Courses

Fall 2009 - Spanish Course Descriptions

Spanish 001 — Elementary Spanish I

This course uses the communicative approach to teach listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing and culture. In particular, it promotes the development of oral/aural skills and the practical use of language in a variety of social situations. Lab work is required. Conducted in Spanish. No prerequisites.

Texts: Spinelli and Rosso-O'Laughlin, Encuentros: Textbook and Workbook, 4^th ed. (Holt, Rinehart & Winston); De Miguel and Santos, Muerte en Valencia (EDI 6).

Spanish 002 — Elementary Spanish II

A continuation of Spanish 001. The course advances and completes the study of basic grammar and vocabulary. It provides the linguistic skills and cultural information needed in a broad range of situations met when studying, working or traveling in a Spanish-speaking country. Lab work is required. Students must also register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 001 or consent.

Texts: Spinelli and Rosso-O'Laughlin, Encuentros: Textbook and Workbook, 4th ed. (Holt, Rinehart & Winston).

Spanish 003 — Intermediate Spanish I

A review of Spanish grammar with stress on the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Using the communicative approach, the course emphasizes the development of fluency and the functional use of language. Discussion will be based on literary texts as well as newspaper and magazine articles on contemporary issues in Spanish-speaking societies. Several compositions, debates and weekly lab work are required. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 002 or consent.

Texts: González-Aguilar and Rosso-O'Laughlin, Atando Cabos; Textbook and Workbook, 3^rd ed. (Prentice Hall).

Spanish 004 — Intermediate Spanish II

This course continues the review of fundamentals of grammar begun in Spanish 003 and encourages the development of a large active vocabulary and a greater awareness of Spanish-speaking cultures. It aims at developing a level of language proficiency sufficient for survival in unusual or complicated situations (i.e., coping with an unforeseen event); and at participating in conversations about practical topics and current events. There will be regular lab assignments, compositions, class discussions, debates and oral presentations. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 003 or consent.

Texts: González-Aguilar & Rosso-O'Laughlin, Atando Cabos; Textbook and Workbook, 3^rd ed. (Prentice Hall).

Spanish 021 — Composition and Conversation I

The course combines written and oral/aural practice of Spanish through oral reports, compositions, class discussions and debates on assigned topics, articles, short literary works and films. It offers a review of more advanced grammatical structures with the aim of achieving greater accuracy. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 004 or consent.

Texts: Labarca and Halty, Convocación de palabras, 2^nd ed. (Heinle & Heinle); Gordon and Stillman, The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice (McGraw-Hill); Davis, Supplementary material for Spanish 21 (Pearson Custom Publishing); Antonio Skármeta, No pasó nada, 7^th ed. (Sudamericana).

Spanish 022 — Composition and Conversation II

This course continues the grammar review begun in Spanish 021 with emphasis on written and oral expression of Spanish through compositions, oral reports and class discussions. Material for discussions includes literary texts as well as topics of general interest. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 021 or consent.

Texts: Montross and Levine, Vistas y voces Latinas, 3^rd ed. (Prentice Hall); Gordon and Stillman, The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice (McGraw-Hill); Aldecoa, Mujeres de Negro (Anagrama); Davis, Supplementary material for Spanish 22 (Pearson Custom Publishing).

Spanish 022-XA — Cine de Latinoamérica y España

Block F - Conchita Davis

The aim of this course is to expand the students' oral and written skills through the study of Latin American and Spanish films by new and well known directors such as Luis Buñuel, Alejandro González-Iñárritu, Pedro Almodóvar, María Novaro, Fabián Bielinsky or Icíar Bollaín. We will discuss topics such as identity, tolerance, the power of imagination, euthanasia, alienation, and globalization, among others. The class includes a review of Spanish syntax, a journal, 3 exams, 3 compositions, an oral presentation, and a group project. Prerequisite: Spanish 21 or consent.

Texts: Gordon and Stillman, The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice (McGraw-Hill); Bound packet of readings.

Spanish 022-XB — Visiones de España

Block H+ - Teresa Marcelin

This course is designed to upgrade the spoken and written language skills of students as well as an introduction to the Spanish peninsular culture and its contribution to world civilization. Geography, history, literature, and the social and artistic evolution of Spain are presented through a variety of readings including literary selections. Course work combines written and oral practice of Spanish through compositions, oral presentations, class discussion as well as an advanced grammar review and vocabulary building. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 21 or consent.

Texts: Gordon and Stillman, Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice (McGraw-Hill); Piemontese-Ramos / Carlos Arboleda, España temas de civilización y cultura, (ed. Thomson and Heinle); Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha (I) (ed. Edelsa); Federico García Lorca, La casa de Bernarda Alba (ed. Castalia didáctica)

Recommended: The Oxford Spanish Dictionary.

Spanish 022-XC — El espíritu de Puerto Rico: Un seminario

Block L+ - Nancy Levy-Konesky

This class takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Puerto Rico. While students continue to review grammar and to practice oral and aural skills, they will study the history, literature, politics, music, cuisine, art and religions of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans on the island as well as on the mainland.  They debate the possible political destinies of Puerto Rico: Statehood, Independence or a continuance of the present status of ELA (Free Associated State, or Commonwealth).  Students view two-three films during the semester, sample and learn to prepare Puerto Rican cuisine, and if possible, visit one of the major Puerto Rican neighborhoods of Boston: Villa Victoria and Plaza Betances.  There is an optional opportunity for interested students to work on a volunteer basis with various Hispanic organizations in the Cambridge and Boston areas.

Texts: Course pack:  Includes a brief history of Puerto Rico and a collection of literary selections from major Puerto Rican and Nuyorican authors, such as Jacobo Morales, Pedro Juan Soto, José Luis González, Luis Palés Matos, Julia de Burgos, Tato Laviera, Miguel Algarín, Miguel Piñero, Pedro Pietri, Piri Thomas, Ana Lydia Vega, Luis Rafael Sánchez and Martín Espada; René Marqués, La carreta; Rojas and Curry, Gramática esencial, 2nd ed. (Houghton-Mifflin). 

Spanish 023 — Advanced Composition for Heritage Learners

A - Block E+ - Marta Rosso-O'Laughlin

This course develops and expands the reading and writing skills for students without formal training in the language but with ability to comprehend and speak Spanish due to their heritage. It includes the study of grammar and stylistics, differences in regional dialects, vocabulary expansion and effective communication based on literary and cultural readings as well as films. Students will do oral presentations, compositions, and a research paper. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 21 or consent.

Spanish 031 — Main Currents of Spanish Literature I

A - Block D - Kathy Pollakowski
B - Block G+ - Kathy Pollakowski
C - Block J+ - Tamara Márquez-Raffetto

The most significant currents of Spanish literature from the Middle Ages through the 17^th century.  Selected works of representative authors read and discussed.  Lectures and reports.  Conducted in Spanish.  Not for senior majors or for students returning from programs abroad.  Prerequisite: Spanish 021 or consent.

Spanish 034 — Survey of Latin American Literature I

A - Block E+ - Pablo Ruiz
B - Block F+tr - Amy Millay
C - Block G+ - Nina Gerassi-Navarro
D - Block N+ - Anne Cantú
E - Block Q+ - Dean Simpson

This course traces the development of Latin American literature from the earliest chronicles of discovery and conquest of the 16th century to modernist literature of the late 19th century. We will read key works of prose, poetry and other genres from various cultures of Spanish America as well as see films related to the topics under study. Authors include Hernán Cortés, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Bernal Díaz and Inca Garcilaso. Emphasis is on historical context as well as literary analysis. Varied writing assignments, oral presentations and exams; class participation is essential. Conducted in Spanish. Not for senior majors or for students returning from programs abroad. Prerequisite: Spanish 21 or consent.

Spanish 091-01 / JS 091-01 — Ladino Language & Culture

Block F+tr - Gloria Ascher

Introduction to the language known as Ladino and the culture of the Sephardic Jews who have spoken it for over 500 years.  When they were expelled from Spain in 1492, Jews took this language with them, and it has been enriched through contact with languages encountered in their various lands of resettlement.  Emphasis on the living language: understanding, speaking, and writing (including creatively).

Texts will include proverbs, stories, and songs from the folk tradition as well as contemporary poems and songs, and basic language materials: grammar text and verb tables.  Some background in Spanish (or Ladino!) is helpful, but not essential.

Spanish 091-02 — The Latino Writing Experience

Block H+ - Juan Alonso

Just as most Jewish-American writers write in English and not Hebrew or another European language, so do the majority of Latino writers write in English. There are, however, some who do not, and some who write in both English and Spanish. This course will be conducted principally in English but the writing can be in either language. Enrollment will not be limited to Latinas and Latinos. Professor Juan Alonso is a Latino novelist. See juanalonso.com for more information.

Spanish 102 — Latin American Short Story

Block D+ - Amy Millay

This course examines the Latin American short story, drawing upon a comparative approach that explores the influence of European and North American short fiction.  Since there is no established "history" of short narrative, we will look at various recurring metaphors for storytelling itself: mirrors, labyrinths, dolls, and circles.  In addition to analyzing primary texts, students will read and discuss theory and criticism regarding this genre.  Authors include Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, Rosario Ferré, and Junot Díaz, among others.  Papers, exam, and oral presentations.  Prerequisites: Spanish 31 or 34, and 32 or 35, or consent of instructor.

Spanish 121 — Advanced Composition and Conversation I

01 - Block L+ - Dean Simpson
02 - Block N+ - Dean Simpson

In this course the students will practice and improve their written and oral skills in Spanish in a variety of contexts and situations, both formal and informal. There will be daily core readings to serve as a backbone for the in-class task-oriented activities. The semester we will cover different genres: poetry, theater (in practice) and novels. Creative and analytical writings will follow and reflect upon these genres. There will also be a comprehensive grammar review. Two exams (midterm and final), seven short reflections, two longer papers, two movies, skits and presentations. Not for native speakers or for those who have studied in Spanish-speaking countries. Prerequisites: Spanish 21 and 22, or consent.

Texts: Matilde Asensi, Peregrinatio; Roberto Bolaño, Estrella distante; Holt and Dueber, 1001 Pitfalls in Spanish (Barron's); Arturo Pérez Reverte, La reina del sur; Whitley & González, Gramática para la composición, 2ª ed. (Georgetown Univ. Press).

Spanish 126 — Spanish in the Community

See Spanish 191-G.

Spanish 143 — Spanish Prose of the Golden Age

Block F+tr - Teresa Howe

A course focusing on prose fiction in the Spanish siglo de oro other than Cervantes' Don Quixote.  Fictional antecedents to the Quixote such as the Moorish, sentimental, chivalresque, picaresque, and exemplary novels will form the reading for the course.  Discussion will center on the development of prose fiction in relation to the novel and to other currents evident in the period.  Conducted in Spanish.  Prerequisite: Spanish 31 or 34 and either 32 or 35, or consent.

Texts: Diego de San Pedro, Cárcel de amor; Anónimo, Amadís de Gaula; Anónimo, El Abencerraje; Anónimo, Lazarillo de Tormes; Miguel de Cervantes, Novelas ejemplares; María de Zayas y Sotomayor, Novelas (Castalia).

Spanish 164 — Modern Spanish Poetry

Block L+ - Juan Alonso

Spanish poetry of the 19^th and 20^th centuries considered in the context of changing modern European sensibilities as well as political, philosophical and artistic currents including surrealism and existentialism.  The poets include Espronceda, Bécquer, Antonio Machado and Lorca.  Prerequisites: Spanish 31 or 34, 32 or 35, or consent. 

Spanish 191-A — Saints and Sinners: Images of Women in Hispanic Literature

Block H+ - Tamara Márquez-Raffetto

This course will examine the dichotomous representation of women in Hispanic Literature as either paragons of virtue or victims, practitioners, and disseminators of vice and desire.  The implications of their behavior will be considered as well as the author's representation of gender as not only a biological but also a social and political construct.  Readings from XIII- XX century texts will also focus on the traditional Hispanic view of woman as a repository of honor, both her own and that of her family, and examine how this concept evolves from medieval to contemporary literature according to social, political, and cultural circumstances.  Mid term and final exams; final paper.  Conducted in Spanish.  Prerequisites:  Spanish 31 or 34, and 32  or 35, or consent.

Texts: Isabel Allende, Los cuentos de Eva Luna (any edition); Pedro Calderón de la Barca, El médico de su honra (Austral); Federico García Lorca, La casa de Bernarda Alba (Catedra); Nancy Tuana, The Less Noble Sex (Indiana UP); Ramon del Valle Inclán Sonata de otoño (Austral); Bound packet of readings available at Gnomon copy

Spanish 191-B — Borges and the Encyclopedia of the World

Block I+ - Pablo Ruiz

The works of Jorge Luis Borges already occupy a major place in the canon of twentieth century literature. One of the key features of those works is the permanent dialogue Borges engaged in with literatures and ideas from a wide range of cultures and traditions: Jewish mysticism, the Arabian Nights, the poetry of Walt Whitman, or Buddhism, to mention just a few examples, are part of this dialogue. This course has a double goal. On the one hand, to introduce new readers to the world of what we call the Borgesian: a world made of infinite libraries, tiny universes, unforgettable objects, invented writers. On the other hand, to explore those dialogues Borges developed with other cultures. We will also consider the conditions in which dialogues between languages and cultures can occur, as well as the role and significance of translation. Readings will include some of Borges' major stories and essays, and also lectures and conversations, trying to offer a most complete portrait of this central figure of contemporary literature.

Spanish 191-C — Reconstructing the Past in the Post-Franco Novel

Block J+ - Kathy Pollakowski

General Francisco Franco's death in 1975 marked the beginning of a new era of freedom of expression in Spain.  For writers, this meant liberation from the official censorship that had been maintained by the Franco dictatorship since 1939.  The course will focus on one of the most persistent themes to appear in the novels of post-Franco Spain, which is the representation of the recent past.  Why have novelists embraced this topic with such enthusiasm? Against what are they reacting?  These questions will be the point of departure for our study of four representative novels of the period.  Historical context, the Law of Historical Memory, and collective memory theory will also be discussed.  Class discussion, oral presentations, papers and exam.  Prerequisites: Spanish 31 or 34, and 32 or 35, or consent.

Texts: Carmen Martín Gaite, El cuarto de atrás (Destino); Javier Cercas, Soldados de Salamina (Tusquets); Carme Riera, La mitad del alma (Alfaguara); Vicente Molina-Foix, El abrecartas (Anagrama)

Spanish 191-D — Recasting the Colonial World

Block K+ - Nina Gerassi-Navarro

The purpose of this course is to explore how contemporary Latin American novels and films have recast the colonial world. Focusing on a number of sixteenth-and seventeenth-century chronicles, we will analyze how certain images of the New World emerged, generating extraordinary myths that continue to be evoked today. Topics discussed will be the concept of civilization and the heroic vision of the conqueror, the silencing of the Indian, the role of violence and repression, and the use of irony to undermine the colonial discourse and imagery. Readings will include works by authors from Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, and Venezuela as well as films by C. Saura, W. Herzog, and N. Pereira dos Santos among others.  Conducted in Spanish.  Prerequisites: Spanish 31 or 34, and 32 or 35, or consent.

Spanish 191-E — Latin American Documentary Workshop

Block 10 - Fernando Birri

This workshop is aimed at familiarizing students with the basic skills and techniques necessary to produce a social documentary. The class will be organized in different teams with individual projects that will focus on the audiovisual richness of the local Latino community and the diverse Latin American cultural traditions. Fernando Birri, one of the most important Latin American filmmakers, will supervise the weekly sessions, screenings and discussions. Conducted in Spanish.  Prerequisites: Spanish 31 or 34, and 32 or 35, or consent.

Spanish 191-F — New Latin American Film

Block 12 - Fernando Birri

This course analyzes some representative films of past and current Latin American schools of cinema: the Brazilian Cinema Novo, Argentine Tercer Cinema, the Cuban Cinema de la Revolución, Mexican post-revolutionary film, Andean "indigenista" film, and contemporary production. The purpose is not only to familiarize the students with canonical directors such as Glauber Rocha, Fernando Solanas, Fernando Birri, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Emilio "Indio" Fernández, Jorge Sanjinés, Carlos Diegues, and Walter Salles, but also with new directors and with the social, political and cultural contexts of their work. There will be an optional film screening recitation section. Conducted in Spanish.  Prerequisites: Spanish 31 or 34, and 32 or 35, or consent.

Spanish 191-G — Spanish in the Community

Block 13 - Andrew Klatt

This course combines academic activities such as background readings, discussion, and analysis with a service-learning component.  The curricular content of the course will focus on the Latin American immigration experience as it relates to migration and integration and to the use of the Spanish language in the United States. For the service-learning component, students will be required to perform Spanish-language volunteer activities in Latino community agencies and discuss and evaluate this experience.  The course requires a commitment to provide volunteer services in the community in a timely and responsible fashion and to recognize the needs of community agencies as well as our own. Attendance and participation in all class sessions, weekly volunteer journal, one exam, one class presentation, and a five-page final report. Prerequisite: Spanish 121 or 122 or consent.

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