DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies
September to December 2013
Place: FASS 2198
1:05-2:25 Tuesday & Thursday
Introduction to Hispanic Literary Studies
SPAN-2090 02
Professor: María José Giménez Micó
Office: 3024, McCain - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Phone: 494 7124
Office hours: T & Th 2:30-3:30 or by appointment
Email: mgimenez@Dal.ca
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will introduce students to the study of Hispanic literature. Readings will include
works from a variety of periods, genres and regions. The aim of this course is two-fold, to
introduce students to techniques for literary analysis and to develop skills in the area of research
and academic writing in Spanish.
All classes and course work will be conducted in Spanish. The prerequisite for this course is
SPAN 2020 X/Y or equivalent. This course is a prerequisite for all other literature courses in the
Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies.
READINGS
Required textbook:
Friedman, Edward, L. Teresa Valdivieso and Carmelo Virgilio. Aproximaciones al estudio de la
literatura hispánica. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011.
Available at the Dalhousie Book Store located in the basement of the SUB building.
In the event that additional reading material is required, it will be placed on reserve in the library.
EVALUATION
MLA format bibliography
10 %
Short essays (2)
20 %
In class activities (3)
30 %
Final research paper
20 %
Dictionary
10 %
Attendance and participation
10 %
MLA format bibliography: This assignment will be an exercise in the correct use of the MLA
format. It will be assigned after a lecture by the university librarian in charge of the Spanish
collection. There is no written or essay component to this assignment, only a bibliography.
Short essays: Students will be asked to write 2 short essays on literary topics to be determined
by the professor. Each will be between 1 and 3 pages in length, depending on the progress of the
class. On the day the first essay is assigned, the class will have a discussion on how to write
essays on literary topics in Spanish. Students will be allowed to ask questions and raise concerns.
In class activities: Three short in-class activities will be performed throughout the semester.
Each will focus on one of the literary genres explored during this course. The activities will
consist of guided exercises in literary analysis. Each student must submit his or her answers
individually and electronically. There will be no make-up activities without a doctor’s note.
Final paper: students will use the skills developed during the course to write a research paper on
a topic determined by the professor. This essay will be between 4 and 6 pages in length. It will
evaluate the student’s ability to think critically about the texts in question, to research the topic
and present that information appropriately, and to organize and present his or her ideas
cohesively and coherently. Correct use of the MLA format will be evaluated.
Dictionary: Each student is expected to extend his/her Spanish vocabulary. For that purpose
each student will prepare a “Dictionary” in Spanish in which he/she will compile 5 new or
unknown words, give a grammatical description, a logical explanation of the word, and write 1
sentence that include the word (1 entry a week/10 weeks/50 words).
Example:
Quipu:
- Nombre común masculino singular.
- Es un sistema memorístico a base de nudos usado por los incas.
- El quipu fue usado por los incas para realizar cuentas pero en la actualidad sigue siendo un
misterio para el hombre blanco.
Attendance and participation: Class work will consist mainly of group discussions. The
professor will act as a guide and facilitator, rather than as a lecturer. Students are required to
complete all readings before coming to class and will be expected to participate in discussions
about the assigned texts. Preparation and participation are essential to succeed in this course.
Attendance is, therefore, extremely important and will be taken daily. Repeated absences will
significantly lower your mark, regardless of the quality of your participation when you are
present. Missing class is not an excuse for not turning in assignments on time.
GRADE SCALE
A + (95-100)
B+ (84-80)
C + (69-65)
A
(94-90)
B (79-75)
C (64-60)
A - (89-85)
B – (74-70)
C – (59-55)
D (54-50)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1) All assignments must be submitted via email to mgimenez@dal.ca. All documents must be
double-spaced, in Times New Roman font, size 12. Documents will be saved under the title:
Student’s last name – Assignment # X. You must include a word count at the end of each writing
assignment. Errors will be indicated and the assignment will be marked.
2) There is no penalty for late assignments because work submitted after the due date will not be
accepted without a medical certificate. You will receive a grade of zero for missed assignments.
3) If you know in advance that you will not be able to hand-in an assignment on the due date or
attend an in-class activity, you must make arrangements with the professor in advance.
4) You cannot write an in-class activity at a later date. If you are unable to attend class on the
day one of these exercises is conducted, you must make arrangements with the professor to
redistribute the corresponding portion of your grade.
Feedback on Performance
Students will receive regular feedback on their progress throughout the course. If, however, you
have concerns, specific or general, about your performance, please feel free to stop by during
office hours or e-mail me.
Students with Disabilities
Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious
obligation, or any characteristic under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. Students who require
academic accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing of tests and exams
should make their request to the Office of Student Accessibility & Accommodation (OSAA)
prior to or at the outset of each academic term (with the exception of X/Y courses). Please see
www.studentaccessibility.dal.ca for more information and to obtain the Request for
Accommodation – Form A.
A note taker may be required to assist a classmate. There is an honorarium of $75/course/term. If
you are interested, please contact OSAA at 494-2836 for more information.
Please note that your classroom may contain specialized accessible furniture and equipment. It is
important that these items remain in the classroom so that students who require their usage will
be able to participate in the class.
Academic Integrity/Plagiarism
All students in this class are to read and understand the policies on academic integrity and
plagiarism referenced in the Policies and Student Resources sections of the
academicintegrity.dal.ca website. Ignorance of such policies is no excuse for violations.
Any paper submitted by a student at Dalhousie University may be checked for originality to
confirm that the student has not plagiarized from other sources. Plagiarism is considered a
serious academic offence which may lead to loss of credit, suspension or expulsion from the
University, or even to the revocation of a degree. It is essential that there be correct attribution
of authorities from which facts and opinions have been derived. At Dalhousie there are
University Regulations which deal with plagiarism and, prior to submitting any paper in a
course, students should read the Policy on Intellectual Honesty contained in the Calendar or on
the Online Dalhousie website. The Senate has affirmed the right of any instructor to require that
student papers be submitted in both written and computer-readable format, and to submit any
paper to be checked electronically for originality. As a student in this class, you are to keep an
electronic copy of any paper you submit, and the course instructor may require you to submit
that electronic copy on demand.
If you are unsure about how this applies to your work in SPAN 2090, please consult with me.
Tutoring services are available to you through various means. Nevertheless, you should take care
when you consult with others in completing your writing assignments and preparing your oral
presentations (this does not apply to those classmates specifically assigned to work with you on a
group presentation). Therefore, you may not ask proficient speakers, tutors or classmates for
corrections to any work submitted for credit; they may only help you find your mistakes, guide
you to reason out the solution to your problems, or give you grammar explanations. If I suspect
that you are not following these guidelines, I will consider this a violation of the intellectual
honesty policy and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
CALENDARIO
September
October
5
Thursday
Presentación de la materia a estudiar.
Syllabus e introducción a la literatura.
10
Tuesday
La literatura como arte y fenómeno
estético.
El autor y su obra (Páginas 2 a 8)
12
Thursday
Introducción a la narrativa (Páginas 10 a
19)
17
Tuesday
La literatura didáctica en la Edad
Media “Lo que sucedió a un mozo que casó
con una muchacha de muy mal carácter”, de
Don Juan Manuel (Páginas 42 a 45)
19
Thursday
Recursos disponibles: Clase a cargo de la
bibliotecaria Oriel MacLennan (Lab. G70,
North Commons on the main floor of the
Killam Library)
24
Tuesday
Entrega de la bibliografía.
Los periodos: movimientos, corrientes,
tendencias literarias (Páginas 24 a 40)
26
Thursday
Narrativa latinoamericana del siglo XX “La
mujer del juez”, de Isabel Allende (Páginas
94 a 101)
1
Tuesday
Narrativa española del siglo XX “Pecado de
omisión”, de Ana María Matute
(Páginas 79 a 82)
3
Thursday
Narrativa experimental latinoamericana
siglo XX “La noche boca arriba”, de Julio
Cortázar (Páginas 61 a 67)
8
Tuesday
Entrega de la primera versión del primer
ensayo.
Introducción a la poesía (Páginas 138 a 146)
10
Thursday
El lenguaje literario (Páginas 152 a
160)
November
15
Tuesday
Panorama histórico y categorías
Fundamentales (Páginas 160 a 172)
17
Thursday
Poemas medievales “El enamorado y la
muerte” y “Romance del conde Arnaldos”
(Páginas 174 a 176)
22
Tuesday
Poesía mística “Vivo sin vivir en mí”, de
Santa Teresa de Jesús (Páginas 179 y 180)
24
Thursday
Poesía barroca “A tu retrato”, de Sor
Juana Inés de la Cruz (Páginas 190 y 191)
29
Tuesday
Poesía española del siglo XX “Proverbios y
cantares: XXIX” y “La saeta”, de Antonio
Machado (Páginas 211 y 212)
31
Thursday
“Canción del jinete”, “Prendimiento de
Antoñito el Camborio en el camino de
Sevilla”, de Federico García Lorca (Páginas
223 a 225)
5
Tuesday
Poesía latinoamericana del siglo XX
“Renacimiento” y “Mujer Negra”, de Nancy
Morejón (Páginas 246 a 249)
7
Thursday
Introducción al drama (Páginas 252 a
265)
12
Tuesday
Entrega de la primera versión del
segundo ensayo.
Panorama histórico y categorías
Fundamentales (Páginas 273 a 289)
14
Thursday
Teatro latinoamericano “El delantal
blanco”, de Sergio Vodanović (Páginas
310 a 318)
19
Tuesday
Teatro español “La casa de Bernarda
Alba”, de Federico García Lorca (Páginas
335 a 370)
21
Thursday
Panorama histórico del ensayo hasta El
ensayo americano finisecular (Páginas 384 a
390)
“La producción ensayística de la
Generación del 98” a “El ensayo feminista”
(Páginas 390 a 398)
December
26
Thursday
“Notas sobre el vasallaje”, de Arturo Usar
Pietri (Páginas 411 a 421)
28
Tuesday
“Y las madres, ¿Qué opinan?”, de Rosario
Castellano (Páginas 426 a 429)
3
Tuesday
Presentación de ensayos por los
estudiantes.
This outlines are provisory and can change to adapt the needs of the students