SYLLABUS (Tentative)
SPAN 450
SPANISH AMERICAN LITERATURE:
CIVILIZATION VERSUS BARBARISM AND THE TRANSFORMATION
OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Spring 2010
Professor Clary Loisel
Office Telephone: 243-2150
Announcement:
E-mail: clary.loisel@umontana.edu
MWF 2:10-3:00
Location: TBA
Office: LA 428
Office Hours: TBA
All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at http://www.umt.edu/SA/VPSA/index.cfm/page/1321
Announcement:
If you are a student with a disability and wish to discuss reasonable accommodations for this course, please contact me immediately via an office visit to discuss the specific course accommodations you wish to request. Please be advised that I request you to provide a letter from Disability Services for Students verifying your right to reasonable modifications. If you have not yet contacted Disability Services located in Lommasson Center 154, please do so in order to verify your disability and to coordinate your reasonable modifications. For more information, visit the Disability Services website at www.umt.edu/dss/ .
Required Texts--(Available at the UM Bookstore):
La voragine by José Eustasio Rivera
Doña Bárbara
by Rómulo Gallegos
Los pasos perdidos by Alejo Carpentier
La casa verde by Mario Vargas Llosa
Course description:
Climate scientists agree that addressing the problem of global warming will require major changes in the choices we make: how we travel, how we stay warm (or cool), what we eat, what

we purchase, how we light up the night. But perhaps most significant in combating climate change is culture change: how we imagine the human relationship to the natural world, how we imagine the future, and how we understand the history that brought us to the current crisis. In this course, we will be reading four environmentally sensitive works of literature and criticism within the context of debates over civilization versus barbarism and the transformation of the environment.
Within the larger theme of civilization and barbarism, we will devote the first part of the course to an analysis of the two most important Spanish American “novels of the land.” The very phrase “novel of the land” suggests the observation that the land itself is the chief actor in a good many Spanish American novels. Where South American writers have chosen to write books on the uncivilized parts of the continent, like some of the still unexplored forests of the Amazon basin, the results have been remarkable. The novel of the jungle ( selva in Spanish) has been cultivated in many countries from Bolivia to Brazil. The greatest book of this jungle fiction and the one which will best serve as a prototype for the rest, is the extraordinary novel The Vortex/La vorágine (1924) by José Eustasio Rivera, a gifted Colombian poet and novelist. Rivera provides a magnificent background for fiction—and it is this setting itself that governs the novel. He shows how the jungle dominates the human beings who drag themselves through its depth, how it attacks their mind and bodies, incubating fevers and insanity; how with its thousand tentacles it seizes men and transforms them into wild beasts. Rivera paints the tragedy of rubber exploitation in the midst of this tropical selva and the plight of the indigenous people enslaved by
European adventurers and hurled by the thousands into this green hell to toil and to die.
Equally powerful in its natural setting and in the violence of the human passion it engenders is the novel of the prairies, which finds its highest expression
Doña Bárbara
(1929) by the
Venezuelan Rómulo Gallegos. It is in his descriptions of the Venezuelan llanos , the vast tropical prairies stretching far into the interior, that Gallegos shows his mastery. Unlike the selva , these prairies preserve all the charms and serene beauty of nature; it is only people who destroy one another in the clash between civilization and barbarism that takes place in this setting. Gallegos shows the reader the Venezuelan llano in a many-dimensioned picture: he describes the landscape proper in memorable passages filled with vast horizons and splendid tropical dawns; he paints the life of the llanero (the person who lives and works on the prairie), the rodeo, the march across the quagmires, the alligator hunt, and to all this he adds a flavor of mystery injecting into his narratives all sorts of popular legends of ghosts and demons and souls in torment. We will also watch the film version of this novel.
During the second part of the course, we will examine how and why the portrayal of the Latin
American environment changes by studying two more canonical novels published much later in the twentieth-century. Recapturing lost origins—of humanity itself, as well as of art, language, and history—is a central theme in The Lost Steps/Los pasos perdidos (1953) by the Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier. As both the title and the conclusion of the novel suggest, such a recuperation is impossible. The narrative is divided among three readily distinguishable

locales—a modern city, a civilized zone in Latin America, and the marvelous and mysterious jungle—in the manner of many works that trace a symbolic journey. The Lost Steps/Los pasos perdidos presents a Spenglerian view of modern civilization as decadent and moribund, especially when contrasted with the exuberant fertility of the New World jungle. Alejo
Carpentier examines the relationship among people, nature, and history. The protagonist realizes that nature, like history, is a text to be read. The language of The Lost Steps/Los pasos perdidos , rich in metaphor and cultural allusions, is as dense and prolific as the jungle it describes, making the novel a primary example of the Latin American neo-Baroque.
Once again, one of the principal themes of The Green House/La casa verde (1966) by the
Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa is civilization versus barbarity. The dominant Europeanoriented society attempts to control the indigenous people and their land. Vargas Llosa attempts to write a “totalizing novel,” one that presents as many levels of reality as possible. Thus the chronicle tries to document as much social injustice as possible, be it the exploitation of the indigenous people or the deceptive mask of civilized behavior of the citizens of the town of
Piura, whose uncivilized violence seethes below the surface until it explodes and swallows up the protagonist’s brothel. The memories recounted and the voyages through river and jungle, then, help to constitute a final irony: that of calling one society “civilization” and the other
“barbarity.” Although
The Green House/La casa verde unquestionably marks a step forward in
Latin American letters, it also maintains thematic links to its predecessors: José Eustasio River’s
The Vortex/La vorágine and Rómulo Gallegos’ Doña Bárbara . Both novels present the theme of the civilized world against the jungle, but they are at times clearly regional works. Vargas
Llosa’s infusion of mythic substructures, conflation of time, and creation of new narrative techniques combine to produce a literature that transcends national boundaries. The Green
House/La casa verde reaches back to the French novelist Gustave Flaubert (an expert with interior monologues) while providing the impetus for even greater narrative development.
I will have periodic “out of the box” days in which we brainstorm, walk in the woods, free-write, or talk with visitors. I hope that these days will interrupt our usual ways of relating to each other as classmates, as students, and professor and will allow us to respond to one another as citizens of the campus and of the planet.
Outcomes: After this course, students can expect to have acquired an improved ability:
1) To be a more careful readers of literature and of the natural world.
2) To write better in Spanish.
3) To incorporate research into literary and cultural analysis.
4) To be creative and intellectually challenged about thinking in terms of the human place in the natural world.
5) To promote understanding of human possibilities, offer faith and hope through words, and help us build happiness.

Assessment: The course is structured so that the student regularly receives feedback so that (s)he can achieve the stated outcomes. Progress toward the stated outcomes is assessed using the following criteria:
Attendance:
Preparation/Participation
Reading Quizzes:
Group Project:
5%
10%
10%
10%
Two Exams (each is worth 15%):
Term Paper (7-8 pages [15-20 pages for graduate students] not counting notes and “Works Cited” page):
30%
20%
Final Creative Project: 15%
Attendance: Consistent attendance is essential to acquire the skills needed to analyze literature.
The material in this course is cumulative and requires constant practice. If you miss an important step along the way, your understanding of future concepts may be significantly impaired. Students are responsible for class work and assignments they miss. Please get the phone number from at least two of your classmates during the first week of classes. Please do not call me and ask me what you missed. I will lower your cumulative final grade by two points for every absence after the third unless you bring me a verifiable, documented excuse.
Participation and Preparation : A satisfactory participation and preparation grade assumes that you come to class each day prepared to actively engage in all class activities. You will have the responsibility of reading the material on your own before we discuss them in class so that class time can be used to answer questions and to develop critical approaches.
Reading Quizzes: These are to insure that you keep up with the reading. They are generally short and objective in nature.
Group Project : You and a maximum of three other students will analyze a literary selection using “Guía para la presentación oral” as your main guide. The literary selections from which you may choose will be on traditional and electronic reserve. You MUST check with me before you begin. You are required to turn in a prospectus for your group project. This will include the name of the members of your group, the name of the literary selection to be analyzed, how you will carry out the analysis, and a bibliography. Each member of the group will speak for at least five minutes but not more than seven minutes. You may use an outline, but you may not read.
Reading will lower your grade significantly. You are encouraged to take notes during your colleagues’ presentations because you will be responsible for the content, grammar, and vocabulary of what is said. The presentations will begin on (TBA). We will determine the order of the presentations at least two weeks in advance. If there are no volunteers for certain dates, I will have to assign students to a particular date.

The most important component of your oral presentation is a strong, solid thesis statement. You should be able to fill in the blank of the following statement with a well-crafted, cogent commentary: “The point of my presentation is to argue that ___________.” Please understand that you are trying to convince the audience of your point of view. This means that you will need evidence to support your argument. In other words, your presentation is much more than just your personal opinion. You need to analyze and synthesize. Be sure that you have at least three sources (an article, a book, a review, an essay, etc.) on which you can rely. You must turn in a written bibliography the day that you present. You will also need an insightful conclusion.
Please do not abruptly end saying that you have run out of time. Plan your talk so that you can offer a well thought out summary that highlights the major points of your presentation. It will be helpful to think of your presentation as the oral version of the kind of paper you normally write in a literature class. You are required to use some sort of visual aid(s) in your presentation. This could include posters, photos, artwork, or other props during your presentation. I will also ask you to write unfamiliar vocabulary on the board so that your classmates can better understand your presentation. Your talk must last a full ten minutes; you will be penalized if you go beyond eleven minutes. On the day of your presentation, you MUST turn in a detailed outline to me and to each of your classmates before you begin. Should you forget part of your talk, I will be able to help you. You may also write difficult vocabulary words on the board. You are required to use handouts, photos, posters, and/or props, etc. You may not read anything nor may you use notes. Everything you say will be well rehearsed. Again, you will be graded on 1)
Pronunciation and fluency (10%), 2) Grammar (10%), 3) Vocabulary (10%), 4) Organization
(intro, body, conclusion) (10%), 5) Interest developed/audience response (10%), 6) Audiovisual materials/handouts, etc. (10%), 7) Bibliography (10%), and 8) Content (30%). If you are absent the day of your presentation, you MUST provide a documented, verifiable excuse to be allowed to do a makeup presentation. No exceptions . Please try to enjoy yourself with this assignment.
At the end of this paragraph is a list of the possible readings you may use. They are all on traditional and electronic reserve. I suggest you find compatible group members early in the semester. Feel free to begin reading any of the following literary selections as soon as you have a group. When you have decided on which reading you and your group would like to analyze, please work on a prospectus. I will use a first come, first serve policy. Hence only one group may analyze any one reading.
Possible readings:
Los de abajo by Mariano Azuela (Mexico)
Don Segundo Sombra by Ricardo Güiraldes (Argentina)
Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerte by Horacio Quiroga (Uruguay)
El mundo es ancho y ajeno by Ciro Alegría (Peru)
Huasipungo by Jorge Icaza (Ecuador)
El reino de este mundo de Alejo Carpentier (Cuba)

Exams: These will be two essay tests during the semester. Each will be cumulative in nature.
We will discuss possibilities regarding “in class” and “open book” formats.
Term Paper:
Read Chapter 11 “Trabajo de investigación” ( Composición: proceso y síntesis
) on reserve before beginning your term paper.
No later than (TBA), you must turn in your term paper. If you do not turn in your paper on time, your grade for the term paper will be zero. I will only accept a late paper if you can provide a verifiable, documented excuse. I will NOT accept any type of technical problem as an excuse. If you are sick on (TBA), be sure to get a note from your doctor; otherwise, I cannot accept your paper.
You will turn in a seven to eight page paper written in your best Spanish, complete with a
“Works Cited” (in Spanish “Obras citadas”) page of at least six academic sources (and notes if appropriate) in which you will apply what you have learned throughout the semester to at least one novel that we will discuss in class (you may NOT count the actual work as a source). You must find your sources on your own. You may not count the work itself as a source. Make sure all of your sources are appropriate academic sources. You may only use one Internet address as a source. (You may not use any part of a paper that you have written (or are writing) for another class for this class. If I find out that you have submitted a paper for another class or parts of a paper from another class for this class (or vice versa), you will receive a zero on your term paper for this class. Moreover, if you change topics regarding you research paper without first getting my permission, I will deduct 15 points from your grade on the term paper. I am interested in seeing how well you have synthesized the material presented in class during the semester as well as your ability to work independently. I, of course, will try to help you the best I can, but please do not expect me to pick a topic for you, tell you how to organize your paper, tell you what to say, or how to conclude. Furthermore, I will not answer specific questions concerning grammar or vocabulary. I will ask you to please write the following statement on your term paper and sign it before you turn it in: “On my word of honor I have neither given nor received help on this paper. This work is entirely my own.” I will not grade your term paper until you write and sign this pledge. By deciding to take this course, you agree to be responsible for all the rules and regulations of the “Student Conduct Code” (and will adhere to them). Please familiarize yourself with “Plagiarism” as explained in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , available in the Reference Section of the library. If you commit plagiarism, you will receive an F in this course, and I will take you to Honor Court. Plagiarism is an extremely serious offense. If you commit plagiarism, it is possible that you will be expelled from the University.
To write your term paper, you will need to analyze (at least) one novel by the novelist of your choice. Please be sure to tell me whom you have chosen before you start your research project since I must first approve your selection. Our library may not have what you are looking for, and it will be necessary to order it through interlibrary loan. I suggest that you start early so that you can avoid problems and delays late in the semester. I will not accept the excuse that your

materials did not arrive in time. Furthermore, you should familiarize yourself with the handouts
“Guide to Literary Criticism” and “Current Periodical Subscriptions in Foreign Languages,” both of which are available free at the library. Your term paper will adhere to the MLA documentation style (Consult MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers ; see Sample pages of a research paper in MLA style towards the end of the MLA Handbook. There is also information concerning MLA Style at the end of Chapter 11 in
Composición: proceso y síntesis)
.
If you do not adhere to MLA style, the highest grade that you can make on your term paper will be an 85.
Graduate students will write a term paper of between 15 and 20 pages with at least eight sources
(you may NOT count the actual work as a source). Your term paper also must theoretical in nature; you must utilize contemporary literary criticism appropriate for a graduate level term paper.
I have arranged a presentation by Professor Sue Sampson, Humanities Librarian, to help you research your topic. This will take place on (TBA) at the library during this class time.
Professor Sampson will show you how to use the Modern Language Association Bibliographical
Guide , Academic Index , and World Cat . These are all excellent sources to find critical commentaries for your term paper.
For those students who have grammatical questions, I have placed the following grammar texts on reserve at the library in the event you would like to consult them: Spanish for Oral and
Written Review ; A Concept Approach to Spanish ;
El español en síntesis
.
Creative Final Project: During the time normally scheduled for the final exam, we will meet so that you may orally present your creative, interdisciplinary term project. The content of your project must take into account the major themes of this course—civilization versus barbarism and the transformation of the environment. You may work individually or with one other person, and you must use an interdisciplinary approach to your presentation. This may entail forays into the world of art, music, sociology, economics, environmental studies, literary theory, history, political science, theater, women’s and gender issues, etc. I encourage you and your group members to be as creative as possible. Suggestions include a prequel, a sequel, a poem, a drawing, an essay, original photographs, a musical composition, etc. Please use one of your specific interests or talents and integrate it with what you have learned about he literature we studied in this course. You MUST include a two page written explanation along with your creative work. You are required to submit a written proposal before starting. We will talk about this assignment at great length during the first part of the semester.
Grading Criteria for papers, exams, and projects:
“A” papers, exams, and projects advance a striking and original hypothesis about the text or texts under consideration and support that hypothesis by ample and well-organized arguments.
Documentation consists of well chosen quotations from the text; these in their turn are

interpreted carefully and persuasively, so that the reader not only understands why they have been introduced but is persuaded that they have been rightly used; secondary (i.e., critical and /or biographical) materials should also be quoted at appropriate moments--and footnoted--and their relevance to the argument made clear. BUT: even should all these criteria be met, no paper or exam which contains numerous grammatical, vocabulary, and/or mechanical errors will receive an A. My general response to a paper that deserves an A is that it has been extremely well written. It should demonstrate stylistic complexities and even “linguistic elegance.” An A paper or exam has shown me something I had previously overlooked and convinced me that I can no longer afford to ignore it.
“B” papers, exams, and projects while somewhat less striking in their novelty and brilliance than those which receive an A, are nevertheless significantly above average, both in the manner in which they are written and in what they have to say. They advance an interesting and highly plausible though often somewhat less sophisticated hypothesis and support it convincingly with carefully interpreted quotations from appropriate sources.
“C” papers, exams, and projects are average in quality. They offer plausible but simplistic hypothesis and are less skillful in presenting the necessary supporting evidence. Often the logic of the paper or exam as a whole is imperfect or somewhat unclear: paragraphs do not flow smoothly into one another, thus leaving the reader startled by a point for which there has not been sufficient preparation. Individual sentences contain grammatical and mechanical flaws as well as inappropriate or misused word and are generally undistinguished.
“D” papers, exams, and projects treat the text or texts only superficially. They create the impression that the writer has not grasped his or her subject fully: statements are so general as to be merely vague, and there is little or no supporting evidence; quotations are frequently taken out of context, misinterpreted, and poorly integrated. “D” papers or exams are also very poorly organized: paragraphs are out of sequence, as are many of the sentences within them.
Grammatical and mechanical errors are numerous.
“F” A grade of “F” means that the paper, exam, or project is considered to be unacceptable as the work of a student who has presumably taken the prerequisite for this course. It indicates an almost total failure on the writer’s part to comprehend his or her subject and an almost total lack of attention to the paper, exam, or project. Sentences seem to have been set down at random, grammatically incorrect sentences outnumber those that are correct, and paragraph breaks and transitions seem entirely arbitrary.
There are no make-ups whatsoever. If you miss a reading quiz or an exam, whatever grade you make on the final project will substitute for the missing grade(s).
Grading Scale:
A: 94-100; A-: 90-93; B+: 87-89; B: 84-86; B-: 80-83; C+: 77-79; C: 74-77;
C-: 70-73; D+: 67-69; D: 64-66; D-: 60-63; F: 0-59

Cell Phone Notice: You do not have to turn off your cell phone completely. You are, however,
REQUIRED to put in on mute or vibrate. If your phone “rings” in any manner, (i.e. a song, etc.), I will ask you to leave class immediately. You will receive a five-point deduction from your course grade (which is only known after you complete the final exam) for each incident. In other words, should you bring your cell phone to class and it goes off and your course grade at the end of the semester is 92, I will deduct five points leaving you with an 87. Should the incident happen again, I will deduct another five points, and so on. It’s a shame that I have to do this, but there have been so many cases of cell phones going off in my class, I have decided to try to put an end to it.