INTRODUCTION TO HISPANIC LITERATURES AND CULTURES

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduction to Hispanic Literatures & Cultures is a practical introduction to the analysis and explication of Spanish language literary texts. The course will help develop students' critical reading skills, as well as the ability to articulate judgments, feelings and opinions; to establish a point of view and to argue it effectively. In addition, this course is designed to introduce students to a variety of genres, regions and periods of Spanish language literature, providing a general background that will allow the student to pursue more advanced courses in the field. The class will be taught 100% in Spanish.

SYLLABUS

Copy of ROSP 30310 Syllabus SP20

SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS

ROSP 30310 Quiz1.docx

Quiz I

Quiz covers literary terminology relating to prose
Some basic literary theory concepts
Short Argumentative Essay

Short Analysis II (Poetry)

One of five required short analyses assignments for the course
Students complete one for prose, two for poetry, one for theater, and one for film.
This was formerly a hard-copy assignment which was transitioned to Word then to Google Forms for efficiency and flexibility.
Assignment requires students to analyze the text in question in the following ways:
1. Formal analysis of poem (rhyme, rhythm, etc.)
2. Thematic analysis
3. Intertextual connections and analysis
4. Interpretation using textual evidence/close reading

Peer Review Form (Extra Credit Assignment)

Google Form for Peer Review of Final Essays
Students submit this as an extra credit assignment to help strengthen their final essays and encourage the practice of peer review at the early stages of upper division coursework in literary studies. 90% of students choose to complete the peer review assignment. This assignment is required in my courses beyond this level.
Students are walked through three forms (Basic Grammar, Intensive Grammar/Diction, Content) to review the paper in question for a specific set of issues.
Students give comments on the Google Doc and follow the steps in the Google Form to complete the review.
The form serves as a record of review performed and credit for work.

Participation self-assessment

Google Form for midterm and final participation self-assessment
Form is set up like a survey and generates a report for each student.
Student is asked to reflect on their participation in class using prompts. This assessment is given at midterm and at the conclusion of the semester.
The assignment is designed to help students reflect on their practices in class and illustrate areas where they could improve during the second half of the semester.
The assignment helps students set concrete goals for improvement.
At the conclusion of the semester, students are given the survey again in a modified form and are asked if they met their goals for participation and in what ways.

ROSP 30310 SP20 Final Essay Guidelines and Rubric.pdf

Final Essay Guidelines and Rubric

Students compose a 6-8 page research paper over the course of the semester which is either comparative or critical in nature. This document outlines the assignment requirements and helps students form research questions and decide on a topic. Students work closely with me throughout the semester to ensure that they are progressing on their project.

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT WORK

Group Theater Project

Students complete a unit on theater in Introduction to Hispanic Literatures and Cultures. They are assigned a group project to interpret one act from Federico García Lorca's acclaimed play, La casa de Bernarda Alba. These acts are normally performed live in class. However, this semester after the transition to virtual instruction due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students creatively interpreted their performances via Zoom. They used wonderful creativity to bring this play to life using technology to cross four time zones and give a live performance online. Below is an excerpt of one performance.

Short Analysis I (Prose)

Example of a completed short analysis form in Google Forms for the first unit of the course on prose. This particular example analyzes Julio Cortazar's well-known short story, La noche boca arriba.

Short Analysis 1 (Prose) - Google Forms_Redacted.pdf

Midterm Participation Self-assessment

Example of a completed midterm participation self-assessment in which the student has filled out the form and reflected on his/her practices in class while setting goals for the second half of the semester.

ROSP 30310 SP20 Self-Report on Class Participation - Google Forms_Redacted.pdf

Final Essay

Students compose a 6-8 page paper for their final project focusing on one or more of the literary texts we analyze in class. This can be a comparative or critical analysis. Students complete a close reading and thorough analysis of the text in question over the course of the semester and seek secondary sources to substantiate their research. This project teaches students the steps to carrying out research in literary studies, how to propose a paper, how to write a bibliography, how to write a short literature review, and how to conduct a literary analysis with close reading and textual evidence.

Spanish final final.docx

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