Spanish and PortugueseSpanish 110 Elementary Spanish I
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 110 is a first-semester language course that emphasizes the development of foundational listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Through listening activities and videotaped interviews with native speakers, your aural and oral abilities will improve at the same time that you will become familiarized with different varieties of standard spoken Spanish. You will be given ample opportunities to practice orally and in writing so that you can reinforce newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures. Reading strategies will facilitate your comprehension of the texts included in the course syllabus. Readings focused on a specific country or region, visual items (such as maps, photos, films) and a class project will advance your knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices and products while increasing your intercultural competence.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide you with guided practice before moving to more independent and spontaneous language production. Working in small groups and in pairs, you will participate in class activities that simulate real-life situations that will help you gain confidence communicating in Spanish.
Goals
By the end of this course you can expect to handle a variety of day-to-day situations in a Spanish-speaking setting:
- Greet and introduce people, invite people to events, accept or reject invitations, ask for directions, tell time, shop and order meals in a restaurant
- Talk about yourself, family, and friends regarding physical and emotional states, daily routines, leisure, preferences and plans
- Use the information learned in class about the Hispanic world as an icebreaker to find common ground with people from the countries that we have studied
Prerequisite(s)
- NEVER studied Spanish before or
- a score below 380 on the SAT II exam or
- a score below 285 on the online placement exam (it does not apply to Wharton students) or
- a score below 380 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses)
Spanish 115 Spanish for the Medical Professions, Elementary I
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 115 is a first-semester elementary Medical Spanish Language course and the first in the Spanish for Medical Professions sequence. It is designed for students with no prior coursework in Spanish. This course teaches beginning students the fundamentals of practical Spanish with an emphasis on medical situations and basic medical terminology. In this course, particular attention will be given to developing speaking and listening skills, as well as cultural awareness. It incorporates activities, vocabulary, and readings of particular interest to healthcare practitioners, while adhering to the goals and scope of Spanish 110, the first-semester Spanish language course.
Students who have already taken Spanish 110 will not receive credit for Spanish 115. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level. Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement (AP, SAT II, etc.) or have taken courses at the 200- and 300-level may not take basic level language courses (100-level courses) in the same language. They will not receive credit for this course (Spanish 115).
Prerequisite(s)
- NEVER studied Spanish before, or
- a score below 380 on the SAT II exam, or
- a score below 285 on the online placement exam (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- a score below 380 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses)
Spanish 121 Elementary Spanish
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 121 is designed for students who have some prior experience in Spanish. It is an intensive elementary-level language course that in one semester covers the material studied over two semesters in our Spanish 110 and Spanish 120. The course provides a quick-paced review of material normally covered in a first semester Spanish course and then proceeds to introduce new material so students will be prepared to take Spanish 130 during the subsequent semester. As in other Spanish courses, Spanish 121 emphasizes the development of foundational listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Through listening activities and mini documentaries shown in class, students will develop their aural and oral skills at the same time that they will become familiarized with different varieties of standard spoken Spanish. Students will be given ample opportunities to practice orally and in writing so that they can reinforce newly acquired vocabulary and linguistic structures. Readings focused on a specific country or region, visual items (such as maps, photos, and films) and a class project will advance students’ knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices and products while increasing their intercultural competence.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide you with guided practice before moving to more independent and spontaneous language production. You will participate in paired, small-group and whole-class activities that simulate real-life situations that will help you gain confidence communicating in Spanish.
Goals
By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of day-to-day situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as:
- Introduce themselves, use greetings, describe people, places and things, give instructions, tell time, go shopping, order meals in a restaurant, and make travel plans
- Talk about themselves, families, and friends regarding academic life, daily routines, health, work, leisure, and preferences (using the present and past tenses)
- Use the cultural information learned in class as an icebreaker to find common ground with a wide a variety of Spanish speakers
Prerequisite(s)
- a score on the SAT II exam between 380-440, or
- a score on the online placement exam between 285-383 (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- a score on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam between 380-440 (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- moving up a level from a score below 380 on the SAT II exam, or
- moving up a level from a score below 285 on the online placement exam (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- moving up a level from a score below 380 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- permission from the Director of the Spanish Language Program
Spanish 125 Spanish for the Medical Professions, Elementary II
Staff
See Timetable for times
Course Description
Spanish 125 is a second-semester elementary Medical Spanish Language that continues to develop the fundamentals of practical Spanish, with a special focus on medical situations and basic medical terminology. In this course, particular attention will be given to developing speaking and listening skills, as well as cultural awareness. Students will be expected to participate in classroom activities such as role-plays based on typical office and emergency procedures in order to develop meaningful and accurate communication skills in the target language. The class will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s)
- the successful completion of SPAN 110 or SPAN 115 at Penn, or
- a score on the SAT II exam between 380-440, or
- a score on the online placement exam between 285-383 (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- a score on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam between 380-440 (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- moving up a level from a score below 380 on the SAT II exam, or
- moving up a level from a score below 285 on the online placement exam (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- moving up a level from a score below 380 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- permission from the Director of the Spanish Language Program
Spanish 130 Intermediate Spanish I
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 130, a first-semester intermediate-level course, emphasizes students’ acquisition of new vocabulary and linguistic structures in a cultural and communicative context while building on their previous speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills. A substantial amount of the course is devoted to learning and using the past tenses. As in other Spanish courses, students will take part in a wide range of activities including video blogging, role-plays, film viewings, listening to music, and class discussions of current social and cultural topics. Unique to this course is the creation of a “cultural journal” throughout the semester in which students pursue their own interests in the Spanish-speaking world while taking advantage of some of the rich resources within Philadelphia’s own Hispanic community.
Goals
By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of common situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as:
- Narrate past actions, ranging from personal anecdotes to historical events
- Give advice, recommendations, and commands to people
- Express their feelings and doubts when reacting to what others have said
- Talk about their future expectations and wishes
- Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Hispanic cultural practices and products
Prerequisite(s)
- the successful completion of SPAN 112, SPAN 120, SPAN 121 or SPAN 125 at Penn, or
- a score on the SAT II exam between 450-540, or
- a score on the online placement exam between 384-453 (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- a score on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam between 450-540 (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- moving up a level from a score between 380-440 on the SAT II exam, or
- moving up a level from a score between 285-383 on the online placement exam (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- moving up a level from a score between 380-440 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- permission from the Director of the Spanish Language Program
Spanish 135 Spanish for the Medical Professions, Intermediate I
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 135 is a first-semester intermediate-level language course that emphasizes the development of the four basic skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and the acquisition of medical terminology. Students will be expected to participate in classroom activities such as role-plays based on everyday situations that they may encounter at work settings such as doctors’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms in order to develop meaningful and accurate communication skills in the target language. Students will also review and acquire other essential tools of communication in the target language applicable both within and outside the medical field. Major course goals include: the acquisition of intermediate-level vocabulary, the controlled use of the past tense, and the development of writing skills at a paragraph level with transitions.
Students who have already taken Spanish 130 will not receive credit for Spanish 135. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level. Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement (AP, SAT II, etc.) or have taken courses at the 200- and 300-level may not take basic level language courses (100-level courses) in the same language. They will not receive credit for this course (Spanish 135). The class will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s)
- the successful completion of SPAN 112, SPAN 120, SPAN 121 or SPAN 125 at Penn, or
- a score on the SAT II exam between 450-540, or
- a score on the online placement exam between 384-453 (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- a score on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam between 450-540 (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- moving up a level from a score between 380-440 on the SAT II exam, or
- moving up a level from a score between 285-383 on the online placement exam (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- moving up a level from a score between 380-440 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- permission from the Director of the Spanish Language Program
Spanish 140 Intermediate Spanish II
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 140 is a fourth-semester language course that both reinforces and enhances the communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) previously acquired while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Class activities are designed so that students can build up these four skills in order to function at an intermediate language level. Readings focused on contemporary social and political issues of the Hispanic world will advance your knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices while increasing your intercultural competence. Unique to this course is the preparation of an oral presentation on a topic related to the Hispanic world throughout the semester and presented during the last days of classes. The purpose of this task is to help students develop their presentational competence in Spanish.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide students with ample opportunities to work in small groups and in pairs while gaining confidence communicating in Spanish. This course satisfies the language requirement at Penn.
Goals
By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as:
- Express their opinions on a variety of contemporary events and issues
- Defend their position when presented with a hypothetical situation
- Deliver short presentations on a chosen subject after thorough preparation
- Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Hispanic cultural practices and products
Prerequisite(s)
- the successful completion of SPAN 130 or SPAN 135 at Penn, or
- a score on the SAT II exam between 550-640, or
- a score on the online placement exam between 454-546 (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- a score on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam between 550-640 (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- moving up a level from a score between 450-540 on the SAT II exam, or
- moving up a level from a score between 384-453 on the online placement exam (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- moving up a level from a score between 450-540 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses)
Spanish 145 Spanish for the Medical Professions, Intermediate II
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Course Description
Spanish 145, the continuation of Spanish 135, is an intermediate-level integrated skills language course. It emphasizes the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities. Students will be expected to participate actively in classroom activities such as communicative activities, role-playing based on typical doctor/patient interactions as well as other medical situations. Students will also review and learn other essential tools of communication applicable both inside and outside the medical field. The class will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s)
- the successful completion of SPAN 130 or SPAN 135 at Penn, or
- a score on the SAT II exam between 550-640, or
- a score on the online placement exam between 454-546 (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- a score on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam between 550-640 (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses), or
- moving up a level from a score between 450-540 on the SAT II exam, or
- moving up a level from a score between 384-453 on the online placement exam (this does not apply to Wharton students), or
- moving up a level from a score between 450-540 on the paper-and-pencil departmental exam (for Wharton students; for transfer students seeking transfer credit for previous courses)
Spanish 180 Spanish Conversation
Staff
La Casa Hispánica residents only.
Spanish 202 Advanced Spanish
Staff
See Timetable for time(s)
Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 140 or equivalent.
The purpose of this course is twofold: (a) to develop students' communicative abilities in Spanish, that is, speaking, listening, reading and writing, and (b) to increase their awareness and understanding of Hispanic cultures and societies. Homework and classroom activities are designed to help students build their oral proficiency, expand and perfect their knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures, improve their reading and writing skills, and develop their critical thinking abilities. The material for this class includes short stories, newspaper articles, poems, songs, cartoons, video clips and a novel, such as César Aira’s La villa. At the completion of this course students will feel confident discussing and debating a variety of contemporary issues (cultural and religious practices, family relationships, gender stereotypes, political events, immigration to the USA, etc.).
Questions about placement should be addressed to the Director of the Spanish Language Program.
Spanish 208 Business Spanish I
Prof. Lebaudy
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Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Spanish 140 or equivalent.
Spanish for Business I provides advanced-level language students with technical vocabulary and communicative skills covering business concepts as they apply to the corporate dynamics of the Spanish-speaking world. We will analyze the business environment in a number of countries in Latin America and Spain taking into consideration local economies and markets in light of their recent history, politics, and events.
Spanish 209 Business Spanish II (Advanced Spanish in the Business World)
Prof. Lebaudy
See Timetable for time(s)
Pre-requisite(s): Departmental permission required.
This course is specifically designed for advanced speakers of Spanish (i.e., native speakers, high-level heritage speakers, and students who have studied in a Spanish-speaking country for at least one semester). Through the study of entrepreneurship cases in Latin America, students will take an in-depth look at the business dynamics and practices of a number of countries in the region. Students will also enhance their business and language skills through the creation of an entrepreneurial project that culminates in a final pitch.
Please write to Prof. Geraldine Lebaudy to request a permit.
Spanish 212 Advanced Spanish II: Grammar and Composition
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or equivalent
Spanish 212 is an advanced-level language course that emphasizes the acquisition of the tools necessary for successful written expression in Spanish. These tools include a solid knowledge of the major points of Spanish grammar, an ample vocabulary, control of the mechanics of the language (spelling, punctuation, etc.), and a thorough understanding of the writing process. Throughout the semester students will use these tools to analyze authentic texts and to produce a variety of written assignments. By the end of the course students will have developed their awareness of the norms of standard Spanish and learned to incorporate these features into their own writing. The class will be conducted in Spanish and students are expected to speak in Spanish at all times.
Questions about placement should be addressed to the Director of the Spanish Language Program.
Spanish 219 Hispanic Texts and Contexts
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or Spanish 212.
The primary aim of this course is to develop students' knowledge of the geographical, historical and cultural contexts in those regions where Spanish is used. At the same time that they are introduced to research techniques and materials available in Spanish, students strengthen their language skills through readings, class discussions, and frequent writing assignments. This course is designed to give students a broad understanding of Hispanic culture that will prepare them for upper-level course work and study abroad. For the Fall 2021 semester, all sections will be taught in person.
Spanish 223 Introduction to Literary Analysis
Staff
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 202 or Spanish 212.
Literature from Spain and Latin America contains a wealth of information about language, history and culture. The goal of this course is to help students develop skills to carefully read Spanish literary works while preparing them for upper-level courses and study abroad. We begin reviewing the main characteristics of various literary movements and of the four genres (narrative, poetry, theater and essay). During the second part of the semester students become familiarized with a wide variety of theoretical approaches to the study of literature with the purpose of applying them to their own analytical writing. In the last part of the course students produce their own essays on a text chosen by them and based on research. Sample essays written by other students and included in the textbook will serve as models. Throughout the course students will have ample opportunities to hone their skills through the close reading and class discussion of varied and stimulating works by Miguel de Cervantes, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Roberto Bolaño, etc. This class will be conducted in Spanish.
Spanish 348 Don Quixote Now and Then
Prof. Solomon
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This Advanced Spanish Literature Seminar (Spanish 219 or 223 prerequisite, one 300 level Spanish literature course recommended) explores Miguel de Cervantes' Historia del ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha (aka Don Quixote) as a literary work from the 17th century and as an explosive cultural phenomenon that has given way to thousands of illustrations, cinematic adaptations, literary sequels, prequels, and parodies, theatrical representations, songs, ballets, monuments, sculptures, exhibitions and a massive array of memorabilia such as tee-shirts, coffee mugs, candy platters, shot glasses, and most recently COVID masks.
The course is divided into two sections. In the first, "Mapping Don Quixote," we attempt to acquire a general overview of the work and its constituent parts—adventures, discussions, digressions, intercalated stories, plot points, dialogues, themes, and metacritical commentaries. The second section, "Looking for Don Quixote" focuses on the reception of the novel and the visual recreation of Don Quixote motifs in book illustrations, cinematic adaptations, and musical performances.
Students will be evaluated on weekly seminar participation (discussion and presentations), 10 short writing assignments, and a final 10-page written project.
Spanish 380 Spain and the Literature of Horror
Prof. Fernández
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This course examines how the horror tradition manifested in Spain by reading and analyzing the works of different writers from the Romantic period to the present. Although the emphasis is on Spanish literature, film and literary works from other national traditions are incorporated to compare the different uses of horror. By the end of the semester, students gain a better understanding of this tradition and the contributions of Spanish writers to the genre.
Spanish 386 A People's History of Spain (Canceled)
Prof. Moreno Caballud
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This course will analyze several contemporary Spanish films in order to suggest some crucial landmarks for a possible “history from below” of the peoples inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula since the 15th century. We will focus mostly, but not only, on contemporary accounts and retellings of events, conflicts and struggles that shaped the lives of those pluri-cultural and pluri-linguistic populations. We will study historic versions formulated by marginalized groups such as women, peasants, inhabitants of the rural world, workers, migrants, and people of Arab, African and Romani descent, among others.
Spanish 388 Mexican Cinema
Profs. Solomon and Téllez
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
An introduction and overview of Mexican cinema from the first Lumière screening in Mexico City (1896) to the recent wave of creative filmmakers such as Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Reygadas, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Fernando Eimbcke, Alfonso Ruiz Palacios, and Natalia Beristáin. Topics include: the role of film in the Mexican revolution; popular genres during the Mexican Golden Ages of Cinema (1930-1960); Luis Buñuel’s contribution to Mexican Cinema; the New Mexican Cinema movement that rose up following the massacre at Tlatelolco; Mexican B cinema, including El Santo and horror cinema; Border and Narco-cinema; the innovating developments during the 1990’s including works created by women filmmakers; and the current growth of Mexican film industry. This course will be conducted in Spanish.
Spanish 390-401 Contemporary Colombian Fiction: A History of Violence and Redemption
Prof. Montoya
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
Colombia has recently become a case of international interest. After fifty years of internal armed conflict, the government and the oldest communist guerrilla in the world signed a peace agreement. However, in a surprising result, voters rejected the treaty in a public referendum. How does one explain these simultaneous longing for peace and will to continue war?
This seminar will explore the particularities of the Colombian case through narrative and movies, combining different theoretical approaches, from postcolonialism to gender studies, but focusing on the relationship between literature, cultural productions, and political history and theory. We will analyze the causes and effects of the persistent violence in the country, the emergence of guerrillas, the rise of narco ‘capos’, the ‘guerra sucia’ against progressive political parties --and the constant struggle of the Colombian people to overcome this history of violence, and to build a more inclusive and democratic country. This class will be conducted in Spanish.
Spanish 396-401 Afro-Latin America: Culture, Knowledge, and Agency
Prof. Casamayor
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
What does it mean to be black in Latin America? This question launches our wide-ranging examination of the black experience in Latin America, the Caribbean, and its diaspora, since slavery to the present. In this course, students will combine the analysis of literary, cinematic, musical, visual and performative works with the study of historical, political and sociocultural processes shaping the existence of Afro-descendants. The scrutiny of systemic racial exclusion and marginalization will allow the understanding of how these dividing practices condition cultural production. Close readings and thorough debates will engage students into a consistent deconstruction of the idea of blackness in the Americas.
Spanish 396-402 Latin American Past and Present: From Its Origins to the 21st Century
Prof. Téllez
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
In this course, we will study Latin America through many lenses: from history to art, from literature to pop culture, from anthropology to politics; our primary objective will be to understand and critique Latin America's complex development as a concept and region beyond stereotypes. The course attempts to establish a point of departure from which more in-depth studies on Latin American cultures can proceed. The course will focus on five critical moments in Latin American history. 1) The "invention" of Latin America; 2) The Latin American independence wars; 3) US and the Cold War in Latin America; 4) Neoliberalism in Latin America; and 5) Latin America in the Global Context. Rather than organizing this course chronologically, our bi-weekly meetings will center around concepts such as race, class, mestizaje, nation, pop culture, testimonio, and many more. This course is conducted in Spanish.
Spanish 396-403 The Ethnographer in Latin American Literature and Film
Prof. Brock
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This course focuses on Latin American literature and film of the last half-century in which characters and storytellers grapple with questions related to ethnographic theory and practice: To what degree can an outsider understand another culture and what degree of cultural immersion is necessary for the ethnographer to produce an “authentic” account? What epistemological and ethical challenges accompany the project of cultural translation? How does one avoid the pitfalls of ethnocentrism, primitivism, and othering? How much agency and control do ethnographic subjects have when it comes to how they are portrayed? What are the challenges of “auto-ethnography,” and what degree of mediation is inevitable? What roles do language and narrative conventions play in shaping intercultural encounters? We will work through these questions by way of close analysis of a wide range of texts, including testimonio, experimental fiction, and hybrid documentaries.
Spanish 397-401 Latin American Marxisms
Prof. Beckman
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This course examines Marxist thought in Latin America, from the early twentieth century to the present. We will study a range of materials from across Spanish America, including essays, novels, films and speeches. We will ask after the specificities of Latin American Marxist thought (on the land and indigenous questions, dependency, guerrilla warfare, etc), at the same time as we contextualize those specificities within a wider Marxist tradition. We will also inquire into the waning and resurgence of Marxism in recent decades in the region. This course is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Spanish 397-402 Ecocritical Approaches to Latin American Literature
Prof. Brock
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Prerequisite(s): Spanish 219 or Spanish 223.
This course explores the place of Latin American cultural production in the environmental humanities. Latin American literature has a long and complicated relationship with the natural world, at times imagining it at the core of national and regional identity and at times figuring it as a dangerous wasteland to be “civilized.” We will focus on texts that grapple with this heritage but attempt to carve out a different approach, texts which contest the logic of development by examining its costs and foregrounding interconnections between human and non-human life. Reading literary and visual texts alongside the work of activists and ecocritical scholars, we will examine the connections between environmentalist arguments and critiques of coloniality, capitalism, and patriarchy. We will ask both what unique advantages literature and art have when it comes to imagining alternatives to systems based on extractivism and domination and what inherent limitations Western art forms face when it comes to representing non-human perspectives or communicating knowledge of the natural world rooted in Amerindian or African Diasporic cultures.