Syllabus for Spanish 552, Winter 2010

Spanish 552
Winter 2010
Prof. R. Haidt
Office: Hagerty 256
Email r.haidt@gmail.com (best)

Course objective: Introduction to Spanish literature of the 18th to 21st centuries. We will discuss movements and tendencies such as “Neoclasicismo,” “Romanticismo,” and “Naturalismo.” We will cover the meanings of terms such as “Generación del 98” and “Guerra Civil.” Emphasis will be placed on discussion and analysis of the texts, and on written interpretation of the works and/or tendencies studied.

Course mechanics:
*Students are required to come to class prepared, to attend class, and to participate actively in class discussions in a constructive way.
*Students must have assigned readings either begun or completed (as noted in the syllabus) before coming to class on the day for which the readings are assigned.
*Students are required to come to class on time. “Late” is defined as arrival 10 minutes or more after class begins. More than three late arrivals will result in a lowering of the final grade. You are responsible for getting, from fellow class members, notes and material you may have missed by being late. You are responsible for knowing the material that you may have missed due to late arrival.
*Absences beyond two will require official written documentation of legitimate absence (e.g. coach’s note, athletic meet, ROTC, out of town job interview, etc.).
*“Participate” means be prepared, alert, attentive, and a friendly, constructive and active contributor to class discussion. Keep in mind that if you arrive late, you are not participating in the way that those who were there for the whole time are participating. Be part of the team and arrive on time.
*“Prepared” means that you have looked up words you don’t understand in the reading, taken notes on your reading and in class (if that helps you), and reflected on what you’ve read, heard and seen. It means you arrive to class with the materials assigned for the day, and that you come with questions and comments about that reading. Please push yourself to try to enter the worlds of these books and characters and ideas.
*Written work:
Papers:
---Students will write two 4-page (two 4-page) double-spaced printed/typed papers in Spanish, with 1” margins and with 12 point font. These papers are to analyze works discussed in class, and are to be original, coherent, clearly-argued analyses or interpretations of the works discussed. They are to present an argument supported by evidence drawn from the texts. These papers are not to be plot summaries, long rehashings of dialogue/action, superficial musings, vague ramblings, or book reports.
---Do not plagiarize previously-written papers, copy/repeat others’ ideas, or cut/paste material from the web. Do not turn in or superficially revise, for re-submission, papers you have already written for another course.
---If you cite from texts other than the source texts, please prepare an accompanying bibliography or list of works cited.
Spanish 552 Winter 2010 Prof. R. Haidt Syllabus Page Two


---My preference is that you NOT go to the web to look up or cite information for these papers. We have a fabulous library and great databases—use the reference sections and librarians to help you find secondary sources!
--My expectation is that in your written work you will speak in your own words, with your own original thinking, formulating a coherent and well-constructed argument that is supported by evidence you have found through your own careful reading and consideration. Part of the point of these papers is for you to practice thinking and writing in Spanish—in YOUR Spanish, from YOUR brain.
---Make sure you check your work before you turn it in for superficial or careless errors, such as adjectives not matching the nouns they modify with respect to gender or number; spelling errors; etc. You will get graded down for careless errors that can be fixed by using spellcheck, checking the dictionary and remembering simple grammatical rules such as masculine nouns take masculine adjectives; singular subjects take singular conjugations of verbs; etc.
---I do not correct all the careless errors throughout a paper, if they are repeated. Generally, the errors for which the paper is graded down are marked on the first page, with the note that similar errors are recurring through the rest of the paper.
---I do grade down for superficial or lazy thinking, weak argumentation, incoherence, and lack of evidence. In other words, for for a paper that shows that you “phoned it in” (so to speak) or did not do the work needed to make it effective.
---I do give you the opportunity to re-write papers and improve them. For rewrites, I will require that you meet with someone in the Spanish Writing Center to get help on syntax, semantics and corrections. I may also require that you make other changes in improving the argument, in upping the quality of evidence, in making your phrasing or idea clearer, etc. If you have met with those in the Spanish Writing Center, and if the paper is improved after the re-write, and depending on the degree of improvement, I will make changes accordingly in the grade.
---LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Online:
*Blog meditations: On the class blog (http://profesorahaidtspanish552.blogspot.com/) you are required to register as an author, so that you might submit weekly “meditations” in the comments. These meditations can be in English or Spanish.
---On seven Fridays starting on January 15, you are to submit a meditation of at least 150 words on your ideas, reactions, thoughts, etc. concerning what we are reading in class. Dates for submission are noted in the syllabus. There are 30 people in the class, plus me (I will submit a meditation too), so that will make 31 meditations we all are responsible for reading and thinking about, each of these weekends.
---Your meditations should be on the works we are reading; on what they stimulate in your brain in terms of connections, ideas, realizations. If you have an idea about a character, or are fascinated by something an author wrote or did stylistically, write about it! If what we’ve read reminds you of something else you have read, do a comparative

Spanish 552 Winter 2010 Prof. R. Haidt Syllabus Page Three

meditation. Or write about an image or a movie related to the reading. You get the idea.
---This is required work that will be graded as satisfactory/unsatisfactory and will be credited (or not) as a percentage within the overall final grade.

*Blog discussions: The blog is there to serve as a forum for other kinds of discussions having to do with the material we’re covering in class. If you wish to respond to or build on someone else’s comment or meditation, and get into a discussion about something, that’s great!
---Comments and participation on the blog should be germane to the subject matter and class topic, respectful, non-inflammatory, constructive, and non-trollish.

*In-class work: There will be in-class exercises that involve group discussion, writing, reading and speaking throughout the quarter. Active participation in Spanish is required.

*No laptaps, Blackberries, iphones, ipods etc. in class. No dictionaries or notes for consultation in examinations.

*There will be a midterm examination, and a final examination. I will hand out review guides before each examination.

*Note that class reading schedules and examinations may have to be re-arranged due to medical emergency, as noted in the syllabus. Instructor will know by mid-January whether this re-arrangement will be necessary, and will re-work syllabus accordingly if necessary.

*Grading: attendance/participation (both in-class and online): 15%
2 papers: 25%
7 blog meditations: 10%
Midterm: 25%
Final: 25%

*If you have an officially diagnosed special need or disability that impacts on your function in class, please let me know as soon as possible so that we might make special arrangements to meet your needs.

*Please reacquaint yourselves with the University’s codes of ethics and academic misconduct. If I suspect plagiarism, cheating, or any other form of academic misconduct (including disrespectfulness and disruptive behavior), I am obliged to, and will, report you to the Committee on Academic Misconduct.




Spanish 552 Winter 2010 Prof. R. Haidt Syllabus Page Four

Required Texts:

The following texts are available at SBX, Barnes & Noble, College Town (or other bookstores around town), and in handouts from the instructor:

El sí de las niñas, Moratín
El estudiante de Salamanca, Espronceda
Cuentos, Pardo Bazán
Poemas escogidos, Machado (handout from instructor)
Réquiem por un campesino español, Sender
El Mundo, Millás
Any other handouts or exercises the instructor incorporates into required class work


Schedule of classes/readings:

Monday, January 4th FIRST DAY CLASS: Introduction

Wednesday, Jan. 6th: In-class lecture & discussion: “Ilustración/Neoclasicismo”

Monday, Jan. 11th Read: El sí de las niñas, Moratín, Acto primero, Acto segundo

Wednesday, Jan. 13th Read: El sí de las niñas, Acto tercero

Friday, January 15: First blog meditation

Monday, Jan. 18th NO CLASS (HOLIDAY)

Wednesday, January 20th In-class lecture & discussion: “Romanticismo”

Friday, January 22: Second blog meditation

Monday, January 25th Read: El estudiante de Salamanca, Espronceda (have entire poem read)

Wednesday, January 27th Continue discussion of El estudiante de Salamanca
***First 4-page paper due!

Friday, January 29: Third blog meditation

Monday, February 1st In-class lecture/discussion: “Naturalismo;” Read: Cuentos, Pardo Bazán (have all assigned stories read)

Wednesday, February 3rd: Continue discussion of Cuentos
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Friday, February 5th: Fourth blog meditation

**Monday, February 8th: placeholder day for NO CLASS [built-in moveable day due to family illness or emergency. This moveable day might have to be moved back to/occur in January, in which case schedule of classes/readings and examinations will be re-arranged accordingly. Disposition of schedule and emergency day to be determined sometime in mid-January.]**

Wednesday, February 11th: MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Monday, February 15th: In-class lecture & Discussion: “Generación del 98” Read: Poemas escogidos, Machado

Wednesday, February 17th: Continue discussion of Poemas

Friday, February 19: Fifth blog meditation

Monday, February 22nd: In-class lecture & discussion: “Guerra Civil”; Read: Réquiem por un campesino español (begin discussion)

Wednesday, February 24th: Read: Réquiem por un campesino español, Sender (have entire novel read)
***Second 4-page paper due!

Friday, February 26: Sixth blog meditation

Monday, March 1st Continue discussion, Réquiem por un campesino español; Read: El mundo (begin discussion)

Wednesday, March 3rd Read: El mundo, Millás (have entire novel completed)

Friday, March 5th: Seventh blog meditation

Monday, March 8th Continue discussion, El mundo

Wednesday, March 10th FINAL EXAMINATION IN CLASS
Re-written papers due