SPAN - Spanish
This course is the first of the beginning Spanish language sequence. The course takes a task-based, content-based, communicative approach to language learning and teaching. It develops beginning skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. The course also builds communicative competence and enhances social and cultural awareness of the Spanish-speaking world.
This course is the second of the beginning Spanish language sequence. The course takes a task-based, content-based, communicative approach to language learning and teaching. It develops beginning skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. The course also builds communicative competence and enhances social and cultural awareness of the Spanish-speaking world.
This is an accelerated introductory-level course that combines SPAN 101 and SPAN 102. This course is designed for students planning on minoring or majoring in Spanish, or receiving a teaching license in Spanish. However, ALL students are welcome with permission of the instructor. Class is conducted in Spanish.
Introductory Spanish for Health Professionals I introduces students to the fundamentals of Spanish with a focus on communication in health-care settings. Designed for learners with little or no prior Spanish experience, the course emphasizes basic vocabulary, phrases, and grammatical structures needed to interact with Spanish-speaking patients in simple clinical situations. Students practice greeting patients, collecting personal information, identifying common symptoms, and giving straightforward instructions. Cultural practices and perspectives related to Spanish-speaking communities are integrated throughout the course to prepare students for respectful, patient-centered communication. This course builds toward Novice High proficiency on the ACTFL scale and prepares students for SPAN 240.
A study of selected topics designed as electives for non-majors. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
A study of selected topics designed as electives for non-majors. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
This first course of the intermediate language sequence is designed to improve the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills of students and to provide insight into the language and culture of Spanish-speaking people. Meant to integrate and extend earlier learning, the course is intended to keep building communicative competence and social and cultural awareness of the Spanish-speaking world.
This course is a continuation of SPAN 201 that further improves the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills of students and provides insight into the language and culture of Spanish-speaking people. It is intended to keep building communicative competence and social and cultural awareness of the Spanish-speaking world.
This is an accelerated course that combines SPAN 201 and SPAN 202 and continues the focus of SPAN 121F. This course is designed for students planning on minoring or majoring in Spanish, or receiving a teaching license in Spanish. However, ALL students are welcome with permission of the instructor. Class is conducted in Spanish.
Introductory Spanish for Health Professionals II: expands students’ foundational Spanish knowledge and strengthens their ability to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients in routine health-care interactions. Building on the skills developed in SPAN 140, the course introduces a broader range of medical vocabulary, grammatical structures, and functional language tasks relevant to clinical environments. Students learn to discuss symptoms in greater detail, obtain brief medical histories, provide basic care instructions, and navigate common outpatient or clinical scenarios. Emphasis is placed on accuracy, comprehensibility, and cultural sensitivity in health communication. Successful completion of SPAN 240 prepares students to reach Intermediate Low proficiency on the ACTFL scale and qualifies them for the certificate’s core courses.
Spanish for Health Professions is the entry-level course in the Certificate in Spanish for Health Professions series. It introduces students to essential vocabulary, structures, and communicative skills needed to interact with Spanish-speaking patients in clinical and community health settings. The course emphasizes real-world scenarios, cultural awareness, and foundational language skills that support effective, empathetic communication in healthcare environments.
A study of selected topics designed as electives for nonmajors. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
A study of selected topics designed as electives for nonmajors. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
Medical Spanish I introduces students to essential Spanish vocabulary and communication strategies used in a variety of healthcare settings. Emphasizing both linguistic skills and cultural competence, the course prepares future healthcare professionals to interact effectively with Spanish-speaking patients during patient intake, consultations, and discussions of medical conditions. Students will explore key health systems, compare cultural approaches to common illnesses across Spanish-speaking communities, and practice applying CLAS Standards to promote equitable and respectful patient care.
May be taken concurrently with SPAN 312W. The objective of the course is to improve the student's knowledge of Spanish grammar and syntax through the review of grammatical rules and their application. Emphasis is placed on how grammatical forms codify meaning and how grammar and meaning interact to construct the language and textual structure of different genres. This course is recommended for students who wish to major or minor in Spanish and need a grammar review. As this course is considered a review, it will not count toward the major or minor.
This course is primarily a conversation course to develop linguistic and cultural proficiency in verbal communication. Task-oriented communication strategies in cross-cultural training will be practiced by presenting students with models that demonstrate appropriate linguistic and cultural competencies. Students will practice these skills by role-playing, giving presentations, enriching self-awareness with practiced in-group discussions on various topics (such as, prejudice, racism, values, and customs) that dispel stereotypes and foster more in-depth social-cultural understanding, and with participation in guided cultural encounters. Students will improve their listening and comprehension skills and deepen cultural proficiency by learning how to communicate and collaborate with other people and cultures in a global age. (This is an oral skills course.)
This is an intensive writing course designed with writing assignments that examine various cultural contexts that enable students to understand cultural content, style, audience and organization. The main objective of the course is increased awareness of and sensitivity to appropriate word choice, and syntax in the language. Students will engage in writing for different cultural audiences and in varied contexts such as literary, artistic and media expressions around the world. Special emphasis is placed on the methodology of close reading as students hone the analytics skills and vocabulary necessary to interpret idioms, regionalism, cultural expressions and overall intercultural skills observed in various genres and cultures. Students will analyze compelling global issues and the diverse cultural perspectives that inform them.
Medical Spanish II provides an intensive introduction to medical translation and interpretation for bilingual students preparing to work in healthcare environments. Emphasizing both linguistic precision and ethical responsibility, the course explores key terminology, translation strategies, and interpretation techniques used in clinical interactions, medical documentation, and patient communication. Students will practice translating and interpreting real-world materials such as consent forms, aftercare instructions, case studies, and provider–patient dialogues.
This course examines historical and cultural identities in Spain and Latin America, beginning with a study of the historical constructs that helped create the basis of Spanish and Latin American identities. These include the concept of Convivencia (co-existence) of the three religions in Medieval Spain, pre-Columbian civilizations, the Spanish Conquest, the Colonial period, and the fight for Independence. The course also addresses more modern notions of culture and identity by focusing on themes such as globalization, immigration, economic crises, political leadership, and daily life. Along with these themes, popular culture will be discussed at length in order to understand the role it plays in generating identities.
This course introduces students to the basic theoretical and practical aspects and approaches to literary analysis, in order to learn how to read Hispanic literature from the Middle Ages to the present. Literary texts will be examined in terms of content, style, and form. The objectives of the course are to learn how to do a close reading of the texts – a poem, a short story, a novel, or a theater play – and interpret them as a literary scholar, while developing skills of critical thinking, speaking and writing in Spanish. Discussions will focus on literary themes and their relationship to current events rather than a chronological survey of literature.
This course aims to equip students for the eventuality of working with or for a Spanish company here or abroad. It is a language course, with a strong cultural component, for the intermediate learner. The emphasis of the course is on Spanish language usage in personal, business, and employment situations. The course provides a background for all students regardless of specific career goals. Students learn about cultural mores and social etiquette, engage in situational role playing, and prepare for job interviews. Students will combine their various practical assignments, involving realistic employment-seeking tasks, into an electronic portfolio of neatly-kept revisions.
Internships in private and public organizations that provide an opportunity for students to apply and enhance language skills or cultural knowledge in a workplace setting.
Selected topics, genres, authors and/or literary, cultural, sociopolitical, or historical movements in the Spanish-speaking world. May be repeated for credit if the topic is different.
Seminars engage students in in-depth study of a specified topic through readings, research and oral and written student reports. Special attention is paid to theoretical and bibliographic issues. Topics vary according to the areas of expertise and professional interests of departmental faculty. May be repeated if topics are different.
This class is designed to solidify and refine students' working knowledge of written skills in the language, with an emphasis on increasing their written sophistication. Focus is on analysis of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural nuances in the syntax to examine how language reflects the ways of life and beliefs of its speakers, contrasted with the extent of language's influence on culture. Students will refine their skills in written inter-cultural communication, paying attention to idioms and the fine points of 'cultural grammar,' communicative competence and specialized discourse to develop excellent communication skills. This course is intended to prepare students for using their knowledge of language and culture in professional settings.
This course provides an introduction to Spanish linguistics and establishes the basis for the application of linguistic principles, including an introduction to the description and organization of data dealing with phonology (how sound patterns form words), discussion on topics in morphology (word formation and verbal inflection) and the description and organization of data dealing with syntax (how words combine to form phrases and sentences). In addition, the course analyzes the regional variations of Spanish (dialectology), and applying linguistics concepts, students contrast and compare the regional categories of Spanish use world-wide. It will provide students with a level of knowledge to make connections between the structure of Spanish and relevant issues in contemporary Hispanic linguistics, such as second language learning, language variation, bilingualism, and Spanish in the United States.
This class is an introduction to the descriptive analysis of Spanish sounds and provides a comprehensive presentation of phonetics concepts as well as the comparisons drawn between the sounds of Spanish and those of English from a theoretical perspective. Students will gain a solid understanding of the sound system and strengthening of their pronunciation of Spanish from engaging, culturally driven activities taken from real-life modern Spanish sources, as well as enhancing awareness through aural comprehension of the nuances of the different dialects from speakers across the Spanish-speaking world.
A study of selected works of the major playwrights of the Golden Age: Lope de Vega, Calderon de la Barca, Tirso de Molina, Ruiz de Alarcon.
Through reading and analysis of the most representative texts of Spanish drama of the last decades, this course intends to introduce students to contemporary theater production in relation to the social, political and cultural trends that dominate in Spain today. Readings will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the debates predominating within Spanish society and of possible correlations linking Spanish and European culture today.
In this course students will read at least thirteen Spanish-American plays from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Through class discussions and presentations, students will learn an appropriate vocabulary to converse about the plays as well as literary theory to enable them to analyze and interpret the plays. By the end of the course, students should be able to see literary trends and begin to form opinions about the direction that Spanish-American theater has taken and why.
Students study a variety of current cultural texts from the U.S. and Mexico to explore the multiplicity of images that surround and define the highly contested and increasingly important area of the U.S.-Mexico border. Discussions are grounded in an ideological analysis with the goal of developing a description of the historical and social parameters and strategies that are utilized in the critical revision of the Borderlands. Specifically, this course focuses on questions dealing with subaltern identities, for example women, indigenous groups, immigrants, and the poor.
A study of fictional and non-fictional works by Spanish, Spanish-American, and U.S. Latina writers from the 16th to the 20th century. The course analyzes gender identity and roles and the interaction of gender, race, and class in literary representations of courtship and marriage, spirituality, nationalism, colonialism, and multiculturalism. (Cross-listed with WCS 471/WCS 571)
The course focuses on poetry, prose fiction and theater written by Chicana, Puerto Rican, Cuban-American, and Dominican-American women authors in the last twenty years. Attention will also be paid to the very influential theoretical work written by Chicanas.
The course is designed to provide Spanish majors with a small group setting that facilitates in-depth discussion of key concepts of critical theory, literary studies, and the discipline. The seminar will encourage students to research and explore relevant topics related to Hispanic literature and the arts and experiment with the application of the different concepts under discussion. This is a writing intensive course.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
Independent reading and study on a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
This class is designed to solidify and refine students' working knowledge of written skills in the language, with an emphasis on increasing their written sophistication. Focus is on analysis of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural nuances in the syntax to examine how language reflects the ways of life and beliefs of its speakers, contrasted with the extent of language's influence on culture. Students will refine their skills in written inter-cultural communication, paying attention to idioms and the fine points of 'cultural grammar,' communicative competence and specialized discourse to develop excellent communication skills. This course is intended to prepare students for using their knowledge of language and culture in professional settings.
This course provides an introduction to Spanish linguistics and establishes the basis for the application of linguistic principles, including an introduction to the description and organization of data dealing with phonology (how sound patterns form words), discussion on topics in morphology (word formation and verbal inflection) and the description and organization of data dealing with syntax (how words combine to form phrases and sentences). In addition, the course analyzes the regional variations of Spanish (dialectology), and applying linguistics concepts, students contrast and compare the regional categories of Spanish use world-wide. It will provide students with a level of knowledge to make connections between the structure of Spanish and relevant issues in contemporary Hispanic linguistics, such as second language learning, language variation, bilingualism, and Spanish in the United States.
This class is an introduction to the descriptive analysis of Spanish sounds and provides a comprehensive presentation of phonetics concepts as well as the comparisons drawn between the sounds of Spanish and those of English from a theoretical perspective. Students will gain a solid understanding of the sound system and strengthening of their pronunciation of Spanish from engaging, culturally driven activities taken from real-life modern Spanish sources, as well as enhancing awareness through aural comprehension of the nuances of the different dialects from speakers across the Spanish-speaking world.
A study of selected works of the major playwrights of the Golden Age: Lope de Vega, Calderon de la Barca, Tirso de Molina, Ruiz de Alarcon.
Through reading and analysis of the most representative texts of Spanish drama of the last decades, this course intends to introduce students to contemporary theater production in relation to the social, political and cultural trends that dominate in Spain today. Readings will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the debates predominating within Spanish society and of possible correlations linking Spanish and European culture today.
A study of contemporary Spanish-American drama through the reading of representative authors.
Students study a variety of current cultural texts from the U.S. and Mexico to explore the multiplicity of images that surround and define the highly contested and increasingly important area of the U.S.-Mexico border. Discussions are grounded in an ideological analysis with the goal of developing a description of the historical and social parameters and strategies that are utilized in the critical revision of the Borderlands. Specifically, this course focuses on questions dealing with subaltern identities, for example women, indigenous groups, immigrants, and the poor.
A study of fictional and non-fictional works by Spanish, Spanish-American, and U.S. Latina writers from the 16th to the 20th century. The course analyzes gender identity and roles and the interaction of gender, race, and class in literary representations of courtship and marriage, spirituality, nationalism, colonialism, and multiculturalism. (cross-listed with WCS 471/WCS 571)
The course focuses on poetry, prose fiction and theater written by Chicana, Puerto Rican, Cuban-American, and Dominican-American women authors in the last twenty years. Attention will also be paid to the very influential theoretical work written by Chicanas.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule.
This course is designed for Spanish teachers interested in keeping up with cultural developments in the Spanish-speaking world and in maintaining/improving linguistic performance. Emphasis will be placed on authentic materials from newspapers, magazines, film and video, and the Internet.
Individualized practical experience. Students gain first-hand experience in settings that are appropriate given their academic background and career objectives.
Advanced study of selected topics which may not be offered regularly. These courses appear in the course schedule.
Advanced study of selected topics which may not be offered regularly. These courses appear in the course schedule.
The independent reading and study on a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
The independent reading and study on a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.