Spanish Course Content

*All courses taught in Spanish unless otherwise indicated.

SPANISH 100 - Intensive Spanish

An intensive introduction to the Spanish language that allows students to take two semesters in one. Ideal for anyone who has had some Spanish in high school and/or placed into First Semester Spanish on the placement exam with a high score. Note: All incoming students enrolling is a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and'or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages' website for more information). Offered every semester.
8.000 Credit hours
8.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 101 - First Semester Spanish

The first of a two-semester sequence designed specifically for students with no previous Spanish. Activities and tests designed to accommodate the early stages of language acquisition; grammatical structures and lexical items presented accordingly. Emphasizes the development of communication skills: the ability to comprehend native speakers of Spanish, to speak Spanish with them, to understand Spanish-language texts, and to communicate ideas in Spanish. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN 102. This course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement text. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Offered every semester.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 102 - Second Semester Spanish

The second of a two-semester sequence designed specifically for students with no previous Spanish. Activities and tests designed to accommodate the early stages of language acquisition; grammatical structures and lexical items presented accordingly. Emphasizes the development of communication skills: the ability to comprehend native speakers of Spanish, to speak Spanish with them, to understand Spanish-language texts, and to communicate ideas in Spanish. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN-201. This course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test.) Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Offered every semester. • Prerequisite: SPAN-101.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 195 - FYS: First-Year Seminar

An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Spanish.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 201 - Third Semester Spanish

A one-semester intensive review of the basic structures of Spanish. Class conducted in Spanish, with activities designed to practice and consolidate all language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Cultural readings to expand vocabulary, stimulate discussion, and broaden students' understanding of the Hispanic world. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and'or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Qualifying students who were raised speaking Spanish at home are not eligible to take this course and are required to take "Spanish for Bilinguals 1". (Please see the description for Spanish 221). Offered every semester. Cross-listed with LAS - 201. • Prerequisite: SPAN - 101-102.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 202 - Fourth Semester Spanish

Students continue to develop reading, speaking, and writing skills, and expand their active vocabulary. The readings (which explore economic development, education, environment, politics, and social institutions in Latin America) are the core of the course, serving as the basis for class discussion and essays and for the selective review of grammar. Students learn to read/write discipline specific content in preparation for upper level classes at USF or abroad. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement text. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Qualifying students who were raised speaking Spanish at home are not eligible to take this course and are required to take "Spanish for Bilinguals II" ). (please see the description for Spanish 222). Offered every semester. Cross-listed with: LAS - 202. • Prerequisite: SPAN - 101-102-201.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 206 - Confluences and Conflicts in the Hispanic/Latino World

This class seeks to strengthen students active skills in Spanish, particularly reading and writing. Students will engage various texts combining different disciplines such as aesthetic: film, fine arts, photography and literature; social sciences: history, sociology, economy, journalism and media studies; and humanities: philosophy and theology. The selected texts will examine the complexity of the Spanish-speaking world in all its geographical amplitude. A feature in this class will be the participation of guest speakers. • Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or SPAN 222.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 210 - Intensive Spanish in Puebla, Mexico

A four-week program designed for students who wish to acquire fluency in Spanish while being immersed in Mexican culture. The Program includes lectures, conversation hours and field trips that support language proficiency and are inspired by the University's mission of social justice. Offered in collaboration with Universidad Iberoamericana - Puebla and USF's Spanish and Latin American Studies Program. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN 202. Completion of this course is the equivalent of SPAN 201 (Third Semester Spanish) and will satisfy any USF program requiring three semesters of a foreign language.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 211 - Third Semester Spanish in Madrid

A four-week program designed for students who wish to acquire fluency in Spanish while being immersed in Spanish culture. The program includes lectures, conversation hours and field trips that support language proficiency and the opportunity to learn about the culture and history of Spain. Offered in collaboration with Universidad Pontificia Comillas and USF's Spanish and Latin American Studies programs. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN 202. Completion of this course is the equivalent of SPAN 201 (Third Semester Spanish) and will satisfy any USF program requiring three semesters of a foreign language.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 216 - Foreign Language Teaching Methodology

Required for all Spanish and French conversation tutors. While simultaneously teaching conversation sessions, students will specifically learn how to: identify issues underlying communicative language and task-based teaching,create well designed language learning activities that engage learners in communicative language learning tasks, sequence those tasks, apply appropriate language teaching terminology during class discussions, reflect about themselves as learners and teachers, and participate in intellectual discussions about second language acquisition and foreign language teaching issues. Course offered in English.             • Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or 222.
2.000 Credit hours
2.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 219 - Intermediate Spanish Conversation

Students expand vocabulary and develop proficiency by means of extensive conversation. May be repeated once for credit after an interval of one semester. Designed for native speakers of English. Offered every semester. • Prerequisite: SPAN - 101-102-201.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 220 - Spanish Conversation for Specific Disciplines: Psychology, Business, Health Science, Law

Conversation class for students in a particular discipline. Students will read Spanish-language articles and selections from books on topics specific to their field. In-class discussions and activities, individual presentations, quizzes (written and oral) on content and vocabulary. Discipline alternates. Offered intermittently.                          • Prerequisite: SPAN 201
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours     

SPANISH 221 - Spanish for Bilinguals I

Students will improve linguistic skills and increase exposure to academic Spanish. This may take the form of improving spelling, expanding vocabulary at formal registers, broadening the range of topics controlled in written and oral expression, and so forth. The readings (which explore health, education, politics, bilingualism, biculturalism and social institutions in Latin America) are the core of the course, serving as the basis for class discussion and essays and for the selective review of grammar. Completion of this course is the equivalent of Spanish 201 (Third Semester Spanish) and will satisfy any USF program requiring three semesters of a foreign language. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Qualifying students who were raised speaking Spanish at home are required to take this course and are not eligible to take Spanish 201. Offered Fall Semester only. • Prerequisite: Native speaking abilities, no junior high or high school study in a Spanish-speaking country, and placement into Spanis 201 (Third Semester Spanish) or permission from Spanish Language Coordinator.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 222 - Spanish for Bilinguals II

Students will continue improving their linguistic skills and increase exposure to more academic Spanish. This may take the form of improving spelling, expanding vocabulary at formal registers, broadening the range of topics controlled in written and oral expression, and so forth. The readings (which explore health, education, politics, bilingualism, biculturalism and social institutions in Latin America) are the core of the course, serving as the basis for class discussion and essays and for the selective review of grammar. Completion of this course is the equivalent of Spanish 202 (Fourth Semester Spanish) and will satisfy any USF program requiring four semesters of a foreign language. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placements test. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Qualifying students who were raised speaking Spanish at home are required to take this course and are not eligible to take Spanish 202. • Prerequisite: Native speaking abilities, no junior high or high school study in a Spanish-speaking country, and successful completion of or a waiver for Spanish 221 (Spanish for Bilinguals I) or permission from Spanish Language Coordinator. Offered Spring semester only.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 225 - Spanish and Spanish Speakers in the US, California and San Francisco (CD)

Who speaks Spanish in the US? What kind of Spanish do they speak? What does it mean to be a Spanish-speaker in the US/California/San Francisco - to a Spanish speaker and to an English speaker? We will examine historical realities, language varieties, and the relationships between language and identity, language and culture. Using sociolinguistic methods, we will explore a variety of contemporary social and political issues associated with the presence of Spanish and Spanish-speakers in the U.S., in California, and in San Francisco, among them language legislation and bilingual education. Sources include published book and articles, web resources, and community contacts. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 226 - Introduction to Spanish Translation

Reading and translation exercises highlight the multidimensional nature of text and the dynamic nature of reading while honing analytic skills. They encourage experimentation and contribute to the improvement of linguistic and intercultural skills. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 255 - Small, Round and Juicy: The Modern Hispanic Short Story

Our course will focus on the finest short stories written in Spanish over the last 100 years. The compression of the genre is particularly suited for the pace of modern life and has proved to be a favorite of such writers as Borges, García Márquez, Matute, and Cortázar, to name only a few. The primary goal of this course is to introduce students to the craft of close reading and the critical skills necessary for a nuanced understanding of culture in a complicated subject such as literature. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 301 - Building Bridges: ESL in the Spanish speaking Community (SL)

This Service Learning course is designed for Spanish majors and minors as well as for those interested in the Spanish speaking community living in the US, in the study of gender and immigration issues, in grassroots activism, and in the languages and cultures of Latin/o America. The class will work directly with different community organizations that focus on the Spanish-speaking community of San Francisco. Different service tasks include: tutoring, translation and labor advocacy. Class topics include: immigration in the US, problems of discrimination based on citizenship, sexuality, gender and ethnicity, collective and individual responses to such forms of oppression, and the role of education and the arts in challenging injustice. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 311 - Advanced Oral and Written Expression

Students will focus on oral and written expression through an introduction to specific text genres. In addition to a brief review of idiosyncratic structures and the construction of complex sentences, students will read brief texts representative of (primarily) non-literary genres: definition, summary, description, narration, exposition, meditative essay, and critical essay. These texts will serve as models for both written (short essays) and oral practice (the discussion of texts and the ideas presented in them). • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 312: Spanish Phonetics
The fundamental principles of phonetic analysis will be introduced in order to show how Spanish sounds are produced, how they fall into patterns and how they change in different environments. Students will learn concepts related to articulatory phonetics as applied to Spanish and to improve personal Spanish pronunciation via corrective exercises and introductory training in phonetic transcription. In addition to more practical aspects, students will have the opportunity to learn about other related issues involving the differences between Spanish-speaking dialects, sociolinguistics, and first and second language acquisition. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours

SPANISH 317 - Introduction to Spanish Linguistics

Overview of basic fields of linguistic analysis (syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics) and consideration of sub-fields (dialectology, bilingualism and biculturalism, language change). • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 325 - Language and Culture in Latin America/Spain (CD)

This course examines the languages and cultures of Meso- and South-America that were overlaid by Spanish. In addition to an overview of the languages and cultures themselves, students will explore such issues as (1) the relationship between language and culture, language and nation, (2) colonial policies concerning indigenous languages, (3) contemporary language policies, and (4) the endangerment of indigenous languages. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 331 - Introduction to the Analysis of Literary Texts

Students will focus on oral and written expression through an introduction to the analysis of literary texts. In addition to learning the Spanish-language terminology of literary analysis, students will read short works (poetry, short stories, dramatic texts), practice the concepts and techniques of analysis in class discussion, and write short essays on those texts. Offered every semester.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 333: Subversive Feminine Enjoyment in Latin American,Hispanic and Latino Film and Literature
In this class, after studying theories of adaptation from literature to film (Linda Hutcheon), we will analyze the representation of woman enjoyment in both, films adapted from literary works and the literary works themselves. We will assess how feminine enjoyment poses a challenge to the patriarchal mores that underpin Latin American societies. We will also discuss the manner such enjoyment is represented by both men and women writers and filmmakers. We will refer to psychoanalysis as a theoretical framework and will include texts by theoreticians from Latin America, such as Iris Zavala, Marta Traba and Sylvia Molloy, as well as others like Sigmund Freud, Slavoj Zizek, and Luce Irigaray. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206. 
4.000 Credit hours

SPANISH 335 - Twentieth Century Spanish-American Literature
Studies various attempts to define cultural identity and artistic expression in the work of the boom novelists, black poets, etc. Course given in Spanish. Offered intermittently. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 336 - Feminist Discourse and Feminist Theories in Latin American Literature

A study of novels, short stories, and poems by Latin American, Latino-Latina, and indigenous writers in the light of current theories of feminist criticism. Exploration of issues such as writing of desire and the body, revisionist readings and race, class and religion as they affect gender issues. Works are read and discussed in Spanish. Offered every Fall. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 337 - Love and Sex, Vengeance and Death: Honor in Early Spain

Ideas about honor and the values that reflect them are not static, changing over time. In this course we consider how such changes emerge in Iberian societies, converting a behavior or practice once thought honorable into one considered dishonorable, and elevating other behaviors to occupy the higher moral position.       • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 338 - The Invention of Spain: a Metamorphosis of the Modern

This course begins in the 19th Century during the last throws of a dying Spanish Empire. We will track Spanish literature and history through such extreme experience as foreign invasion, nationalism, dictatorships, civil wars, censorship and the (often exiled) avant guarde, finally ending with a remarkable return to the freedoms of democracy in the late 20th Century. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours 

SPANISH 340: The Word and the Image: Intersections between Photography and Literature in the Spanish Speaking World
The main objective of this course is to acquire a profound appreciation of the powerful ways in which aesthetic works engage culture and contribute to the formation of cultural identity. In this course we will seek an understanding of literature by alluding to the language of photography. The contrast between the word and the image is particularly revealing because the limitations of one illustrate the possibilities of the other. The class will include a workshop led by a professional photographer and end with a photo-essay exhibit of students work.                 • Prerequisite: SPAN 206. 
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 346: Evil in Latin American, Hispanic and Latino Literature: from the Caudillo to the Drug Dealer 
After carefully exploring notions of evil, particularly emerging from the Catholic ethos as well as from Modernity’s conception of this moral category, we will read closely literary works written in Spanish which feature diverse manifestations of “evil” as embodied by certain archetypal characters: the caudillo, the dictator and the criminal, as well as the marginalized subject. Our readings will be thematic and include texts from different period, including examples from the Spanish picaresque, as well as literature from the Latin American Boom and Post Boom. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 352: The Spanish Civil War Reimagined: Literature, Film and the Visual 
Studies the political stages of the war and its aftermath through literary and non-literary text, along with graphic and visual representations produced both during and after the war. The analysis of such historical artifacts we’ll allow us to identify key recurring topics, artistic figures and genres of the Spanish Civil War as seen through an artistic lens. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 355 - Cultural Studies of Spain

A social and cultural survey from Medieval Spain to the present, focusing on history, literature, music and the visual arts, including film. Works to be discussed will consider how cultural forces and significant figures have influenced contemporary Spain. Class sessions will be conducted in Spanish. • Prerequisite: SPAN - 310 or instructor approval.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 360 - Studies in Latin American Culture

This course combines historical, social, and artistic perspectives. Topic varies. Offered intermittently. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 375 - Border and Cultural Studies
Examines the representation of the U.S.-Mexican Border across different forms of cultural production (literature, film, music, performance and popular culture) from both sides of the border—by Chican@s/Mexican Americans, Mexicans, and residents of the border region—in both English and Spanish. • Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
4.000 Credit hours

SPANISH 380 - Cervantes: Spanish Major Course

The life and works of Cervantes, with emphasis on the Quixote. Class to be given in Spanish. Offered intermittently. • Prerequisite: SPAN - 310.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 390 - Special Topics

2.000 - 4.000 Credit hours
2.000 - 4.000 Lecture hours 

SPANISH 398 - Directed Reading and Research

The written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
1.000 - 4.000 Credit hours
1.000 - 4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 410 - Spanish Linguistics: Phonetics and Phonology

Recognition, description, and transcription of the sounds of Spanish; discussion of intonation, rhythm, pitch, and stress.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 412 - Special Topics in Linguistics

Topic varies: Spanish dialectology, bilingualism and biculturalism, language change, or contrastive linguistics. • Prerequisite: SPAN 317 or equivalent introduction to linguistics.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours

SPANISH 431 - Traces of Dante's Inferno in Hispanic Contemporary Literature

After a careful reading of Dante's Inferno students will engage the vast and foundational influence of this text in Latin American and Spanish literatures, including Juan de Mena's Laberinto de la fortuna, Valle Inclán's Luces de Bohemia, Juan Rulfo's Pedro Páramo, Borges's El Aleph, José Donoso's Lugar sin límites. To theoretically approach these textual conversations, students will study the concept of dialogism and intertextuality featured in Mikhail Bakhtin's Dialogic Imagination. Cross Listed With: SII - 413.
4.000 Credit hours
4.000 Lecture hours 

SPANISH 452 - Don Quixote
A close reading of both parts of this great (and first) novel: while considering a range of critical analysis of Cervantes’ originality and artistic mastery, as well as how the book has been portrayed across centuries and cultures, we will focus on why this masterpiece is still such a pleasure to read.
4.000 Credit hours.
4.000 Lecture hours