Instructor: Magdalena Altamirano, Ph.D.
Office: East Faculty 105 (Calexico)
Office hours: Mondays and Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Phone: (760) 768-5614
Email: altamira@mail.sdsu.edu
Website: www.ivcampus.sdsu.edu/faculty/maltamirano
Class meeting: Mondays 7:25-10:05 pm
Class location: FOBE-124B
Schedule number: 60081
Course prerequisites: Spanish 301, 302, or 381 or 382; and completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities required for non-majors.
General Catalog description: “Spanish writers and works in a variety of literary genres”.
The aim of this course is to examine a diverse corpus of Spanish literature, from the 16 th to the
21 st
centuries, and its relevance to the societies in which they are read. The course readings will be supplemented with information from other disciplines, such as art, film or iconography.

Recognize the main literary characteristics of the Spanish Picaresca .

Identify rhetorical devices present in Spanish comical poetry.

Analyze form and content of literary works.
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
Decode literary works as challenging readings of society and culture.

Produce essays that illustrate critical thinking.
 Pérez Reverte, Arturo y Carlota Pérez Reverte. El capitán Alatriste
. Santillana. ISBN:
9788466320535.

La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades. Ed. Chad M. Gasta.
Long Grove: Waveland Press, 2013. ISBN-10: 1478605715. ISBN-13: 9781478605713.

Each student must bring his/her own textbooks to the classroom (all sessions). No photocopies are allowed.

A good Spanish-Spanish dictionary. You can access the online version of the Diccionario de la lengua española through the Real Academia Española website: Real Academia Española:
Diccionarios, Diccionario de la Lengua Española.

Online resources listed in Blackboard course site.
Spanish 401 is a lecture course. During the semester students are required to perform individual and group activities as described below (see “Course Assessment and Grading”). Spanish is the language of the course ( General Catalog 434). Blackboard is the course management system for
Spanish 401.
Students will have several pop quizzes during the semester. These brief quizzes will be based on the readings of the day. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of the session. At the end of the semester, if the student took all quizzes, the lowest grade will not count toward his/her final grade. If a student missed one quiz, it will be considered his/her lowest grade. No make-ups.
The reading journal is an individual and online journal based in Blackboard ( Diario de lectura ).
As part of their weekly homework, students will use this journal to post their answers to the course readings questionnaires. The questionnaires will be posted on Blackboard. The due dates for all journal entries are listed in the course program. To receive credit, journal entries must be submitted to Blackboard before the beginning of the class in which the given reading will be discussed. Late journal entries will not receive credit .
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Students will use the course blogs and wikis to submit entries related to the course readings. Due dates for these activities are listed in the course program. Late submissions will not receive credit .
Students will have a mid-term examination and a final examination. Each exam will cover approximately half of the information studied throughout the semester, including: textbook readings and activities, plus any extra information discussed in the classroom or reviewed in course assignments. Exam dates are listed in the course program. Study guides for both exams will be posted on Blackboard. No make-up exams will be administered .
Throughout the semester, students will prepare a research essay on one of the topics studied in the course. Students will discuss the topic and the organization of the essay with the instructor.
Students will submit their final essay by the date indicated in the course program. A handout with guidelines will be posted on Blackboard. Late essays will not received credit .
Student active participation is absolutely essential in this course. Students are expected to attend classes well prepared. Course readings, homework and special assignments must be completed before class time. Students must be willing to participate, voluntarily and effectively, in all classroom activities. Effective participation is participation that contributes to the class by clarifying a course topic through well-prepared questions, statements or comments. In group dynamics effective participation also means collaboration in the development of an activity or project. Please remember: 1) It is impossible to get an A without active participation, and 2) your participation grade will be seriously affected if you choose to perform activities not related to our course session or if you leave the classroom to answer calls or messages from your electronic devices (see “Classroom Etiquette”).
Missing classes prevents you from participating and thus will negatively impact your participation grade (see “Attendance”)
.
Student final grade will be based on the following percentages:
Calificación final
Pruebas de comprobación de lectura
Blogs/wikis
Examen parcial
Examen final
Ensayo final
Participación (11) y diario de lectura (12)
Total
Porcentajes
8%
10%
22%
22%
15%
23%
100%
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Grading scale:
A = 94-100
B- = 80-83
D+ = 67-69
A- = 90-93
C+ = 77-79
D = 64-66
B+ = 87-89
C = 74-76
D- = 60-63
B = 84-86
C- = 70-73
F = 59-
Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. Attendance is part of student participation grade (see “Participation”). One unexcused absence is allowed with no penalty. It is very important that students plan ahead before using their “free” absence. This privilege does not authorize students to submit late class work (homework, special assignments, essays, oral presentations, etc.) or to request a make-up examination. Any additional unexcused absence will lower student final grade by four points (from 83 to 79 = B- to C+). In order to be excused, an absence has to comply with two requirements: 1) The absence is caused by compelling reasons (e.g. illness, death in the family, jury duty), and 2) the absence is properly documented, with an official note that clearly states that it was impossible for the student to attend classes during the date and the time of his/her absence. Please remember that verbal explanations are not enough to excuse an absence and neither are medical prescriptions without a physician’s note that matches requirement number 2. Students are responsible for providing documentation for the absence to the instructor in a timely manner (i.e. the next class after the absence).
The instructor will not remind students about the documentation. It is the student responsibility to bring the note and submit it on time.
Be on time for class. Late arrivals do not only interfere with your academic success, they also disrupt the class session and, therefore, affect your classmates. Three late arrivals of 10 minutes equal one absence. Late arrivals of more than 10 minutes and less than 30 will be counted on a prorated basis (e.g. two late arrivals of 15 minutes equal one absence). A 30 minute late arrival equals one absence. Please do not enter the classroom after 30 minutes from the beginning of the session.
There are no make-ups for tests, assignments or presentations missed because of a late arrival. Attendance will always be taken at the beginning of the session. In case of a late arrival, it is the student’s responsibility to wait for the next class break or for the end of the session and, then, ask the instructor to change his/her absence mark to late arrival. Later it will not be possible. Leaving the classroom before the end of the session equals a late arrival. The same criteria will be used with a repeated pattern of leaving the classroom during class time constantly and/or for long periods of time. If your job or your personal responsibilities conflict with the course schedule, please enroll in the course at a future time.
Due dates . No late assignments, electronic or paper, will be accepted. An assignment not submitted by the due date indicated in the course program will receive a zero, “0”. The only
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exceptions are assignments that were late due to excused absences and extreme compelling reasons (e.g. medical emergencies). Based on the documentation submitted by the student the instructor will decide which assignments fall into this category. Not all excused absences qualify for these exceptions, especially if the student knows in advance that (s)he is going to miss class.
Consult with your instructor beforehand if this is the case for you. Format . Unless indicated otherwise, all written assignments require a hard copy submission. If an extreme emergency prevents you from submitting a hard copy of your assignment, you must: 1) request your instructor’s permission to send her an electronic copy of your assignment by the due date indicated in the course program , and 2) provide your instructor with a hard copy not later than one day after the due date of the assignment. Students must make sure their electronic submissions went through (email attachments, Blackboard activities, etc.).
Conduct code . Students are expected to maintain professional behavior in the classroom setting in accordance with the Standards for Student Conduct stated in the California Code of
Regulations (41301, Title 5). It is your responsibility to become familiar with SDSU policies regarding student conduct. You can find them in the Center for Students Rights and
Responsibilities web site (Students Affairs: Student Rights and Responsibilities, Student
Conduct Code) or in SDSU General Catalog (477-81). Plagiarism . Students are responsible for knowing and observing all SDSU rules concerning academic integrity and plagiarism. All student work must be individual and original. For example, essays can not be corrected, rewritten or written by a person other than the student. Other people’s ideas or words can only be used in a paper if they are accompanied by the proper citation style (MLA). Plagiarism is not limited to the abovementioned examples. SDSU Love Library website includes tools to help students avoid plagiarism, such as tutorials on “Plagiarism: The Crime of Intellectual Kidnapping” or
“Paraphrasing”, and a guide on citation resources (Library and Information Access: Tutorials,
Plagiarism). Essays and other written assignments have to be checked for plagiarism in Turnitin
(Blackboard). If you need more information about plagiarism, consult with your instructor before submitting your work . “Recycling” work for which you have received credit, in this or in other courses, is not acceptable. These and all other cases of academic misconduct (e.g. cheating) will be sanctioned according to SDSU policies on academic dishonesty (Student
Judiciary, executive order 1006) and cheating and plagiarism (Students Affairs: Student Rights and Responsibilities, Academic Dishonesty; Student Affairs: Student Rights and
Responsibilities, Student Conduct, Cheating and Plagiarism). See General Catalog (479). The minimum punitive sanction for plagiarism or cheating in this course is a zero, “0”, on the assignment or examination involved in the academic misconduct incident. When academic dishonesty has occurred, resubmissions are not allowed in this course.
Cell phones and similar electronic devices must be completely silenced before entering the classroom ( it is not enough to have them in vibrate mode ). Put them away, not on your desk or on your lap. Please remember that the following is prohibited in the classroom:

Texting, messaging, emailing.
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
Using electronic devices (including personal laptops and SDSU computers) for anything other than class-related work.

Chatting.

Doing homework for this or any other class.

Finishing readings for this or any other class.

Any activity that is not directly related to the course session.
You will be asked to leave if you choose not to follow our course classroom etiquette.
In every session we will have a 10-15 minutes break. After the break students can continue eating their snacks but they should finish them soon (within 15 minutes).
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473 .* To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
(*) Imperial Valley campus students, please contact Norma Aguilar at (760) 768-5637 , and
Student Affairs at (760) 768-5502 .
Nota: la tarea siempre se indica adelantada; es decir, la tarea señalada en la semana 1 se entrega la clase de la semana 2 y así sucesivamente
. Diario de lectura (BB).
Presentación del curso. Vida y literatura. *Tarea: leer Gasta, Introducción (1-34),
Lazarillo , prólogo (39-42); diario 1.
Día del Trabajo. No hay clase.
La picaresca. Contexto histórico-cultural.
La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades
. Prólogo. *Tarea: leer Guillén (BB),
Lazarillo I-II (45-79); diario 2.
La picaresca. Características generales. Guillén.
Lazarillo I-II. *Tarea: leer Lazarillo III (81-
102); diario 3.
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Lazarillo III. Película: Lazarillo
(Dir. César Ardavín). *Tarea: leer
Lazarillo IV-VII (105-28); diario 4; terminar de preparar blog o wiki ( Lazarillo ).
Lazarillo IV-VII. Taller de blogs y wikis. *Tarea: leer Delicado, Lozana , selección (BB); selección poética 1 (BB); diario 5.
Hacia la picaresca femenina. Francisco Delicado, Lozana andaluza
. Poesía satírico-burlesca 1.
*Tarea: terminar de preparar blog o wiki (Delicado); estudiar para el examen parcial.
Taller de blogs y wikis. EXAMEN PARCIAL. *Tarea: leer Cervantes, Coloquio de los perros
(BB), terminar de preparar blog o wiki (Cervantes); diario 6.
Una mirada canina. Miguel de Cervantes, Coloquio de los perros . *Tarea: leer Quevedo,
Buscón
, selección (BB); diario 7.
Francisco de Quevedo. Historia de la vida del Buscón llamado don Pablos . Taller de blogs o wikis. *Tarea: leer selección poética 2 (BB); terminar de preparar blog o wiki (Quevedo); diario
8.
Poesía satírico-burlesca 2. Taller de blogs o wikis. *Tarea: leer Pérez Reverte, Capitán I-III (11-
75); diario 9.
Una mirada moderna. Arturo y Carlota Pérez Reverte. Capitán Alatriste
I-III. *Tarea: leer Pérez
Reverte,
Capitán
IV-VI (77-139); diario 10.
Capitán Alatriste IV-VI. *Tarea: leer Pérez Reverte, Capitán VII-IX (141-206); diario 11.
Capitán Alatriste
VII-IX. *Tarea: leer Pérez Reverte,
Capitán
X-XI, epílogo y poemas finales
(207-263); diario 12; terminar de preparar blog o wiki (Alatriste).
Película:
Alatriste (Dir. Agustín Díaz Yanes).
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Entrega del ensayo final. Taller de blogs y wikis. Preparación para el examen final.
EXAMEN FINAL. ¡Felices vacaciones!
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