such as rituals. Discussion centers on the key issues that have resulted from the meeting of the two worlds and adaptation of the American first nations to the transformative reality of colonialism. (Includes travel component when taught during summer or January Terms.)  Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Offered on demand.

360   The Latin American Short Story (4)
The Latin American short story is one of the richest manifestations of contemporary Latin American narrative. A study of its evolution from the origins to the present, paying close attention to the principal literary, social and political movements that produced those stories: Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Regionalism, Existentialism, the Boom, the post-Boom and Feminism, among others. Prerequisite: SPAN 307.

375   Topics in Mexican Culture and History (4)
A multidisciplinary approach to Mexico and its diaspora throughout history based on discussion of specific issues. Students examine specific topics that define Mexican culture using a selection of fictional and non-fictional literary pieces and other forms of cultural and artistic expression. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent. Can be taken more than once for credit as topic changes. Offered on demand.

380   Analysis of the Spanish Language (4)
Provides the opportunity to improve knowledge of Spanish, develop a better understanding of the process of learning a second language, and expand knowledge of the many facets of the Spanish language. Students planning to teach Spanish will learn about issues of second language acquisition, including application of basic concepts of phonology, syntax, and morphology to the teaching of Spanish, and topics of the Spanish language that are usually problematic for English-speaking learners of Spanish. Discussion of latest research on language acquisition, the teaching of Spanish as a second language, the use of technology, and proficiency assessment is part of the course. Students who do not plan to teach benefit from the presentation of linguistics points in a larger context instead of isolated cases. Also provides the opportunity to be acquainted with the relationship between language and society and culture. Prerequisite: consent. Offered on demand.

420   The Latin American Novel (4)
A study of the development of the Latin American novel from the 19th century to the present. Examines theme, form, style, and technique; the historical and social context and Latin American women as authors and as characters. Prerequisite: SPAN 307. Offered spring of even-numbered years.

471   Practicum in the Teaching of Spanish (4)
Students learn various methods for the teaching of grammar, writing, and speaking in Spanish. They also serve as assistants and tutors in SPAN 111, 112, and 213. Prerequisite: SPAN 307 (or the capability of using the Spanish language effectively) and consent. Offered every year.