Professors: Andrew Bush, Lizabeth
Paravisini-Gebert; Associate Professors: Mario
Cesareo, Mihai Grünfeld (Chair), Patricia
Kenworthyab; Assistant Professor: Michael
Aronnaab.
Requirements for Concentration: 10 units of
courses numbered 205 and above, which must include three of
the following: 226, 227, 228, 229, and at least three units
at the 300-level taken on campus, including one unit each of
387 and 388. Two units must be elected in the senior year.
After declaration of the concentration, all courses in the
department must be taken for a letter grade.
Senior-Year Requirements: Two units at the
300-level. Students who wish to be considered for
departmental honors must complete a senior thesis (Hispanic
Studies 300).
Teaching Certification: Students who wish to
obtain Secondary Certification in Spanish must complete, in
conjunction with the program of study outlined by the
education department, 8 units of 200-level courses and above
in Hispanic Studies.
Correlate Sequence: 6 units in the department at
the level of 205 and above. At least one of these units must
be a 300-level course taken at Vassar.
Special Program: Vassar College, Wesleyan
University, and Colgate University sponsor jointly a program
of study in Spain. A major in Hispanic Studies is expected
to participate in this program or a comparable program in
Latin America during either the sophomore or junior year.
Students concentrating in other fields are also accepted,
within the regulations of the chair of their various
departments and the Dean of Studies office. Courses offered
in the Spain program are included below.
Advisers: The department.
I. Introductory
105a-106b. Elementary Spanish Language (1)
Fundamentals of the grammar and structure of the Spanish
language with emphasis on oral skill and reading. Mr. Bush,
Mr. Grünfeld.
Open to students with one year or less of high school
Spanish.
Five 50-minute periods; one hour of laboratory or
drill.
[109b. Basic Spanish Review] (1)
An intensive review of first-year Spanish. The
department.
Open only to freshmen and sophomores who have had two
years of high school Spanish. Students who have taken
Hispanic Studies 105-106 may not take Hispanic Studies 109
for credit.
Three 50-minute periods and two hours of laboratory or
drill.
Not offered in 2000/01.
II. Intermediate
205a. Intermediate Spanish (1)
Intensive study and review of Spanish grammar at the
second-year level with emphasis on oral practice and writing
skills. The department.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 105-106 or 109, or three
years of high school Spanish.
Three 50-minute periods and one hour of conversation.
207a or b. Reading and Writing about Latin American
Culture (1)
An introduction to issues in Latin American culture past
and present. Intensive and extensive work in essay writing
and oral presentations. Assignments focus on the development
of skills for research and writing in Spanish. Mr.
Cesareo.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 205 or four or more years
of high school Spanish. Students who have taken Hispanic
Studies 208 may not take Hispanic Studies 207 for
credit.
208b. Reading and Writing about Spanish Culture
(1)
An introduction to issues in Spanish culture past and
present. Intensive and extensive work in essay writing and
oral presentations. Assignments focus on the development of
skills for research and writing in Spanish. The
department.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 205 or four or more years
of high-school Spanish. Students who have taken Hispanic
Studies 207 may not take Hispanic Studies 208 for
credit.
217b. Methods in Interdisciplinary Analysis: Latin
America (1)
This course develops a set of methodological and
theoretical tools for the investigation of cultural
practices such as literature, popular and mass culture,
social movements, and institutions within the context of
Latin American social formations. Mr. Grünfeld.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 207 or 208.
Students who have taken Hispanic Studies 218 may not take
Hispanic Studies 217 for credit.
218a. Methods in Interdisciplinary Analysis: Spain
(1)
This course develops a set of methodological and
theoretical tools for the investigation of cultural
practices such as literature, popular and mass culture,
social movements, and institutions within the context of
Spanish social formations. Topic for 2000/01: The Spanish
Civil War. Ms. Paravisini-Gebert.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 207 or 208.
Students who have taken Hispanic Studies 217 may not take
Hispanic Studies 218 for credit.
226a. Medieval and Early Modern Spain (1)
Studies in Spanish literary and cultural production from
the time of the Reconquest to the end of the Hapsburg
Empire.
Topic for 2000/01: Jews, Muslims and Christians in
Medieval Spain. Power homogenizes, and absolute power
homogenizes absolutely. Such has been the keynote of
cultural politics in Spain from the reign of the Reyes
Católicos to the Franco dictatorship. But against
the discourse of power stands the lived reality of cultural
heterogeneity in the Iberian Peninsula. The great
theoretical voice speaking for that heterogeneity has been
Américo Castro, who opposed the centuries-old
conflation of Catholicism and nationalism by insisting upon
what we would now call the multicultural base of Spanish
identity, namely the coexistence of Jews, Muslims and
Christians in the medieval period. This course takes
Castro's theoretical position as the point of departure for
the investigation of the tri-partite convivencia,
considering both its moments of harmony and of
confrontation. The selection of texts and their study are
interdisciplinary in nature, including the fields of
literature, history, religion and architecture. While
concentrating on the period 711-1492, attention is also
devoted to the medieval legacy in such later writers as
Cervantes. Please note that although the original language
of some of the texts is Hebrew or Arabic,
Galician-Portuguese or Catalan, readings, class discussion
and writing assignments are in Castilian Spanish. Mr.
Bush.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 217 or 218.
227b. Colonial Latin America (1)
Studies in Latin American literary and cultural
production from the European invasion to the crisis of the
colonial system. Thematically structured, the course is
anchored in the social, political, and institutional
processes undergone by Latin America as a result of its
incorporation into European mercantilism.
Topic for 2000/01: The Invention of America. 1492
marked the beginning of a fascinating process of "invention"
of a "New World." The rhetoric of mythical and historical
fabrication took myriad forms, from the insertion of
descriptions of the newly-discovered lands into ancient
legends of Atlantis through the myth of El Dorado, notions
of noble savages and primeval forests, and projections of
political and social utopias fading into banana republics.
The course explores a variety of textsliterary, historical,
anthropological, religious, sociologicalto trace the
invention and reinvention of Latin America in the popular
and scholarly imagination. Ms. Paravisini-Gebert.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 217 or 218.
Studies in Spanish literary and cultural production form
the beginning of the Bourbon monarchy to the present.
Topic for 2000/01: To be announced. The department.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 217 or 218.
229a. Postcolonial Latin America (1)
Studies in Latin American literary and cultural
production from the emergence of the nation states to their
contemporary crisis. Thematically structured, the course
delves into the social, political, and institutional
processes undergone by Latin America as a result of its
uneven incorporation into world capitalist development.
Topic for 2000/01: Latin America and Modernity.
This course examines the uneven road that led Latin American
literature towards an identity anchored in the modern. We
analyze a variety of textsnovels, essays, short stories,
film and poetryfrom the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
in order to show how these texts construct the notion of
modernity within the social and historical conditions that
inform them. Mr. Grünfeld.
Prerequisite: Hispanic Studies 217 or 218.
290a or b. Field Work (1/2 or 1)
Individual projects or internships. The department.
Special permission.
Prerequisite: 1 unit of Hispanic Studies 207, 208 or
above.
298. Independent Work (1/2 or 1)
Prerequisite: 2 units of Hispanic Studies 226 or above.
The department.
Special permission: Students interested in pursuing an
independent study must submit an application (available from
the chair) detailing their project to the department by
Friday of the first full week of classes each semester.
Prerequisite for all advanced courses: 3 units from
Hispanic Studies 217 and above or by permission of
instructor.
300a or b. Senior Thesis (1)
387. Latin American Seminar (1)
A seminar offering indepth study of topics related to the
literary and cultural history of Latin America. This course
may be repeated for credit when the topic changes.
Topic for a semester 2000/01: Latin American Cinema.
This multidisciplinary seminar will study Latin American
film from a historical, aesthetic and critical perspective.
The production of images and narratives will be analyzed in
the context of the populist affirmation and neo-liberal
crisis of the nation-state, socialism, militarization,
transnational capitalism and postmodernity. Concepts
borrowed from anthropology, political economy, ecology, and
film theory will be introduced and used as interpretive
tools. Mr. Cesareo.
Topic for b semester 2000/01: The Indigenous
Experience in Latin America. In this course we study the
depiction of the native people and their struggle for
cultural survival and self-determination in a variety of
Latin American texts such as novels, short stories, poetry,
myths, paintings, movies and essays. The course examines
issues such as strategies of representation by native and
non-native people, cultural colonization, social injustice,
resistance, integration and transculturation, and the place
of the indigenous in the modern nation, among others. Our
study includes pre-colonial texts such as the
Popol-Vuh and Aztec poetry, films such as
Naufragios, the Mission, and La sangre del
condor, Diego Rivera's mural paintings, and contemporary
novels such as Mario Vargas Llosa's El Hablador and
Gioconda Belli's La mujer habitada. Mr.
Grünfeld.
388a. Peninsular Seminar (1)
A seminar offering in depth study of topics related to
the literary and cultural history of Spain.
Topic for a semester 2000/01: Novela Policiaca/Novela
Negra: Detective Fiction in Spain. In recent decades,
the police procedural has emerged as one of the most dynamic
genres in Spanish literature. The genre's characteristic
concern with justice and the law, with notions of
criminality and policing, with the statutes that regulate
the relationship between the individual and the state, have
made the genre the ideal vehicle for the exploration of the
myriad social, historical, and economic crises facing
post-Franco Spain. The course examines a broad selection of
texts, ranging from mass-market detective stories to
"high-brow" parodies of detection. Among the authors to be
discussed are Emilia Pardo Bazan, Arturo Perez Reverte,
Lourdes Miquel Lopez, Rosa Montero, Eduardo Mendoza, and
Alvar Valls. Ms. Paravisini-Gebert.
389b. "Nuestra America" (1)
(Same as Latin American Studies 389) This course does not
count towards Hispanic Studies major or correlate
sequence.
399. Senior Independent Work (1/2 or
1)
Vassar-Wesleyan-Colgate Program in Spain
210a. Spanish Language and Civilization (1)
Taught in Santiago de Compostela, this course is geared
to develop linguistic skills and general knowledge of
Spanish history and culture in preparation for the fall
semester in Madrid. The morning session includes classes in
Spanish language, literature, history, and contemporary
political and social issues. A program of cultural
activities and field trips organized in the afternoon
introduces students to the artistic heritage of Santiago,
one of Europe's foremost medieval cities, and to the
cultural richness of the region of Galicia, so that their
language and cultural knowledge improves in contexts beyond
the classroom. One academic credit, ungraded, is awarded for
this course.
212a or b. Advanced Spanish (1)
An intensive language review, focusing on grammar,
conversation, and composition. Weekly oral and written
exercises.
246a or b. Perfecting Spanish: Cultural Events
(1)
A writingskills course in which the compositions are
based on class field trips to museums, art exhibits,
concerts, plays, lectures, and films.
250a. A New World: America and Spain (1)
Spanish history from the Islamic period to the discovery
and conquest of the New World (eighth to seventeenth
centuries). Special attention is given to the Hapsburg
dynasty, the formation of an empire, the role of the
Inquisition, and the Spanish reaction to the Protestant
reformation.
251b. Spanish History: 1800-Present (1)
Political, social, and economic history of Spain since
1800. Topics include: the Spanish reaction to the Napoleonic
invasion, social and political formations in the period of
industrialization and urbanization, the origins and
consequences of the Spanish Civil War, and the transition
from the Franco dictatorship to the parliamentary democracy
that currently exists in Spain.
252a. The Spanish Civil War (1)
A study of the major event in modern Spanish history.
Special emphasis on the social and economic causes, the
ideological tensions that existed in Spain and most of
Europe during this period, and the internationalization of
the conflict.
253b. Modern Spanish Politics (1)
A study of the development of political systems during
the twentieth century. Attention is given to the origins of
modern Spanish political formations, traceable in the
enlightenment and throughout the nineteenth century. Special
emphasis on the political party system in post-Franco Spain.
Intended especially for political science majors, but all
others are welcome.
255a or b. History of Spanish Painting (1)
A survey of Spanish painting from the Renaissance to
Picasso, with emphasis on the masters of the Spanish school:
El Greco, Velazquez, Murillo, Zurbaran, and Goya. Classes
include visits to the Prado and other museums in Madrid,
plus a field trip to Toledo to study El Greco in
context.
256b. Women in Spain: Historical and Sociological
Perspectives (1)
An historical, political, and sociological study of the
role of women in Spanish society. Special emphasis given to
the new legislation affecting women that emerges in
postFranco Spain and to demographic analyses of women's
participation in the formation of a new society from 1980 to
the present. Intended especially for history, sociology, and
political science majors, but all others are welcome.
258b. Introduction to Contemporary Spanish Cinema
(1)
A survey of Spanish cinema from the 1960s to the present.
Special emphasis is given to the political, sociological,
and cultural context within which Spanish cinema has
developed.
259a. Spain and the European Union (1)
Spain's formal entry into the European Economic Community
(EEC) in the 1980s signaled an important moment in the
country's political, economic, and social resurgence. This
course focuses on the background and meaning of this event
in the context of modern Spanish history, in relation to
current economic trends, and with special attention to
current Spanish and European political institutions.
Intended especially for history and economics majors, but
all others are welcome.
260a. 261b. 360a. 361b. Special Topics (1)
When necessary, students may petition for approval to
enroll in a course sponsored by another American university
at the Instituto Internacional. Special topics is a rubric
used to record such courses or any course taken through
direct enrollment at a Spanish university in Madrid.
281. Ethnography of Spanish Culture (1)
A close study of Spanish cultural formations in their
traditional and contemporary context. Lectures, critical
readings, and class discussions focus on such topics as the
relationship between individual and collective identity,
popular festivals and religious rites, urbanization, and the
recent rise of immigration resulting from rapid economic
development. Intended especially for anthropology majors,
but all others are welcome.
363a. Modern Spanish Novel: Madrid and the Novel
(1)
Analysis of the great novels from modern Spain set within
Madrid, from the late nineteenth century to the present.
Special attention is given to the relationship between
social history and the development of narrative during this
period.
372a. Modern Spanish Poetry (1)
Analysis of selections from the collections of the most
influential Spanish poets, from the midnineteenth century to
the present.
381b. Seminar on Literature (1)
An advanced, researchoriented seminar on a specific
writer or topic in Spanish and/or Latin American Literature.
Topic changes yearly. This course is normally taught by the
program director and is highly recommended for Spanish
majors.
386. Theater of the Golden Age (1)
A study of the plays from the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, the great era of Spanish drama. The course
focuses especially on works by Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de
Vega, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and Tirso de
Molina. Filed trips and attendance at performances help to
emphasize the historical and cultural context of Golden Age
drama.
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