Lehman College of the City University of New York

Spring 2021

Class days and times: Mondays and Wednesdays, 16:30-17:45

Location: Online (zoom)

Office Hours: By appointment

Email: jplanascabreja AT gradcenter.cuny.edu

Course Description (Undergraduate Bulletin)

3 hours, 3 credits. Introduction to reading, discussion and analysis of literary texts in Spanish. Course taught in Spanish. Pre-requisite SPA202 or 204 or Departmental Consent.

About this course

SPA 300 is an introduction to illustrative styles, movements, writers and cultural expressions in Latin America and Spain. It focuses on basic themes in twentieth and early twenty-first century Latin American fiction, especially the short story. Students will read and respond to issues related to twentieth and early twenty-first century Latin American fiction. Secondary sources will be consulted during class activities and as part of the written and oral assignments. There will be close reading of texts, and group discussions.

This is an open pedagogy course as the professor will provide students with a digital and free version of all the required materials.

Course Materials

Required text:

Heras León, Eduardo: Los desafíos de la ficción:(técnicas narrativas). La Habana, Cuba: Casa Editorial Abril: Centro de formación literaria Onelio Jorge Cardoso, 2002.

(The free digital copy of the book will be available on Blackboard).

Placement in this course

SPA 300 requires having taken more than two years of Spanish: either SPA 202 or an equivalent transferred from another institution or having been placed through the department’s placement test. It requires an advanced level of Spanish.

Course Objectives

Each student will be expected to:

Read literary works originally written in Spanish.

• Read texts about literature in Spanish written for the general public.
• Write about one page every week and a six-page final essay.
• Engage in oral class discussions on the readings.

By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

• Read advanced literary and academic texts.
• Write complex text about cultural and aesthetic issues.

Elaborate critical analyses of literature.

• Explain literary and cultural topics in Latin America and Spain.
• Produce oral presentations and papers following the norms of MLA.