FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Department of Modern Languages

 

Spanish American Literature

SPW 3130

Spring 2008

 

Syllabus

 

Prof. Zoila Clark

zclark01@fiu.edu

Office Hours: F: 4:00pm-5:00pm (DM495)

 

 

Goals and Objectives

The course aims to give an overview of the major trends in Spanish American literature from the time of discovery and conquest to the 20th century and to introduce students to the diverse literary forms of that tradition. Through a close reading of selected texts, we will focus on problems of literary analysis as well as on the development of Spanish American writing within its historical context.

 

Required Texts

Raquel Chang Rodriguez and Malva Filer, eds. Heinle Voices: Selecciones literarias en español, 2006 (FlU Bookstore).

 

Recommended Texts (FlU Library):

Carlos Fuentes, El espejo enterrado/The Buried Mirror (Set of videos on 5th floor of the Green Library).

Jean Franco, An Introduction to Spanish American Literature

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

 

Grade

15% Attendance/Participation/Classwork/Web                               

15% Oral Report using Power Point                                                                      

45% 3 Exams in class                                                                      

25% Final Paper (5-6 pp)                                                 

 

Course Requirements

ATTENDANCE: Attendance is required and is included in the final grade.

 

CELLPHONES OFF during the class period.

 

BULLETIN BOARD: Every week before the class, students will have to post a one-paragraph personal commentary on each of the works to be discussed in class. Postings will be done via the course bulletin board (FORO DE DISCUSIÓN). With the only exception of the first author (Cristóbal Colón), no commentaries will be accepted after the works have already been discussed in the class.

 

ORAL REPORT: Students will give a brief oral report (about 10 minutes) to the class using either MS Power Point or transparencies. Topics will be assigned by the professor based on the daily assignments.

  

TESTS: Scheduled tests per syllabus. NO MAKE-UP TESTS. A missing test means "0" in 15% of the final grade (i.e. an average of 100/100 in the course (A+) would turn into a B if one of 3 the tests is missing, a B will turn into a C, and so on and so forth). Tests will consist of 2-3 page essays about the literary works covered in class during the previous week. Expect general questions asking you to compare several (if not all) of those works. -- NO MAKE-UP TEST.

 

FINAL PAPER: Topics to be either chosen by the student or assigned by the professor. Final paper due MONDAY, JUNE 18. There will be a grace period of one class meeting immediately following the official due date. However, papers turned in during the grace period will be subject to an automatic one-step reduction of grade (e.g., a grade of A will become an A-). No papers will be accepted after the deadline.

 

 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

 

CLASS 1: JAN 11th

 

  Introduction: Spanish American literature: An overview

 

"La configuración del mundo hispanoamericano: las raíces, la colonia, la independiencia"

Cristóbal Colón, "Carta a Luis Santángel"

 

CLASS 2: JAN 18th

 

From Discovery to Independence

 

Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España

Hernán Cortés, Cartas de relación

 

CLASS 3: JAN 25th

 

From Discovery to Independence (cont'd)

 

Bartolomé de Las Casas, Historia de las Indias

El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Comentarios reales

 

CLASS 4: FEB 1st

 

From Discovery to Independence (cont'd)

 

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Respuesta de la poetisa a la muy ilustre Sor Filotea de la Cruz, "Hombres necios que acusáis," "Este que ves engaño colorido"

José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, El Periquillo Sarniento

 

CLASS 5: FEB 8th

The 19th Century: Romanticism

 

"Búsqueda de la emancipación cultural (1825-1882)"

 

Esteban Echeverría, "El matadero"

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Facundo

 

CLASS 6:  FEB 15th

 

EXAM 1: Colón, Cortés, Díaz del Castillo, Las Casas, Garcilaso de la Vega

 

CLASS 7: FEB 22nd

 

The 19th Century: Realism, Naturalism, and 'Modernismo'

 

"La realidad americana y la renovación literaria (1882-1910)"

 

José Martí, Versos sencillos, Nuestra América

Rubén Darío, "Sonatina," "El cisne," "A Roosevelt," "El velo de la reina Mab"

 

FINAL PAPER PROPOSAL DUE

 

CLASS 8: FEB 29th

 

The 20th Century

 

"Continuidad y ruptura: hacia una nueva expresión (1910-1960)"

César Vallejo, "Los heraldos negros," "Voy a hablar de la esperanza," "Piedra negra sobre una piedra blanca"

Pablo Neruda, "Poema 20," "Walking Around," "Alturas de Macchu Picchu," "Oda a los calcetines"

 

CLASS  9: MAR 7th

 

EXAM 2: Sor Juana, Lizardi, Echeverría, Sarmiento, Martí, Darío, Vallejo y Neruda

                  

CLASS 10: MAR 14th

 

The 20th Century (cont'd)

             

Jorge Luis Borges, "Borges y yo," "El sur"

           

CLASS 11: MAR 28th

 

The 20th Century (cont'd)

"Consolidación y expansión (1960-)"

Carlos Fuentes, "Chac Mool"

           

CLASS 12: APR 4th

 

Julio Cortázar, "La noche boca arriba";  "Continuidad de los parques" 

 

 

CLASS 13: APR 11th

Gabriel García Márquez, "Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes"

Isabel Allende, “El palacio imaginado” de Cuentos de Eva Luna

 

CLASS 14: APR 25 th

EXAM 3: Borges, Fuentes, Cortázar, García Márquez

 

FINAL PAPER DUE