Department ___MCLL____
AREAS OF INQUIRY
Course Number _SPAN 352_
Course Name: Introduction to Latin American
Literature, Part II
GLOBAL AND MULTICULTURAL
PERSPECTIVES
This form must be submitted to the Faculty Council on Liberal Learning and Academic Life as part of the submission
process.
Please attach a proposed syllabus for this course and the Undergraduate Curriculum Course Proposal Form.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 16 September 2005
Please answer the following questions:
Check Only One:
X This course is an existing course (in the current curriculum) that we are now proposing for this Area of
Inquiry.
 This is a new course that we are now proposing for this Area of Inquiry.
1. Name and contact information for the department chair administrating this course.
Danielle Cahill Velardi
MCLL
Commonwealth Hall #3
dcahill@cnu.edu
594-7107
2. In any given semester, how many sections of this course is your department willing to offer?
One
3. Why is this course being offered/what is it designed to achieve (Course purpose/goal) ?
This course can be taken as one of the three required courses in literature to complete the major in Spanish
or as a course above the 100-level to complete the minor in Spanish.
This course studies the different Latin American literary movements, discourses, genres, and authors
during the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will gain practice in analyzing literary texts and learn about
the Latin American socio-political context during the time periods covered by the course. After reading
texts written by authors from different countries in Latin America, the students will have the opportunity
to polish their analytical writing skills in Spanish by researching and writing a final paper.
4. Check the objectives below that the course will address. The first objective is required and every proposal
must include at least two more objectives from the list below.
X Interrogate the dominate culture in relationship to other cultures (required)
 Compare communication styles among cultures
X Assess how culture impacts and informs the development of creative expression/movements, politics,
economics, or philosophy
X Analyze how concepts of “self” and individuals in various cultures differ and/or intersect
 Articulate how culture influences the structure of languages, societies, and institutions
5. Briefly explain how this class addresses the above objectives. A course may cover more than three
objectives.
a.) Interrogate the dominate culture in relationship to other cultures: Emphasis is given to the influences
of different cultures on Latin American authors. For example, we will examine the phenomenon of the
Latin American “Boom” (Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Julio Cortázar) in relation to
developments in the narrative literary genre in France and the United States. Another topic studied in the
course is that of race, especially the presence of the African heritage in works authored by Caribbean
writers.
b.) Assess how culture impacts and informs the development of creative expressions: Lectures by the
professor and videos will provide the necessary historical background to aid understanding the literary
texts. For example, we will look at how indigenous cultures were reevaluated in a more positive light by
Mexicans during the Revolution in the early 20th century and then read a story written later in the century
about an indigenous theme, commenting on how it reflects changes in attitude toward indigenous identity.
c.) Analyze how concepts of “self” and individuals in various cultures differ and/or intersect: Many of the
texts that we will read feature a search for identity, be it identity in the sense of an individual or as part of a
collectivity. For example, we will read erotic poetry and poem about motherhood written by female poets
from the Southern Cone (Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile) in the early twentieth-century. Many of these
poems are considered quite daring for their time since the poetic voices explore and contest what is a
woman’s identity in patriarchal Spanish American societies. We also will study a text written during
political dictatorships in some of the countries and their portrayal of the impact upon personal identity.
6. Course Assessment: Identify how this course will accomplish the above objectives (choose at least one):
X Participating in class discussion and debate
 Engaging in teamwork and other collaborative exercises
X Writing analytical or evaluative papers, perhaps incorporating original research
X Making oral presentations
 Creating an artistic product or a performance
 Participating in fieldwork:
X Other means – please identify: Exams; Keeping a journal to reflect about reading assignments and
list new vocabulary words in Spanish
7. Attach a proposed syllabus, which includes a statement of purpose, course objectives, and how these
objectives will be accomplished.
8. Please identify and explain if this course contributes to the Foundations of Liberal Learning expectations for:
 Oral Communication Literacy: The students will continue to hone their skills in speaking and
comprehending spoken Spanish by listening to the professor’s lectures, watching films and videos, and
actively participating in discussions during class. They will also gain practice in public speaking skills by
summarizing in an oral presentation the findings of their research papers.
 Information Literacy: The students will read materials in Spanish and English to use as bibliographical
sources in preparing research papers and oral presentations. They will have the opportunity to examine a
variety of these sources, such as books, academic journal articles, web pages on the Internet, and learn how
to evaluate their usefulness. The students will also learn about Latin America’s history and major literary
movements and styles.
 Writing Literacy: The students will write analytical papers in Spanish. There will be numerous
opportunities for them to gain practice with this type of writing. They will prepare short essays as
homework assignments, answer essay questions on exams, and write a 2-3 page research paper. The
journal, a more informal type of writing, will help them to organize their ideas before writing the more
formal analytical papers.
9. Explain how this course connects to Vision 2010 – the CNU Strategic Plan.
In Spanish 352 the students will read texts from many Latin American countries. Assignments in the class
will encourage the students to closely examine these works, searching for commonalities among them as
well as characteristics that make each one unique. The goal of the course is for students to gain knowledge
about Latin American cultures by reading the literary texts and locating secondary sources through
research at the library. This course will help the students to become more culturally aware and able to
communicate their knowledge both orally and in writing, goals that are a part of Vision 2010.
Submission Checklist:
By the deadline, submit a packet with the following documents to the Assistant Dean for Liberal Learning. Please
submit in electronic and hard copy form.
__X___ Area of Inquiry Course Proposal Form
__X__ Syllabus for the Course
__N/A__ Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
Christopher Newport University: Spanish 351
Introduction to Latin American Literature: Part 2
Spring 2006
Dr. Elaine M. Miller
Telephone: 594-7489
e-mail: emiller@cnu.edu
Office: Commonwealth Hall, Room 8
Office Hours: M-W-F 11-12:00(Einstein’s)
M-W-F 3:00-4:00(Commonwealth Hall #8)
and by appointment
Texts:
Required: A) Voces de Hispanoamérica: Antología literaria. Tercera Edición. Chang-Rodríguez & Filer.
2004. Thomson Heinle.
B) Small spiral notebook for journal
Recommended: Good Spanish/English Dictionary
Objectives:
o Learn critical reading strategies to develop effective reading skills for better literary
analysis, interpretation and comprehension
o Learn about the different Latin American literary movements, discourses, genres, and authors during the
20th and 21st centuries
o Learn about Latin American history and culture during this time period
o Develop library research skills for expanding one’s knowledge about Latin American literature and
authors
o Gain practice writing analytical papers in Spanish
o Build vocabulary
o Improve oral, listening and written communication skills in Spanish
o Develop a desire to learn more about those who contributed and are contributing to the making of Latin
America!
Tabulation of the Final Grade:
A) Numerical grades will be determined by using the following formula:
3 Exams
10 Homework Assignments
Journal
Final Exam (cumulative)
Student Presentation
Essay (about topic of Student Presentation)
30%
10%
10%
25%
10%
15%
B) Letter grades will be given according to the following conversion table:
93 - 100 = A
90 - 92 = A -
88 - 89 = B +
84 - 87 = B
80 - 83 = B -
78 - 79 = C +
74 - 77 = C
70 - 73 = C -
68 - 69 = D +
64 - 67 = D
60 - 63 = D -
0 – 59 = F
Exams: There will be three exams during the semester that will cover our readings, discussions, lectures and
anything else presented in class. The final exam will be cumulative. Each exam will include sections with
true/false, matching, or multiple-choice questions; questions requiring short answers; and essay questions.
Participation and Homework: The only way to become a better reader in any language is to read. The only
way to participate in class discussions is to have completed the assigned readings. Many times you may feel that
the readings are too difficult because of the vocabulary or style of the author. However, I encourage you to try
your best to read each assignment at least twice before class. During your first reading, try to capture a general
impression of the work and a literal sense of what is happening or being described. In the second reading of the
same passage, you can look up vocabulary words, writing them down in a specific “journal” (more information
about this in the next section!) and learning their meaning. It might be necessary to read certain passages of the
text again until you have a better understanding of its possible literary meanings. Do not feel discouraged if you
still have unanswered questions about an assigned reading. As the instructor, I will share strategies with you to
help you better understand Latin American literature. At times, I will give lectures about the historical content of
a work or background information about its author and literary genre. However, I will spend most of class time in
guiding discussions with you, expecting you to assume an active role in contributing, asking questions,
disagreeing, and searching for a deeper meaning. At times, we might not arrive at a definite right or wrong
answer, yet we will attempt to support our interpretations using the information found within the text. To help
you prepare to contribute to our class discussions, there will be a total of ten homework assignments. You must
turn in all ten to your professor in order to receive complete credit for the 10% of your final grade. These
assignments will assist you in summarizing the content of the texts and organizing your thoughts about them in
Spanish before class, boosting your confidence and providing space for all members of the class to share their
ideas in discussions.
Journal: Please purchase a small spiral notebook to use as your journal. When you are completing the reading
assignments, you will look up any unknown words in a dictionary. In the journal, you should write the word, the
sentence in which it is used in the reading assignment, its definition, a synonym for it in Spanish, and an original
sentence created by you to use the word. You will also write in your journal once a week for 5-10 minutes. You
should respond to one of the reading assignments either before a class discussion or after class to reflect on what
you have learned. I am most interested in your personal responses to the Latin American literature that we are
reading and less concerned with the accuracy of your grammar and vocabulary in your journal entries. Therefore,
when I periodically collect the journals, I will award full credit for this portion of your final course grade if you
have recorded vocabulary words for each reading assignment and have written at least one entry per week
throughout the semester responding to an assigned text. The purpose of this journal is two-fold: first, by writing
down the new vocabulary words, you can later use them to study and improve your Spanish skills; second, the
journal entries are a way to “rehearse” what you want to say about the reading assignments in class or in a more
formal piece of writing and for me to provide you with some personalized, written feedback about your ideas.
Attendance Policy: Make it your goal not to miss a single class. Two points will be added to your cumulative
grade for perfect attendance! With proper documentation, you will not be penalized for missing class and you
will still qualify for the bonus points. If you do need to miss class, please make an appointment with me the next
time we see each other to discuss whatever material was covered in class that day. This way you will not fall
behind. Due to the nature of this course, your success will much depend on your being present for every class
session.
Any missed opportunities for a grade will not be made up, unless proper documentation is presented to the
professor! All work for the class is due on the assigned date unless you are absent and have written justification
or you have previously requested and received permission to submit assignments on a day other than indicated by
your professor. A note from a physician, an obituary, a court summons, and an official note of participation in a
sanctioned CNU academic or athletic event are examples of acceptable written justification for missing class and
then making up that day’s test or assignment. You will not receive credit for late assignments without proper
documentation or prior permission from your professor.
Student Presentations: The last two weeks of class, each of you will have a chance to present your findings that
relate to your research paper. The presentation should last approximately 10 minutes. In order to engage your
audience, please make good eye contact with everyone in the class and do not read these. I encourage you to use
audio-visual aids, such as photocopied material, PowerPoint slides, overhead transparencies, and photographs.
However, this information should serve only as a guide for you to follow. You are also encouraged to use an
outline on index cards to help you stay on track. Try and make your presentation as clear, engaging, and
informative as possible. Practice your presentation at least three times on your own so that the information will
come naturally to you and you will keep within the time prescribed. Remember to first introduce the class to what
you are going to talk about, situating the work in its time frame, present the information, and offer a conclusion
including personal impressions.
Essay: On the day of your oral presentation or the last day of class, you will submit a research paper about the
topic of your oral presentation. The research paper should be at least 2 pages long, typed, double-spaced, and no
longer than 3 pages. During the semester, you will learn how to locate bibliographic sources in the library to help
you write your paper and you will practice integrating this information into essays. Your final paper should have
a bibliography with at least 3 sources, such as books or journal articles. Web sites can also be a wonderful
resource, but you should exercise care in locating Internet sources that are more than just encyclopedia-style
entries containing general information. While you are encouraged to list Web sites in your research paper’s
bibliography, only 1 of your minimum 3 listed sources should be a Web site. The essay’s grade will consider the
quality of the research, its organization, the consistency in formatting the bibliography and notes according to the
Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, meeting intermediate deadlines
connected to the preparation of the essay set by your professor, and the accuracy of the Spanish grammar and
vocabulary. Please come see me during office hours or make an appointment to meet with me so that I can help
you select a topic for your oral presentation / essay and assist you in completing these assignments.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Disabilities:
If you have a disability, please make an appointment to see me immediately. In order to receive an
accommodation, your disability must be on record in the Office of Disability Services in the Academic Advising
Center, Room #101, McMurran Annex (Telephone: 594-8763).
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is the stealing or passing off as your own the writings or ideas of someone else. Examples of
plagiarism include, but are not limited to, quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing ideas without giving credit to
their source, submitting as your own work that has been copied or purchased from another student or other source,
permitting someone else to revise or edit a paper to the extent that it is no longer your own work, lifting off the
Internet wording or ideas that are not your own without crediting the Internet source. Plagiarism is a very serious
violation of the CNU Honor Code and may result in penalties that can include, at the discretion of the instructor,
rewriting the entire assignment, having to complete an alternative assignment, getting a zero on the plagiarized
assignment or getting an F for the course. In addition to these penalties, the instructor has the right to place a
note in the student's university file, which could result in an honors council sanction such as suspension or
expulsion from CNU. I expect that you will uphold the CNU Honor Code in all work submitted for this course.
Change to Audit & Withdrawal:
THE LAST DAY TO DROP/ADD OR ELECT AUDIT STATUS IS FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2005.
THE LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW OR ELECT PASS/FAIL IS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005.
We want you to succeed at CNU; therefore I may notify the Academic Advising Center if you seem to be having
problems with this course. Someone may contact you to help you determine what help you need to succeed. You
will be sent a copy of the referral form. I invite you to see me at any time that I can be of assistance in helping
you with the course material, questions about the major / minor in Spanish, or study abroad.
HORARIO
Día
Fecha
Materia
lunes
miércoles
16 de enero
18 de enero
Introducción al curso
Introducción: Continuidad y ruptura: hacia
una nueva expresión (V 280-92)
Horacio Quiroga, El hijo (V 293-98)
viernes
20 de enero
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
miércoles
viernes
23 de enero
25 de enero
27 de enero
Delmira Agustini, El intruso, Tu amor… (V 308-12)
Gabriela Mistral, Sueño grande, Pan (V 319-23)
Alfonsina Storni, Tú me quieres blanca, Hombre
pequeñito, El hijo (V 327-30)
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
miércoles
viernes
30 de enero
1 de febrero
3 de febrero
Jorge Luis Borges, Borges y yo (V 354-58)
Jorge Luis Borges, El sur (V 358-62)
Nicolás Guillén, Sensemayá, Balada de los dos
abuelos (V 371-77)
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
miércoles
viernes
6 de febrero
8 de febrero
10 de febrero
Pablo Neruda, Poema 20, Walking Around (V 392-96)
Pablo Neruda, Alturas de Macchu Picchu (V 396-99)
Juan Rulfo (V 402-03) / Fecha límite: Escoger el
tema de presentación oral /ensayo
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
13 de febrero
Juan Rulfo, Nos han dado la tierra (V 404-07)
miércoles
15 de febrero
Repaso
viernes
17 de febrero
EXAMEN I
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
20 de febrero
Introducción: Consolidación y expansion (V 410-
17)
miércoles
22 de febrero
Julio Cortázar, La noche boca arriba (V 418-19)
viernes
24 de febrero
Julio Cortázar, La noche boca arriba (fotocopias)
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
27 de febrero
Octavio Paz, El laberinto de la soledad (V 427-33)
miércoles
1 de marzo
Octavio Paz, El laberinto de la soledad (V 433-40)
viernes
3 de marzo
Emilio Carballido, El censo (V 445-49)
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
6 de marzo
SPRING BREAK
miércoles
8 de marzo
SPRING BREAK
viernes
10 de marzo
SPRING BREAK
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
miércoles
viernes
13 de marzo
15 de marzo
17 de marzo
Emilio Carballido, El censo (V 450-57)
Rosario Castellanos, Valium 10 (V 459-63)
Carlos Fuentes, Chac Mool (V 467-71) / Fecha límite:
Entregar la bibliografía del ensayo
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
miércoles
20 de marzo
22 de marzo
viernes
24 de marzo
Carlos Fuentes, Chac Mool (V 471-76)
Gabriel García Márquez, La prodigiosa tarde de
Baltazar (V 478-82)
Gabriel García Márquez, La prodigiosa tarde de
Baltazar (V 483-86)
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
27 de marzo
Elena Poniatowska, Esperanza número equivocado
(V 488-92)
miércoles
29 de marzo
Repaso / Fecha límite: Entregar una version
preliminar del ensayo final
viernes
31 de marzo
EXAMEN II
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
3 de abril
Introducción: Asimilación y diferencia (V 504-09)
miércoles
5 de abril
Luisa Valenzuela, Los censores (V 521-25)
viernes
7 de abril
Sergio Ramírez, Catalina y Catalina (V 561-65)
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
miércoles
10 de abril
12 de abril
Sergio Ramírez, Catalina y Catalina (V 566-70)
Ana Istarú, Y colgaríamos naranjas en cada nube, El
hambre ocurre, Estoy de pie en un sueño (V 580-87)
viernes
14 de abril
Ana Istarú / Repaso
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
17 de abril
EXAMEN III
miércoles
19 de abril
Presentaciones orales
viernes
21 de abril
Presentaciones orales
______________________________________________________________________________
lunes
24 de abril
Presentaciones orales
miércoles
26 de abril
Presentaciones orales
viernes
28 de abril
Repaso para el examen final
______________________________________________________________________________
EXAMEN FINAL: