St. Lawrence University: Modern Languages and Literature Spanish Department

Fall Semester Courses

Spanish 101 and 102: Elementary Spanish With Lab.

The principal goal is the acquisition of a basic level of communicative ability in Spanish. Video, film, audiotapes and the Internet provide current materials from Hispanic America, Spain and the United States Latino community to enhance language learning and knowledge of the culture. Language laboratory activities advance conversational skills and oral comprehension. Open to students with little or no prior study of the language. To view information about the textbook for Elementary Spanish, Entrevistas, visit the publisher's website.

Spanish 103 and 104: Intermediate Spanish

Spoken and written Spanish are reinforced by a review of grammar and idiomatic strategies for self-expression. The course includes use of videos, music, literature, news broadcasts and the Internet as a means for understanding the contemporary culture of Hispanic America and Spain. Materials in the language laboratory facilitate conversation and increased oral comprehension. Prerequisite: Spanish 101, 102 or equivalent. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies. To view information about the textbook for Intermediate Spanish, Pasajes: Lengua, visit the publisher's website.

Spanish 201: Advanced Spanish

Review and expansion of the four skills with emphasis on the oral and written expression of ideas in Spanish on topics of current interest and cultural significance in the Spanish speaking world. Materials studied include journalistic texts, videos, audiotapes, songs and literary works. For students who have completed Spanish 103, 104 or who have four years or more of Spanish at the secondary level.

Spanish 241: Latinos in the United States

This course introduces students to the sociohistorical, political, economic and cultural elements that shape the Latino identity in the United States. Drawing from the growing body of literature— poetry, fiction, testimonial narrative, theatre, critical essays—by various Latino/a writers, the course explores issues of “race,” immigration policy, class, education, language, religion, cultural identity and representation. The class is conducted in Spanish, although some readings are in English. Course materials also include videotapes, news, documentaries, music, etc. Also offered through U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies. Crosslisted with Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Spanish 246: Latin American Film

Spanish 423: Introduction to Spanish Literature

An overview of the literature of the Spanish people. Readings from the major periods, from the earliest literature to the present. Authors studied include Cervantes, Calderón, Federico García Lorca and Carmen Martín Gaite. The works are treated as representative, thematically and aesthetically, of their respective ages and the traditions of their genre.

Spanish 443: Contemporary Hispanic American Literature

A study of twentieth-century literature in Hispanic America as well as in the United States from diverse genres that include poetry, prose fiction, theater and testimonial works. Authors read usually includes Mario Benedetti, Gabriel García Márquez, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Marcella Serrano, among others. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Spring Semester Courses

Spanish 101 and 102: Elementary Spanish With Lab.

Spanish 103 and 104: Intermediate Spanish

Spoken and written Spanish are reinforced by a review of grammar and idiomatic strategies for self-expression. The course includes use of videos, music, literature, news broadcasts and the internet as a means for understanding the contemporary culture of Hispanic America and Spain. Materials in the language laboratory facilitate conversation and increased oral comprehension. Prerequisite: Spanish 101, 102 or equivalent. To view information about the textbook for Intermediate Spanish, Pasajes: Lengua, visit the publisher's website.

Spanish 202: Hispanic Cultural Studies

A language course with the aim of acquainting students with current Hispanic culture through the analysis of literary texts, films, advertisements and other materials drawn from Spain, Hispanic America and the Latino community in the United States. Includes a research project on a cultural topic. This course fulfills the Diversity distribution requirement. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Spanish 489 and 490: Independent Study

For seniors or for especially qualified students with permission of the instructor.

Spanish 497 and 498: Honors

Working closely with a faculty member, the student develops a project related to Spanish-language literature or culture. Projects may include translations from Spanish to English and they may be interdisciplinary. Students are encouraged to use a variety of media in their projects and, if they participate in a St. Lawrence program in Costa Rica or Spain, to relate their projects to that experience. For additional information, see the description of Honors in the introductory section of the departmental curriculum.

The following courses are offered on an occasional basis

Spanish 211: Latin American Cultures

This course presents major topics related to history and culture in Latin America and includes an analysis of cultural pluralism in selected areas of the region. Representative documents in Spanish such as literary works, newspaper articles and videos are studied to illustrate changes in the social patterns of the culture and facilitate the enhancement of language skills. Not open to students who have completed a more advanced course. Taught in Spanish. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Spanish 213: Cultures of Spain

A study of the development of the cultures of Spain through history, art, music and literature. The course includes an analysis of Spanish cultural pluralism and its origins. Sources used include literary works, texts on aspects of Spanish culture and history, videos and film, examples of Spanish art and music and material drawn from the internet. Not open to students who have completed a more advanced course. Taught in Spanish. Also offered through European Studies.

Spanish 439: Literature, Film, & Popular Culture in Spanish

After the Franco regime (1939-1975), Spaniards began to explore and question cultural, historical and sexual identity. This course examines post-totalitarian Spanish literature, arts and popular culture made possible by the political transition to democracy. The aim is to use the theoretic framework of cultural studies as a means of understanding contemporary Spanish culture. Materials analyzed include films, television programs and commercials, novels, short stories, magazines and popular songs.

Spanish 444: Introduction to Hispanic American Literature

Indigenous oral traditions and texts from the period prior to the arrival of the Europeans are examined as well as works from the colonial period to the present. Authors studied from the colonial period include Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Bartolomé de las Casas and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Contemporary authors studied include Borges, García Márquez, Allende and Rigoberta Menchú. . Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Spanish 445: Literary Translation: Theory and Practice

In this workshop, students will use translation as a tool to learn how to express themselves more effectively in both English and Spanish. Theorists such as Octavio Paz, José Ortega y Gasset, Willis Barnstone, Carol Maier, Walter Benjamin, Tejaswini Niranjana and others help illuminate the practice of translation in a variety of genres that include poetry, autobiography, book reviews, and subtitling of films. The course is for students with considerable background in Spanish, including, preferably, residence in a Spanish-speaking country.

Spanish 346: Oral Expression in Spanish

Analysis of contemporary oral usage through the study of film, video and audio materials as well as printed texts. Advanced pronunciation practice. Study of techniques of oral presentation. Assignments are designed to promote the development of persuasive skills and include formal debates on contemporary issues and other public speaking activities.

Spanish 443: Contemporary Hispanic American Literature

A study of twentieth-century literature in Hispanic America as well as in the United States from diverse genres that include poetry, prose fiction, theater and testimonial works. Authors read usually include Rubén Darío, Gabriel García Márquez, Pablo Neruda, Rosario Ferré and Gloria Anzaldía, among others.

Special Topics

Designed for students at any level above Spanish 211 and 213, these courses offer the opportunity to study specific topics in the Spanish Language or Hispanic culture. Examples include:

Spanish 447: Afrohispanic Culture and Literature

The major objective of this course is to introduce students to the African Legacy in the culture of the Hispanic Caribbean and Latin America. Through readings, films, recipes, and songs we will analyze the contributions of the Afrohispanic peoples to the overall Caribbean and Latin American Culture particularly in the literature, language, religion, music and dance. Close readings and discussions will focus on the work of writers such as Francisco Arriví, Luis Palés Matos, Nancy Morejón, Quince Duncan, Nicolás Guillén, Lydia Cabrera and Blas Jiménez, among others. Students will create and perform an original play, write critical essays and deliver oral presentations. Crosslisted with Caribbean and Latin American Studies. This course will be taught in Spanish, and permission of the instructor is required.

Spanish 448: Hispanic Women Writers: Desiring Power

Throughout the history of Hispanic literature, women writers have been creating spaces of power in their texts in a very original way. The course will explore these spaces of power in relation to gender, class, and race representation in different political and historical periods, from the 17th century to the present. A dramatic reading of a one-act play will be included as well as a series of selected poetry readings which will develop advanced pronunciation practice and techniques of oral presentation. Readings will include novels, short stories, dramas, essays and poems by authors such as Catalina de Erauso, María de Zayas, María Luisa Bombal, Elena Garro, Domitila Barrios, Rosario Ferré, Ana Rossetti, Sabina Berman, Carmen Martín Gaite and Luisa Valenzuela. Also offered through Gender Studies and Caribbean and Latin American Studies.