Course Schedule

PORT 563 – Topics in Luso-Brazilian Literature

Representative topics include: major works, authors and tendencies in the literature of the Portuguese speaking countries (Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guin-Bissau, Porto Principe). Graduate-level requirements include additional research and reports.

SPAN 510 – Development of Spanish Medieval, Renaissance, and Golden Age Literature

Spanish medieval, renaissance, and golden age literature (short fiction, poetry, novel and drama) from the twelfth through the seventeenth century.

SPAN 531 – Topics in Spanish-American Literature: Pre-Columbian Period to Independence

Representative topics include pre-Columbian Aztec, Mayan, and Maya-Quiche literature; the chronicle; Renaissance and baroque poetry.

SPAN 571 – Topics in Literary Theory and Criticism

Topics include historical overview of major developments in literary theory and criticism with theoretical and critical analysis of Hispanic texts.

SPAN 574B – Heritage Language Research

This course provides graduate students with an opportunity to explore main issues and theories in the field of heritage languages from different perspectives and prepare them to conduct research in this field. Some of the topics included in the course include: heritage language populations and communities, language policies and ideologies, heritage language competence and development, and heritage language pedagogues. Emphasis will be placed on Spanish as a heritage language in the United States but other heritage languages will also be covered.

SPAN 581A – Foreign Language Teaching Theory and Methodology

The goal of this course is to systematically examine methods, approaches, techniques and activities for the teaching of foreign languages and its use in the classroom. It will include an overview of learner strategies and cooperative learning, the use and adaptation of textbooks, and some of the journals available in the field. Participants will be introduced to second language acquisition theories, course design, lesson planning and testing, and have experience creating a cohesive instructional unit.

SPAN 583A – Spanish Phonetics

This course serves as an introduction to the instrumental and experimental study of the sounds of Spanish, and it focuses on articulatory, acoustic, and perceptual phonetics. At the end of this course, students will be able to read and understand the primary literature on Spanish experimental phonetics as well as to conduct basic, descriptive research in this field.

SPAN 594 – Practicum

The practical application, on an individual basis, of previously studied theory and the collection of data for future theoretical interpretation. This might include participation in collaborative research projects and development of practical skills to design and teach upper-level undergraduate courses in an area of specialization.

SPAN 661 – Medical Spanish I

Medical Spanish I provides beginner students with an accelerated review of basic Spanish communication skills and the opportunity to interact in culturally and intellectually stimulating ways in biomedical educational settings. This preparation is necessary for the clinical clerkship experience, which includes many rotations in Spanish-speaking communities.

SPAN 662 – Medical Spanish Workshop I

Medical Spanish Workshop I provides students with instruction to apply Basic Spanish communication skills to interact interpersonally with Spanish speakers in social settings. This preparation is necessary for the clinical clerkship experience, which includes many rotations in Spanish-speaking communities.

SPAN 696D – Hispanic Linguistics

This course is designed to explore theoretical and applied issues involving language and linguistics. Throughout the course we will examine an array of perspectives. In the light of the readings students will develop original research projects.

PORT 503 – Contemporary Luso-Brazilian and Lusophone African Literatures: an Introduction

Through an interdisciplinary approach, the students will be in contact with the contemporary literature produced in Brazil, Portugal and Lusophone Africa. Graduate-level requirements include a final paper.

SPAN 510 – Development of Spanish Medieval, Renaissance, and Golden Age Literature

Spanish medieval, renaissance, and golden age literature (short fiction, poetry, novel and drama) from the twelfth through the seventeenth century.

SPAN 561 – Topics in Hispanic Literature

Representative topics include Hispanic women writers; U. S. Hispanic literature; trends in modern and contemporary Spanish film; trends in modern and contemporary Hispanic American film.

SPAN 580A – Spanish Phonology I

This course is an overview of the phonological system of Spanish and some of the analyses proposed by generative phonology. It covers alternative accounts of the same phenomenon with the goal of introducing the student to phonological analysis and to advances made by various theories in trying to account for the facts in various dialects of Spanish. Given the need for a strong foundation and mastery of concepts and tools of phonological theory, a significant part of the course will be devoted to introducing students to them. The second part of the course focuses on the application of those tools and concepts to the phonological system of Spanish on the basis of extant analyses. A sound knowledge of the descriptive facts about the phonology of Spanish is assumed.

SPAN 581C – Online Course Design for Advanced Language Courses

Online Course Design for Advanced Language Courses is a course that provides language instructors with a foundation in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) theory and best practices for online language course design. Through this course, students will become familiar with publications on digital pedagogy theory, be introduced to Quality Matters (QM) online design standards, and create online shells for advanced language courses, including the fields of linguistics and literature. The course will provide students with the opportunity to experience the digital classroom and, based on that experience, evaluate crucial content/design components of online FL courses. The capstone project requires each student to create and present their own online Spanish language course that complies with the QM rubric.

SPAN 584A – Spanish Sociolinguistics I : Language Contact

This course presents an overview of sociolinguistic issues pertaining to the contact between languages in general and the contact between Spanish with other languages in particular. We will discuss basic concepts that emerge in this field of inquiry, such as diglossia, language maintenance, attrition, shift, convergence, code-switching, and borrowing, and apply these concepts to our discussion of contexts that involve Spanish. We will read about speech communities where Spanish is the majority language (in the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America) and the minority language (in the United States). We will compare these situations and discuss how linguistic and extra-linguistic factors influence the output of contact, from both qualitative and quantitative viewpoints.

SPAN 587 – Assessment in Second/Foreign Language Learning

The primary objective of this course is the development of language teachers' assessment literacy, which includes knowledge of key assessment principles and skill in creating or adopting assessment tools and procedures for the language classroom. Participants in this course will develop their knowledge and skills related to assessing all skill areas in the language classroom, including productive skills (writing, speaking), receptive skills (reading, listening), and assessing grammar and vocabulary. Grading and student evaluation will also be important topics of consideration and exploration in this course. Designed specifically for in-service (and pre-service) language teachers, the course combines theory with practice by covering essential principles of effective classroom assessment and the development of effective assessment tools for classroom use. Participants completing this course will become more assessment literate and better able to evaluate student performance in their classrooms fairly and effectively.

SPAN 594 – Practicum

The practical application, on an individual basis, of previously studied theory and the collection of data for future theoretical interpretation. This might include participation in collaborative research projects and development of practical skills to design and teach upper-level undergraduate courses in an area of specialization.

SPAN 663 – Medical Spanish II

Medical Spanish II provides intermediate students with instruction to apply transitioning Spanish communication skills to group projects that incorporate culturally appropriate markers into academic tasks relevant to the biomedical field. This preparation is necessary for the clinical clerkship experience, which includes many rotations in Spanish-speaking communities.

SPAN 664 – Medical Spanish Workshop II

Medical Spanish Workshop II strengthens clinical communication skills in Spanish through conversational practice, cultural immersion, and interactive tasks. Students engage in spontaneous and rehearsed dialogue, refine their ability to respond empathetically to patients' concerns, and build fluency for upcoming clerkships in Spanish-speaking settings. This 1-credit lab emphasizes interpersonal speaking, cultural, and oral fluency.

SPAN 696B – Spanish American Literature

This course is designed to explore theoretical/critical readings in order to discuss key issues involving Spanish American literatures and cultures contemplated. Throughout the course we will examine an array of perspectives as modes of understanding the creative texts. In the light of the readings students will develop original research projects.

SPAN 696D – Hispanic Linguistics

This course is designed to explore theoretical and applied issues involving language and linguistics. Throughout the course we will examine an array of perspectives. In the light of the readings students will develop original research projects.