SPAN - Spanish

SPAN 101 - Elementary Spanish I

This sequence is for beginners, covering the fundamentals of spoken and written language through the development of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Class/laboratory. Language level and subsequent course placement will be determined by the Department of Languages & Literary Studies.

Prerequisite
Novices only. Students with the equivalent of two or more years of high school Spanish are ineligible to take SPAN 101. Students with the equivalent four or more years of high school Spanish are ineligible to take SPAN 102 and SPAN 103

SPAN 102 - Elementary Spanish II

This sequence is for beginners, covering the fundamentals of spoken and written language through the development of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Class/laboratory. Language level and subsequent course placement will be determined by the Department of Languages & Literary Studies. [H]

Prerequisite
Novices only. Students with the equivalent of two or more years of high school Spanish are ineligible to take SPAN 101. Students with the equivalent of four or more years of high school Spanish are ineligible to take SPAN 102 and SPAN 103. Prior to registering for their first language course (102 or above) at Lafayette, students with the equivalent of two or more years of high school Spanish should take the online advising test or submit their AP or IB-Higher Level subject test scores to the Registrar.

SPAN 103 - Accelerated Elementary Spanish

An intensive program for high beginners. The course takes a communicative approach toward the development of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Ideal for students in need of review, and those with professional, family or travel interests. Class/Laboratory. Not open to students with credit for SPAN 101-SPAN 102. Language level and subsequent course placement will be determined by the Department of Languages & Literary Studies. [H]

Prerequisite
Students with the equivalent of four or more years of high school Spanish are ineligible to take SPAN 102 and SPAN 103. Prior to registering for their first language course (102 or above) at Lafayette, students with the equivalent of two or more years of high school Spanish should take the online advising test or submit their AP or IB-Higher Level subject test scores to the Registrar.

SPAN 111 - Intermediate Spanish I

Review and expansion of basic grammar and vocabulary. Short literary and cultural readings. Development of reading, writing, listening, and conversational skills as well as a deeper understanding of Hispanic cultures. Class/laboratory. Language level and subsequent course placement will be determined by the Department of Languages & Literary Studies.

Prerequisite
SPAN 102 or SPAN 103. Prior to registering for their first language course (102 or above) at Lafayette, students with the equivalent of two or more years of high school Spanish should take the online advising test or submit their AP or IB-Higher Level subject test scores to the Registrar.

SPAN 112 - Intermediate Spanish II

Review and expansion of basic grammar and vocabulary. Short literary and cultural readings. Development of reading, writing, listening, and conversational skills as well as a deeper understanding of Hispanic cultures. Class/laboratory. Language level and subsequent course placement will be determined by the Department of Languages & Literary Studies. [H, GM 2]

Prerequisite
SPAN 111. Prior to registering for their first language course (102 or above) at Lafayette, students with the equivalent of two or more years of high school Spanish should take the online advising test or submit their AP or IB-Higher Level subject test scores to the Registrar.

SPAN 211 - Advanced Spanish

Advanced Spanish is an intensive composition course that emphasizes the development of critical and analytical skills in Spanish through the study of Spanish and Latin American literature and film. Designed as a bridge between language development and upper-level civilization, literature, and culture courses, this class focuses on process writing and is generally taken after a student has completed the Intermediate sequence of language study. Language level and subsequent course placement will be determined by the Department of Languages & Literary Studies. [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 112, or equivalent proficiency. Prior to registering for their first language course (102 or above) at Lafayette, students with the equivalent of two or more years of high school Spanish should take the online advising test or submit their AP or IB-Higher Level subject test scores to the Registrar.

SPAN 215 - Spanish for Heritage Speakers

Designed to build on the existing skills of students who have grown up in Spanish-speaking environments, this course provides the opportunity to develop communicative competence in Spanish in both formal and informal settings through the expansion of speaking, reading, and writing skills. Objectives include: review of of such critical language aspects as spelling conventions, written accents, and the variety of linguistic registers or communicative settings (i.e. informal, formal, academic, etc.). Extensive reading, writing, and communicative activities. Equivalent to SPAN 211. [GM1, H]

Prerequisite
Home background experience in Spanish. Course does not assume previous formal study of the language. All participating students will take a written skills-assessment test

SPAN 225 - Business Spanish

This course is designed to teach advanced students how to use their language skills within the context of the Spanish-speaking professional world. Students acquire specialized vocabulary and knowledge related to topics such as banking and finance, telecommunications, import/export operations, advertising, and marketing. Course activities include composition of business letters and résumés, summaries, and translation of official documents and business correspondence, exploration and analysis of commerce-related Internet sites, and completion and presentation of a country-specific team project. Class/laboratory. [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211, or equivalent proficiency. Students with two or more years of high school Spanish should submit their AP, IB, or SAT II score to the Registrar or take the placement test administered by the Department. First-year students should take the online placement test prior to registration. Continuing students should make an appointment with the Foreign Languages & Literatures Department Head to take the exam prior to registration

SPAN 303 - Texts and Contexts: Iberia (pre-1900)

An interdisciplinary exploration of the Iberian Peninsula's civilizations and cultures as reflected in its history, literature, peoples, politics, and arts. Topics range from Spanish Unification in 1492 through the rise and fall of Spain as an imperial power. Class/laboratory. [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 304 - Texts and Contexts: Latin America (pre-1900)

An interdisciplinary exploration of civilizations and cultures from the colonial period through the early 20th-century as reflected in its history, literature, peoples, politics, and arts. Class/laboratory. [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 305 - Text and Contexts: US Latinx

Cultural productions by Latinx in the United States is right now an essential component of the Hispanic world. States like Florida, California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, among others offer a diverse US Latinx population. This course analyses literary works writers who identify themselves as Mexican-American, Cuban-Americans, Nuyoricans, Dominican-Americans or migrants from Spanish-speaking countries. This course will focus on critical topics such as identity conflicts, gender issues, immigration, and generational differences. Students will examine through literary text the conflicts present in the Latinx community in the United States. The course will provide to the students a crucial perspective about the contribution of Hispanic heritage to the United States in order to understand cultural differences. 

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215

SPAN 311 - Survey of Spanish Literature II

An introduction to the literature of Spain from the eighteenth century to the present, from the Enlightenment through the post-civil war era. The course examines how authors such as Larra, Castro, Pardo Bazán, Galdós, and Machado responded to the challenges posed by the shifting realities of their times. Class/laboratory. [GM2, H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 313 - Texts and Contexts: Iberia (post-1900)

An interdisciplinary study that examines the evolution of Spanish society from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Topics include Spain's problematic transition from feudalism to modernity, the rise of regionalism and its impact on national identity, and literary creativity and censorship in a nation vaulting between reactionary and democratic political forces. [GM2, H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 314 - Texts and Contexts: Latin America (post-1900)

An interdisciplinary study of current cultural and political trends in Spanish America with emphasis on national and continental identities, political responses to development, the vitality of popular culture and the arts, and the growing importance of Hispanics in the United States. Laboratory assignments. [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 315 - Introduction to Visual Cultures of the Iberian Peninsula: Spanish Culture and Society through Film

An introduction to Iberian visual cultures from the early twentieth century to the present day. Among the issues addressed are the history of cinema in the Iberian Peninsula, visual representations of war and conflict, and visual interpretations of social issues. [H, GM2]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211

SPAN 316 - Visual Cultures of Latin America

This survey course offers a broad view into the visual cultures of Latin America, dealing with issues of creation of images, story-telling, consumption, and dissemination of visual productions. Materials can include codex, painting, photography, prints, TV, and cinema. Latin American visual production will be studied will be studies vis-à-vis politics, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationalism, and indigenous peoples. Time period, focused media, and region will vary upon the instructor.

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or 215, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor.

SPAN 317 - Visual Cultures of US Latinx

This course introduces students to US Latinx representations through film and TV in the United States Hispanic culture. This course will analyze the interaction between US Latinx communities and society, the linguistic dynamics between English and Spanish as a part of the family environment, among other topics. This course  will explore also a critical approach to the US Latinx stereotypes in film and TV. 

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215

SPAN 318 - Survey of Spanish American Literature II

An introduction to the literature of Spanish America, from the early twentieth century to the present day. Among the issues addressed are the literature of social protest and reform, artistic experimentation in contemporary poetry and narrative fiction, and the rise of the novel in the second half of the twentieth century. Class/laboratory. [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 320 - Creative Writing in Spanish

This is a creative writing course in Spanish. It will use creative writing to explore and deepen students’ understanding of the Spanish language, Latin American literature, and the various stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, editing, revising). The course will use critical readings of different texts and genres (poetry, short stories, novels, crónicas) as models for student assignments and creative writing projects. The course will be divided into different sections, each with a different focus related to genre and specific writing goals. Students will choose one of the writing exercises/assignments in each section to develop, draft, and workshop for a grade. In total, they will produce four creative writing assignments during the semester. [GM2, W]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211

SPAN 340 - Latin American Crime Fiction

This course will explore the influence of the crime fiction genre in contemporary Latin American literature. Students will develop an understanding for the varying ideological perspectives the genre offers in different cultural contexts, its influence on narrative form, as well as its possibilities for social critique.

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339)

SPAN 341 - Topics in LGBTQ+ Literature and Cultures

An in-depth study of a literary theme, genre, author, or movement in the cultural context of Spanish America (US Latinx and Latin America) during the late nineteenth century through the present day. Topics are focused on LGBTQ+ studies and will analyze Film, Theater, Novels, Short Stories, and Poetry. [GM1, W]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215, or approval of instructor

SPAN 342 - Latin American Youth Cultures

This course will explore contemporary youth productions and the representation of youth in the Latin American cultural field (literature, cinema and music). Focus will be placed on the importance of coming-of-age narratives, autofiction, and the relationship between politics and aesthetics. Students will develop an understanding for the ways in which youth subjects and subcultures interrogate ideas related to power, race, gender and social class. 

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339)

SPAN 343 - Images of Immigration in Spain

This course examines the history of migration to and from Spain during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries via its representation in literature, film, theater, photography, and popular media. We will approach Spain's dual history of emigration and immigration with a critical lens that reads the categories of ''immigrant'' and ''Spaniard'' as porous and historically fluid. [GM2, H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339) or the approval of the instructor.

SPAN 344 - Hispanic Caribbeans in NYC

This course examines several key features of the vibrant Hispanic Caribbean community and its continuing presence in New York City from the 19th Century to today. This diverse demographic is also an important facet of the ever-evolving Hispanic cultural identities of the wider United States. Course participants will explore the aesthetic dynamics of the U.S. Caribbean cultural products, practices and perspectives through the analysis of digital, textual and audiovisual narratives, food, dance, and music.

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339), or approval of instructor

SPAN 345 - Indigenous Philosophies and Cultural Productions

An interdisciplinary approach to the long-lasting resistance of indigenous peoples through the Americas. The course will study indigenous productions regarding subjects such as religion, gender, class, economy, and environmental sustainability during Colonial and/or Republican periods on literature, visual arts, cinema, and political theory. A special focus will be placed in the emergence of decolonial and anti-capitalist struggles led by indigenous intellectuals and theoreticians in our contemporary world.

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339)

SPAN 346 - Introduction to Caribbean Studies

An interdisciplinary exploration of civilizations and cultures from the colonial period through the early 20th century as reflected in it history, literature, peoples, politics, and arts. This course is an introduction to Hispanic Caribbean culture and literature. Class/laboratory. [W]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339), or approval of instructor

SPAN 347 - Afro-descendent Writers in the Hispanic Caribbean

An in-depth study of literary themes, genres, authors, and/or movement in the cultural context of the Africana Diaspora in the Hispanic Caribbean from the late 18th century to the present day. Topics will include a focus on Afro-descendant writers and will analyze theater, novels, autobiography, and poetry. [H, W]

Prerequisite
At least 2 courses must be from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339) to advance to Focused Themes of Inquiry of the Hispanophone World (SPAN 340-380), or approval of instructor

SPAN 348 - Don Quixote

Cervantes' masterpiece as it relates to today's reader, its impact on contemporary culture, and the stylistic innovations that make this novel a modern classic. (Formerly SPAN 425) [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339), or permission of the instructor

SPAN 349 - Introduction to Spanish Literature (pre-1700)

An introduction to the literature of Spain from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century, from the story of the Cid through the myth of Don Juan. Class/laboratory. (Formerly SPAN 310) [H]

Prerequisite
SPAN 211 or SPAN 215 and at least 2 courses from Foundations in Hispanophone Studies (SPAN 300-339), or permission of the instructor

SPAN 370 - Seminar on Translation

The course's aim is to introduce students to theoretical issues and the practical applications of translation. We will combine theory and practice to examine the full complexity of translation as both an art and a science. Specifically, we will work with the particular features of the translation process from English to Spanish and Spanish to English through a semester-long translation practicum. Among the issues to be considered are equivalence, decoding and recoding and untranslatability. [H, W]

Prerequisite
One 300-level course in Spanish or permission of the instructor

SPAN 421 - Seminar in the Literature and Culture of the New World

An in-depth study of the influence of colonial literature in both the formation of a Latin American identity and the development of contemporary writing. Texts by the explorers, missionaries, and conquistadores in the New World (including Columbus, Friar Bartolomé de las Casas, Hernán Cortés), and the subsequent generations of ''American-born'' writers (such as ''The Inca'' Garcilaso de la Vega). May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Class/laboratory. [H, W]

Prerequisite
SPAN 304 or SPAN 317, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 428 - Seminar in Modern Spanish American Literature and Culture

An in-depth study of a literary theme, genre, author, or movement in the cultural context of Spanish America (US Latinx and Latin America) during the late nineteenth century through the present day. Topics are focused on LGBTQ+ studies and will analyze Film, Theater, Novels, Short Stories, and Poetry. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Class/laboratory. [W]

Prerequisite
SPAN 304, SPAN 314, or SPAN 318, equivalent proficiency, or permission of the instructor

SPAN 435 - Research Seminar in Hispanic Literature and Civilization

Development of research skills and methodologies as applied to a specific topic in Hispanic studies: a literary theme, genre, author, or movement, and/or a cultural, historical, or political trend in Spain or Spanish America. Required of all majors in Spanish during the fall of their senior year. Only open to non-majors with permission of the instructor. [W]

SPAN 436 - Research Seminar in Hispanic Culture and Civilization

Development of research skills and methodologies as applied to a specific topic in Hispanic studies: a literary theme, genre, author, movement, and/or a cultural, historical, or political trend in Spain or Spanish America. Required of all majors in Spanish during the spring of their senior year. Only open to non-majors with permission of the instructor. [W] 

SPAN 460 - Reading and Research in Spanish

Individual research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Open only to qualified juniors and seniors. Hours arranged.

Prerequisite
Two 300-level literature or culture courses, and permission of the faculty mentor

SPAN 495-496 - Thesis in Spanish

Open only to majors in Spanish who are candidates for departmental honors. Tutorial sessions related to the student's research and essay project. Hours arranged. [One W credit only upon completion of both 495 and 496]

Prerequisite
Permission of the research instructor