Spanish (SPAN)

Major Requirements for the B.A. in French or Spanish

  1. Twenty-two hours (including Senior Seminar, i.e., FLNG 471-473) in the major language numbered above 202, three of which, if French or Spanish, must be selected from conversation laboratories (211, 212; 311, 312). German majors take an additional 2 hours of advanced German courses instead.
  2. Supportive courses as follows:
    Choose option I or II.
    I. Nine semester hours in English courses (excluding courses in journalism) numbered above 102.
    II. Six semester hours in English courses (excluding courses in journalism) numbered above 102, and three semester hours in a history course approved by the adviser.

Strongly recommended are three additional hours in religion or philosophy and six hours in fine arts. In addition, German majors are expected to spend at least a semester studying in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

(Students will also be advised to take, as part of the options above: English 478 or another course with emphasis on critical theory.)

Minor Requirements

  1. In French or Spanish, twenty-two semester hours including:
    1. Six semester hours in courses numbered above 300, three of which shall be in literature.
    2. Two semester hours selected from conversation laboratories 211, 212; 311, 312.
  2. In other languages, twenty (20) hours in the language including six semester hours in courses numbered above 300, three of which shall be in literature. German minors have to take nine semester hours in courses numbered above 300.

101-102. Elementary Spanish (4,4)

An Introduction to the Spanish language with emphasis on developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills as well as cultural understanding.

201-202. Intermediate Spanish (3,3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 101-102. Continued development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Course includes discussion of films and readings as well as grammar review and writing practice.

211-212. Spanish Conversation Lab (1,1)
Prerequisites: SPAN 101-102 or consent of the instructor. Normally requires concurrent enrollment in SPAN 201-202. Intensive conversational practice in a very small group, involving discussion of Hispanic customs and the development of situational vocabulary. Offered every semester.

305. Advanced Conversation and Composition (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 201-202 or consent of instructor. Refinement of students' command of Spanish through readings, debates, oral presentations, creative performances, and grammar review. Alternate years.

307. Advanced Spanish Composition (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 201-202 or consent of instructor. Analysis of a variety of fiction and non-fiction forms and styles along with intensive practice writing in Spanish. Class is conducted in a workshop format and is strongly recommended for students who plan to take upper-level literature courses. Alternate years.

309. Latin American Film from 1970 to the Present (3)
Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or permission of instructor. A survey of contemporary Latin American films with special focus on how these films represent social problems and realities. Each film centers on a particular problem such as racism, gender discrimination, poverty, crime, or political oppression. Some attention will be given to analysis of cinematic techniques and critical approaches to the study of Latin American cinema. Every third year.

310. Latin American Theatre (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 202 or permission of the instructor. This literature course will serve as an Introduction to theatre and performance art in twentieth-century Latin America. We will read the works of acclaimed playwrights with special attention to their historical context and will examine the politics of writing and performance as well as the performance of politics in Latin American theatre. Every third year.

311-312. Spanish Conversation Lab (1-1)
Prerequisites: SPAN 201-202, 211-212 or consent of the instructor. Intensive conversational practice, involving discussion of Hispanic customs and will stress the development of situational vocabulary. Offered every semester.

315. Introduction to US-Latino Literature (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 202 or consent of instructor. A study of US-Latino culture and its artistic production with special attention to its literature. Themes include bilingualism, border crossings, chicana voices, and the construction of multi-cultural identities. Every third year.

316. Latin American Short Story: Studies of Representation (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 202 or permission of the instructor. This course will expose students to the richness of the Spanish-American short story and will include study of realist, gothic and fantastic modes of representation. Every third year.

317. Introduction to Latin American Literature and Culture in a Regional Context (3)
Prerequisite: SPAN 202. This course introduces students to the cultural production of a particular region or country. Possible regions include Cuba, Argentina-Uruguay, and Central America. Special emphasis will be on literature. However, the course will also study art, music, dance, and film from a particular region. Every third year.

395,396. Selected Topics (3-3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 201-202. Study in some areas of Spanish or Spanish-American literature, or of Spanish language, not covered elsewhere. Individual topics may not be repeated for credit. Offered upon demand.

416. Latin American Novel (3)
Prerequisite: Spanish 202. This course focuses on coming of age narrative from Latin America. Through these novels we will examine important questions about national, cultural, and gender identity. Every third year.

417. Spanish Literature from the Middle Ages Through the Golden Age (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 201-202, or consent of instructor. A study of the masterpieces of Spanish prose and poetry from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century. Topics include multiculturalism in early modern Spain, representations of the 'other,' the consolidation of Spain as a nation, and the formation of the Spanish literary canon. Every third year.

422. Latin American Literature from 1492-1880 (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 201-202, or consent of instructor. Works to be studied include the chronicles of the discovery of America, poetry, essays, and fictional narratives. Issues at stake in these texts are the representation of war, slavery, and cultural mestizaje; the status of Indians, women, and African-Americans in the New World, and the invention of new nation states in the nineteenth-century. Every third year.

423. Latin American Literature in the Twentieth Century (3)
Prerequisites: SPAN 201-202, or consent of instructor. Selections from contemporary Latin American prose, poetry, and drama. Themes include the relationship between art and politics and the negotiation of national and gender identity in the face of modernization, urbanization, dictatorship, and revolution. Every third year.

491-493. Independent Study (1-3)
Prerequisites: Two courses above 202 and permission of the instructor. Study in a field of Hispanic literature, language, or civilization appropriate to the student's preparation and interests. Individual topics may not be repeated for credit.

Last updated May 23, 2007.