Courses for Fall 2021 | Hispanic Studies

  • Preliminary Examination Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.

    HISP 2970 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Graduate Thesis Prep

  • Thesis Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.

    HISP 2990 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Graduate Thesis Prep

  • Introduction to Professional Translation and Interpretation

    What is translation? Interpretation? What roles do the translator and interpreter play in communication? What skills and kinds of knowledge are needed to develop competency in translation and interpretation as professional/community services? What factors shape how a text is translated (e.g., purpose, intended audience, type and genre, intercultural differences)? What is the role of translation in advancing language competence and proficiency? Through a functionalist approach, students advance their mastery of Spanish and develop translation competence. In addition to academic work (readings, translation assignments, and in-class exercises), students will also gain practical experience working with Spanish-speaking clinics and community organizations.

    HISP 0710E S01
    Primary Instructor
    Schuhmacher

  • Basic Spanish

    This fast-paced beginning course provides a solid foundation in the development of communicative skills in Spanish (speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing) as well as some insight on the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Individual work outside of class prepares students for in-class activities focused on authentic communication. Placement: students who have never taken Spanish before, or have scored below 390 in SAT II, or below 240 in the Brown Placement Exam. Students who have taken Spanish before and those with an AP score of 3 or below must take the Brown Placement Exam. Students should check Placement and Course Description in the Undergraduate Program section of the Hispanic Studies Website. Enrollment limited to 18; 15 spaces are available for students during pre-registration. 3 spaces will be available at the start of the semester for incoming or re-admitted students who should attend the first class. Pre-enrolled students must attend the first four days of class to maintain their pre-registered status and notify the instructor in advance if they must miss any day before the 4th class when the composition of the course section is finalized.

    HISP 0100 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Sobral
    HISP 0100 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Sobral
    HISP 0100 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Sobral
    HISP 0100 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Sobral

  • Intermediate Spanish I

    This course involves about 14-15 hours of work/week). It carries on the work initiated in HISP0110-100-200 to develop and strengthen students’ linguistic, communicative, academic, and multicultural competencies. It continues to focus on the integration of grammar, vocabulary, and discourse work to advance competence and proficiency in Spanish and to support further development of communication in all the modalities. This course is framed by an inclusive perspective on learning and embraces diverse identities and communities in the Hispanic World. It fosters a community of learning among students and offers a variety of texts, themes, and topics related to students’ academic and life experiences that also help them develop professional skills. Enrollment is limited to 15.

    Pre-requisite: either HISP 0200, HISP 0110, or placement: SAT II scores between 460 and 510, or Brown Placement Exam scores between 341 and 410. Students with an AP score of 3 or below must take the Brown Placement Exam. Pre-enrolled students must attend the first four days of class to maintain their pre-registered status and notify the instructor in advance if they must miss any day before the 4th class when the composition of the course section is finalized.

    HISP 0300 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Schuhmacher
    HISP 0300 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Schuhmacher

  • Intermediate Spanish II

    A continuation of HISP 0300. This course continues to develop and strengthen students’ linguistic, communicative, academic, and multicultural competencies. It focuses on content and language integration and creates opportunities to use the language in interdisciplinary scenarios related to diverse academic experiences. Through engaging texts, themes, and topics students will interact with a contemporary view of Hispanic cultures from an inclusive perspective. Enrollment is limited to 15.

    Prerequisite: HISP 0300 or placement: SAT II scores between 520 and 590 or Brown Placement Exam scores between 411 and 490. Students with an AP score of 3 or below must take the Brown Placement Exam. Students should check Placement and Course Description in the Undergraduate Program section of the Hispanic Studies Website. Pre-enrolled students must attend the first four days of class to maintain their pre-registered status and notify the instructor in advance if they must miss any day before the 4th class when the composition of the course section is finalized.

    HISP 0400 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Gomez Garcia

  • Advanced Spanish I

    Offers comprehensive work in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with targeted grammar review. Students work with a variety of readings (literature, newspaper articles, etc.) and with art forms such as music and film, in order to develop oral and written expression and to explore issues relevant to the Hispanic world. Students explore topics of their own interest through student-led activities and presentations. Prerequisite: HISP0400 or placement: SAT II scores between 600 and 660, Brown Placement Exam scores between 491 and 570, or AP score of 4 in language or literature. Please check Hispanic Studies website (Undergraduate Programs) for course descriptions and placement information. Enrollment limited to 18; 15 spaces are available for students during pre-registration. 3 spaces will be available at the start of the semester for incoming or re-admitted students who should attend the first class. Pre-enrolled students must attend the first four days of class to maintain their pre-registered status and notify the instructor in advance if they must miss any day before the 4th class when the composition of the course section is finalized.

    HISP 0500 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Barja Cuyutupa
    HISP 0500 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Barja Cuyutupa

  • Advanced Spanish II

    Offers continued, advanced-level work in speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, with focused review of challenging aspects of Spanish grammar. Course materials include films, music, art works, and a variety of written texts (articles, stories, plays, a novella, etc.) chosen to promote class discussion and in-depth written analysis. There will be individual and group activities, including in-class presentations and creative writing projects. Prerequisite: HISP0500 or placement: SATII scores between 670 and 740, Brown Placement Exam scores between 571 and 650, or AP score of 5 in language. Please check Hispanic Studies website (Undergraduate Programs) for course descriptions and placement information. Enrollment limited to 18. Pre-enrolled students must attend the first four days of class to maintain their pre-registered status and notify the instructor in advance if they must miss any day before the 4th class when the composition of the course section is finalized. Students with scores of 750 and above on the SAT II, 551 on the Brown Placement Exam, or 5 in AP Literature should consider offerings in the HISP 0730-0740-0750 range.

    HISP 0600 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Barja Cuyutupa
    HISP 0600 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Barja Cuyutupa
    HISP 0600 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Barja Cuyutupa

  • Advanced Spanish Through Literature & Film

    Este curso sirve como una introducción a la literatura y la cultura del mundo hispanohablante, y a las prácticas de la lectura crítica y la escritura analítica. HISP 0650 no sólo provee un panorama histórico y contextualizado de la literatura en español, sino que también aporta estrategias de leer, pensar, y escribir sobre textos literarios y cine, preparando el/la estudiante para cursos más avanzados de literatura y cultura. A lo largo del semestre, se realiza un repaso de gramática a nivel avanzado para aclarar dudas y fortalecer el español hablado y escrito de cada estudiante.

    HISP 0650 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Martinez-Pinzon
    HISP 0650 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Lara Granero

  • Intensive Survey of Spanish Literature

    This course provides students an overview of the major authors and movements in Spain’s literature from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. It teaches students to close-read and engage critically with individual texts and their literary, historical, and social conditions of production. Throughout, we will interrogate canon formation, examine the literary construction of the self and the nation, and analyze the reflection – and creation – of culture in literature. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: HISP 0600, or AP score =5, or SAT II (Literature) score of 750 or above, or Brown placement score of 651 or above.

    HISP 0740 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Thomas

  • Spanish for Health Care Workers

    This course is designed to provide students with the linguistic and cultural competencies necessary to communicate with and help treat Spanish speaking patients with limited English. The course includes a general review of pertinent grammar and vocabulary relating to the health care professions, assessment, and vocabulary useful for establishing patient rapport. Students will practice communicating in common medical situations, conducting patient interviews, and increase their understanding of possible responses from patients. We will broaden knowledge of different cultures, explore health care systems/ professions in a variety of settings, and have pertinent speakers invited to class.

    Please note this course does not qualify as a pre-requisite for study abroad or for HISP 0600. Students who complete 0490A successfully can continue in our program with HISP 0500 as the next level. This is an intermediate level language course so if you have taken a 600 course or above, you will be too advanced for this 400 level class.

    HISP 0490A S01
    Primary Instructor
    Kuhnheim

  • Hispanic Culture Through Cinema

    This course will examine eleven cinematic works of the contemporary Hispanic world (Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and the USA) from 1999 until 2012. We will focus on the cultural, thematic, technical and aesthetic aspects of the films, as well as on their socio-historical and political context. Every movie will be discussed in class integrating sociological, historical, political and aesthetic contexts, as well as a critical analysis of the film as artistic expression. This is a course also designed to improve students’ speaking abilities while learning about Hispanic cultures and cinema. FYS

    HISP 0710B S01
    Primary Instructor
    Vaquero

  • Borges y la Literatura Fantástica

    La literatura fantástica explora las dimensiones de lo extraño, lo maravilloso y lo raro. Borges introdujo, en español, la tradiciòn de lo fantástico, que se remonta a Poe, Lovecraft y Kafka, y que después de Borges, prosigue en los cuentos de Cortázar, Garcia Márquez y Carlos Fuentes. Paralelamente al canon fantástico, su poética del lenguaje como matriz de la mera realidad, emparenta con la suficiencia de la poesía en la ensayística de Maria Zambrano; y con la poética de José Maria Eguren, Jorge E. Eielson y Xavier Villaurrutia. Su noción del relato fantástico dialoga con las prosas de Luis Loayza, Juan José Arreola y César Aira.

    HISP 1331K S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ortega

  • Authorship and Authoritarianism in Spain and Latin America

    This course examines responses to authoritarianism in contemporary Spanish and Latin American literature, using the particular cases of recent dictatorships in Spain (Francisco Franco, 1939-1975) and Chile (Augusto Pinochet, 1973-1990) as a focus. Alongside novels and a play dealing with dictatorship and its aftermath, we will read theoretical texts that offer varied approaches to history, literature, aesthetics, and politics. Throughout, we will examine the complex relationship between authority, authoritarianism, and authorship in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, asking how dictatorship is (not) narrated and how we can read narratives emerging from contexts of repression and state terror. In Spanish.

    HISP 2620O S01
    Primary Instructor
    Thomas

  • Critical Readings in Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican Literature

    This course traces the emergence and evolution of nationalist expression in literary and political texts from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Beginning with early anti-colonial and nation-building writing, we focus particularly on the idea of the island in articulations of national culture. We address key figures in the intellectual history of the Caribbean; essays, novels and poetry from the nineteenth-century to the twenty-first; and recent critical and theoretical work on the Spanish Caribbean. Weekly topics include the intersection of race and nationalism; exile and migration; and transnational ties to the broader Caribbean, the U.S. and Latin America. This course is for graduate students only.

    HISP 2520Q S01
    Primary Instructor
    Whitfield

  • The History of Wonder in Colonial Spanish American Lettres

    The notion of wonder (asombro, maravilla) played a determining role in the Spanish and Creole writings of the Spanish American colonial period. The volatile aesthetic of wonder raises and implicates such important issues as otherness, exoticism, category crisis, and identity formation. A studies course examining the role of wonder in New World historiographic and literary writings of the 16th and 17th centuries.

    HISP 2350H S01
    Primary Instructor
    Merrim

  • War, Revolution and the Cult of the Hero in Latin American Culture

    This course will tackle the literary underpinning of war and revolution in order to scrutinize its powers. The discourse on war does not originate ex nihilo but recycles and appropriates narratives of the nation, the State or a given region depending on the specificities of each given war. Starting with Bolivar’s “Decreto de Guerra a Muerte”, passing through literary renditions of civil wars, continuing with guerrilla warfare texts, all the way to narratives on the War on Drugs, this course will question the ways in which war and revolution are made through language and staged in literature. Taught in Spanish.

    HISP 1330W S01
    Primary Instructor
    Martinez-Pinzon

  • Learning & Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language

    This course provides practicing and prospective teachers of Spanish as a second language (L2) with an introduction to the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and its application to language teaching methodology and pedagogy, with a specific focus on the teaching of Spanish. In addition to the theoretical discussion, there is a significant practical component to the course so you can start (or continue) to develop skills and materials for your own work as an instructor at Brown University and beyond.

    HISP 2990A S01
    Primary Instructor
    Sobral

  • Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Speakers

    Heritage speakers of Spanish are students who understand and speak Spanish to some degree but have not yet had formal education in Spanish. This course is specifically for students who already possess intermediate communicative skills and can communicate effectively in their home and community. This course is designed to validate, strengthen and expand the previous linguistic and cultural knowledge students bring to the classroom. Through a variety of authentic materials, students will explore issues of identity, linguistic rights, equality, and social justice, while developing their Spanish range to include formal registers, and honing their oral communication, reading and writing skills.

    HISP 0550 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Gomez Garcia

  • Haunting Childhood and Social Justice in Latin America (LACA 1505A)

    HISP 1331N S01

  • Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Hispanophone Caribbean Literature

    The Hispanophone Caribbean has created a vibrant literary and more broadly artistic catalogue through which to think formations of race, gender, and sexuality in the afterlife of racial slavery and under duress of colonial structures. In this course, we focus on 20th- and 21st-century Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban literary, poetic, and cinematic material within a series of historical contexts and theoretical frameworks.

    We ask how Hispanophone Caribbean literature and art portray and theorize racial, gendered, and sexual life in relation to historical and contemporary structures of power. What linguistic and artistic techniques do Hispanophone Caribbean literature and art use to reflect on and render queer and trans life more livable? What are the possibilities and limits of these linguistic and artistic techniques?

    All readings are in English translation. A playlist featuring queer and trans Caribbean artists complements the course.

    HISP 1331M S01
    Primary Instructor
    Hernandez-Acosta