Spanish
Courses in Spanish examine the diverse cultural achievements of Latin America, Latin@ America and Spain and enable students to respond with intelligence and sensitivity to other cultures. The department seeks to develop in students from all disciplines the critical ability to identify problems and view them from multiple perspectives: historical, literary, and linguistic. The growing importance of bilingual areas in urban America underscores the advisability of Spanish-language study for careers in health care, bilingual education, community development, and social services.
Students with training in Spanish receive a recommendation as to the appropriate course level (100, 200, 300) for continued language study. Those beginning the language take Spanish 105. The first two years of study in the department follows the sequence 105, 106, 217, and 285. All courses are conducted in Spanish.
The program for majors provides for the acquisition of essential skills for communication in the language, a sound and comprehensive introduction to literature, and an exploration of various aspects of Latin American, Latin@ American, and Spanish cultures. Students should balance their Spanish program with a broad selection of interdepartmental courses and study in all three major divisions in order to ensure breadth of learning. The department encourages participation in one of the approved off-campus programs in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, or Spain.
A minimum of 32 credits. Courses numbered 105, 106, 204, and 205 do not count toward the major. Required are:
- Courses in Spanish 217, 285, 311, 312, 314, 315, 316, 317, or 320 as needed to count toward the minimum of 32 credits*.
- Four credits of Spanish 343
- Eight credits or two seminars each one in a different area of study offered by the department.
Majors may select the two seminars from the following:
- Spanish 377, 383 or 395 (on a Latin American topic)
- or Spanish 395 (on a Latin@ topic)
- or Spanish 385 or 386 or 395 (on a Spanish topic)
- or Spanish 395 (on a Spanish Linguistics topic).
After completing any of the seminar courses mentioned above, students cannot enroll in 311, 312, 314, 315, 316, 317, or 320
*With permission of the department, Latin American Studies 111 and/or up to 4 credits of coursework with content solely on Latin America, Latin@ America or Spain (taken at Grinnell or at a Grinnell-approved off-campus study program) may count toward the major.
At least 20 credits must be taken within the Department of Spanish at Grinnell. Upon declaration of a Spanish major, students will consult with the department concerning their objectives in order to plan an approved program of courses. Off-campus study courses or transfer courses are not allowed to fulfill the requirement for the two seminars listed above.
To be considered for honors in Spanish, graduating seniors must meet the College’s general requirements for honors. In addition, they must complete a third seminar in a third area of study offered by the department.
Treatment of basic language elements with special emphasis on oral communication. Short readings of a historical, cultural, and literary nature. Not regularly offered in the spring.
Completion of the presentation of basic language elements with a special emphasis on oral communication. Short readings of a historical, cultural, and literary nature.
Work on improvement of speaking skills. Discussion and conversation based on various cultural materials, including current periodicals and satellite television. Conducted in Spanish. S/D/F only.
Work on improvement of speaking skills. Discussion and conversation based on various cultural materials, including current periodicals and satellite television. Conducted in Spanish. S/D/F only.
Development of language skills through reading, oral practice, vocabulary building, grammar review, and short compositions. Materials include short literary, nonliterary, and visual texts. Spanish 204 may be taken concurrently.
Development of students’ critical and interpretive commentary on literary and cultural texts from Spain and Latin America. Continued emphasis on language skills. Materials include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and film. Conducted in Spanish. Spanish 205 may be taken concurrently.
A study of 19th- and start-of-20th-century literature in Latin America. Focus on the creation of national, racial, and gender identities in the newly independent republics through the analysis of narrative, poetry, drama, essays, and films. Conducted in Spanish.
This course introduces students to the works of prominent Spanish women writers from the 17th to the 21st century. While we will focus primarily on short stories, drama, and poetry, we will also consider films by women directors. Our readings will provide a representative sample of how women have developed as writers and individuals in Spain and how they have crafted gender issues into their writing. Conducted in Spanish.
A study of poetic, dramatic, and/or narrative texts from 18th- to 20th-century Spain. Topics of examination may include Romanticism; Realism; the poetic generations of 1898, 1927, and 1950; the novisimos; or contemporary narrative. Close readings and discussion focus on aesthetic, ideological, and historical aspects of the texts. Conducted in Spanish.
A study of selected, representative works from the 1920s through the 1960s. Emphasis on texts manifesting social conscience and artistic experimentation; treatment of the culture of protest and imaginative cultural expression. Consideration of poetry, narrative, and visual arts (painting, film). Conducted in Spanish.
A Spanish communication course designed to strengthen Spanish oral proficiency and to improve listening and comprehension skills. Emphasis on natural language use of the target language in social encounters and grammar concepts related to communication strategies. A variety of authentic materials will be used.
This discussion-based course provides a broad approach to U.S. Latin@ literature. We will explore filmic and literary texts that voice the multiple and varied experiences of different generations of U.S. Latin@s from different national origins and cultures. We will pay particular attention to the construction of identity in terms of race, gender, sexuality, and class; bilingualism and code-switching; the experiences of the exile, the immigrant, and the refugee; the marketing of the U.S. Latin@ identity; and the construction of community. Texts and films may be in English (with some Spanish) while discussions and written work will be in Spanish.
Examines diverse cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, Spain and the United States. May focus on one or multiple regions. Possible topics include: food, cultures, immigration, visual cultures. May use academic articles, film, literary texts, music. Taught in Spanish. Variable content. May be repeated for credit when content changes.
The study of Spanish idiomatic and literary language with a view to developing ability to express oneself with ease, orally and in writing, on a variety of subjects of current interest. Selected texts in Spanish used as a basis for student-written short essays before free range is given to choose and develop the student’s own materials. Conducted in Spanish. Can be taken concurrently with Spanish 311, 312, 314, 315, 316, 317, 320 and seminar courses.
A study of selected, representative works since 1960, including internationally respected literature of the “Boom,” subsequent fiction and recent poetic revolutions. Conducted in Spanish.
A study of the texts and debates surrounding initial encounters between Spaniards, indigenous and African peoples in the “New World,” and the establishment of Colonial culture and society. Spanish, indigenous, mestizo, and African perspectives are considered through the study of myth, narratives, poetry, autobiography, and film. Conducted in Spanish.
Advanced study of aesthetic, cultural, and historical facets of the avant-garde period in Europe, with intensive focus on the various manifestations of the vanguardia in Spain. Literary and artistic movements of interest include dadaism, ultraism, creationism, cubism, and surrealism. Emphasis given to poetic and dramatic texts. Conducted in Spanish.
This course examines medieval and early modern literature in its cultural and historical context. The specific topic of the course may vary to focus on a specific genre, author, or theme. Conducted in Spanish.
Intensive study of related authors, a particular group or generation, a movement, a genre, and/or a particular work. Topic is announced each time the course is offered. Conducted in Spanish.
* Indicates courses not offered every year.
