Last updated: July 24, 2015 @ 01:14PM

Hispanic and Latin American Studies

This program is offered through the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Chair
Carmela Colella

Academic Adviser
Liz Hay

General Information

Administrative Assistant
Cora Solway

905-688-5550, extension 3312
Mackenzie Chown A240
brocku.ca/modernlanguages

The Department aims to provide students with a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of spoken and written Spanish, its literatures, linguistics and cultures. In addition to the courses taught in the target language, the Hispanic and Latin American Studies program offers courses in culture, film and literature taught in English that are acceptable for credit toward the Hispanic and Latin American Studies degree. The Department also offers a series of courses taught in English (designated SCLC) that may be acceptable for credit toward a degree in Hispanic and Latin American Studies. Students are encouraged to participate in a study program in Latin America, Portugal or Spain.

Third-year Abroad

Students have the opportunity to study during their third year at a Spanish-speaking University. In addition to studying Spanish language, literature and culture, students may also take courses in Business, the Humanities, the Social Sciences and other areas. Students must apply in their second year and have credit in SPAN 1F90. In conjunction with programs offered by the International Services and Programs Abroad Office (brocku.ca/international-services).

Study in Latin America and Spain
Students should consult with the Department about other opportunities for intensive study abroad courses at different levels in Spain or Latin America.

One-Month Study Abroad
To enhance language skills and knowledge of culture, this program offers students an opportunity to study for a month in the summer in Latin America, Portugal or Spain. Students must consult the Department for information.

Participants may earn a credit in Portuguese or Spanish language from beginner to advanced as appropriate as well as one-half credit from SPAN 2V90-2V99.

Program Notes
  1. Students with two or more courses of high school Spanish or previous university Spanish credit take SPAN 1F90 and may not take SPAN 1F00 without permission of the Department. Permission is granted only in the most exceptional cases.
  2. Students without two or more courses of high school Spanish or equivalent in the language take SPAN 1F00.
  3. SPAN and PORT 1F00 are introductory language courses. Students who register in these courses must submit an official high school transcript to the instructor as proof of their level of competence in order to receive Departmental confirmation of registration before the end of the second week of classes (see Undergraduate Academic Calendar). Failure to do so will result in deregistration from the course.
  4. Unless otherwise noted in the course description, courses numbered 2(alpha)00 and above are taught in the language, while courses numbered 1F90 and below are taught in the language to the extent possible.
  5. SPAN 1F00 may be taken for degree credit, but cannot be used to meet requirements for major programs in Hispanic and Latin American Studies. However, SPAN 1F00 may be included in a minor program in Hispanic and Latin American Studies.
  6. SPAN 1F00, 1F90, 2P19 and 2P20 constitute a sequence. Once credit has been obtained in one of these courses, students are not allowed to take for credit a course in the language with a lower number in the sequence. Students may not take two courses at different levels in the sequence during the same term. This regulation also applies to courses taken at other institutions.
  7. Departmental courses noted as given in English may be included in major programs. Single Honours programs may include no more than two and one-half credits in such courses; single Pass programs may include no more than one and one-half credits in such courses; combined Pass programs may include no more than one credit in such courses. Combined Honours programs may include no more than one and one-half credits in such courses. If both combined Honours programs are chosen, from French Studies, Hispanic and Latin American Studies or Italian Studies, one and one-half credits in each language is allowed.
  8. A minor program may include no more than one-half SPAN credit given in English.
  9. PORT 1F00 or 1F90 recommended. Students with two or more years of high school Portuguese standing or previous university Portuguese credit take PORT 1F90 and may not take PORT 1F00 without permission of the Department. Permission is granted only in the most exceptional cases. Students without two or more years of high school Portuguese or equivalent in the language take PORT 1F00.
  10. In 20 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least three credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In 15 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In some circumstances, in order to meet university degree and program requirements, more than 15 or 20 credits may be taken.

Honours Program

In order to complete the single Honours program in Iberian and Latin American Studies in the normal four year period, students must supplement courses from other institutions in Canada, or preferably from a study abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country. Another option is to complete the program on a part-time basis.

Year 3
Year 3 is now closed

Year 4
·   One SPAN or SCLC credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above (see program note 7)
·   three SPAN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above (see program note 7)
·   one elective credit

Pass Program

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

Combined Major Program

Students may take a combined major in Hispanic and Latin American Studies and a second discipline. For requirements in the other discipline, the student should consult the relevant department/centre. It should be noted that not all departments/centres provide a combined major option.

Honours

Year 1
·   SPAN 1F90 (see program note 1)
·   one credit from the co-major discipline
·   one Sciences context credit
·   one Social Sciences context credit
·   one elective credit (see program note 9)

Year 2
·   SPAN 2P19 and 2P20
·   one SPAN or SCLC credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above (see program note 7)
·   two credits from the co-major discipline
·   one elective credit (see program note 9)

Year 3
·   Two and one-half SPAN or SCLC credits numbered 2(alpha)90 or above (see program note 7)
·   two credits from the co-major discipline
·   one-half elective credit

Year 4
·   Two and one-half SPAN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above (see program note 7)
·   two credits from the co-major discipline
·   one-half elective credit

Pass

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

Certificate Program

Certificate in Spanish Proficiency

This certificate is designed for non-native Spanish students seeking Spanish language proficiency in preparation for various professional endeavours. For all students this certificate represents a specialized language knowledge of Spanish. Not open to Spanish heritage or native speakers.

The Certificate in Spanish Proficiency is awarded upon completion of the following courses with a minimum 70 percent overall average:
·   SPAN 1F00, 1F90, 2P19, 2P20, 2P84, 3P92 and 3P93 (see program notes 1 and 2)
·   SPAN 3P98 or 4P01

Certificate in Spanish Proficiency for Native Speakers

This certificate is designed for native-speaking Spanish students seeking language proficiency in preparation for various professional endeavours. For all students this certificate represents a specialized language knowledge of Spanish. Not open to Spanish non-native speakers.

The Certificate in Spanish Proficiency for Native Speakers is awarded upon completion of the following courses with a minimum 70 percent overall average:
·   SPAN 1F90, 2P19, 2P20, 3P84, 3P92, 3P93 and 3P98 (see program notes 1 and 2)
·   SPAN 4P01 or 4P60
·   SCLC 3P80 or 4P80

Minor in Hispanic and Latin American Studies

Students in other disciplines may obtain a Minor in Hispanic and Latin American Studies within their degree program by completing the following courses with a minimum 60 percent average:
·   SPAN 1F90, 2P19 and 2P20
·   one SPAN credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above
·   one SPAN credit numbered 3(alpha)00 or above

Course Descriptions

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course
* Indicates primary offering of a cross listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

PORTUGUESE COURSES

PORT 1F00
Introductory Portuguese Language
Listening, reading, writing and speaking; emphasizing a communicative approach to learning Portuguese.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Note: for students with no background in Portuguese.

PORT 1F90
Intermediate Portuguese Language
Review of Portuguese grammar emphasizing written and oral practice. Introduction to Portuguese and Brazilian literary and cultural readings, as well as topics of current interest.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): PORT 1F00.
Note: for students with some background in Portuguese.

SPANISH COURSES

SPAN 1F00
Introductory Spanish Language
Intensive study of elements of Spanish grammar. Oral, written and reading practice. Selected readings and multimedia materials.
Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week; online component, 3 hours per week.
Note: for students with no background in the language. Closed to heritage and native speakers of Spanish. Offered in one term.

SPAN 1F90
Intermediate Spanish Language
Intensive Spanish grammar review. Strengthens oral and written skills. Introduction to literary and cultural materials from the Spanish-speaking world.
Lectures/seminar, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one Spanish language credit, two or more courses of high school Spanish language or permission of the Department.
Note: heritage and native speakers of Spanish must contact the Department prior to registration. Offered in one term.

SPAN 1P95
Conquest and Colonization
(also offered as INTC 1P95)
Introduction to Ancient American and Iberian civilizations and early Latin America through critical study of European colonialism and contestatory colonial agencies of Africans, Creoles, Native Americans, Mestizos and Europeans.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Note: given in English.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 1P95.

SPAN 2P10
Latin American Cultures Since Independence
(also offered as INTC 2P10)
Social, political and cultural history of the Latin American nations through text and images. Topics include cultural hybridization and identity.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Note: given in English.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained IBLA 2P10.

SPAN 2P11
Cultures of Spain and Portugal
(also offered as INTC 2P11)
Formation of Iberian cultures from medieval to modern times, in the contexts of social, political, religious, intellectual, literary, and artistic themes and developments. Topics may include multicultural and cross-cultural influences, diasporic identities, traditions, and innovations.
Note: given in English. Offered online.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 2P11.

SPAN 2P19
Language and Stylistics
Comprehensive grammar review emphasizing language structure, style and critical thinking through fiction and nonfiction texts. Focus on stylistic aspects of the language and provides the tools for textual analysis.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 2P19.

SPAN 2P20
Approaches to Literary Texts
Research methods and interpretation, current approaches to the study of literary genres and literary history applied to the literature of the Spanish-speaking world.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 2P20.

SPAN 2P82
Latin American and Iberian Film
(also offered as INTC 2P82)
Spanish and Latin American representations of identity crises involving issues of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion and politics. Pastiche, parody and camp aesthetics, and the envisioning of new possibilities of solidarity leading to social transformations.
Lectures, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.
Note: Spanish and Portuguese language films with English subtitles. Given in English.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 2P82.

SPAN 2P90
Culture and Nationhood in the Hispanic World
Interrelation of culture(s) and conceptions of nationhood within the framework of Spain-Latin American dynamics. Topics include interactions of European, Creole, Native and African peoples; official and unofficial management of multiethnic and multicultural societies.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN 2P19 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 2P90.

SPAN 2V90-2V99
Culture in Spanish- and Portuguese-Speaking Regions
Culture of a country or region in its geographical context. Background preparation research preceding an intensive study period on location. Course content will vary, depending on research interest of instructor.
Restriction: permission of the Department.
Note: students are expected to pay their own expenses.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 2V90-2V99.

SPAN 2V90
2015-2016: Em/bodying Trauma and Memory through Testimony
Examination of Argentinean testimonial genre in late 20th and 21st century focusing on physical and psychological embodiments of trauma and memory. Authors include Strejelivich, Timmerman, Verbitsky and Sillato in conjunction with new theoretical underpinnings in the genre.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Note: taught at Brock and in Buenos Aires. Students are expected to pay their own expenses.

SPAN 3P84
Diaspora Communities: Luso-Hispanic World
(also offered as INTC 3P84)
Interdisciplinary survey of Portuguese and Spanish communities in and outside US and Canada as expressed in written and/or oral literary texts; artistic representations. Topics may include legacy of the diasporas, role of the other, notion of foreignness, issues of language, identity, exile, assimilation and acculturation.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Note: given in English.

SPAN 3P90
Early Modern Spanish Literature and Culture
Themes and trends in 16th- and 17th-century Spanish drama, prose and poetry, evolution of a national theatre, picaresque, and birth of the modern novel. Film adaptations of key texts to aid comprehension and to consider performative culture.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 and 2P20 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in SPAN 3Q90.

SPAN 3P92
Grammatical Structures: Theory and Practice
Systematic study of complex grammatical structures that further develops linguistic competency acquired in SPAN 2P19. Syntactic analysis and principles. Concepts of semantics and style.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in SPAN 3Q92.

SPAN 3P93
Advanced Language and Discourse
Study of the Spanish language through the analysis of various genres of texts, stylistics and discursive features. Integration of literature, culture and film. Focus on critical thinking, interpretation and critical discourse analysis.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P20 or permission of the instructor.

SPAN 3P94
Iberian Narrative
Themes and narrative techniques that characterize the works of major 20th-century authors as well as contemporary Spanish and Portuguese authors.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 or 2P20 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 3P94.

SPAN 3P95
Contemporary Latin American Narrative
Multidisciplinary approach (historical, sociological, psychological, mythical) to the study of texts from different cultures and genres.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 or 2P20 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 3P95.

SPAN 3P97
Modern Spanish Literature and Culture
Crises of national identity in poetry and narrative; literary theories dealing with genre, conventions of romanticism, naturalism, realism in context of Iberian culture.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 and 2P20 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 3P97.

SPAN 3P98
Chronicle and Testimonial Writing
Historiography, collective memory versus official history, relation of past to future, oral history and its transcription into testimonial literature.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 or 2P20 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 3P98.

SPAN 3P99
Hispanic Linguistics
Overview of major trends and issues in Hispanic linguistics. Topics may include language variation and change, language contact, dialectology, sociolinguistics, text linguistics. Issues of research methodology for the various areas.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 3P99.

SPAN 4P01
Latin American Women's Perspectives
(also offered as INTC 4P01 and WGST 4P01)
Cultural production of Latin American women and their impact on society through a wide selection of media.
Lectures, seminar 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): WGST (WISE) 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Note: given in English.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA (WISE) 4P01.

SPAN 4P04
Translation: Applications
Translation theory and its applications in Spanish to English to Spanish. Lexical, morphological, syntactic and semantic interrelation between source text and target text; application of translation methodologies to a variety of texts in various fields.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 4P04.

SPAN 4P10
Readings in Medieval Iberian Narrative
Development of narrative traditions through the early 15th century and their historical contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 or 2P20 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 4P10.

SPAN 4P15
Imagining Identity in the Early Modern Hispanic World
Religious, political and cultural discourses employed in the construction of identities in the Hispanic world. May include gendered identities, definitions of Spanish Christian identity. Creole identities and counter identities, such as Converso, Morisco and Mestizo.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): SPAN (IBLA) 2P19 and 2P20 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in IBLA 4P15.

SPAN 4P60
Women in Hispanic Literature: Witches, Vampires and Virgins
(also offered as INTC 4P60 and WGST 4P60)
Depiction of women as monstrous or deviant. Authors include Carmen Boullosa, Alejandra Pizarnik and Rosario Ferré. Feminist literary theory of alterity (otherness).
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): WGST (WISE) 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Note: given in English.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in SPAN 4V60 and WISE 4P60.

SPAN 4P64
Island Narratives: Re-imagining Ibero-American Insular Worlds
Multidisciplinary approach to the study of the island imaginary. Concepts of insular narrative spaces and the Other, language, literature and cultural translatability, oral storytelling tradition, and emerging and emergent narrative identities.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): one SPAN (IBLA) credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
Note: given in English.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in SPAN 4V64.

SPAN 4V60-4V69
Special Research Topics
Course content may vary, depending on research interests of instructor.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): two SPAN (IBLA) credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade or credit obtained in IBLA 4V60-4V69.

SPAN 4V66
2015-2016: Diaspora/Diasporas: Cross-cultural Texts and Context
Critical approaches to 'diaspora-space' and 'diaspora-times' in the formation of narrative identity across travel writing (diaries, chronicles, letters) autobiographies, and oral narrative discourse. Diasporic parameters focus on Ibero-Afro/Latin America.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): one SPAN (IBLA) credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.

INTERNSHIP COURSE

SPAN 3F80
Im/migrant and Community Outreach Internship
Examination of the Hispanic im/migrant experience. Promotes community engagement as a medium for linguistic fluency and cultural understanding with career-oriented volunteer experience.
Lectures, 1 hour per week; 60 volunteer/experience hours.
Note: students will be placed with community organizations and agencies (placement abroad may be available). Students will be required to provide their own transportation and prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation (in consultation with professor). Open to students interested in pursuing various internships in areas of intercultural relations and international professionalization in various fields depending on the student's linguistic background.