SPA 314
3 hours
Latino/a Civilization and Culture
Otoño de 2010
Profesora:
Teléfono:
E-mail:
Laura Hunt
863-8169
laura_hunt@georgetowncollege.edu
Oficina/horas:
Página web:
Anderson Hall 36
3:00-3:50 MW, 9:00-11:00 TH
laurahuntspanish.com or
http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu
/languages/spanish/hunt/

Libros de texto:
Textbook
Roca, Ana. Nuevos Mundos. 2nd. Ed. Wiley Publishing, 2004.

Additional texts
Anaya, Rodolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Warner Books, 1994. (Chicano narrative)
Díaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Riverhead Books, 2007. (Dominican)
Thomas, Piri. Down These Mean Streets. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. (Puerto Rican)

A good Spanish/English dictionary: Collins, Harrap’s, Harper Collins, Larousse, Simon
&Schuster, or Oxford.
DESCRIPCIÓN DEL CURSO: This course is an introduction to US Latino/a history, civilization, literature,
and culture. The main subgroups that will be studied are méxicoamericanos, cubanoamericanos,
puertorriqueños, dominicanos, and cultura latina. The course will provide students an opportunity to make
critical connections across chronological and geographical borders through class lectures, readings, videos,
and student research. Major issues and challenges to the Latino population will be addressed; in addition,
students will learn of the contributions made by Latinos to US culture. Prerequisite – any one of the following:
Spanish 235, or permission of the instructor. Students will be required to prepare the readings and to discuss
and report on the assigned topics. After completion of this course, students should be at the Intermediate-High
level of the ACTFL Guidelines, Global Scale B2.1.1.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Communicate in a language other than English.
2. Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures, including their art, film, literature, history, music, etc.
3. Connect with other disciplines.
4. Make comparisons to other languages and develop insights into the nature of language and culture.
5. Participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.
Calificación de la nota/
Assessment of Learning Outcomes:
tarea y pruebas (outcome 2)
15%
participación (outcomes 1,2,5)
10%
simulación (outcomes 1-3)
5%
exámenes (outcomes 1-4)
40%
investigación (outcomes 1-3)
20%
presentaciones (outcomes 1-3)
10%
A =
AB =
B =
BC =
C =
D =
93-100
88-92
83-87
78-82
70-77
60-69
ASISTENCIA: Students are allowed 3 absences. Every
absence after the first 3 must be excused or it will lower the
final grade by 2 percent. Additionally, more than 1 absence in
either half of the term will have an effect on your
participation grade. It is also important to be on time. 3
tardies will equal an absence. No make-ups will permitted
for work missed for an unexcused absence. Excused
absences are the following: participation in a scheduled event
as a member of a university-sponsored athletic/scholastic
team (official absence form required); religious holidays;
accident or illness (accident report or doctor’s note required);
or a death in the immediate family. Excuses must be
submitted within one (1) week of the time of return to class.
In the case of an excused absence, it is the student’s
responsibility to find out what was missed from a classmate
and turn in the assignment within 1 week of the absence. PARTICIPACIÓN (10%): Participation is
required not only because it is a part of the final grade, but also because it directly affects how much
Spanish a student will learn. Students will receive one grade at midterm, and one at the end of the
semester. Participation includes oral participation in class discussions and small group activities.
Students should pay attention, ask questions, and make sure all cell phones are off. If your phone rings,
vibrates, or you are caught text-messaging, points will be deducted from your participation grade.
Also, students should speak in Spanish—use of English in class will be reflected in the participation
grade.
TAREA Y PRUEBAS (20%): No late work will be accepted, except for excused absences. Students
will be accountable for all assignments, handouts, and material covered in class whether they are
present or not. It is recommended that you get the name and phone number of one or two other
students so that you can find out what homework was assigned should you miss class. Students
should complete all the homework as it is specified in the right hand column of the syllabus. There
are also readings due for each class, and students should come prepared for quizzes that may be
given at any time during class. Please type all homework if you have access to a computer. Homework will
be graded based only on content and completeness, not grammatical correctness. This gives you the
opportunity to practice formal writing with diacritical marks and sentence structure with little risk.
SIMULACIÓN (5%): Students will participate in an immigration hearing simulation in class. Each
student will have a different role in the hearing, and will have to research their position fully before
the simulation. At the hearing, they will defend their position.
INVESTIGACIÓN (20%): Students will complete a research
project in phases, and each phase will be part of the grade.
They are expected to turn in at the final deadline: 1) project
proposal and bibliography, 2) first draft with peer comments 3)
second draft with peer comments, 4) final draft. Topics of the
composition will be announced in class. The composition
should be typed and double-spaced. Please feel free to print on
both sides in order to save paper. Papers must be turned in at
the beginning of the class hour. 5 points will be deducted for
each day that a paper is late.
n
Grading for Research Paper:
Contenido y argumento (50), Organización (25), Gramática (25)
PRESENTACIONES (10%): Students will give small presentations in class, and a final presentation.
For the final presentation, each student will give a brief presentation on an assigned topic related to
his or her research assignment on Latino/a culture. As a memory aid, students may use a small
reference card, but reading the presentation is not allowed. Please provide advanced notice if you
need audiovisual equipment.
Grading for Presentation:
Contenido (del individuo) -25, Contenido (del grupo) - 25,
Gramática - 25 , Fluidez - 15, Pronunciación - 10
EXAMENES (40%): There will be 3 exams. There will be absolutely no make-ups except in extreme
circumstances.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Online translators can be valuable tools for checking spelling or making
simple single word translations. However, they are not useful in writing compositions or complete
sentences, because they translate each sentence literally, word by word, instead of taking into account
expressions of speech. It will be obvious to the instructor if you have used an electronic translator
to write any portion of your composition and you will receive a zero for the assignment. You will
be much better off using a good dictionary to write your composition, as it will include the translation
of expressions and words that have multiple meanings or translations.
Plagiarism, or presenting another’s works or ideas as one’s
own, is a form of stealing. Students should be prepared to
show source material to the instructor for the purpose of
verifying information. Academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes the following
offenses: 1) Claiming as your own work a paper written by
another student, 2) Turning in a paper that contains
paraphrases of someone else’s ideas but does not give proper
credit to that person for those ideas, 3) Turning in a paper
that is largely a restatement in your own words of a paper
written by someone else, even if you give credit to that
person for those ideas (The thesis and organizing principles of a paper must be your own), 4) Turning
in a paper that uses the exact words of another author without using quotation marks, even if proper
credit is given in a citation, or that changes the words only slightly and claims them to be
paraphrases, 5) Turning in the same paper, even in a different version, for two different courses
without the permission of both professors involved. If a student is found to have committed one of
the above offenses, he/she will receive a failing grade on the assignment. Students should consult
the Student Handbook for a full description of breaches of academic integrity subject to disciplinary
action.
DISABILITY STATEMENT: If you are registered to receive accommodations for a disability, please discuss
them with the course instructor during the first week of class. You will need official documentation from Lloyd
Clark in the Wellness Center (x7074).
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~ Plan de curso ~
AGOSTO
Lección (para leer ANTES de clase)
23 lunes
25 miércoles
27 viernes
30 lunes
Para entregar
Introducción al curso
El mapa demográfico
“I am Joaquín” handout
Lección 1 : La presencia hispana en los Estados Unidos
Latinos en Los EE.UU. NM pp. 3-7
“El laberinto” y “El futuro del español en los EE. UU.”, NM
pp. 17-20
Composición breve, NM p.32
¿Quién soy y de dónde vengo?
Para comentar, NM p. 19
SEPTIEMBRE
1 miércoles
3 viernes
6 lunes
“Mareo Escolar,” NM pp. 21-23
Torres article (handout)
“La latinización de Estados Unidos,” NM pp. 30-31
César Chávez “The Organizer’s Tale” from Latino/a Thought
(handout)
Para comentar, NM p. 23
Exploración actividades,
NM p. 31
(elige una)
LABOR DAY – NO HAY CLASE
Las raíces de la literatura latina
Y no se lo tragó la tierra selecciones
8 miércoles
Mirar Chicano! History of the Mexican American
Civil Rights Movement
Lección 2: Los mexicanoamericanos
Las raíces de los mexicanoamericanos, NM pp. 30-43
10 viernes
Mirar Chicano! History of the Mexican American
Civil Rights Movement
Mirar Chicano! History of the Mexican American
Civil Rights Movement
13 lunes
15 miércoles
Examen 1
17 viernes
“Homenaje a los padres chicanos,” NM pp. 61-62
Bless Me, Ultima capítulos 1-3
18 sábado
3 Mini-presentaciones:
Música y comida chicana
(Festival Latino 7-11 Downtown
Lexington Courthouse Plaza)
(Festival Latino 5-11 Downtown Lexington Courthouse Plaza)
20 lunes
Bless Me, Ultima capítulos 4-10
22 miércoles
Mundos hispanos, NM pp.62-63
Bless Me, Ultima capítulos 11-15
24 viernes
Bless Me, Ultima capítulos 16-22
27 lunes
Mirar El norte
29 miércoles
Mirar El norte
3 Mini-presentaciones:
Chicanos famosos
4
OCTUBRE
1 viernes
Mirar El norte
4 lunes
Simulación: Vista de inmigración
6 miércoles
Simulación: Vista de inmigración
8 viernes
FALL BREAK – NO HAY CLASE
11 lunes
Día en la biblioteca
13 miércoles
Lección 5: La mujer y la cultura latina
“Iguales o diferentes?” NM pp. 200-205
15 viernes
Mirar Frida
18 lunes
Mirar Frida
20 miércoles
22 viernes
25 lunes
27 miércoles
29 viernes
Idea para el trabajo escrito
Para comentar, NM p. 205
Propuesta y bibliografía para el
trabajo escrito
“Kinsey Report No. 6” y “El eterno femenino: farsa”
NM pp. 212-219
The House on Mango Street selecciones
“Mujer y literatura en América Latina” NM 220-224
The House on Mango Street selecciones
Lección 3: Los puertorriqueños
NM pp. 73-78
“We Came Out of Prison Standing” from Latino/a
Thought (handout)
“La carta,” NM p. 82-83
Down These Mean Streets capítulos 1-3
Down These Mean Streets capítulos 4-13
Para comentar, NM pp. 224-225
Para comentar, A (Intercambio),
NM pp. 78-79
Para comentar y Para escribir, A,
NM p. 83
3 Mini-presentaciones:
Música y comida puertorriqueña
NOVIEMBRE
1 lunes
Down These Mean Streets capítulos 14-24
3 miércoles
Down These Mean Streets capítulos 25-35
5 viernes
Examen 2
8 lunes
10 miércoles
12 viernes
15 lunes
17 miércoles
Lección 4: Los cubanos y cubanoamericanos
NM pp. 103-108
“El Exilio: Nacional Security Interests and the Origins of the
Cuban Exile Enclave” from Latino/a Thought (handout).
Día de «peer-editing»
El lenguaje y la asimilación
Hunger of Memory NM 64-65
“My Graduation Speech” (handout)
“AmeRícan” (handout)
3 Mini-presentaciones:
Música y comida cubana
Primera versión del trabajo
escrito
Para comentar, NM p. 65
Segunda versión del trabajo
escrito
19 viernes
Día de «peer-editing»
22 lunes
Lección 6: Los dominicanos
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao capítulos 1-2
24 miércoles
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao capítulos 3-4
5
3 Mini-presentaciones:
Dominicanos famosos
26 viernes
THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO HAY CLASE
29 lunes
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao capítulos 5-6
DECIEMBRE
1 miércoles
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao capítulos 7-8
3 viernes
Presentaciones de los trabajos escritos
6 lunes
Presentaciones de los trabajos escritos
8 miércoles
Conversación y repaso para el examen final
Versión final del trabajo escrito
Final Exam: 13 de diciembre, 11:00am - 1:00pm
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