Spanish: Analyzing Hispanic Literatures (A)

About SPAN 3610 A

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.

Notes

Pre/Co-req: SPAN 3110 or equivalent PACE students by permission and override. System waitlisting enabled for this section.

Section Description

PREREQUISITE:
Spanish 3110 (formerly 101) or permission of the professor.

CREDITS: Three

Catamount Core Requirement: AH 2, Humanities/Literature
Students completing a course fulfilling the AH2: Literature requirement will achieve at least two of the following outcomes:
• Learn to recognize selected forms, genres, and traditions of literary work.
• Practice analyzing creative works using methods appropriate to the form.
• Develop critical thinking skills needed to examine literary works as they relate to different aspects of society and history, including the examination of social structures, identities, practices, and/or problems.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This survey course, which thoroughly examines a variety of literary genres and authors from Spain and Spanish America, aims to teach students the critical skills and literary techniques needed to read and interpret literature. In addition, students should use these analytical skills in their oral and written communication.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the semester, students ought to accomplish the following learning objectives:
1) Know the literary terminology necessary for the reading and discussion of each of the four major literary genres.
2) Apply this literary terminology to their analysis of literature in both written and oral form.
3) Have sharpened analytical literary skills in written and oral form.
4) Understand the major literary and artistic movements.
of the works read and of the major writers of Hispanic literature.

Section Expectation

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
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 will be deducted from your final participation grade. 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 that you will earn will be based on 1) attendance, 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 are two. In addition, each student will be required to give a five-minute oral presentation during the semester. The PowerPoint presentation introduces the author and his works assigned for that day.

Please remember that, according to university policy, you are required to spend 2 hours of work per week for each unit you take. Sp. 3610 is a three-unit course; this means you should expect to devote a minimum of SIX hours per week outside the classroom on preparation for this course.

You are responsible for any work or assignment you miss if you are absent from class.

Please note:
If at any point during the semester you have trouble with the course, please do not hesitate to consult me during 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 four compositions of a minimum of two computer-printed pages. Your grade for each essay will be based on style (grammar) and content (the quality of your analysis). The first three essays will be written twice. The first version will be written in class in a Blue Book. I will give you a composition outline for you to use during the in-class writing of the essay. Once these essays are corrected, I will return them to the students. Students will then need to fix their errors and make all necessary corrections to improve the quality of their essay. The second version of your composition must be computer-printed and be a minimum of two pages. Finally, you will need to submit the outline of your composition, the essay written in the Blue Book, and the computer-printed second version of your composition. The first version of your composition is worth fifteen; the corrected version is worth five points for a total of twenty points. Composition # 4 will be written during the time allowed for Final Exams. There is only one version of composition # 4 worth 15 points.

In addition, students will occasionally be asked to write 1-3 paragraphs per day based on the assigned reading. These writing assignments will be corrected but not graded. Their objective is two-fold: 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 make students feel more comfortable participating. 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 (i.e., insufficient funds in your CAT card, etc.), please send me the email version before class starts to verify you completed your compositions on time, and later submit the written version.
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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 computer-printed. No email submissions will be accepted. Additionally, you will write two one-page computer-printed reaction papers to the films assigned in the class. One of the films you select should be from Spain, and the second one from Latin America. The third 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 in Spanish. 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. Still, students should bring their homework with them on Tuesday, as we will start class by having each student identify a new word they learned from it.

Evaluation

P
Compositions: 75%
Pop quizzes: 10 %
Class Participation 10 %
Homework 5%

Important Dates

Courses may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Show your interest by enrolling.

Resources

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