Spanish 103, 104: Spanish for Teachers. (I) One unit.
Designed for those students going into elementary or secondary education. This course stresses learning the skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking within the context of an academic setting. The cultural component includes role play, skits and phone conversations that reflect an educator's need for communication with students from a diverse Spanish-speaking population and their parents. The course is conducted in Spanish for those with 0-3 years of previous study of the language. A student must be an education major to take these classes or have the permission of the instructor. Courses are offered only in the summer. Prerequisite for SP 104: SP 103 or permission of the instructor. Not designed for native speakers of Spanish. Offered in summer sessions only.
Spanish 107: (Re) Discovering Spanish: Accelerated Basic Spanish. (H) (U) One unit.
Did you know that over 4,000 Spanish words derive directly from Arabic? This fast-paced course welcomes students with up to two years of previous high school experience to rediscover the beauty of Spanish at the college level. It is also appropriate for those who wish to discover the language for the first time. Designed for highly motivated learners, the class provides students with solid basic speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills. The curriculum covers the fundamentals of Spanish grammar while introducing students to the diverse cultures of Latin America and Spain through interactive exercises, elementary readings, and the visual arts. Pre-requisite: 0-2 years of high school instruction or permission of instructor. Students with more than two years of Spanish or native speakers will not receive academic credit for this course. Offered spring semester.
Spanish 110: Business Spanish in the U.S. and Beyond. (OO) (UU) One unit.
With over 500 million native speakers across the world, Spanish is the fastest growing language in the United States. Meanwhile, Hispanic entrepeneurs and businesses have become a driving forced behind the U.S. economy. This course will provide students with basic language training and intercultural awareness to help them interact with the growing number of Spanish-speaking business owners and consumers, as well as with potential business partners in Latin America and Spain. Students will acquire practical communicative skills, technical vocabulary, and valuable cultural insights to better navigate corporate dynamics in Spanish-speaking countries. Activities outside the classroom will include on-site visits to local Hispanic businesses, guest presentations by international speakers via Zoom, and cultural conversations with trained native speakers of Spanish through the Boomalang language platform. This course is open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Requirements: 0-3 years of previous experience with the language. Not appropriate for native speakers of Spanish. Offered as required.
Spanish 111 : Spanish for Life: Intermediate I. (H) (O) (UU) One unit.
After English, Spanish is the most spoken language in the United States. This class will allow you to enhance your professional opportunities in a variety of fields, prepare you for travel and study abroad, and enrich your life with a new cultural dimension. Designed for students who wish to deepen their basic Spanish skills, an emphasis is placed on the acquisition of advanced speaking skills, proper pronunciation, and effective reading and writing strategies. Students are also exposed to Spanish, Latin American and Latino popular culture. Those who wish to practice the language beyond the classroom will be given the opportunity to volunteer in the Staten Island community and thus establish a personal connection between their language skills and the wider-Spanish speaking world. Prerequisite: Spanish 107, 2-3 years of high school Spanish, two semesters of college Spanish, or permission of instructor. Native speakers of Spanish will not receive academic credit for this course. Offered fall semester.
Spanish 112: Becoming Global Citizens: Intermediate Spanish II. (H) (O) (UU) One Unit.
What does it mean to be a “global citizen” and how is this notion linked to the study of languages? Today over half the world’s population is bilingual. In the United States alone, the number of people who speak a language other than English at home has increased by 140 percent since 1980. As a continuation to Spanish 111, this course places special emphasis on mastering more complex aspects of the language and offers an excellent preparation for those who wish to study or travel abroad. Through a selection of short stories, documentaries and films, this course also aims to deepen one’s understanding of the rich cultural contributions of Latin America and Spain. Students will be given the opportunity to reinforce their Spanish speaking skills beyond the classroom by volunteering in the Staten Island community. Prerequisite: Spanish 111, 3-4 years of high school Spanish, 3 semester of college Spanish, or permission of instructor. Native speakers of Spanish will not receive academic credit for this course. Offered spring semester.
Spanish 211: Hispanic Drama: Text and Performance. (H) (CC) (R) (UU) One unit.
This class involves the close textual analysis and performance of plays written by some of the most prominent writers in Latin America and Spain. Through close group readings of each play, students will work on improving their pronunciation and intonation as they gain an understanding of some of the main theatrical movements in the Spanish- speaking world. Authors studied include Calderón de la Barca (Spain), Miguel de Cervantes (Spain), Griselda Gambaro (Argentina), Federico García Lorca (Spain), Rodolfo Usigli (Mexico), Antonio Buero Vallejo (Spain), Virgilio Piñera (Cuba), Osvaldo Dragún (Argentina), Sergio Vodanović (Chile), and Dolores Prida (Cuba / United States). This course includes the performance of a play at the end of the semester. No prior experience in theater is required. SP111 or high school Spanish. Open to native speakers of Spanish. Offered as required.
SP 213: Hispanic Literature in English Translation. (H) (RR) (U) (WW) One unit.
This is a course in English designed to introduce several masterworks of the Spanish and Latin American literary traditions to students who may or may not be ready to read the texts in the original language. Readings include selections from early peninsular works, such as El Cid and the Quixote, pre-Columbian texts such as the Popol Vuh, poetry from colonial Mexico’s Sor Juana and, finally, contemporary works from both Latin America (Borges, Cortázar, Allende) and Spain (Matute, García Lorca, Arrabal). Cross-listed w/EN 213. Offered as required.
SP 230 Intimate Stories: The Short Film Genre. (H) (C) (T) (UU) One unit.
Throughout Latin America and Spain, the short film genre is an exciting medium in which young directors explore unconventional, inspiring and thought-provoking subject matters. In this class students will be exposed to a variety of short films, including documentaries, animated films, comedies, and dramas. Through the close analysis of visual images, students will also be given the opportunity to refine advanced grammatical concepts and perfect writing and analytical skills. As part of the course requirement, students will work on producing their own short film throughout the semester. The class will include theoretical readings, film viewings, and guest lectures. Prerequisite: Spanish 112, 4 years of high school Spanish, or permission of instructor. Open to native speakers of Spanish. Offered as required.
SP 231: Artistic Adventures: Spanish Composition and Conversation. (H) (RR) (OO) (WC) One unit.
This course is designed for students who wish to master complex grammatical structures and broaden their vocabulary as a solid preparation for upper-division classes in Spanish. Special emphasis will be placed on writing, speaking and pronunciation. Written and oral exercises will focus on the art of Latin American and Spanish painters such as Miguel Barceló, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Diego de Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Diego de Velázquez, Rufino Tamayo, Antonio Tápies, and Remedios Varo. Students will work with CD-ROM programs and engage in virtual tours of museums around the world. This class is open to native speakers of Spanish. Prerequisite: SP 112 or equivalent. Offered fall semester.
SP 232: People and Politics in the Hispanic World: Advanced Spanish Composition and Conversation (H) (OO) (WC) (UU) One unit.
Students will work on writing and speaking skills at the advanced level. Various forms of written expression such as letters, essays, summaries, textual analyses, and film criticism will be addressed. Students will acquire theoretical vocabulary through weekly newspaper and magazine readings. Class conversations and debates will focus on social, cultural and political topics pertaining to Latin America and/or Spain. This class is open to native speakers of Spanish. Prerequisite: SP 231 or equivalent. Offered spring semester.
SP 234: Introduction to Spanish Translation (H) (RR) (WC) (UU) One unit.
This course uses translation to help students consolidate complex grammatical structures and further develop their awareness of the particular subtleties of Spanish. Students will be introduced to the history and theory of translation from Spanish to English and English to Spanish through a variety of texts: newspaper and journal articles, legal and medical documents, letters, advertisements, film subtitles, and literary works. The course includes a final service-learning translation project. Prerequisite: Spanish 232 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 235 : Journalism and Creative Writing in the Hispanic World. (H) (C) (WW) (UU) One Unit.
It is interesting to know that many Latin American and Spanish writers began their professional careers as journalists. Through the study of chronicles and reportage, one can trace some of the most important moments in the social, cultural, political, and intellectual history of Latin America and Spain. Today, canonical Hispanic authors publish op-ed columns in major newspapers around the world. This course focuses on chronicles and reportage written by Spanish and Latin American writers such as Tomás Eloy Martínez, Gabriel García Márquez, Alma Guillermoprieto, Rosa Montero, Mario Vargas Llosa, José Martí, and Antonio Muñoz Molina. Students will also be exposed to various techniques in creative writing as they produce their own chronicles in Spanish. Prerequisites: Spanish 231 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
Spanish 241: Spain and its Cultures. (H) (RR) (WC) (UU) One unit.
Spain is known for its extraordinary cultural heritage. This course will examine two major topics: the various cultures Spain and the country’s unique cultural history, from medieval times to the XXI century. Each class will focus on the discussion of specific cultural manifestations of a region or a period, including the study of language, geography, history, folklore, cuisine, literature, film, architecture, and art. Topics will include the important contributions of Muslims and Jews to Spanish society, the impact of the Civil War and Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, Spain’s entrance in the European Community, and the country’s role in the XXI century. Students will be given the opportunity to refine their written and oral skills through short essays, class discussions, debates, and oral presentations. Requirements: Spanish 232 or permission of instructor. Open to native speakers of Spanish. Offered every two years in the fall semester.
Spanish 242 Untold Stories: Latin American Culture and Civilization. (H) (RR) (WC) (UU) One unit.
America is the name of a whole continent, and not just the United States. This course explores the intimate ties between the history of the United States and the history of Central and Latin American countries. Through the analysis of travel diaries, songs, documentaries, short stories, manifestos, and poems, students will have the opportunity to learn about a wonderful region with a rich cultural heritage that is both connected to and independent of the U.S. Prerequisite: Spanish 232 or permission of instructor. Open to native speakers of Spanish. Offered as required.
SP 260 Spanish for Healthcare Professionals. (H) (OO) (UU) One unit.
This is an intermediate-level Spanish course designed for those already working in or planning to enter the health care professions, and for any student at the intermediate level. Students will learn a specialized vocabulary and study cultural situations directly related to caring for Spanish-speaking patients. This course is taught entirely in Spanish. Both undergraduate and graduate students may enroll with permission of their advisors. Appropriate for those with 0–3 years of previous experience with the language; it is not appropriate for native speakers. Offered as required.
Spanish 310: Voces Hispanas: An Introduction to Literature in Spanish. (H) (RR) (WC) (UU) One unit.
How do literary texts enable us to reach a deeper appreciation of other cultures and a better understanding of who we are? This class will expose students to the uniqueness of Latin American and Spanish writers through some of their most thought-provoking works. The course introduces basic tools to help increase students’ ability to think, read, discuss, and write critically about literature from the Spanish-speaking world. Works will be approached from different analytical perspectives by also taking into account the particular cultural, historical, political, and philosophical background inherent to each text. This class provides Spanish majors and minors with a solid foundation for upper-level classes. Prerequisite: Spanish 232 or permission of instructor. Open to native speakers of Spanish. Offered fall semester.
SP 314: Topics in Hispanic Cinema. (H) (R) (UU) (WW) One unit.
This course presents issues of culture and history from the Spanish-speaking world through close analysis and discussion of films of major directors. Topics will vary by semester and will cover such themes as the Spanish Civil War, visions of rural and urban life, artistic production, poverty and its consequences, fantasy in film, gender, representations on screen etc. The class is writing intensive in Spanish. Prerequisites: SP 310 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
SP 320: Topics in Modern Peninsular Prose. (H), (RR), (WC), (UU) One unit.
In this course, contemporary peninsular prose will be examined in the context of Spain’s post-Transition era. Topics will include ideological trends in contemporary Spanish society, class and gender politics, national identity, the representation of urban life, and authorial selffashioning. The works of Javier Marías, Félix de Azúa, Juan José Millás, Enrique Vila- Matas, Belén Gopegui, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Arturo Pérez Reverte, and Almudena Grandes will be discussed. Prerequisite: Spanish 310 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 323: Contemporary Hispanic Women Writers. (H) (RR) (WC) (UU) One unit.
This course addresses the cultural, social, and political currents that have changed the works of contemporary Hispanic women writers. Feminist concepts are examined in the works of such authors as Carmen Laforet, Ana María Matute, Carmen Martín Gaite, Soledad Puértolas, María Luisa Bombal, Luisa Valenzuela, Cristina Peri Rossi, and Rosa Regás. Historical, sociological, and artistic documents will also be examined for what they reveal of the changing consciousness of women in Spain and Latin America. This course may be counted toward the Gender Studies minor. Prerequisite: SP 310 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
SP 340:A Window on Spain: Peninsular Survey. (H) (RR) (WW) One unit.
This course offers a chronological survey of Spanish literature and its cultural history from the Middle Ages to present times’ focusing on movements such as Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Surrealism, and Post-modernism. Topics to be explored include the role of women in the Middle Ages, courtly love, food and fashion in the Golden Age, underground theater andliterary censorship under the Franco regime, and the latest trends in contemporary Spanish narrative. Authors to be studied include María de Zayas, Miguel de Cervantes, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Benito Pérez Galdós, Antonio Machado, José Ortega y Gasset, Antonio Buero Vallejo, Carmen Laforet, Almudena Grandes, and Javier Marías. Prerequisite: SP 310 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 347: Love, Madness and Death in Latin American Literature (Latin American Survey). (H) (RR) (WC) (UU) One unit.
At the beginning of the XX century, one of the best known Latin American writers, Horacio Quiroga, published a collection of short stories entitled: Cuentos de amor, de locura y muerte. This text prefigures many trends of Latin American literature during this century: magical realism, fantastic literature, and the redefinition of nature, among others. This class considers love, madness, and death as main topics in contemporary Latin American literature. Prerequisite: SP 310 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 351: Argentine Literature: Foreigners at Home. (H), (RR), (UU) One unit.
This course looks at the major contributions that Argentine poets, novelists, short story writers, and dramatists have made to world literature. Argentina was not only the first country in Latin America with urban culture but also the place where European modernity erupted. Writers like Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar echoed and continued the experiments of modern European literature but gave to that tradition a particularly American perspective. The class includes, but is not limited to works by Borges, Cortázar, Ocampo, Storni, Gambaro, Sábato, Puig, and Timerman among others. It also addresses such issues as politics and censorship, the fantastic in literature, urban and rural conflicts, and gender representations. Prerequisite: SP 310 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
SP 352: Cities in the Hispanic World. (H) One unit.
This courses examines the literary representations of city life in the Spanish speaking world from the nineteenth century to the present. Using an interdisciplinary approach, topics will include the city as a physical and utopian construction, urban and non-urban landscapes, post-war reconstruction, poverty, alienation, immigration, and the ways in which cities occupy and challenge the literary imagination. Cities to be examined include Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Buenos Aires, Havana, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, and New York. Prerequisites: Spanish 310 or equivalent. Offered as required.
SP 400: Senior Reflective Tutorial: Spanish Expository Writing. (H) (RR) (WW) (UU) One unit.
A detailed study of an author, a period, or theme relevant to the understanding of Spanish or Latin American literature and culture. This course also aims to build upon previous language learning, to review, refine, develop, and practice language skills to achieve correct and effective expression in Spanish with emphasis on writing. An extended research project is required for all majors who wish to be considered for departmental honors. Prerequisite: for Spanish majors or with permission of the instructor. Offered as required in the spring semester.
SP: 412 Cloak and Dagger: Cervantes vs. Lope de Vega. (H) (RR) (WC) (UU) One unit.
The works of literary rivals Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega are examined in the light of the social and intellectual currents of seventeenth century Spain. Particular attention is given to the problems of textual reception and the question of canon formation. Just what determines the popularity of certain works and who reads them?
Prerequisite: SP 310 or permission of the instructor. Offered as required.
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SP 593: Independent Study (H) One unit.
Supervised independent research projects developed by the student, with faculty advisement. Restricted to advanced majors. Offered fall and spring semesters.
FL 291: Special Topics (H) One unit.
A course dealing with the literature of Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Latin America, or Spain. The content will vary and be determined by the instructor. Prerequisite: completion of the Intermediate level. Offered as required.
ML 316: International Filmmakers (H) (R) (WW) (UU) One unit.
How does film’s visual language bring us closer to a country’s culture?
This course examines the various representations of cultural traditions through the works of some of the most influential and thought-provoking international filmmakers. Directors include Chantal Akerman (Belgium), Jean-Pierre Bekolo (Cameroon), Icíar Bollaín (Spain), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey), Arturo Ripstein (Mexico), Michael Haneke (Austria), Chen Kaige (China), Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland), Akira Kurosawa (Japan), Lucrecia Martel (Argentina), Walter Salles (Brazil), Ousmane Sembène (Senegal), François Truffaut (France), Paolo Virzì (Italy), and others. Students interested in languages, foreign cultures and travel will gain a deeper understanding on the notion of “otherness” as seen through the works of award-winning filmmakers. Prerequisite: none. Offered every three years during the spring semester.