Spanish: Analyzing Hispanic Literatures

Introduction to basic genres of Hispanic literatures (narrative, poetry, drama, essay); development of analytical and critical reading/discussion skills. Short analytical papers and ample class discussion. Prerequisite: SPAN 3110 or concurrent enrollment with Instructor permission.

Pre/Co-req: SPAN 3110 or equivalent PACE students with permission and override

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Through a thorough examination and discussion of various literary genres and authors from Spain and Spanish America, this survey course aims to equip students with the critical skills and literary techniques necessary for reading and interpreting literature. Additionally, students should apply these analytical skills in both their oral and written communication.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: Daily class attendance, preparation, and participation are REQUIRED. As a rule, if you are absent more than two times, your final grade will be lowered; the more absences, the lower the grade. You are required to be in class on time. For each late arrival, ½ point of your final grade in participation will be deducted. All reading and writing assignments are REQUIRED and are due on the date indicated on the syllabus. Class participation is ESSENTIAL to a successful learning experience; hence, it is required of you as part of this learning community. The grade you will earn will be based on 1) attendance and 2) effort and participation. If you do not miss more than two classes during the semester and arrive at class on time, you will earn five points for attendance. To earn the maximum five points for class participation, you must volunteer to participate in class discussions. If you only participate in small group discussions but seldom in the general class discussion, the maximum points you will earn in this category is two. Please remember that, according to university policy, you are required to spend two hours of work per week for each unit you take. Sp. 3610 is a three-unit course; this means that you should expect to spend a minimum of SIX hours per week outside the classroom for this course. You are responsible for any work or assignment you miss if you are absent from class. Each student will be required to give a five-minute oral presentation during the semester. The presentation consists of introducing the author and his works assigned for that specific day. Please note: If you encounter any difficulties with the course at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to consult me during my office hours. I would be glad to work with you and to help you achieve the course’s objectives. COMPOSITIONS: You will be required to write three compositions of a minimum of two pages. Your grade for each essay will be based on style (grammar) and content (the quality of your analysis). Once graded and corrected, the compositions will be returned to students. They will need to fix their papers and submit the corrected version. The first version of your composition is worth twelve points; the corrected version is worth eight for a total of twenty points. Additionally, students will occasionally be asked to write one to three paragraphs daily based on the assigned reading. These writing assignments will be corrected but not graded. Their objective is twofold: 1) to give students practice in writing, and 2) to stimulate their thinking of the assigned reading before coming to class. This will facilitate class discussion and should make students feel more comfortable participating in it. Email submissions are not accepted. You must submit your work at the beginning of the class on the due date. If, for some reason, you cannot print your paper before class begins (e.g., insufficient funds in your CAT card), please send me the email version before class starts to verify that you completed your compositions on time, and then submit the written version. POP QUIZZES: Eleven pop quizzes will be given throughout the semester. One quiz will be dropped from your quiz grade. The quiz will be based on the reading you were asked to read for that day. HOMEWORK: You will be required to submit homework based on the terminology for each genre. This homework must be computer printed. This homework will not be accepted if it is not printed on a computer. No email submissions will be accepted. The second type of homework is vocabulary from the readings. You will be asked to look in the dictionary for ten words you do not know from the readings. Write the word and its meaning next to it. These words may be written on a single page (no half pages) and with legible handwriting or computer printed. With very few exceptions, I will collect your vocabulary words on Thursday, but students should bring their homework with them on Tuesday because we will start the class by having each student identify a new word they learned from their homework. FINAL PAPER: In consultation with the professor, you will select an author and work that you will analyze for your Final Paper. The Final Paper should not be on an author or work you have already written about in this class. Instead, the purpose of this exercise is for you to write about an author that interests you and you have not had the opportunity to write about. There is only one version for this Final Paper.

Pop quizzes: 10 % Class Participation 10 % Final Paper 15% Homework 5% GRADING