Spanish

Language Courses

Language courses 101, 102, 103, 204 are a sequential series of courses designed to prepare the student in the basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through the study of grammar, literature, and culture, and/or to provide the foundation for pursuing advanced work in language and literature. Spanish 205, 206 and 207 are designed to develop the student's spoken and written mastery of the language through compositions and intensive oral work based on cultural and literary topics. Admission to these courses is determined either by appropriate high school CEEB or Carleton placement test scores or by completion of the previous course in the sequence with a grade of C- or better.

Advanced Courses

We examine texts for both their aesthetic and human values. Our literature, film and cultural courses have a number of goals: to refine and expand students' linguistic ability, to broaden their cultural understanding, to improve their ability to engage in critical analysis, to enhance their knowledge of history and criticism, and to help students better understand themselves and the human condition. In our discussions, we address universal themes and concerns, but we also try to uncover what is peculiarly Hispanic or Latin American about the works.

Parish International House: The Spanish Language Associate organizes numerous cultural activities at Parish House (films, discussions, game nights, cooking gatherings, holiday celebrations) that provide opportunities for speaking Spanish on campus. Students participate in numerous cultural activities in Parish International House organized by the Spanish Language Associate who is a native speaker.

Programs Abroad: Participation in a Carleton or in another approved foreign study program is highly recommended for students majoring or minoring in the above areas. Students interested in study abroad should consult the section on international off-campus programs, and discuss alternatives with faculty in Spanish and with the Director of Off-Campus Studies.

Requirements for the Spanish Major

The Spanish major requires 66 credits beyond SPAN 103. 60 in Spanish at least 30 of which must be taken in Spanish at the 300 level.

18 credits in Latin American Literature, film, and/or culture at the 200 or 300 level
18 credits in Peninsular literature, film, and/or culture at the 200 or 300 level
6 credits in literature of film in translation from a language other than Spanish
18 credits in Spanish from courses number 204 or above
- Note: Students who place out of Spanish 204 via language placement exam, AP scores, or other pre-matriculation work must still complete 66 credits
6 credits of Spanish 400

Majors should complete no more than twelve credits in the sequence 204-219, and no more than eighteen credits from the courses number 220-299. A limit of three 200-level literature courses within the range of 220-299 guarantees that our students will proceed in a timely fashion to the upper division seminars and yet allows both flexibility and transition. All of our courses demand that students learn and apply critical skills for literary and cultural analysis. However, it is at the 300 level that our majors complete a paper that can often form the basis for the senior comprehensive project, the capstone experience in our major. All majors need to have completed two 300-level courses by spring term of their junior year.

We limit the number of non-Carleton OCS credits that can be applied to the major to a maximum of 12, and these credits do not substitute for the 300-level courses that students must complete on campus or through the departmental OCS programs.

Requirements for the Spanish Minor

Students who pursue the Minor in Spanish are required to complete 36 credits with a C- or better beyond the 103 level.

All courses must be taught in Spanish.
Spanish 204 may count toward the minor.
At least 12 credits in upper-level literature courses (300-395) are required.
We limit the number of non-Carleton OCS credits that can be applied to the minor to a maximum of 12, and these credits do not substitute for the 12 credits at the 300-level that students must complete on campus or through the departmental OCS programs.

Students who place out of 204 must still complete the six-course requirement (36 credits).

Spanish Courses

SPAN 101 Elementary Spanish This course introduces the basic structures of the Spanish language, everyday vocabulary and cultural situations. Students practice all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in Spanish. Taught five days a week in Spanish. Prerequisite: none (Placement score for students with previous experience in Spanish). 6 credits; NE; Fall; Claudia M Lange, Ariel Arjona Hernandez, Héctor Melo Ruiz

SPAN 102 Elementary Spanish This course introduces complex sentences and various tenses and short literary and cultural texts. Students practice all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in Spanish. Taught five days a week in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 101 or equivalent. 6 credits; NE; Winter; Claudia M Lange, Fernando I Contreras Flamand, Ariel Arjona Hernandez, Beatriz Pariente-Beltrán, Héctor Melo Ruiz

SPAN 103 Intermediate Spanish This course continues the study of complex sentence patterns and reviews basic patterns in greater depth, partly through the discussion of authentic short stories. Students practice all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in Spanish. Taught five days a week in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 102 or equivalent. 6 credits; NE; Spring; Claudia M Lange, Vera R Coleman, Ariel Arjona Hernandez, Beatriz Pariente-Beltrán, Fernando I Contreras Flamand

SPAN 204 Intermediate Spanish Through discussion of literary and cultural texts and films, as well as a review of grammar, this course aims to help students acquire greater skill and confidence in both oral and written expression. Taught three days a week in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 103 or equivalent. 6 credits; NE; Fall, Winter; Vera R Coleman, Ingrid Luna, Jorge Brioso, Beatriz Pariente-Beltrán, Humberto R Huergo, Fernando I Contreras Flamand

SPAN 205 Conversation and Composition A course designed to develop the student's oral and written mastery of Spanish. Advanced study of grammar. Compositions and conversations based on cultural and literary topics. There is also an audio-video component focused on current affairs. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Winter, Spring; Humberto R Huergo, Héctor Melo Ruiz

SPAN 208 Coffee and News An excellent opportunity to brush up your Spanish while learning about current issues in Spain and Latin America. The class meets only once a week for an hour. Class requirements include reading specific sections of Spain's leading newspaper, El País, everyday on the internet (El País), and then meeting once a week to exchange ideas over coffee with a small group of students like yourself. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; LA, IS; Fall, Winter, Spring; Yansi Pérez

SPAN 209 Radio and News in Spanish Are you interested in talking about current news while practicing your oral skills in Spanish? Have you ever considered participating in a radio program? This course is an excellent way to keep in touch with your Spanish while collaborating with “El Super Barrio Latino” a radio program conducted by the Latinx community of Northfield. In each program we will explore international and domestic news and we will interview people in our community. Relying on international newspapers, students will discuss common topics and themes representing a wide array of regions. (Language of conversation is Spanish) Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 2 credits; HI, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 210 The Spanish Civil War Through Graphic Novels This course serves as a bridge between beginning (Spanish 204-208) and advanced courses (Spanish 220-300) in the Department of Spanish. It is designed to help students improve their written and oral skills while reading some of the best graphic novels about the Spanish Civil War published in recent years, including: Vida y muerte de Federico García Lorca, Soldados de Salamina, Tres heridas de Miguel Hernández, El arte de volar, La muerte de Guernica, and others. This course is ideal for students who have recently completed Spanish 204 and are ready to tackle an introductory history and literature course in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 212 Madrid Program: Navigating Madrid This is an intense grammar/cultural workshop intended to help program participants navigate successfully through everyday situations such as ordering food at a restaurant, getting a haircut, describing your symptoms to a doctor, buying clothes or simply hanging out with your new Spanish friends. The course has two components—one strictly grammatical (“how do you say X exactly?”) and another cultural (“is it right to use the informal tú with a waiter?”). 2 credits; NE; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 213 Spanish Studies in Madrid Program: Pragmatics and Conversation in Context Pragmatics studies the relationship between language and context. Learning conversational skills in a second language requires students to linguistically adapt to a range of contexts, hence the field of pragmatics provides an ideal theoretical framework for a conversation class. For example, students learn about essential cultural and linguistic differences between English and Spanish with regard to conversational styles, politeness and verbal interaction in general. Prerequisite: Spanish 205. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; HI, IS; Fall; Palmar Álvarez-Blanco

SPAN 218 Introduction to Latin American Cinema This course will introduce the student to several production systems and aesthetic traditions in Latin American cinema, from silent cinema to current Netflix productions, allowing students to engage cinematic debates by situating them in their national, regional and global cultural contexts. Be prepared to be immersed in the moving image and its cultural significance through the viewing of many films and critical work on them. Recommended as a foundation course for further study. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or the equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 220 Racism, Immigration, and Gender in Contemporary Latin American Narrative This course focuses on contemporary short stories and short novels. We will read some of the most relevant living authors from Latin America including Carlos Gamerro, Pilar Quintana, Kike Ferrari, Yeniter Poleo, Antonio José Ponte, among others. This will expose students to the most pressing issues in today's Latin America, ranging from gender, violence, racism, and immigration. We will interview at least one of the authors read during the term and discuss the social implications of their literature in today's world. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Fall; Héctor Melo Ruiz

SPAN 229 Madrid Program: Current Issues in Spanish Politics This course offers a fresh look of Spain's current political and economic life. Discussion topics include the rise of Podemos and the new Spanish political scene, the Catalan separatist movement, political corruption, illegal immigration, and the role of the European Union. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or higher and acceptance in Madrid OCS Program. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 230 Spanish Studies in Madrid Program: Urban Transformation and Cultural Tensions in a Global City This course proposes an exploration of Madrid in a historical perspective to track those tensions between the persistence of the city and the pulsion of modernity, between the local traditions and peculiarities and the influences arriving as an effect of globalization. In this journey we will study the transformation of Madrid from Middle Ages to the present, focusing on the struggles and strategies of the community adapting to the new circumstances. In more general terms, we will understand Madrid's way of life, the problems and particularities of its community, and as well as an introduction to the threats to urban society in a global world. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 and participation in Madrid Program. 6 credits; HI, IS; Fall; Palmar Álvarez-Blanco

SPAN 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature An introductory course to reading major texts in Spanish provides an historical survey of the literary movements within Latin American literature from the pre-Hispanic to the contemporary period. Recommended as a foundation course for further study. Not open to seniors. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or proficiency. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 244 Spain Today: Recent Changes through Narrative and Film Since the death of Franco in 1975, Spain has undergone huge political, socio-economic, and cultural transformations. Changes in the traditional roles of women, the legalization of gay marriage, the decline of the Catholic church, the increase of immigrants, Catalan and Basque nationalisms, and the integration of Spain in the European Union, have all challenged the definition of a national identity. Through contemporary narrative and film, this course will examine some of these changes and how they contribute to the creation of what we call Spain today. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Winter; Palmar Álvarez-Blanco

SPAN 245 On Cannibals, Witches, and Zombies Latin American culture is populated with monsters. As manifestations of racial, gendered, and class difference, they can be found in artistic production all over the hemisphere. This course explores these narratives, primarily focusing on the cannibal, the witch, and the zombie as representations of difference, fear, and colonialism in Latin America. We will analyze literary and visual production from the sixteenth century to the present in order to strengthen students’ analytical and written skills in Spanish. Emphasis will be given to methods to ‘reading’ our materials, to learning how to approach those sources from different cultural and critical perspectives, as well as to produce written reactions and analysis. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 250 The Carnival Trail: Carnival Literature in Latin America Carnivals are frequently associated with colourful crowds, merrymaking and excess. But what role do carnivals play in the construction of national and collective identities? We will try to answer this and other questions focusing on films, paintings, and literary texts from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that represent some of the most popular carnivals in Latin America: Candombe (Uruguay), Yawar Fiesta (Peru), Blacks and Whites (Colombia), Oruro (Bolivia), and Rio (Brazil). We will analyze them from an interdisciplinary perspective that includes literary criticism, anthropology, and history. Students will engage with debates about nation, popular culture, modernity/modernization, and intangible cultural heritage. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or the equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Spring; Ingrid Luna

SPAN 262 Myth and History in Central American Literature In this course we study the relationship between myth and history in Central America since its origins in the Popol Vuh, the sacred texts of the Mayans until the period of the post-civil wars era. The course is organized in a chronological manner. We will study, in addition to the Popol Vuh, the chronicles of Alvarado, some poems by Rubén Darío and Francisco Gavidia, some of the writings of Miguel Ãngel Asturias and Salarrué. The course will end with a study of critical visions of the mythical presented by more contemporary authors such as Roque Dalton and Luis de Lión. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 263 History of Human Rights This course proposes a genealogical study of the concept of Human Rights. The course will begin with the debates in sixteenth century Spain about the theological, political and juridical rights of "Indians." The course will cover four centuries and the following topics will be discussed: the debates about poverty in sixteenth century Spain; the birth of the concept of tolerance in the eighteenth century; the creation of the modern political constitution in the United States, France and Spain; the debates about women's rights, abortion and euthanasia, etc. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or equivalent. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 290 Spanish Seminar in Madrid Program: Independent Reading Basic readings in Spanish history and culture in preparation for the program. 1-6 credit; NE; Summer, Spring; Palmar Álvarez-Blanco

SPAN 301 Greek and Christian Tragedy This course is a comparative study of classical and Christian tragedy from Sophocles to Valle Inclán and from Aristotle to Nietzsche. Classes alternate between lectures and group discussions. Course requisites include a midterm exam and a final paper. All readings are in Spanish, Sophocles and Aristotle included. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 318 Islamic Spain Muslims conquered Spain in 711 and lived in the country roughly until 1614. This course will examine the Islamic origins of Spain from a variety of disciplines, including literature, religion, history, and art history. Topics covered include: Hispano-Arabic literature, the fall of Granada, the repression of Moriscos under Philip II, aljamiado literature (literature written in Spanish with Arabic characters), the expulsion of Moriscos, and the diaspora in Tunisia. We will also devote two weeks to the study of the representation of Turks, Muslims, and Moriscos in Cervantes’ plays and novels, including several chapters of his famous Don Quixote. All texts are in Spanish, including Arab sources by Ibn Hazm, Wallada, Muhya, and other Hispano-Arabic and Morisco writers. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, WR2, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 319 Works on Work: Films and Literature on Labor in Latin America This course studies the cultural representation of labor in Latin America. It focuses on the racial division of labor over the colonial, industrial, and neoliberal periods. We will analyze a wide range of visual and literary representations of Native, Black and women workers under the Encomienda labor system; peonages during the period of independence and specific national contexts (i.e. rubber tapper); industrial workers throughout the twentieth century (blue-collar workers); as well as the role of unemployment and precarized labor within the context of globalization. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Spring; Héctor Melo Ruiz

SPAN 321 Murder as a Fine Art: The Detective Novel in Latin America We will study the socio-historical factors that gave rise to the genre as well as some of its classical predecessors (Poe, Chandler). We will then turn our attention to some prominent heirs of this genre in Latin America (Borges, Piglia, Bolaño) and end by studying why in contemporary Central American literature the genre is enjoying a resurgence (Menjívar, Castellanos Moya and Rey Rosa). We will study the specific traits the genre has adopted in Latin America and how it has become a mirror that often reflects the political and social realities confronting the region, particularly in Central America. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote Among other things, Don Quijote is a "remake," an adaptation of several literary models popular at the time the picaresque novel, the chivalry novel, the sentimental novel, the Byzantine novel, the Italian novella, etc. This course will examine the ways in which Cervantes transformed these models to create what is considered by many the first "modern" novel in European history. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 345 Culture, Capitalism and the Commons Have you ever wondered if not capitalism, then what? In this course we will critically approach the historical background, the causes and, most importantly, the consequences of the civil and ecological crisis unleashed globally in 2008. Both in its origin and its consequences, this crisis went beyond the financial field, extending into the realms of politics, economics, culture, media and ecology. In light of this context, we will take a transdisciplinary approach to the study of capitalist culture and analyze the main changes that have developed from the cycle of social mobilizations surrounding the "indignados" movement or Spanish 15M in 2011. With a primary focus on Spain, we will concentrate on analyzing cultural artifacts that mark a paradigm shift from a capitalist culture towards the development of a culture of the commons that seeks to improve the living conditions of the social majority, defending both human rights and ecological justice. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or equivalent. 6 credits; HI, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 347 Spanish Studies in Madrid Program: Welcome to the Spanish Revolution. From the “Spanish Miracle” to the “Indignant Movement” (1940-2021) When we travel to another country are we tourists or travelers? What are our expectations when traveling? How do we get to know a place, its people, and culture? In this course we will walk through the history of some of the most important cultural and historical landmarks that mark the different transitions that Spain has gone through. We will become travelers who read, think, observe, and reflect upon political, cultural, and social questions connected to each text we read and every place we visit. This program includes several workshops with guest speakers, and significant contact with social collectives and communities in Spain. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 and participation in OCS Madrid Program. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall; Palmar Álvarez-Blanco

SPAN 349 Madrid Program: Four Masters of Spanish Art This course offers an in-depth view of four of the greatest Spanish masters of all time—El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, and Picasso. The course combines class lectures at the Complutense University in Madrid with weekly museum visits and excursions outside Madrid to study, in person, iconic works of Western art such as El Greco's The Disrobing of Christ in Toledo's cathedral, Velázquez' Las Meninas and Goya's Black Paintings at the Prado Museum, and Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofía Museum. Special attention will be given to artistic theory in the seventeenth and twentieth centuries. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 356 The Political and Cultural History of the Cuban Revolution In 2014 Obama and Castro simultaneously announced the end of an era: the Cold War. This announcement was a turning point for one of the most influential and symbolically important political movements in Latin America: The Cuban Revolution. We will study the political and historical background that sustained this revolution for over fifty years. We will read historical, political, philosophical, and cultural texts to understand this process and the fascination that it commanded around the world. We will also examine the different exoduses that this revolution provoked and the exile communities that Cubans constructed in different parts of the world. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Fall; Jorge Brioso

SPAN 358 The Spanish Civil War Considered by many historians the beginning of the II World War, the Spanish Civil war served as the arena where the main ideologies of the twentieth century--Capitalism, Fascism, and Communism--first clashed. The result was not only one of the bloodiest wars in history, but also was of the most idealistic, with 40,000 volunteers from all over the world willing to die in defense of a country they did not even know. This course will explore the meaning of the war through a variety of mediums and disciplines, including literature, history, graphic arts, and films. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; IS, HI; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 366 Jorge Luis Borges: Less a Man Than a Vast and Complex Literature Borges once said about Quevedo that he was less a man than a vast and complex literature. This phrase is probably the best definition for Borges as well. We will discuss the many writers encompassed by Borges: the vanguard writer, the poet, the detective short story writer, the fantastic story writer, the essayist. We will also study his many literary masks: H. Bustoc Domecq (the apocryphal writer he created with Bioy Casares) a pseudonym he used to write chronicles and detective stories. We will study his impact on contemporary writers and philosophers such as Foucault, Derrida, Roberto Bolaño, etc. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 370 Indigeneity and Gender in Latin America This course will examine representations of Indigenous peoples in Latin America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with special attention to constructions of race and gender. We will explore topics such as the racial and gendered associations used to construct indigeneity, the exclusion of alternative indigenous gender subjectivities, and the double subordination indigenous women have historically experienced. Some questions we will explore are: How has indigeneity been understood in nineteenth and twentieth-century Latin America? How have nineteenth-century Latin American nations imagined and disciplined female indigeneity? What new forms of indigenous gender identities became visible during the twentieth century? The course includes materials related to Central America (Mexico, Guatemala), the Andes, and the Amazon. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 376 Mexico City: The City as Protagonist This seminar will have Mexico City as protagonist, and will examine the construction of one of the largest urban centers of the world through fictional writing, cultural criticism, and visual/aural culture. We will critically engage the fictions of its past, the dystopias of its present, the assemblage of affects and images that give it continuity, but which also codify the ever-changing and contested view of its representation and meaning. From Carlos Fuentes to Sayak Valencia, in the company of Eisenstein and Cuarón, among others. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Winter; Silvia López

SPAN 380 Dispossession, Gentrification, and Reoccupation in Latin America This course studies the concept of property in Latin America. It analyzes historical events such as colonial dispossession, urban transformations in cities like Rio de Janeiro, cases of gentrification, reappropriation of territories, and occupations. The course offers a critical approach to Latin American modernization, both from a historical and cultural perspective, focusing on discourses of colonialism, hygienization, racial and class stigmatization, and state violence. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or above. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 385 Riots, Rebellions & Revolutions in Latin America Latin American cultural history is one of agitation and turmoil. Since colonial times, Riots, Rebellions, and Revolutions are not only at the center of Latin America’s politics, but also its art, literature, and culture. Through a survey of a representative selection of canonical and non-canonical Latin American texts (including literary pieces, films, pamphlets, periodicals, photographs, among others), this course will examine the intersections between literature, politics of unrest, and intellectuals in Latin America. Students will gain an understanding of fundamental topics of Latin American cultural and political history, including colonialism, modernity, racism, and political resistance. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2023-24

SPAN 400 Integrative Exercise 6 credits; S/NC; Fall, Winter, Spring; Humberto R Huergo