Department of Spanish and Portuguese

HISP-S 498 Readings for Honors:  
Variable Title: Cultural Icons of Spain                                                   3 credits
Prerequisite: HISP-S 328 or consent of department

What does it mean when a 21^st-Century political leader dresses up as the medieval epic hero El Cid? Or when a contemporary photographer creates an installation in which she depicts herself as the 16^th-Century Santa Teresa de Ávila? This course focuses on iconic historical figures and literary characters who continue to resonate in the 20^th- and 21^st-Century cultural imagination. Drawing on primary texts from the Middle Ages through the 17^th Century, we will investigate these cultural icons and what they mean in contemporary times. Examples include the El Cid, Don Quixote, La Celestina, Saint Theresa, the pícaro (or antiheroic rogue), and Don Juan.

Readings will consist of classic works of Spanish literature, such as El Cantar de Mio Cid, La Celestina, El burlador de Sevilla (the first play about Don Juan) and selections from Don Quixote.  Assignments will focus on recent Spanish cultural productions and popular media, with students exploring the representation and transfigurations of these iconic figures.

The goals of this course are twofold: to introduce students to essential Spanish texts from earlier periods and to increase students’ cultural literacy and understanding of contemporary Spain, a nation constructed and imagined in part on this medieval and early modern foundation. Class discussion and assignments will be in Spanish.

This course carries CASE AH and CASE GCC distribution credit.

HISP-S 498     #13576   3:00P-4:15P        MW         EP 256    Prof. Steve Wagschal

Note: This class meets with HISP-S 407 #13564
Note: For permission to take this class, e-mail howard21@iu.edu _________________________________________________________________________

HISP-S 498 Reading for Honors:
Variable Title: The Cultural Context                                              3 credits
Prerequisite: One of HISP-S 324, HISP-S 328, HISP-S 331, HISP-S 333, or HISP-S 334
or consent of the Department

Two concepts that have long characterized discussions about Spain’s past are the “Reconquista” (Reconquest) and “Convivencia” (Coexistence). These concepts have impacted the way scholars look back on the origins and emerging identity of Spain, its relationship to religious and ethnic “others” (especially Muslims and Jews), and the cultural contexts in which the modern nation began to emerge. In this course, we will survey primary and secondary texts that shed light on the way notions of Reconquest and Coexistence have been used, misused, revised, and politicized over time. First, we will consider late medieval thinking about the past, and in the second part of the semester go on to examine the legacy of these ideas in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. Discussions will be conducted in Spanish.

HISP-S 498     #13578       11:30A-12:45P       MW     LH 328          Prof. Edgar Illas

Note: This class meets with HISP-S 411 #13577
Note: For permission to take this class, e-mail howard21@iu.edu _________________________________________________________________________________

HISP-S 498 Readings for Honors:  
Variable Title: Spanish America:  The Cultural Context                               3 credits
Prerequisite:  One of HISP-S 324, HISP-S 328, HISP-S 331, HISP-S 333, or HISP-S 334 or Consent of the Department

“Representation and Violence in Spanish America”
In this course we will look at how Spanish American cultural production responds to experiences of violence during the 20^th and early 21^st centuries. Cultural texts include poems, film, photography and visual art, and prose (short stories and possibly a novel or two). Our main goal will be to explore how different cultural forms seek to record, remember, transmit, and understand experiences of political repression, economic domination, and terror. Course material will be taken from three different historical contexts: the Mexican revolution of 1910-1920; revolutionary violence and military dictatorship/state terrorism in the Southern Cone (Argentina and Chile) of the 1970’s and 80’s; and the narco wars and gang violence in Mexico and Central America of the early 21^st century. We will pay close attention to the specific compositional nature of various cultural forms, asking how film, painting, music, poetry, and prose fiction each respond in their own ways to experiences that appear to exceed what ordinary language is capable of conveying. Evaluation based on class participation, short writing assignments, presentations, and a final research project.

HISP-S 498     #12152     9:45A-11:00A         MW     GY 4069         Prof. Patrick Dove

Note: Class Meets with HISP-S 412 #12128
Note: For permission to take this class, e-mail howard21@iu.edu
___________________________________________________________________     

HISP-S 498 Readings for Honors: 
Variable Title: Spanish Phonetics                                      3 credits
Prerequisite: HISP-S 326 or Consent of the Department

This course studies on the sound system of Spanish.  Topics include the articulatory system, the characteristics and description of Spanish sounds, the patterns of Spanish sounds, the historical development of modern Spanish from Latin and the variation of the Spanish sound system.  Attention will also be given to differences between Spanish and English sounds.  A secondary goal of the course is a more native-like pronunciation as a result of a deeper understanding of how the Spanish sound system works.  Course evaluation is based on participation, homework assignments, a class project and presentation, and two exams. 

HISP-S 498    #11122    11:30A-12:45P       TR      GA 0013         Prof. Erik Willis

Note: Class meets with HISP-S 425 #6291
Note: For permission to take this class, e-mail howard21@iu.edu
___________________________________________________________________ 

HISP-S498 Readings for Honors:
Variable Title: The Acquisition of Spanish                                                        3 credits
Prerequisite: HISP-S 326 or Consent of the Department                    

This course presents an overview of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories, with an emphasis on Spanish learning. First, we will critically analyze some key theories and concepts within the field and how they impact current beliefs and teaching practices. We will also discuss empirical studies, learn about research design, and analyze oral and written productions of Spanish learners. Through theoretical discussion and hands-on research, we will learn about the components of second language that may be challenging for learners to acquire. These will include phonetic, morphological, syntactic, lexicosemantic, and pragmatic features, among others. The course will cover different learning situations, including classroom-based, immersive experience, and technology-mediated learning. Students will be evaluated based on their engagement in class discussions, assignments, written exams, and a final group project.

Course objectives

Through engagement in critical discussions and assignments, students in this course will:

• gain an understanding of theories of second language acquisition;
• analyze and summarize the main points of empirical and theoretical papers;
• learn to recognize the main difficulties for L1 English-L2 Spanish learners;
• study and analyze oral and written production of Spanish learners;
• reflect on their own learning experience;
• design and conduct a research project on Spanish second language acquisition.

This class carries CASE Natural and Mathematical Sciences credit.

HISP-S 430   #8871     1:15P-2:30P     TR     GY 2053     Prof. M. Gabriela Puscama

Note: Class meets with HISP-S 430 # 35573
Note: For permission to take this class, e-mail howard21@iu.edu

__________________________________________________________________

HISP-S498 Readings for Honors:
Variable Title: Bilingualism and Spanish in U.S.                                    3 credits
Prerequisite: HISP-S 326 or Consent of the Department                    

The main objective of this course is to present a view of Spanish in the United States from a theoretical perspective that incorporates sociolinguistics and critical language awareness. First, we will debunk common misconceptions about plurilingualism and linguistic variation, linguistic attitudes, and linguistic ideologies. Next, we will study the history of Spanish in the US, with a focus on the socio-historical and socio-political factors that influence linguistic maintenance and linguistic shift in Spanish-speaking regions such as the Southwest and the Midwest. The second half of the course will concentrate on the use and representation of Spanish in the US and some of its linguistic characteristics.  The final project for this course is the building of a linguistic landscapes project in which students will utilize Google Maps to assess how Spanish is used in various regions of the nation. 

HISP-S 498     #30916      1:15P-2:30P       MW     WH 106       Prof. Leslie Del Carpio

Note: Class meets with HISP-S 431 #30677
Note: For permission to take this class, e-mail howard21@iu.edu