Spanish

SPAN 101

Elementary Spanish I

3 credit hours

This course is an introduction to Spanish for students who have had no previous study of the language. Class places equal emphasis on listening comprehension, oral expression, reading and writing. Basic cultural knowledge and grammatical structures (verb-subject/subject-verb agreements; present tense of the indicative; adverbs and, pronouns, etc.) are presented.

SPAN 102

Elementary Spanish II

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-101 or placement

This course is a second semester study of Spanish for students who have a basic knowledge of the language. Class places equal emphasis on listening comprehension, oral expression, reading and writing. Cultural topics and grammatical structures are presented, including: preterit and imperfect tenses, the verb gustar, stem-changing verbs in the present, past tenses, por and para, and past participles.

SPAN 103

Intermediate Spanish I

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-102 or placement

This course is a combination of grammar review and vocabulary development with a strong oral and reading component. It is a course designed for students who have had two semesters of Elementary Spanish or equivalent.

SPAN 104

Intermediate Spanish II

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-103 or placement

The class offers continued practice in speaking and understanding oral and written Spanish. Emphasizes reading and listening. Studies essentials of grammar.

SPAN 200

Advanced Grammar and Composition

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-104 or placement

This course is an in-depth study of the Spanish language. Practice of basic techniques of composition. Writing of expository, descriptive and narrative prose. Introduction of models from representative Spanish essays and short stories. Active writing practice with weekly compositions. Highly recommended for Spanish native speakers.

SPAN 205

Language and Culture I

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-104 or placement

This course is a web-based intercultural project in the context of a language class, taught simultaneously at SXU and at Universidad Regional del Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico (URS). Using the Web, students from SXU and URS will discuss cultural perceptions as well as cultural products from both countries. The course intends to create a deeper understanding of each group's cultural attitudes, beliefs and values while developing linguistic skills.

SPAN 206

Language and Culture II

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-104 or placement

This course aims to provide an ongoing review of grammar, reading, writing and conversational practice and, at the same time, to increase the students' awareness of Hispanic culture by introducing them to some of its manifestations.

SPAN 210

Advanced Spanish Conversation

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-104 or placement

This course provides students with advanced oral practice in a conversational setting. Advanced Spanish vocabulary acquisition and correct pronunciation are stressed in this course. Class is conducted entirely in Spanish, and students are expected to participate actively on a daily basis. NOTE: Spanish 210 is a sixth-semester course that assumes prior knowledge of the language equal to five semesters of college instruction or its equivalency as determined by the Saint Xavier Spanish Placement Exam.

SPAN 211

Spanish for Spanish Speakers

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-104 or placement

A course designed to reactivate the oral skills of heritage-speakers of Spanish, to acquire knowledge about Hispanic/Latino cultural heritage, to augment Spanish literacy skills, and to develop academic Spanish language skills.

SPAN 212

Spanish in the Workplace

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: E (RQ) SPAN-104 or placement

An advanced course that provides intensive oral and written practice for those students interested in working on their Spanish language skills in preparation for entering diverse professional environments.

SPAN 217

Women in Mexican Culture

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-104 or placement

This class will study the impact of female figures such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, Malitzin/Malinche and la soldadera have had in traditional Mexican culture and their unexpected transformation into 21st century Latina/o cultural and religious icons. Class discussion will be conducted in English. Students of SPAN 217 will read and write in Spanish, while class discussion will be conducted in English.

SPAN 220

Interpretation of Texts

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course focuses on close reading and analysis of selected texts in prose, poetry and drama. The primary objective of the course is to familiarize students with methods of interpretative criticism and with Spanish literary terminology. This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 231

Introduction to Hispanic Culture and Civilization I

3 credit hours

This course is designed to acquaint students with basic characteristics and major trends of Hispanic life, culture and civilization, both in Spain and Latin America. Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S. and their impact on American society are also examined. This course is taught in English.

SPAN 232

Introduction to Hispanic Culture and Civilization II

3 credit hours

This course is designed to acquaint students with basic characteristics and major trends of Hispanic life, culture and civilization, both in Spain and Latin America. Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S. and their impact on American society are also examined. This course is taught in English.

SPAN 300

Field Work

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement and departmental approval

This is an internship course designed to provide students with the opportunity of working with Spanish-speaking people.

SPAN 307

Golden Age Poetry

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course focuses on the study of poetry as a genre and the particularities of poetry in Spanish; in-depth analysis of poets and styles of the Renaissance and Baroque periods; study of the connection between poetry and society in the 16th and 17th centuries. Students will read critical and historical works on different aspects of the poetry studied. This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 312

Literary Responses to Armed Conflicts in the 20th Century

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course questions the role of literature during war and during dictatorship, the role of censorship and the role of literature as a testimony. This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 314

Realism and the Turn of the Century

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course focuses on the development of the Spanish novel and its complexities, primarily the growing use and elaboration of numerous points of view and layers of narrative voices. The course will follow the evolution of the 19th century novel to the so-called "Generación del 98." Students will read critical works and literary manifests of the period. This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 315

Imaginary Caribbean: Literature of Cuba and Puerto Rico

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course will focus on the Caribbean as the site of the imaginary: how Europeans in the 16th century variously conceived of the area as the site of religious Utopia as well as commercial exploitation; how Cuban and Puerto Rican authors of the 19th century simultaneously sought to achieve independence from Spain as they articulated notions of nationhood. Finally, the course will examine Cuban-American and U.S. Puerto Rican authors of the Diaspora. The thread binding these three disparate groups together will be the concept of la nación soñada [the dreamt nation]. This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 316

Latin American Responses to Colinization

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course will consider and analyze the different ways in which Latin Americans have "written" a response to their colonial status, long before and after the countries of the continent were recognized as separate national entities. This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 317

Narrative and Spectacle of the Mexican Revolution

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course will consider the artistic expression of the Mexican Revolution within its historical context. It will also analyze popular U.S. responses to the revolution through Hollywood's view of the events and of some of the best-known protagonists of the conflict. In line with current feminist theories, the course will also examine the role of la soldadera, the female fighters of the Mexican Revolution. This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 319

Cervantes' Don Quijote

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

The reading of Cervantes' masterpiece will be guided by a series of pivotal questions generated during the reading, including discussion of literary concepts, thematic elements, and ideas transcending the plot, such as, but not limited, to: What does it mean to be a "good reader"?; Is Don Quijote a "good reader"?; What does it mean to be mad?; Is Don Quijote mad?; What is "reality" in the novel?; Is Cervantes condemning chivalric literature?; Who is the author of the novel? Besides the text of Don Quijote, reading material will include: the chivalric novel Amadís de Gaula, critical readings on parody, critical works on Don Quijote and on Cervantes' theory of the novel, a biography of Cervantes, and works on the life in Spain in the 16th century. This course is taught in Spanish or English.

SPAN 334

Film and Literature

3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

This course will attempt to bridge the gap between visual narratives and textual narratives by choosing a theme and demonstrating how each kind of narrative, movies and literature, presents a point of view, deals with a creator's vision and with the limitations inherent to its form in its attempt to "tell a story." This course is taught in Spanish.

SPAN 374

Methods of Teaching Foreign Language in Secondary Schools

3 credit hours

This course examined the trends in methodology of foreign language teaching in the United States. Course includes the development of ability in determining, stating and evaluating objectives. Emphasis on individualized instruction. Class demonstration of teaching techniques with the use of audio-visual equipment. Level 2 education course: requires admission to the SOE. Offered fall.

SPAN 392

Selected Topics in Hispanic Literatures and/or Civilizations

1 to 3 credit hours

Pre-requisite: P (RQ) SPAN-200 or SPAN-211 or placement

Study of a particular topic of interest in any period or area of Hispanic literatures and/or civilizations. Offered at the discretion of the department based on student interest and/or need. This course is taught in Spanish or English.

SPAN 395

Senior Seminar

3 credit hours

This course is a study of literature using current methodologies, critical approaches and research techniques. Students write and present a senior paper under the supervision of a faculty member. This course is taught in Spanish.