Language At Work and At Play

Course Description: An intermediate level grammar review that also incorporates directed and original composition exercises.
Prerequisite: SPAN 003 or placement

Course Description: A review of grammar and practice with composition focusing on needs and problems specific to Spanish-speaking bilinguals.
Prerequisite: Placement

Course Description: Intermediate Grammar and Composition for Students in Medical-Related Fields. The main goals of the course are to help students develop their competence in using medical terminology in Spanish and to become familiar with the cultural aspects in the health care of Latinos/Hispanics in the United States. In addition, the course will review intermediate level Spanish-language grammar and will provide structure to improve students receptive (listening and reading) and productive (speaking and writing) skills needed for this specialized vocabulary. During the semester students will learn and practice health terminology in Spanish, and they will apply the specialized vocabulary through case scenarios, noticias (news) and readings. Participants will be exposed to Spanish from the first day and are expected to stay up-to date with the current health news as it relates to the Hispanic/Latino population of the United States. The course is intended for those who are beyond the basic level of Spanish (must have taken Span 003), but participants are not expected to be fluent speakers.
Prerequisite: SPAN 003

Course Description: This course focused on grammar and the media environment replaces Spanish 100 for students going into Communication majors. Intermediate Grammar and Composition for Students in Communication-related fields (Spanish in the Media) is an online content-based course for Spanish majors aimed to develop communication skills through a focus on mass media in Hispanic culture. This online course is a perfect match for double majors in Spanish and Media (Advertising/Public Relations, Media Studies, Journalism, etc). This course is restricted to students who are Communication majors or pre-majors. Completing this course achieves 15th credit level proficiency and replaces SPAN 100.
Prerequisite: SPAN 003 or placement

Course Description: An intermediate level grammar review that also incorporates directed and original composition exercises.
Prerequisite: None

Course Description: The course covers basic Spanish, grammar, and oral, aural, and writing skills for students in the Agricultural Sciences. Students who have received high school credit for two or more years of Spanish may not schedule this course for credit without the permission of the instructor. This course does not count toward Spanish majors or the Spanish minor. This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. The class will focus on the development of basic language skills, socio-cultural awareness and discourse. The class periods will be used to develop: (1) the student’s knowledge of Spanish as a linguistic code through mastery of a personalized vocabulary as well as common idiomatic language structures important to the student’s ability to communicate with Spanish speakers employed in their area of agricultural interest; (2) the student’s understanding of major grammatical concepts critical to effective communication in work management within the food, agriculture and natural resources industries; (3) the student’s cultural awareness of the varied Spanish speaking cultures with which the student will come into contact in the workplace; and (4) the student’s ability to be creative with their knowledge of the language as it relates to the development of self-confidence and effective communicative proficiency in Spanish. Frequent short quizzes and the collection and grading of are important components of the course as they are used to encourage the use of Spanish on a daily basis. Classroom activities will be designed to require students to use and develop their communication skills in Spanish to communicate efficiently and relate personally to Spanish speakers. Students will be evaluated based on homework, quizzes, exams, and class participation. Students who have received high school credit for four years of Spanish may not schedule this course for credit, without the permission of the instructor. This course does not count toward Spanish majors or the Spanish minor.
Prerequisite: None

Course Description: Further development of basic Spanish skills and the cultural awareness needed to work with Spanish speakers in the agricultural industries. The class will focus on further development of the elementary language skills, socio-cultural awareness and discourse introduced in SPAN 105. It will also build on the agricultural concepts introduced in Spanish 105. The class periods will be used to develop further: (1) the student’s knowledge of Spanish as a linguistic code through further mastery of a personalized vocabulary as well as common idiomatic language structures important to the student’s ability to communicate with Spanish speakers employed in their area of agricultural interest; (2) the student’s understanding of major grammatical concepts critical to effective communication in work management within the food, agriculture and natural resources industries; (3) the student’s cultural awareness of the varied Spanish speaking cultures with which the student will come into contact in the workplace; and (4) the student’s ability to be creative with their knowledge of the language as it relates to the development of self-confidence and effective communicative proficiency in Spanish. Frequent short quizzes and the collection and grading homework assignments are important components of the course as they are used to encourage the use of Spanish on a daily basis. Classroom activities will be designed to require students to use and develop their communication skills in Spanish to communicate efficiently and relate personally to Spanish speakers. Students will be evaluated based on homework, quizzes, exams, and class participation. Students who have received high school credit for four years of Spanish may not schedule this course for credit, without the permission of the instructor. This course does not count toward Spanish majors or the Spanish minor.
Prerequisite: SPAN 105

Course Description: Spanish 130 is a general education course on Iberian culture and civilization. The goal of this course is to provide the student with a broad, general introduction to the lands, peoples, history, and cultures of the area known as Spain and Portugal; to inform the student about the region¿s ethnic diversity, cultural heritages, and problems of development; to investigate vital symbols, myths, figures, icons, superstitions, and faiths; to foster critical thinking and associative skills; to suggest continuity and draw parallels between past and present; and to allow for a framework for undertaking further study. This course will survey the civilizations of these European lands and we will get an overview of the main historical events that make up this rich and complex history.The course is designed to expose students to the full range of Iberian history and diversity. Since we are covering centuries of history and several other variables (linguistic, artistic, ethnic, religious, political, economic, geographic, biologic, etc.), this tour will of necessity be pretty rudimentary. However, students will acquire an understanding of the diverse cultural currents and historical milestones that contributed to the creation of modern Spain and Portugal.
Prerequisite: None

Course Description: Spanish American and Brazilian life from the Conquest to the present; including studies of literature, art, the indigenous heritage, and contemporary problems. This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.The nations and peoples of Latin America have a unique, interesting history and cultural heritage that are rooted in the traditions, beliefs, experiences, values, and struggles of Native American, European, African and other populations. As close neighbors and major trading partners of the United States, Latin American republics have both benefited and suffered from the proximity and foreign policies of the northern capitalist democracy, and have contributed to its strength and growing ethno-racial diversity. This course aims to provide the student with a broad, general introduction to the lands, peoples, and history of Latin America; to inform the student about the region’s ethnic diversity, cultural background, and problems of development; and to promote appreciation for the values and practices of other cultures, and a better understanding of relations between the nations of the region and the United States. Traditional resident classes will usually combine presentation of content and discussion of reading assignments, with an expectation of high student participation. Films, videos, and recordings will enhance and illustrate readings. This course will fulfill the Humanities Breadth and Cultural Diversity requirements. The course does not count toward credits in the major or minor in Spanish because it is taught in English. Nevertheless, it will complement the department’s offerings by providing students with a greater appreciation of Latin America’s cultural origins, socioeconomic development, and everyday realities.
Prerequisite: None

Course Description: Spanish American and Brazilian life from the Conquest to the present; literature, art, the indigenous heritage, and contemporary problems. The nations and peoples of Latin America have a unique, interesting history and cultural heritage that are rooted in the traditions, beliefs, experiences, values, and struggles of Native American, European, African and other populations. As close neighbors and major trading partners of the United States, Latin American republics have both benefited and suffered from the proximity and foreign policies of the northern capitalist democracy, and have contributed to its strength and growing ethno-racial diversity. This course aims to provide the student with a broad, general introduction to the lands, peoples, and history of Latin America; to inform the student about the region’s ethnic diversity, cultural background, and problems of development; and to promote appreciation for the values and practices of other cultures, and a better understanding of relations between the nations of the region and the United States. Classes will usually combine lecture and discussion of reading assignments, with an expectation of high student participation. Films, videos, and recordings will enhance and illustrate readings. Three examinations (each covering approximately one third of the lessons presented), an occasional quiz, a book report or an annotated bibliography, participation and attendance will be the basis for evaluation of student learning and grades. Students are required and expected to read assignments, to attend class regularly, and to be prepared to participate in class discussions by answering and raising questions relevant to the lessons. Poor attendance will adversely affect a students standing and grade. This course will fulfill the Humanities Breadth and Cultural Diversity requirements. The course does not count toward credits in the major or minor in Spanish because it is taught in English. Nevertheless, it will complement the department’s offerings by providing students with a greater appreciation of Latin America’s cultural origins, socioeconomic development, and everyday realities.
Prerequisite: None

Course Description: A general introduction to human and cultural elements of African origin in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America. This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. The nations and peoples of Latin America have a unique, interesting history and cultural heritage that are rooted in the traditions, beliefs, experiences, values, and struggles of Native American, European, African and other populations. This course focuses on the presence and participation of African peoples and their descendants in the formation and development of societies and cultures in representative areas of the Caribbean, South America, and CentralAmerica and on the evolution, diversity, and richness of the African heritage therein. Course content includes the African background, the experience and impact of slavery, the social, cultural, and economic heritage of slavery, the role of race in Latin America, and Afro-Hispanic intellectual, literary, and artistic developments (e.g., aspects of folklore, music). The course aims to provide students with a general introduction to human and cultural elements ofAfrican origin within the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking nations of theAmericas so that they may be more knowledgeable of the meaning, significance and widespread influence of the African diaspora. It proposes to provide the student with a better understanding of Africa’s contribution to Latin American identity, diversity, culture, and development; to promote appreciation for the values and practices of other cultures, and greater awareness of the relations between the nations of the region and the United States.
Prerequisite: None

Course Description: Intensive grammar review; composition. Designed primarily for majors and prospective majors.
Prerequisite: SPAN 100 or by placement

Course Description: This course will enhance writing proficiency in Spanish of Spanish speaking students by targeting common problems characteristic of Spanish speakers.
Prerequisite: SPAN 100A

**For Spring 2025, take this course as SPAN 297N**

Course Description: Introduction to the fundamental components of linguistics using data from the Spanish language. Spanish 215 will introduce students to the fundamental components of linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and semantics) using data from the Spanish language. The course requires no previous knowledge of linguistics, but presupposes familiarity with Spanish at the 15 credit level or higher. The underlying purpose is to awaken the student’s interest in Spanish linguistics; to provide them with a foundation in the terminology and concepts necessary for studying higher level courses that are part of Spanish major and minor curricula; and to help them to decide which of the upper level classes they would be most interested in taking. Student performance in the course will be evaluated by (a) exams designed to verify their familiarity and understanding of linguistic terminology and concepts, their skill in doing phonetic transcription, and their ability to solve problems in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and (b) their preparedness and participation in classroom activities.
Prerequisite: SPAN 100

Time: TR, 12:05-1:20 p.m.
Instructor: Lauren Halberstadt
Course Description: The Multilingual and Intercultural Communication (MIC) course focuses on linguistic strategies for succeeding in multilingual environments (e.g. dialect variation, second language acquisition strategies) as well as intercultural communication practices for navigating new environments (e.g. understanding cultural norms, skills for global leadership). The course will have an interdisciplinary focus on social science and the humanities. The mission of the course is to develop transferable skills, expand professional opportunities, and enhance intercultural communication in our students.
Learning objectives:
Develop and enhance intercultural communication skills
Improve language and language learning skills
Provide an understanding of global professional experiences in a range of fields through global leadership assignments
Give Spanish-, Italian-, and Portuguese-learning students opportunities to practice their languages as well as cooperate with each other to navigate cultures in languages which they do not yet speak
Teach students strategies for successful intercultural communication and global competency
Instill confidence in students to participate in international experiences, during their education and afterward in their careers
Prerequisite: SPAN 100

Course Description: Development of advanced grammar and composition skills through reading texts by native speakers and adapting their techniques for original compositions.
Prerequisite: SPAN 200

Course Description: Advanced Grammar and Composition for Students in Medical-related Fields.
Prerequisite: SPAN 100B
*Note: Students may take either SPAN 300 OR SPAN 300B but not both

Course Description: Provides practical language applications for students going to social work, psychology, and the legal and medical professions. SPAN 305 Spanish for Social Services (3) provides practical language applications for students going into social work, psychology, and the legal and medical professions. At the same time, there is an emphasis on the wide range of historic, linguistic and cultural influences that make up the Hispanic community in the US today.
Prerequisite: SPAN 200 and SPAN 215 or SPAN 253W

Course Description: Spanish phonetics and phonemics; systematic means of correcting pronunciation defects; other audio-lingual applications.
Prerequisite: SPAN 200, SPAN 215

Course Description: Building words and sentences in Spanish. Analysis of Spanish work structure and its relationship to syntactic structures. SPAN 316 is an introduction to the study of Spanish morphology and syntax. In linguistics, morphology is the study of the morphemes (e.g. affixes, words, roots) of language and how they combine together to form words. Syntax is the study of how words combine together to form phrases and sentences. Because this course is for Spanish majors and minors, the focus in this course is on the structure of words, phrases, and sentences in Spanish, how Spanish compares to other languages, and how morphology and syntax vary across Spanish dialects. Special focus will be made on explaining the kinds of errors typical of English-speaking learners of Spanish as a second language, and a primary goal of the course is for students to improve their proficiency in using Spanish morphosyntax. The course is taught in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPAN 200, SPAN 215

Time: TR 9:05 AM – 10:20 AM
Instructor: Juan Udaondo Alegre
Description: This course will introduce students to diverse Spanish cultural expressions through gripping film genres. The class will allow participants to improve their ability to express themselves in Spanish through reflecting on, writing about, and discussing a broad selection of topics related to the movies. Through different in-class exercises, students (in pairs and in groups) will enrich their Spanish vocabulary and express opinions and arguments about many different topics related to horror and fantasy films and their different subgenres. Participants will also learn about the technology of film production along with fundamental concepts for film analysis (shots, angles, sound, lighting, etc.). When discussing the films, students are expected to connect their content and language with the social, cultural, and political context of Spain throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, because imaginary fears and monsters sometimes mirror real ones. Spain has regularly produced horror and fantasy films in recent years. A country with a wealth of folktales and a rich cultural context, Spanish cinema has also incorporated famous myths from foreign traditions into their lore, such as vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. Looking outward, some Spanish fantasy movies have achieved international success, and several directors (Collet-Serra, Amenábar, Bayona, Vigalondo, etc.) now work for the US film industry. Throughout the semester we will watch (and enjoy) examples from all of them. Students will watch most films at home, although some public screenings in the Pattee and Paterno library are planned as part of a small film series. During these screenings, students will lead a debate on the film with the audience. In this way, the course is designed to be suitable for all students interested in both Spanish and film culture.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W

Course Description: Emphasis on achieving practical command of spoken Spanish and the comprehension of native speech. Use of journalistic materials.
Prerequisite: SPAN 200

Course Description: Techniques of written translation from Spanish to English and vice versa, particularly for business, literature, and social work. Students will learn translation theory and best practices, as well as strategies for overcoming the most common translation problems in Spanish-English translation. Some time will be spent on a review of grammar issues that most commonly result in errors in translation. Students will also learn how to deal with colloquial language and cultural references in a Spanish source text, and will be taught to consider the function of dialect, style and register in a source text and their impact in translation. In the final weeks of the semester, the focus shifts from the theoretical to the practical, as students apply their skills to the translation in advertising, scientific and technical texts, documents, and literary and artistic translation.
Prerequisite: SPAN 200

Course Description: Introduction to the art of interpretation, with particular attention to the professions for which it is most commonly required. Spanish 413 will provide students with demonstrations and exercises designed to develop the skills required in sight translation and in consecutive, simultaneous and summary interpretation. The course does not presume to provide the training needed for entrance into the profession; it is intended to give students sufficient understanding of the rigors and demands of the profession and to help them determine whether they have the interest and skills to pursue further training in this area. At the same time, it will provide students with a unique opportunity to improve their listening comprehension and fluency in the target language, whether English or Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPAN 412

Course Description: This class is a linguistics course that focuses on language acquisition in children and adults. Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure, and linguistic inquiry focuses on various levels of language: phonology examines the sounds of language, morphology examines the structure of words (e.g., root words and their inflections), and syntax focuses on the structure of phrases and sentences. Using the tools of phonology, morphology, and syntax, this course will address the following questions. What is unique about human language? How is language learned in infancy? How do humans learn additional languages after they have learned their first language? How does bilingual language development compare to monolingual language development? Can knowing more than one language actually be detrimental? What are the different languages spoken by bilinguals in the Spanish-speaking world? What sorts of bilingual education programs are there in the Spanish-speaking world, including in the U.S.? By answering these questions, this course introduces students to bilingualism and bilingual language acquisition.
Prerequisite: SPAN 215 

Course Description: Spanish 420, Spanish for Business and International Trade, is an introduction to business administration (organizational structure, human resources, marketing, accounting, cross-cultural etiquette, business ethics, etc.) within the context of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures against the backdrop of the global economy. Participants will broaden and deepen their ability to apply their Spanish skills in a professional setting by reading and evaluating current business articles, discussing and analyzing business issues in various Hispanic countries, examining the intersection of business and culture in the Spanish-speaking world, viewing short videos, preparing a resume in Spanish, and participating in other written and oral activities. To complement the core content, various assignments also allow students to focus on their individual majors.
Prerequisite: SPAN 100A or SPAN 200 and SPAN 215 or SPAN 253

Course Description: Reading, analysis, and discussion of selected major works representative of Spanish American prose and poetry.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W

Course Description: This course is conducted in Spanish and will analyze some of the central themes that shape the diverse Latina/o experiences in the United States. Some of the main topics that the course will address include: the politics of labeling; definitions of displacements; the politics of language; imaginary homelands and geographic spaces; and conceptualizations of race, gender, and sexuality. These themes will be seen through the lens of Latina/o literature and film. The main objective of this course is to help students think critically about the conceptual, theoretical, historical, and social issues that inform the Latina/o experience in the United States.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W

Course Description: Reading, analysis, and discussion of selected masterpieces of Spanish novels, short stories, etc.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W

Instructor: María Izquierdo
Course Description: In this course, we will develop our capacity to observe our surroundings in new ways and use the written word to manipulate different types of readers. We will also consider the introduction of images, gifs, and videos into the production of some of the stories that we will create. We will write stories as short as 140 characters, participating in Twiteratura, and as long as 6 pages. Topics discussed may be controversial, absurd, or sensitive in nature, and we will learn to navigate them while offering and receiving constructive criticism in a respectful manner.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W

Time: MWF, 12:20-1:10 p.m.
Instructor: Ashley Pahis
Course Description: This course explores the many ways in which we as language users construct, maintain, and express ourselves through language both orally and physically. We as humans possess similar means by which to produce language. How, then, do we manipulate the ways in which we speak and act to express ourselves and make our voices heard? We will discuss topics such as the performative aspects of gender and the acoustic manifestations of sex, gender, and sexuality in Spanish and other languages, as well as more recent movements striving for more inclusive language.
Prerequisite: SPAN 215

Instructor: Elizabeth Lagresa-González
Course Description: This course examines Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s masterpiece Don Quijote de la Mancha, focusing on close readings and literary analysis of major themes such as reality/fiction, perspectivism/ ambiguity, and deeds/words, covering a range of topics from  gender and race relations to economic crises, religious turmoil and social inequality. Special emphasis will be placed on examining the representation of “others,” within the context of the expulsion of Jewish and Moorish minorities. The course will consider “errant” subjects in its two dimensions: as those straying from the accepted course, unacceptable actions; and traveling in search of adventure, a wondering journey. By applying a cross-disciplinary approach, Cervantes’ work will be discussed in relation to the artistic and historical context of renaissance and baroque Spain, drawing upon the visual arts and J.H. Elliott’s Imperial Spain, while deconstructing the different kinds of fiction — pastoral, picaresque, the Moorish novel, the Italian novella, and the romance of chivalry — that inhabit this novel.

Attesting to its global reach, Don Quijote has been influential to thinkers from Lukács to Foucault to Bakhtin to Girard to the Frankfurt School, and to writers from Nabokov to Borges to Flaubert to García Márquez and beyond. No other book, with the exception of the Bible, has been translated to more languages, or undergone more editions and reprints. A herald of modernity, Cervantes’ novel casts a vast influence on both Western and Latin American literature.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W 

Time: TR, 10:35-11:50 a.m.
Instructor: Manuel Pulido
Course Description: This course focuses on key aspects of the acquisition of Spanish as a second language. The course will address questions such as: Can watching Netflix help me learn Spanish? What type of practice, and how much, can help me learn Spanish? Does the native language change when we learn second languages? Is computer-based learning as effective as face-to-face learning? The course goes from theory to practice, and emphasizes hands-on experience based on examining data and experiments.
Prerequisite: SPAN 215

Time: TR 9:05 AM – 10:20 AM
Instructor: Joseph Bauman
Description: There are more than 7000 languages spoken in the world today. How did human language first develop and where did all those different languages come from? How are they all different? How are they similar? What happens when they die? This course will explore linguistic diversity and historical change through the lens of evolutionary biology. Using examples from Spanish and recent scientific evidence, we will learn how language can be metaphorically characterized as a living, growing, changing organism.

Instructor: Matthew J. Marr
Course Description: This course will offer an in-depth study of the genre of the modern (and, in some instances, postmodern) short story as cultivated—in Spanish—by some of Spain and Latin America’s most vibrant narrative voices of twentieth century through the present.  Primary texts will include selections by, among others, Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Juan Rulfo, Gabriel García Márquez, Camilo José Cela, Ana María Matute, Miguel Delibes, Juan Goytisolo, Rosa Montero, Javier Marías, and Juan José Millás.  Special attention will be given to the mechanics of form and suspense, as well as to an evolving aesthetics of “the real.”  The cultural referents at play in each short story will also be closely examined, as will transatlantic patterns of literary influence and cosmopolitanism (vs. regionalism) among the authors considered.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W

Instructor: Giulia Togato
Course Description: Language is a vehicle that we use to express our personal and cultural norms and orientations. The whole essence of our thought as individuals is expressed through language. This course will explore the importance that language acquires in social interaction adopting a psycholinguistic approach. Psycholinguistics is the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, comprehend, process and produce language. Accordingly, the course will offer the possibility to explore the cognitive processes underlying language use (both in comprehension and production: at the lexical, syntactic and discourse level); the main empirical methods psychologists use to approach and analyze language competence will be reviewed. Hence, the main goal of this course will be to understand how the brain makes way for language learning, both for native and non-native languages. The relationship between language, cognition and culture will also be analyzed.  This course integrates traditional lecture classes and student-centered learning (i.e. lecture classes will always be matched with active exercises, both individual and collaborative).
Prerequisite: SPAN 215

Time: MWF 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM
Instructor: Rena Torres Cacoullos
Description: Does Spanglish encapsulate true changes in Spanish due to contact with English, or does the label disparage groups of bilingual speakers? Does it take skill to mix languages? Three topics of this course are (1) grammatical convergence, confronting the idea that Spanish in the U.S. is influenced by English; (2) borrowing (loanwords), focusing on English nouns incorporated into Spanish, like mi dad; and (3) code-switching, discovering the rules for going back and forth between the two languages. In addressing these topics, we will learn about grammatical structures and social variation within Spanish. In the final project, students will choose a literary text or other creative work featuring code-switching and assess its authenticity by whether it follows the systematic patterns in bilingual communities. Materials: Gramática española: Varación Social, Kim Potowski & Naomi Shin, Routledge (2018) and articles/other sources on Canvas.

Instructor: Isabel Deibel
Course Description: This class provides a comprehensive historical, social and linguistic overview of Spanish in contact with other languages in its major contexts – in Spain, the United States, and Latin America.
Prerequisite: SPAN 215

Time: MoWeFr 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM
Instructor: Carlos Echeverría
Description: Corpus linguistics is the discipline that studies language using real texts – especially large, electronically available collections of texts, potentially including transcriptions of spoken language – as primary sources of data. Because of the emphasis it places on natural linguistic behavior, quantitative analysis, and the use of computer tools, corpus linguistics can be useful to professionals in a wide variety of fields besides linguistics: education, psychology, communication sciences and disorders, computer science, data science, etc. This course offers an introduction to the discipline from the perspective of Spanish and focusing on the use of freely available computer tools. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the foundations and methods of corpus linguistics and will be able to build their own corpora and conduct basic corpus analyses
Prerequisites: SPAN 215

Time: MoWeFr, 1:25-2:15 p.m.
Instructor: Matthew Carlson
Course Description: Have you ever failed to understand someone because they didn’t use the word “whom” properly? There is often quite a difference between how one is “supposed to” use a language, and how the language is actually used in the world. Where does this difference come from? Why are some ways of speaking considered to be more correct, more logical, or more polite, and others are disdained, discouraged, or ridiculed? More importantly, how do these judgments spread, and what are their consequences? Our focus in this course will be on stigmatized varieties of Spanish. Through that focus, we will explore why languages vary and change, why some forms come to be considered wrong or just plain bad, who uses these forms and why, and how people come to be judged, profiled, and discriminated against on the basis of how they speak. A central aspect of this course will be the exploration of primary data, both to study how Spanish is spoken by different people in different places, and to discover what different people say about varieties of Spanish, and about those who use those varieties.
Prerequisite: SPAN 215

Time: TR 9:05 AM – 10:20 AM
Instructor: Lauren Halberstadt
Description: In this course, students will be linguists who explore the many techniques used to study language and apply understanding to their own usage practices with the goal of improving their Spanish and linguistic awareness in general. Students will explore research methodologies in a guided way to understand learning outcomes and put them to immediate use. The course will also examine modern technologies used for language learning and navigating bilingual contexts to critically examine measures of success. Students will select their own goal-driven outcomes for improving their language use and utilize the themes of the course to map pathways to understanding, adapting, and achieving their Spanish language goals.

Time: MoWeFr, 10:10-11:00 a.m.
Instructor: Lauren Halberstadt
Course Description: Around the world, the ability to speak more than one language is the norm. However, bilingualism can take on many forms. Throughout the course, we will adapt a broad understanding of bilingualism and what it means to be a bilingual speaker. We will examine how multiple languages are learned, how the brain deals with multiple languages, and who are these bilingual speakers.
Course Objectives:
a. Develop an understanding of the theories surrounding the study of bilingualism.
b. Situate our understanding within the scope of specific communities.
c. Apply what we know about linguistics to new bilingual communities.
Prerequisite: SPAN 215

Time: MoWeFr, 2:30-3:20 p.m.
Instructor: Matthew Marr
Course Description: This course will offer an in-depth study of the genre of the modern/contemporary short story as cultivated in Spanish by some of Spain and Latin America’s most vibrant narrative voices of the twentieth century through the present.  Primary texts will include selections by, among others, Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Juan Rulfo, Rosario Castellanos, Rosario Ferré, Roberto Bolaño, Ana María Matute, Miguel Delibes, Rosa Montero, Javier Marías, Juan José Millás, and Javier Cercas.  Special attention will be given to the mechanics of form and suspense, an evolving aesthetics of “the real,” engagement with social critique, and short narrative’s commentary on the (post)modern human condition. The cultural referents at play in each text will also be closely examined, as will transatlantic patterns of literary influence and cosmopolitanism (vs. regionalism) among the authors considered.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W

Time: MoWeFr, 11:15 a.m.-12:05 p.m.
Instructor: Melanie Archangeli
Course Description: Spanish for Business and International Trade II, is a continuation of Span 420, Spanish for Business and International Trade.  Thus, Spanish 420 is a prerequisite for Spanish 497-005.   Participants will continue to broaden and deepen their ability to apply their Spanish skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking, and cultural knowledge) in a professional setting by using what they have learned in Spanish 420 to read, analyze, and discuss current articles and case studies related to business issues and companies in various Hispanic countries; examine the intersection of business and culture in the Spanish-speaking world; view current news/business videos in Spanish; and participate in other written and oral activities such as conducting a business meeting and presenting a project focused on their particular major.
Prerequisite: SPAN 420

Course Description: (1) How do humans learn additional languages after they have learned their first language? (2) How does bilingual language development compare to monolingual language development? (3) Why do we find variability in rates and outcomes of second language acquisiton? (4) What does it take to acquire advanced language skills in a second language? By answering these questions, this course introduces students to the field of first, second, and bilingual language acquisition.
Prerequisite: SPAN 215

Course Description: This course is conducted in Spanish and will analyze some of the central themes that shape the diverse Latina/o experiences in the United States. Some of the main topics that the course will address include: the politics of labeling; definitions of displacements; the politics of language; imaginary homelands and geographic spaces; and conceptualizations of race, gender, and sexuality. These themes will be seen through the lens of Latina/o literature and film. The main objective of this course is to help students think critically about the conceptual, theoretical, historical, and social issues that inform the Latina/o experience in the United States.
Prerequisite: SPAN 253W