SPAN 253W Introduction to Literary & Cultural Studies en Español

This course guides students toward the development of skills that will enable them to move toward a greater awareness of how literary and other cultural productions create effects and reactions in readers, viewers, and/or listeners. Moreover, it engages with these forms of expression as reflections of the diverse contexts and communities from which they emerge, situating works by a range of voices from across Latin America, Spain, and/or the U.S. within their historical, political, social, economic, and artistic contexts. Along the way, as distinctive features of each selection are highlighted, students become equipped with key tools and strategies of literary and cultural interpretation. Emphasizing critical thinking and a communicative approach to language learning, the course invites students to explore fiction, poetry, drama, film and/or other areas of cultural production (such as music, painting, photography, performance, and/or comics) through conversations and activities designed to improve their speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities in Spanish, as well as to deepen their cultural understanding of the Spanish-speaking world.