Spanish (SPAN)

Head of Department:  Associate Professor Norma Bouchard
Department Office:  Room 228, J.H. Arjona Building

Consult the Modern and Classical Languages Departmental listing in this Catalog for requirements for Majors in Spanish.

Consult the departmental handbook for courses offered in the appropriate semesters and further descriptions of these courses.

181-182. Elementary Spanish I and II

Both semesters. Four credits each semester. Four class periods and additional laboratory practice. Not open for credit to students who have had three or more years of Spanish in high school. Students who wish to continue in Spanish but feel ill prepared should contact the head of the Modern and Classical Languages Department. 

Development of ability to communicate in Spanish, orally and in writing, to satisfy basic survival needs within a cultural setting.

183-184. Intermediate Spanish I and II

Both semesters. Four credits each semester. Four class periods and additional laboratory practice. Prerequisite: SPAN 182 or two years of Spanish in high school.

Further development of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing skills within a cultural setting. Readings to enhance cultural awareness of the Spanish-speaking world.

186. Spanish for Reading Knowledge

Either semester. Three credits.Open only to seniors and graduate students. Not open for credit to undergraduates who have had SPAN 181-182. May not be used to meet the undergraduate foreign language requirement or as a prerequisite for other Spanish courses.

Basic Spanish grammar and intensive practice in reading expository prose in a variety of subjects, for use as a research tool and in preparation for the Ph.D. reading examination.

187. Major Works of Hispanic Literature in Translation

Either semester. Three credits. Knowledge of Spanish is not required.

A study of major works selected from the best of Spanish and Spanish-American literature. CA 1. CA 4-INT.

188. Christians, Muslims and Jews in Medieval Spain

Either semester. Three credits. Taught in English.

Contacts, conflicts and coexistence among the diverse cultures and traditions of medieval Spain: Christian Hispania, Muslim al-Andalus, and Jewish Sefarad. CA 1. CA 4-INT.

193. Foreign Study

Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. May be repeated for credit. Consent of Department Head required, normally before the student's departure.

Special topics taken in a foreign study program.

200. Spanish Civilization to the Modern Period

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or instructor consent.

An interdisciplinary course analyzing the politics, social structures, and cultural life of Spain from its beginnings to the start of the nineteenth century.

201. Ibero-American Civilization and Culture

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

History of the major social, intellectual, and artistic trends of Spanish-speaking America.

202. Studies in Spanish-American Literature

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 201.

Readings and discussions of specific aspects of Spanish-American literature. May be repeated for credit once with a change of topic. Consult department for particulars each year.

204. Language and Culture of U.S. Hispanics

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: SPAN 184. 

Comparison of linguistic, historical and cultural backgrounds of various Hispanic groups in the U.S. through fiction, non-fiction, films, music, and guest speakers.

205. Contemporary Spanish America

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

An interdisciplinary course concerned with present-day cultural, social, and political structures of Spanish America. Revolutionary and counter-revolutionary ideas in contemporary society and the struggle for social, political and economic stability.

206. Contemporary Spain

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

An interdisciplinary course analyzing the politics, social structures and cultural life in Spain today. Spain in relation to Western Europe and the community of nations.

207. Women's Studies in Spanish

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

Women in Spanish and Ibero-American literature. Women's writings. The development of Spanish and Ibero-American feminism. Contemporary issues concerning women in the Spanish-speaking world.

208. Issues in Hispanic Thought

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor. With a change in topic, may be repeated for credit.

Selection for study of a major world issue debated in the Iberian Peninsula or in Ibero-America by great thinkers. A history of the issue, taking into account international cultural contexts.

209. Latin American Film 

Either semester. Three credits. One 3-hour class period. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

Offers insights into Latin American cinema and video production. Provides tools for analyzing film and its expression of socio-political and aesthetic debates in the continent.

210. Spanish for Social Workers

Either semester. Two credits. Two class periods. Open only to graduate students in the School of Social Work. Offered at the Hartford Campus.

Development of conversational skills within the cultural perspective of Hispanics in the U.S. Emphasis on intake interviewing techniques using vocabulary and structures relevant to human services contexts.

214. Topics in Hispanic Cultures

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: five semesters of college Spanish. May be repeated for credit with a change in topic.

Selected topics. Cross-disciplinary approach to the study of Peninsular and Hispanic American cultures: the colonial heritage in Latin America; intellectual traditions and national identities; cultural production under military regimes; and experience of exiles; among possible topics.

219. Spanish Film

Either semester. Three credits. One 3-hour class period. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or instructor consent.

Class explores the way film has expressed debates over Spanish identity and history, including the role of film under Franco, in the new democratic Spain, and as part of a postmodern Europe.

220. Introduction to Literary Study

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

Introduction to literary analysis through a variety of critical approaches: readings in poetry, drama, and prose fiction with explanation of terms useful to the study of literature.

223. Old Spanish Language and Literature

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: SPAN 281.

Linguistic and literary analysis of Medieval and Renaissance Spanish texts.

224. Studies in Spanish Golden Age Literature

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 200. May be repeated for credit once with a change in topic. Consult department for particulars each year.

Readings and discussions of specific aspects of Golden Age literature.

225. Studies in Spanish Literature of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 200. May be repeated for credit once with a change in topic. Consult department for particulars each year.

Readings and discussions of specific aspects of the literature of the period.

226. Studies in Spanish Literature of the Twentieth Century

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 200. May be repeated for credit once with a change in topic. Consult department for particulars each year.

Readings and discussions of specific aspects of the literature of the period.

250. Film in Spain and Latin America

Either semester. Three credits. 

Film language and genre in Spanish and Latin American cinema. Taught in English. CA 1. CA 4-INT.

254. Special Topics in Latin American National Cinemas

Either semester. Three credits. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Loss, Scwiwy

Selected Latin American national cinema. Focus on identity, aesthetics, and history.

270. Business Spanish

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: SPAN 184 or consent of instructor.

Introduction to commercial terminology in Spanish. Designed to meet the needs of students desiring to use Spanish as a tool for industry or commerce.

278. Intermediate Spanish Composition

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: SPAN 184 or three or more years of Spanish in high school.

This course provides a thorough review of grammar and methodical practice in composition leading to command of practical idioms and vocabulary.

278W. Intermediate Spanish Composition

 Prerequisite: SPAN 184 or three or more years of Spanish in high school. Prerequisite: ENGL 110 or 111 or 250. 

279. Spanish Conversation: Cultural Topics

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

In-depth development of speaking skills through cultural readings, group discussions and oral presentations on selected topics concerning the Spanish-speaking world.

280. Composition and Reading for Speakers of Spanish

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Grammar, written composition, and readings for speakers of Spanish with little or no formal training. Emphasis is on Puerto Rican literature.

281. Great Works of Spanish Literature from its Origins to the Golden Age

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

The study of selected poems, plays, fables and novels reflecting the development of Spanish society from feudalism to world empire.

282. Literature of Crisis in Modern Spain

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

The study of selected poems, plays, short fiction, and novels reflecting the clash between tradition and progress in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Spain. CA 1.

288. Spanish Communicative Grammar

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite SPAN 278.

Grammar in context. Linguistic awareness. Culture in relation to grammar. Focus on language knowledge and language use.

289. Variable Topics

Either semester. Three credits. With a change in topic, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

290. Spanish Phonetics

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278.

A study of the sounds of the language and drills to improve pronunciation. Recommended for all majors and for those who expect to teach Spanish.

291W. Advanced Spanish Composition

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 110 or 111 or 250. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or 278W.

Treatment of the finer points of Spanish grammar. Exercises in translation and free composition. Stylistic analysis of texts chosen from Spanish  or Latin American authors, newspapers and magazines.

292W. Senior Seminar for Spanish Majors: Selected Topics in Hispanic Literature

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 110 or 111 or 250. With a change of content, may be repeated for credit. 

Topics focused on a particular area of Spanish or Latin American literature, culture or linguistics.

293. Foreign Study

Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. May be repeated for credit. Consent of Department Head required, normally to be granted prior to the student's departure. May count toward the major with consent of the advisor.

Special topics taken in a foreign study program.

294. Literature of Puerto Rico and the Spanish Caribbean

(Also offered as PRLS 294.) Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

Readings and discussions of major authors and works of the Spanish Caribbean with special emphasis on Puerto Rico.

295. Spanish-American Literature: The Formative Years

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

The emergence of the New World in the chronicles of the conquest and colonization of Spanish America. Selected texts from "Barroco de Indias" (Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz), and from the period of political independence. The coming of age of Spanish-American literature with the pioneer texts of José Martí and the first "Modernismo."

296. Great Works of Modern Spanish-American Literature

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 278 or consent of instructor.

Study of the most significant texts of "Modernismo" with focus on Rubén Darío. The "avant-garde" in Spanish America. The narrative of the "boom" and its impact on present-day literature.

297. Spanish-American Fiction

Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: SPAN 201.

Lectures, readings and reports on the development of the Spanish-American novel and short story.

298. Special Topics

Either semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

299. Independent Study

Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. Open only with consent of instructor. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit.

Study Abroad in Spain

The University of Connecticut sponsors an academic program at the University of Granada, Spain, which is open to those who have successfully completed a fifth semester Spanish course or the equivalent. Courses include Spanish language and linguistics, literature, culture, history, economics, political science and art history.

Study Abroad in Latin America

Students who have taken at least two years of college-level Spanish are eligible for University of Connecticut sponsored programs in Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Courses are offered in liberal arts and social sciences.