SPAN Course Descriptions

Spanish (2009-2010)

This course is for students with no previous knowledge of Spanish. The basic elements of Spanish grammar will be studied, with emphasis on group and individual oral practice. Focus will be given to the development of skills in listening/comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. Multimedia exercises accompany each chapter of the textbook. Students will be expected to use them in the multimedia language centre and at home.

A continuation of SPAN 101.

For students with some knowledge of Spanish. Seeks to reinforce the language, both oral and written, through selected texts and grammar review. Language laboratory also used to increase understanding and speaking skills.

A continuation of SPAN 201A.

This is an intensive course designed for students of Spanish speaking background (native or near-native) who have not received formal language training. The course focuses on a comprehensive study of Spanish grammar. It includes a critical analysis of colloquial Spanish, or anglicized vocabulary, and influences of other languages on modern Spanish. A major component of the course is the acquisition and development of writing skills and oral discourse at the academic level. The course further develops listening comprehension and reading skills.

A survey of the cultural manifestations and endemic historical and socioeconomic struggles of Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the wars of independence (nineteenth century).

A survey of the cultural manifestations and endemic historical and socioeconomic struggles of Latin America from the wars of independence (nineteenth century) to the present.

This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore and develop their knowledge of Spanish culture. The course will offer a wide-ranging survey of cultural topics. It will take a broad view of the country by covering aspects of daily life, history, and social, economic and political changes.

A survey of Mexican civilization from the Aztecs to the present. The course will deal with such topics as history and politics, social and economic issues, architecture, literature, music, etc.

This course is an introduction to Spanish literature and will cover the most significant texts from medieval times to the 18th century. The course also aims to introduce the student to literary analysis and therefore particular attention will be paid to the question of genre, terminology, literary movements and textual analysis.

This course is a continuation of SPAN 222W and will study some of the most salient literary texts produced from the 18th century up to the present time. The approach to the course will be similar to SPAN 222W with special emphasis on textual analysis.

This course is an introduction to Latin American literature and will cover the most significant works from the conquest to the 19th century. The course also aims to introduce the student to literary analysis and, therefore, particular attention will be paid to the question of genre, terminology, literary movements and textual analysis.

This course is a continuation of SPAN 227 and will study the period beginning with Modernismo (c. 1880) to the present day. Works of such renowned authors as Neruda, Borges and Garcia Marquez will form part of the material taught in this course. The approach will be similar to SPAN 227 with special emphasis on textual analysis.

The purpose of this course is to consolidate language skills acquired in SPAN 201A, 201B, 210 by incorporating innovative techniques that focus on applying and strengthening previously obtained grammatical skills by means of intensive intermediate level translation drills, creative compositions, and group discussions.

A continuation of SPAN 251A.

Intensive study of the Spanish language for business, emphasizing vocabulary development, grammar and syntax. The focus is on the strengthening of written and verbal (both oral and aural) communication skills using diverse multimedia resources. Newspapers, magazines and business documents will be studied.

A continuation of SPAN 261.

Study of the fundamental narrative techniques and ideology in some of the most representative realist novels of the 19th century.

From the turn of the century until the Civil War, Spanish literature enjoyed an artistic explosion the likes of which had not been seen since the Golden Age. This course analyzes a selection of the writers of this period, such as Valle Inclán, Azorín, Baroja, and Unamuno, both in terms of literary innovation and relationship to the ideological trends and social reality in early 20th century Spain.

Introduction to the cultures of Spain-Basque, Catalan and Galician - with emphasis on their contemporary works translated into Spanish. Through the readings students will get a glimpse of the multicultural nature of Spain and will learn about the contemporary trends that define the cultures of the Basque country, Catalonia and Galicia. Samples of contemporary music, cinema and art will also be introduced.

This course will sensitize students to current social problems in Spain through the analysis of literature, art, and music. Particular attention will be given to novels that cover topics such as corruption, drug addiction, terrorism, and abortion.

A general introduction to the 16th and 17th Spanish literature, with detailed study of representative works of the period. The plays will be studied from various points of view, including historical importance, themes and technique.

A general introduction to literature in its historical and cultural background. A special study through the close analysis of representative works. Emphasis will be given to the study of Don Quijote.

The Spanish Civil War created a mass exodus of Spanish intellectuals. This course will consider the dynamic exile theatre of various authors, some of whom were already famous for their novels or poetry.

This course will examine works by and about women in early modern Hispanic culture (16th and 17th centuries), with particular attention to engagements with and subversions of patriarchal culture in theatre, prose, and poetry. Authors to be discussed may include, among others, Santa Teresa de Avila, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Maria de Zayas, and Ana Caro.

This course examines the interaction between literature and music as an authentic expression of cultural identity and social context in Spain and Latin America. By examining the conditions in which the literary and the musical arts join and how they create responses to collective experience in times of challenging socio-political circumstances, this course will focus on the way the interaction renews and innovates the cycles of cultural expression through literature, particularly poetry.

An in-depth study of major poets and movements from Modernism to Vanguardism, post-Vanguardism and Surrealism. Examples of the poets studied in this course are Ruben Dario, Ramon Lopez Velarde, Gabriela Mistral, Cesar Vallejo, Nicolas Guillen, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, among others.

An in-depth study of selected prose masterpieces from Sarmiento to the 1930s. The political, social, cultural, and educational motifs will be analyzed in detail. The question of the novel as a vehicle for social conscientization will also be studied.

The objective of this course is to provide students with the background to analyse and understand the rapid evolution/regression of Spanish and Latin American cultures in the 20th century. The movies presented will be studied in their socio-historical context. A reading list based on a selection of pertinent literature on the course topics will provide the necessary background to understand the content of the films.

By special arrangements, an individual student or a small group of students will follow a course of study under the supervision of a faculty member.

This course is aimed at intense development of written and oral skills. Written assignments emphasize grammatical style and structure; oral class conversations are based on selected themes or topics relating to Spain and Latin America.

A continuation of SPAN 351A.

Further practice in verbal and written communications to increase mastery of vocabulary. Assigned texts will serve as points of departure for a series of debates oriented toward the discussion of international business as practised in and with the Spanish-speaking world.

This course will provide students with the practical skills necessary to interact in the Spanish-speaking business world. Group projects and presentations are an intrinsic part of the course.

This course will study a selection of short stories by Spanish contemporary writers. Through analysis and in-depth criticism of the works, students will reach a better knowledge of the self and others. Emphasis will be given to studying women writers.

A study of selected stories by Latin American writers. The chosen stories are part of a literature in which the themes of "magical-realism", exile, national identity, history, metaphysical fantasy and social struggle never stop flourishing. Some of the authors studied in this course are Juan Rulfo, Jorge L. Borges, Carlos Fuentes, G. Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende.

A study of selected works by women writers from the Baroque to the 20th century. This course will focus on the artistic and literary quality of the selected material and on the analysis of valuable works that are not yet part of the traditional anthologies. Some of the authors studied are Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, Gabriela Mistral, Maria Luisa Bombal, Lydia Cabrera, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Garro, Luisa Valenzuela, Rosario Ferre, Elena Poniatowska and Isabel Allende.

A study of the most important dramatists of Latin America. Particular attention will be paid to the political, historical, cultural and aesthetic context which inform the works studied.

This course is designed for students enrolled in their third year of the General or Honours program in Spanish. A strong command of Spanish and English is required. Intense concentration of the Spanish language through oral and written work will focus on business-oriented fundamentals of communication, such as letter writing, as well as the translation of primary source materials such as newspapers and business documents.

A study of the emergence of testimonial discourse in Latin America in relation to the socio-political turmoil that has characterized Latin American life in the past decades. Contemporary fictional and non-fictional texts, as well as documentaries and movies, will be discussed in order to establish the grounds of testimonial discourse as a genre.

This course focuses on a specific topic or question in Hispanic studies.

This course presents a detailed study of the external and internal history of the language. Topics treated include a brief outline of factors involved in linguistic evolution and language formation. The main features of the phonetic evolution from Latin to Spanish are studied with emphasis on the formation of speech sounds and the factors that spearheaded the mutations.

An introduction to medieval Spanish poetry and prose, focusing on an exploration of the theme of love in various works of the period. The historical context within which these texts were produced will be examined and the various methods of literary analysis applied to them by successive generations will be considered.

This course will focus on the examination of the theory, methodology, and techniques of translation. The patterns and problems in the translation of scholarly texts from a variety of sources will be considered. The student will also be introduced to such theorists as Walter Benjamin, George Steiner, Paul de Mann, Jacques Derrida, Ovidio Carbonell, among others.

This course will develop writing skills through the analysis of literary texts, short stories, poetry and essays. It will focus on a number of features essential to the process of writing, such as the use of prewriting activities to help students develop thematic content as well as the organization skills and linguistic abilities needed to communicate successfully.

A continuation of SPAN 451. Frequent class presentations are required.

Both in Latin America and in Spain, there is a rich and lengthy tradition of authors crossing over the shadowy boundaries which separate the field of journalism and that of literature. This course will study the processes and methods of this particular variety of genre transfer, by analyzing classic and recent works from the second part of the 20th century by celebrated Hispanic writers.

This course will analyze the ideological, historical, cultural, and social aspects of essays in the contemporary Hispanic world.

By special arrangement, students can follow a course of study under direct supervision.

This course is designed for students enrolled in third and fourth year of the General or Honours program in Spanish. Fluency in both Spanish and English is required. The objective of this course is to refine translation techniques in order to enable the student to provide accurate and idiomatic translations of English texts in Spanish and vice versa.

Introduction, analysis, and translation of some of the most representative playwrights in contemporary Latin America and Spain who have written brief theatre pieces known as "teatro breve" (one-act plays).

This course will trace the development of the novel in Mexico through its most prominent and representative authors. Azuela's Los de abajo, Rulfo's Pedro Paramo and Fuentes' La muerte de Artemio Cruz will be analysed. These works will be approached both as an art form and as a social document, and will be examined within a broad cultural context.

A study of the 20th-century novel and its development from the 1930s to the present through representative authors. While special attention will be paid to the individual works in the last half century, the individual works will be analyzed for their value as the expression of social and historical reality.