Course Catalog 2009-2010

Professor Bernardita Llanos, Chair

Professors Bernardita Llanos, Susan Paun de García; Associate Professors Dosinda Garcia-Alvite, Mónica Ayala-Martínez; Assistant Professors Verónica M. González López, Joanna Mitchell; Visiting Assistant Instructor/Professor Ana Maria Mutis; Visiting Instructor Beth Tatko; Academic Administrative Assistant Liz Barringer-Smith

Educated people spend their lives trying to grow in political, social and intellectual freedom. One kind of intellectual freedom requires us to break away from the notion that our native language is the most natural and apt means of expressing the full range of human experience. An education can start with the discovery that all words are purely conventional devices. They are nonetheless tools that stir emotions, articulate ideas, and establish relationships with others. Learning a foreign language contributes to our education by providing an intimate exercise in cultural and linguistic concepts that open up new vistas on what it can mean to be human. Also, foreign-language courses allow entry into the subjectivity of the target language on its own cultural and linguistic grounds, allowing a different and more profound redefinition of our own culture.

Our basic courses offer the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge to master a foreign language. Students take full advantage of that opportunity, so they can use the target language in subsequent courses dealing with the foreign culture. The Department emphasizes the use of a foreign language in most of its courses so that students can best appreciate a foreign culture from within its own mode of expression.

With a view toward career opportunities, the Department encourages integrating foreign language study with a variety of other academic areas, such as history, philosophy, international studies, environmental studies, biology, economics, political science, and English. Courses in cultural studies and literature, aside from their intrinsic worth, also present multiple perspectives on other cultures and areas of intellectual experience.

A student wishing to spend a summer, a semester, or a year abroad with programs approved by Denison should consult members of the Department and the Office of Off-Campus Studies (see Off-Campus Programs). On-campus opportunities to improve their command of the language are provided by the Language and Culture House, language tables, foreign films, club meetings, and similar activities sponsored by the Department. There are as well subsidized field trips to museums and pertinent activities in cities across the country, and in some cases foreign countries.

Spanish Program Mission. Our mission is to enrich students' views on life by learning languages and crossing cultures in an intellectually challenging context. By working closely with professors in class and individually, students learn to value alternative perspectives and to think in diverse ways.

Spanish Program Vision. Our students become co-learners with each other and us, and competent in intercultural communication and the study of cultural discourses. They engage with a wide range of texts and develop analytic and evaluative skills to be active participants in a rapidly changing world. They connect with the world outside in multiple and significant ways: study abroad, student conferences, guest speakers, extracurricular activities, community outreach. Our program is a rigorous, intellectually stimulating, and fulfilling endeavor, responding to an ever-changing world. It integrates culture, language, and literature through and across multiple perspectives and methodologies. It also forges ties with many other departments throughout the university so that our discipline can facilitate research and the construction of knowledge across the curriculum

Goals for the Major. The program subscribes to the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century articulated by the "National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project".

Students majoring in Spanish must take a minimum of 9 courses above 213. Required courses are: Spanish 215, 220, 230. In addition, students must take 3 elective courses at the 300 level and 3 elective courses at the 400 level. Students engaged in a full-year Senior Research Project in Spanish will need only one 400-level course. All students who wish to engage in Senior Research projects are expected to submit a petition to the department during their junior year (before a study abroad experience is undertaken).

The minor in Spanish consists of at least five courses above the 213 level, including three required courses at the 200 level and two electives at the 300 or 400 level. The following courses are required: 215, 220 and 230.

Summer Abroad in Chile. The International Program "Gender and Culture in Chile and Latin America" offers an intercultural encounter and dialog between universities, allowing students to make contact with the world of Chile and Latin America and to get to know Chile's social, geographical and cultural landscapes. During their stay in Chile, students are immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment in the atmosphere of a non-traditional university, located in central Santiago.

Multimedia Language Learning Center. An important asset of the Department is the Multimedia Language Learning Center with its 27 Macs, zone-free DVD player and a multi-standard VCR. The MLLC provides support for learning activities outside and inside the classroom, ranging from grammar drills to research, as well as discussions on authentic materials published on the web. The area is designed not only for individualized instruction but also for group work and small seminars that use multimedia materials for class discussion.

Cultural Enrichment. Each semester the Department offers students exceptional opportunities for cultural enrichment in foreign languages. These opportunities include, for example, off-campus trips to target-culture plays, movies and performances, as well as campus visits by native scholars and performers. In that way, experiences in target cultures become more readily available to our students. These opportunities are made possible through a most generous endowment bestowed on the Department of Modern Languages by the Patty Foresman Fund.

The Foresman Lounge. in Fellows 103 offers the Denison community a wide range of technological devices with which to enrich their learning experiences. This room is equipped with a 52 inch flat screen TV that is connected to a satellite dish which provides us with SCOLA television services from around the world. The TV is also connected to a multi-standard VCR and a zone-free DVD player. The lounge has a ceiling-mounted data projector which connects to a networked Apple computer, the DVD player and the VCR. This area also has a Polycom videoconferencing unit which allows us to connect with students at other universities and chat with them about their perspectives on various issues.

General Departmental Regulations. Students planning to major in the Department are advised to begin course work in the first year. Those wishing to fulfill the basic requirement in language by continuing the one begun in secondary school will find it advantageous to begin their course work in the first year. The Department of Modern Languages strongly recommends that students complete their language requirement by the end of their sophomore year.

The Language and Culture House. is an exciting residential option that gives you the opportunity to hone your language skills and to participate in special cultural events. Students who choose this residential option will live in a small community of their peers who share their enthusiasm for foreign languages and cultures. Special Extracurricular activities and programming in the Language House will support language acquisition and you will have a close relationship with professors and language assistants from the Department of Modern Languages.

Beginning Spanish I (SPAN-111).  An introductory course in Spanish that develops the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis will be on basic language structure. Conducted in Spanish. 4

Beginning Spanish II (SPAN-112).  A continuation of skill development in basic Spanish structures. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 111 or placement. 4

Introductory Topics in Spanish (SPAN-199).  A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. 1-4

Intermediate Spanish (SPAN-211).  This course prepares the student for a functional comprehension and use of spoken and written Spanish and emphasizes the cultures of the Spanish-speaking worlds. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 112 or placement. 4

Communication Skills (SPAN-213).  An intermediate course to develop conversational and writing skills. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 211, placement, or consent. This course fulfills the Oral Communication (R) requirement. 4

Writing Workshop (SPAN-215).  An intensive review of basic Spanish grammar and the development of skills in the composition of Spanish prose. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 213 or consent. 4

Introduction to Hispanic Literature (SPAN-220).  Reading and discussion of literary works from the Spanish-speaking world. Emphasis will be on utilizing language skills in the study and analysis of literature from Latin America, Spain and the United States. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 215. 4

Introduction to Hispanic Culture (SPAN-230).  An introduction to the study of Hispanic cultures, both Peninsular and Latin American; this course presents the basic context of the customs, beliefs and values of the Hispanic peoples and seeks to provide a basis for more advanced study. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 215. 4

Intermediate Topics in Spanish (SPAN-299).  A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. 1-4

Grammar in Context (SPAN-315).  Study and practical written application of Spanish grammar on a more advanced level; this course will on occasion include special topics in usage and style of contemporary written and spoken Spanish. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 215. 4

Survey of Spanish Literature (SPAN-320).  Survey of literary genres, periods and movements in Spain from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. The main focus will be to give a sense of literary history and cultural context; readings will include representative selections from each period. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 220. 4

Survey of Latin American Literature (SPAN-325).  Survey of literary genres, periods and movements in Latin America from 1492 to the present. The main focus will be to give a sense of literary history and cultural context; readings will include representative selections from each period and movement. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 220. 4

Introduction to Peninsular Culture (SPAN-330).  Study of how the different peoples of Spain conceive of and represent themselves, their attitudes, values and beliefs. From a historical perspective, the class will examine the evolution of institutions, traditions, and various artistic endeavors. Prerequisites: 230. 4

Cultures of Latin America (SPAN-335).  This course introduces students to the cultural diversity and histories of Latin America, and offers a comprehensive study of the Latin American ethnos. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: 230. 4

Directed Study (SPAN-361).  1-4

Directed Study (SPAN-362).  1-4

Independent Study (SPAN-363).  1-4

Independent Study (SPAN-364).  1-4

Advanced Topics in Spanish (SPAN-399).  A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. 1-4

Seminar in Language (SPAN-415).  In-depth study and discussion of selected topics in language, grammar, linguistics, or translation. Conducted in Spanish. This course will involve the writing of a research paper. Prerequisite: 315. 4

Seminar in Peninsular Literature (SPAN-420).  Study and discussion in depth of a selected topic, writer or work from Peninsular literature. This course will involve the writing of a research paper. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisites: 320 or 325. 4

Seminar in Latin American Literature (SPAN-425).  Study and discussion in depth of a selected topic, writer or work from Latin American literature. This course will involve the writing of a research paper. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisites: 320 or 325. 4

Seminar in Spanish Culture (SPAN-430).  An in-depth study of selected topics in the culture of Peninsular Spain. Conducted in Spanish. This course will involve the writing of a research paper. Prerequisites: 230 or consent. Prerequisite: 330 or 335. 4

Seminar in Latin American Culture (SPAN-435).  An in-depth study of selected topics in the culture of Latin America. Conducted in Spanish. This course will involve the writing of a research paper. Prerequisite: 330 or 335. 4

Senior Research (SPAN-451).  4

Senior Research (SPAN-452).  4