Spanish: Locating La Mancha: Intro Hisp

Writing practice, sentence structure, correct expression, and guided discussions in Spanish of cultural topics. A good command of basic grammar expected. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: SPAN 2200 or equivalent; or Instructor permission.

Prereq: SPAN 2200 or equivalent PACE students by permission and override.

Locating La Mancha: An Introduction to Hispanic Studies considers the valences of the word ‘M/mancha’ in Spanish as the basis for an introduction to Hispanic Studies. As a proper noun, la Mancha designates, on the one hand, a geographical location in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula; on the other hand, it figuratively connotes a literary and imaginary region made famous by Cervantes’ Don Quijote, a character who occupies a central place in world literature. In this way la Mancha has become synonymous with the globalized, Spanish-Speaking world, what the Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes defines as a ‘cartography of an Ibero-American literature.’ As a common noun, mancha, which in English can be translated as a stain, a blot, a blemish, or a birthmark, finds its way into a multifarious grouping of cultural texts. Through readings of literary and non-literary texts, works of art, music, movies and videos students explore the various historical, political and geographic frames of reference in the Spanish-speaking world. The primary objective of this course is the acquisition of Spanish as a second language for upper intermediate to advance levels students. Each text is accompanied by activities that focus on communicative tasks that engage interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes. Along with the primary goal of language acquisition, students will learn how to approach each text using critical inquiry. The semester is divided into five units, each consisting of a reading of either a short story or an essay, and a specific mode of artistic expression.

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to: - Comprehend, analyze and discuss various texts in the target language - Create, develop and organize original thoughts through written expression in Spanish - Differentiate many of the distinctive cultural aspects of the Hispanic World through oral communication - Combine multiple aspects of grammatical structures and demonstrate advanced level Spanish communicative competence

Grading Criteria: 1. Presentaciones (3) 9% 2. Tarea (Gramática y Lecturas) 35% 3.. Composiciones en clase (5) 20% 4. Trabajos escritos (3) 30% 5. Examen oral 6%