Courses

SPAN-100, First-Level Spanish
Five class periods. This course is designed for those students who have had no previous world language experience. The course emphasizes listening comprehension and the use of basic conversational patterns of Spanish speech. Elementary grammatical and idiomatic structures are introduced, as well as appropriate reading material. All classwork is conducted in Spanish. (Text: Descubre I)

SPAN-110, First-Level Spanish
Five class periods. This course is designed for those students who have had previous experience in Spanish or in another world language. The course emphasizes listening comprehension and the use of basic conversational patterns of Spanish speech. Elementary grammatical and idiomatic structures are introduced, as well as appropriate reading material. All classwork is conducted in Spanish. (Text: Descubre I)

SPAN-110/5, First-Level Spanish
A two-term commitment. Five class periods. This course is a continuation of the first-level Spanish course for those students not enrolled in SPAN-120 (Accelerated First Level Spanish). (Text:Descubre I)

SPAN-120/5, Accelerated First-Level Spanish
Five class periods. Especially competent students will be recommended for this accelerated course at the conclusion of SPAN-100/1 or SPAN-110/1. Superior work in SPAN-120 enables recommended students to enter SPAN-220. Descubre 2 serves as the primary text and is supplemented with reading selections and proficiency-oriented exercises.

SPAN-200/0, Second-Level Spanish
A yearlong commitment. Five class periods. Using the Descubre 2 text, this course completes the introduction of grammar begun in the first year. Topics covered are imperfect, imperfect/preterite contrast, subjunctive, perfect tenses, future, and conditional. Extensive thematic vocabulary is integrated into each lesson. There are integrated video and audio programs by which the grammar and vocabulary are reinforced. Significant emphasis is placed on oral praactice. Writing and reading skills are further developed. Various Latin American countries are studied.

SPAN-220, Accelerated Spanish Sequence
Five class periods. SPAN-220 is open only to students who have obtained departmental permission, in most cases after completing SPAN-120. Being part of the accelerated sequence, this course has a pace that may be faster and a workload that may be heavier than usual. Only those students who can demonstrate an accelerated ability to make progress at a rapid pace will be recommended for SPAN-320 sequence during the winter and spring trimesters. Students not recommended for SPAN-320 will rejoin SPAN-200 in order to move at a regular pace more in tune with the student's abilities. SPAN-220 aims at promoting the students' ability to communicate in the target language. Intermediate level grammar is thoroughly reviewed and there is great emphasis on vocabulary building by means of a variety of readings ? short stories and newspaper articles. Students should be ready to engage in conversation on a daily basis, either through group exercises and activities or they are expected to speak up on their own. Passive acquisition without oral participation is not acceptable; the student is required to engage in all four skills on a daily basis: Listening, reading, speaking and writing.

SPAN-300/0, Third-Level Spanish
A yearlong commitment. Four class periods. During the fall term, students read short stories, testimonies, and poems of diverse Hispanic traditions that explore notions of family, individual and collective identities, and personal and social relationships. These texts also serve as structural and thematic models to various written exercises and other class activities. The primary objective of the winter term is to expose students to a challenging and sophisticated literary text, Cronica de una Muerte Anunciada (Chronicle of a Death Foretold), while enforcing their structural skills and communicative competence through a series of grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension exercises based on the novel. In the spring, students read Las Bicicletas Son Para el Verano (Bicycles Are for Summer) and a play about the Spanish Civil War by a contemporary Spanish playwright, and then perform selected scenes from this work.

SPAN-320/5, Accelerated Spanish Sequence
Five class periods. SPAN-320 is open to students who have obtained chair permission, usually after completing SPAN-220 in the fall. At the end of this course, students may usually enroll in courses at the 400-level, which requires considerable knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and the ability to discuss subjects of higher conceptual complexity. Consequently, the range of subjects and genres is expanded. In addition to short stories and articles, students read about current events in the winter and a play, Death and the Maiden, in the spring. Acting out some of the scenes in the play is one of the included oral exercises. Throughout the two terms, students continue to work on their vocabulary and grammar, but more sophisticated and linguistic nuances are added to the student's language repertoire, such as indirect discourse. However, the focus is still on communication and students are expected to be active participants at all times. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair.

SPAN-400/1, Current Events and Multimedia: Approaches to the Hispanic World
Four class periods. Fall term - Spain. Students will refine speaking, writing, and listening skills in Spanish as well as their ability to express current issues through a cultural context. This course will use literary texts, film, TV program series, and journalism in order to provide a basis to discuss and understand issues of modern Spain from the post-Franco era to the present. The course will begin a comprehensive review of basic to advanced grammar structures for students thinking about taking the various national Spanish exams. Class requirements include essays, tests, oral class presentations and recordings. Daily class participation is essential.

SPAN-400/2, Current Events and Multimedia: Approaches to the Hispanic World
Four class periods. Winter term - Mexico. Students will refine speaking, writing, and listening skills in Spanish as well as their ability to express current issues through a cultural context. This course will use literary texts, film, and art to provide a basis on which to discuss and understand the historical facts that shaped Mexico from the Mexican Revolution to present. The study of grammar will concentrate on the more challenging structures for English speakers, continuing the grammar review started in the previous SPAN-400/1. Daily class participation is essential.

SPAN-400/3, Current Events and Multimedia: Approachs to the Hispanic World
Four class periods. Spring term - Hispanic Caribbean. Students will refine speaking and writing through the analysis of poetry and short stories of select Caribbean authors. This course will use Caribbean poetry, short stories, film, music, and journalism to provide a basis on which to discuss and analyze current and historical issues of Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In addition, the course will complete the review of basic to advanced grammar structures started in the fall and winter trimesters. Class requirements will include essays and oral class presentations. Daily class participation is essential.

SPAN-401/1, Introduction to Hispanic Literature
Four class periods. Each trimester the class aims to develop language skills through reading, discussion, oral presentations, and regular writing assignments centered around major writers and texts of the contemporary Hispanic world. This course also emphasizes some of the finer Spanish grammar points and idiomatic expressions. Fall Term - Students will be exposed to short stories by contemporary Latin American and Spanish authors as varied as Carlos Fuentes, J.L. Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, among others. Allende, and others.

SPAN-401/2, Introduction to Hispanic Literature
Four class periods. Each trimester the class aims to develop language skills through reading, discussion, oral presentations, and regular writing assignments centered around major writers and texts of the contemporary Hispanic world. This course also emphasizes some of the finer Spanish grammar points and idiomatic expressions. Winter Term - In the winter, the focus is on Spanish and Spanish-American drama and contemporary Hispanic poetry.

SPAN-401/3, Introduction to Hispanic Literature
Four class periods. Each trimester the class aims to develop language skills through reading, discussion, oral presentations, and regular writing assignments centered around major writers and texts of the contemporary Hispanic world. This course also emphasizes some of the finer Spanish grammar points and idiomatic expressions. Spring Term - Students will read selected literary short novels from the Hispanic world.

SPAN-500, Advanced Spanish Language Colloquium
Four class periods. This advanced, intensive language course is designed for students of Spanish that have completed their language requirement and seek an immersion experience. Students will continue to sharpen their linguistic competencies in speaking, listening, writing and reading and will explore an assortment of authentic media in doing so. These sources will reflect the diversity of registers heard throughout the Spanish speaking world and will expose students to a wide range of cultural, social and historical phenomena. Students will have many opportunities to synthesize and analyze these topics through various communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational) in class discussions and written work, in oral/aural exercises in the LLC and in presentations delivered to their peers. Students will complete a research project and participate in a colloquium with the greater Spanish-speaking community. Students who take this course will be prepared to take the AP Spanish Language Exam in May. Materials will include a variety of media from the Spanish-speaking world, a monolingual grammar manual and AP Spanish Language Exam preparation resources. Students must take this course in order to be considered for SPAN-511 in the spring.

SPAN-510, Immersion in Lawrence, an Immigrant City
Four class periods. Lawrence, Massachusetts, has a long history of immigration, beginning during the Industrial Revolution with the Irish and Italians and continuing into the present with an influx of world cultures, predominantly from Caribbean and other Spanish-speaking American nations. For all intents and purposes, modern Lawrence is a Hispanic city, and our involvement there amounts to nothing less than an immersion in the language and culture of an entire hemisphere. This course exposes students to the culturally rich and vibrant "Immigrant City" and helps them understand, through firsthand accounts from members of the Lawrence community, the realities of living in a bicultural, bilingual world. Texts will include popular fiction, prose, journalism and other media in Spanish. At the end of the term, the class will elect a community partner with which to work in the spring, and each individual will design a research project to conduct throughout the following term.

SPAN-511, Community Engagement in Lawrence; We, the People
Four class periods. Students will continue to immerse themselves in the Immigrant City, moving from the theoretical in the winter to the practical in the spring. Having chosen a community partner to work with and research topics to develop, students have more significant input regarding the focus of the class. Students will participate in mini internships or collaborative projects with agencies in Lawrence, thus broadening their own perspectives of Hispanic life in the US while also leaving a "legacy" of cooperation and mutual respect to tie together the Lawrence and Andover communities. Prerequisite: Spanish 500 in the fall. Limited enrollment: Preference is given to students who take Spanish 510 in the winter, though students with considerable experience in Lawrence (i.e. on the level of community service project coordinators) may seek departmental approval. Readings and a daily journal are required in addition to the final research project. Prerequisite: SPAN-500/1

SPAN-520/1, Understanding Latin America
Four class periods. This course is an introduction to the reality of present-day Latin America through the study of its popular culture. The subject is approached from a diachronic perspective starting in the 20th century, which entails reviewing some of the major historical events, but the spotlight is on those aspects of everyday life that play a role in shaping the values of a community or contribute to create a sense of identity: language, religious beliefs, traditions, social movements, sports and cultural production ? music, cinema and television, literature and visual arts. From a linguistic point of view, students will continue to work on the four skills: reading (texts of various genres), writing (expository writing), speaking (oral presentations and daily conversation practice) and listening (in class and at home ? they need to watch a popular telenovela or soap opera). Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed Spanish 400, 401, or 500.

SPAN-520/2, Understanding Latin America
Four class periods. This course is an introduction to the reality of present-day Latin America through the study of its popular culture. The subject is approached from a diachronic perspective starting in the 20th century, which entails reviewing some of the major historical events, but the spotlight is on those aspects of everyday life that play a role in shaping the values of a community or contribute to create a sense of identity: language, religious beliefs, traditions, social movements, sports and cultural production (music, cinema and television, literature and visual arts). From a linguistic point of view, students will continue to work on the four skills: reading (texts of various genres), writing (expository writing), speaking (oral presentations and daily conversation practice) and listening (in class and at home - they need to watch a popular telenovela or soap opera). Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed Spanish 400, 401, or 500.

SPAN-520/3, Understanding Latin America
Four class periods. This course is an introduction to the reality of present-day Latin America through the study of its popular culture. The subject is approached from a diachronic perspective starting in the 20th century, which entails reviewing some of the major historical events, but the spotlight is on those aspects of everyday life that play a role in shaping the values of a community or contribute to create a sense of identity: language, religious beliefs, traditions, social movements, sports and cultural production (music, cinema and television, literature and visual arts). From a linguistic point of view, students will continue to work on the four skills: reading (texts of various genres), writing (expository writing), speaking (oral presentations and daily conversation practice) and listening (in class and at home - they need to watch a popular telenovela or soap opera). Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed Spanish 400, 401, or 500.

SPAN-521/3, Latin American Perspectives
(Not offered in 2013-2014) Five class periods. This course serves as a foundational tool in understanding the complex cultural processes of conflict, colonization, exchange, adaptation, exploitation, revolution, and globalization that have created and continue to shape the Latin American experience. By examining literary and cultural representations from colonial times to the present and exploring multiple, including non-traditional, perspectives on important themes and events of this region, students will gain insight into Latin America today. Examples of some of the perspectives analyzed in the fall include: conquest through the colonizers' accounts juxtaposed with indigenous Aztec painted manuscripts that depict the cultural encounter; slavery from the testimony of a runaway slave; the syncretism of both Yoruba and Catholic religions in Santería, among others. In the winter we will focus on cultural diversity in Latin America by analyzing how the interaction of different cultures has created the cultural blending expressed in Latin American art such as music, paintings, films and sculpture. Finally, in the spring we will concentrate on the contemporary issues affecting the region today. Some of these themes include: sustainability and economic development, women and politics, social and political revolutions, drug trade and drug trafficking, crossing borders, sports, adolescence and pop culture. Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed Spanish 400, 401, or 500.

SPAN-601/3, Introduction to Hispanic Literature
Four class periods. Each trimester the class aims to develop language skills through reading, discussion, oral presentations, and regular writing assignments centered around major writers and texts of the contemporary Hispanic world. This course also emphasizes some of the finer Spanish grammar points and idiomatic expressions. SPAN-601 is a more intense version of SPAN-401 for those students who have previously studied SPAN-520 or SPAN-521. Fall Term - Students will be exposed to short stories by contemporary Latin American and Spanish authors as varied as Carlos Fuentes, J.L. Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, among others. Allende, and others.

SPAN-620/1, Commerce, Culture and Trade: Modern Latin America
Four class periods. This course will study contemporary modern Latin America by employing a wide range of tools - including historical documents, news articles, literary texts, and general economic principles. Students will apply knowledge to Latin American real-world settings, from political systems to economic models, to gain an integrative understanding of this vitally important region. Students will also apply this knowledge of history and political legacy to an understanding of the investment-capital system of stocks, bonds, and commodities in a globalized market. Furthermore, they will study the illegal commerce issues faced by Latin America that challenge the very notion of nation-state. This course is only open to students who have completed a year of Spanish at the -500, -520, or -521 level, or by permission of the chair.

SPAN-620/2, Commerce, Culture and Trade: Modern Latin America
Four class periods. Winter term - this course seeks to augment the vocabulary and conceptual knowledge of the emerging Hispanic markets, while at the same time trying to cast a light on why capitalism, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, has not brought the benefits to Latin America that the Western economies presently enjoy. Readings will be based on leading Latin American and North American economists. Students will work on businesslike cases and must find ways of resolving regional and global market conflicts with respect to natural resources. Students will create a "business case" as to why investors should invest capital in their respective Hispanic company. This aspect of the course will require a high level of businesslike teamwork, in which each member is responsible for the final group grade. Each group will have to prepare various presentations, in which each member of said group is responsible for a particular task. This course is only open to students who have completed a year of Spanish at the -500, -520, or -521 level or by permission of the chair.

SPAN-620/3, Commerce, Culture and Trade: Modern Latin America
Four class periods. Spring term - This course is the third part in a sequence of SPAN-620 that seeks to explain how drug trafficking emerged in Latin America and how it evolved into the multinational illegal commerce that it is today. Students will analyze the origins of the coca trade, its transport and economic aspects, and the cultural underpinnings that made Latin America a region in which drug trafficking could flourish. This course hopes to provide an overview of the complexities of how the history of contemporary Latin America was framed by the drug trafficker and the money launderer, how the product was transported and sold on the black market, and why Latin American nations have such a difficult time preventing the flow of illegal substances, how this challenges the traditional notion of nation-state, and what is considered a rogue state. This course is only open to students who have completed a year of Spanish at the -500, -520, or -521 level, or by permission of the chair.