Syllabus Spring 2003

Spanish 105A Approaches to Hispanic Literature (Latin America & Latino US)

Professor Sara E. Cooper
Trinity 150 / Phone 898-5161
scooper@csuchico.edu

Course Materials

Panoramas Literarios: América Hispana (Teresa Méndez-Faith) New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (Gabriel García Márquez) Plaza & Janes Editores, 1999.

Mid-sized Bilingual Dictionary (English/Spanish and Spanish/English) of your choice.

Access to Web CT

Prerequisite

Spanish 104A

Course Objectives

1. To introduce students to the study of Latin American literature and culture and develop their skills in reading comprehension, oral comprehension, and written and oral analysis of prose, poetry, drama, and film.

2. Study important literary and cinematic texts with a focus on key aspects (analysis of literary genre, form, structure, language, history, social movements, politics, gender roles, sexuality, etc.) necessary to the understanding of Latin American culture.

3. As we study these texts, discussion will encourage critical thinking, making of connections, clear argumentation, and personal connections to literature.

4. We will study the chronological trajectory of literary production in Latin America, divided into major time periods and/or literary movements.

5. Students also will learn how to write a synopsis, research a topic, create a thesis sentence, and complete a bibliography in MLA style.

Course Requirements

Excellent attendance and consistent participation (in Spanish). Participation includes asking questions, answering questions, and showing clear familiarity with the materials and topics discussed. Be ready to discuss the Websites and what information or perspective they add to the textbook. For each unexcused absence, your participation grade will be lowered. Lack of participation on any single day equals one absence and will be penalized as such. Two tardy arrivals equal one absence. Excessive absences (8 or more) of any kind will result in failure of the class.

All readings and assigned homework or research must be prepared in advance of the class discussion. This includes looking up all important unfamiliar vocabulary in your dictionary.

All film screenings and/or field trips outside of class are mandatory and required.

Oral presentations may include introductions of authors or texts, presentation of research, leading of discussion on selected topics. Style of presentation, use of appropriate visual/audio aids, organization, and style of expression will be evaluated as well as the content of the presentations.

Take Home Exams will be a mixture of short answer and essay (in Spanish). Exams will include identification of authors, movements, and works; however, the main portion of the Exams will expect you to be able to discuss the themes, style, and historical/literary context of specific works. Also, you must be able to draw parallels between the authors and works studied, as well as distinguish differences. You also will be required to complete formal analysis of stylistic elements of the texts.

Your final project will be to read a short Latin American novel (in Spanish) chosen in consultation with the professor and to complete the various steps of research and preparation for a research paper. You will write a short synopsis of the novel, craft a thesis sentence, thoroughly research the topic, and construct a complete bibliography in the official MLA format.

REPRINTING LINES, PARAGRAPHS, OR ENTIRE ESSAYS FROM A WEB SITE OR ANY PRINTED SOURCE (OR ANOTHER PERSON) WITHOUT PROPERLY CITING IT CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM AND WARRANTS A ZERO ON AN ASSIGNMENT. DELIBERATE PLAGIARISM WILL RESULT IN THE FAILURE OF THE COURSE AND OTHER UNIVERSITY-LEVEL DICSIPLINARY ACTION.

Evaluation

25 % Participation/Preparation/Homework

25 % Oral Presentations

25% Take Home Exams

25 % Final Project

Course Topics

Términos literarios, género

Panorama de la literatura de América Latina

De la pre-Conquista, Colonia, Independencia, Posmodernismo, Boom, Pos-Boom

Costumbrismo, Negrismo, Feminismo, Revolución

Literatura latina en los Estados Unidos

Authors Read

Popul Vuh	Hernán Cortés
Bartolomé de las Casas	Bernal Díaz del Castillo
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz	José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi
Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda	Ricardo Palma
José Martí	Rubén Darío
Alfonsina Storni	Horacio Quiroga
Pablo Neruda	Nellie Campobello
Rosario Ferré	Ana Castillo
Rosario Castellanos	Gabriela Roepke
Mirta Yáñez	Griselda Gambaro
Isabel Allende	Luisa Valenzuela
Nicolás Guillén	Jorge Luis Borges
Juan Rulfo	Gabriela Mistral
Mario Benedetti	Elena Poniatowska