Spanish 2219F Spanish-American Civilization (Formerly 219F)
Fall 2008

Professor: Victoria Felice Wolff
Schedule: MW 1:30-3:00 Room: UC 224
Email: vwolff@uwo.ca
Office: UC 158
Telephone: x 80439
Office Hours: Wednesdays 10-12, or by appointment

I. Course Description
This course explores the long and complex formation process of Spanish-American Civilization. From the diverse pre-Hispanic period through to the present day, it will delve into a wide range of topics and readings from history, literature, art and architecture, music, and film.

Course Objectives and Aims
This course will . . .
- provide students with a critical overview of the main historical, social, political, and cultural moments in what constitutes Spanish-American Civilization.
-introduce students to primary source texts relevant to the topics covered.
-illustrate and teach students to apply analytical skills.
-demonstrate how to relate the Hispanic world to North America.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course students are expected to have acquired …
-knowledge of the broad historical and political development of Spanish America.
-an ability to recognize, identify, and explain major patterns and issues in Spanish-American Civilization over time.
-an understanding of the significance of representative works of literature, art, music, and film from Spanish America.
-an improved ability to express themselves in Spanish both orally (through class discussions and presentations) and in writing (through essays).

II. Prerequisites
In order to take this course, the student must have satisfactorily completed Spanish 2200, 2200W/X or the former Spanish 020, 020W/X with a minimum standing of 60%, or have the permission of the department. This course is offered in Spanish and the expectation is that the student will be able to communicate both orally and in written form in this language.

Please note: You are responsible for ensuring that you have successfully completed all course prerequisites (or have special permission from your Dean to waive the prerequisite) and that you have not taken an antirequisite course. If you are not eligible for the course, you may be removed from it at any time, and it will be deleted from your record. In addition, you will receive no adjustment to your fees. These decisions cannot be appealed.

III. Required Texts
Chang-Rodriguez, Eugenio. Latinoamérica: su civilización y su cultura. Fourth Edition. Boston: Thomson Heinle, 2008.

This text is available at the bookstore. The page numbers listed on the syllabus always remit to this edition. Furthermore, there will be additional, required readings available on WebCT or CD-ROM.

For each class, I will post discussion questions on WebCT to help guide your reading and aid in your preparation for class discussions and participation (see Class Participation section below).

IV. Course Requirements and Grade Distribution
Class Participation (5%) and Attendance (5%): Frequent participation is a fundamental part of this course. Students must prepare all assigned readings and come to class with comments and questions. Furthermore, students are expected to participate actively in class discussions through expressing their own view points about the readings and the discussion topics, by responding to the professor's questions addressed to the class in general, and/or commenting on opinions expressed by their classmates.

Essays (20%): There will be two required essays for this course. The first essay will be a short response paper (2-3 pages in length) to a question posed by the professor approximately 7-10 days before the due date listed on the course calendar. The first essay will be worth 5% of the overall essay grade. The second essay will be a longer composition (5-7 pages in length) and students will be able to choose from a variety of topics provided by the professor approximately 10-14 days before the due date listed on the course calendar. This second essay will be worth 15% of the overall essay grade.

Essays must be typewritten in correct Spanish in Times New Roman, 12 point font (no other font will be accepted). The pages should have 1 inch margins on all sides (2.54 cm). The essay must be double-spaced, with a minimum of 22 lines per page. Papers must be prepared according to MLA style as indicated in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition. Essays must be handed in at the start of class. Email submissions and faxes will not be accepted.

Midterm Examination (15%): On Wednesday, October 8, there will by a mid-term examination that covers the pre-Columbian, Conquest and Colonization, and Colonial Periods of the course. The exam will consist of a combination of multiple choice, identification, short answer, and essay style questions.

Presentation (25%): Group presentations are scheduled for the last two classes. Students will most likely work in groups of 3 or 4 (depending on the total number of students enrolled in the course) to present and teach the class about a cultural aspect of Spanish America. Presentations should be approximately 15-20 minutes in length. The topic will be decided by the group in consultation with the professor. The goal of the presentation should be to teach the other class members something new and the material may be included in the Final Exam. The overall presentation grade will be comprised of an individual mark (10%) and group mark (10%). The group will also provide a handout (5% of the presentation grade) for the class that describes the topic, highlights the main ideas of the presentation, and provides bibliography. This handout will be turned into the professor one week prior to the oral presentation for approval.

Final Examination (30%): At the end of this course there will be a Final Exam that not only covers the last section of material on the syllabus, but also all the cumulative readings and class discussions.

*There are no extra-credit or additional activities for this course*

V. Academic Honesty
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a major academic offense (see Scholastic Offense Policy in the Western Academic Calendar). Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else's verbatim or paraphrased text in one's own written work without immediate reference. Verbatim text must be surrounded by quotation marks or indented if it is longer than four lines. A reference must follow right after borrowed material (usually the author's name and page number). Without immediate reference to borrowed material, a list of sources at the end of a written assignment does not protect a writer against the possible charge of plagiarism. The University of Western Ontario uses a plagiarism-checking site called Turnitin.com.

VI. Course Calendar

SEPTEMBER
Introduction
8 (Mon.) Overview of course syllabus and introduction to course
(Latinoamérica pgs. 3-25).
Precolombian Period
10 (Wed.) Las grandes civilizaciones precolombinas; Arquitectura; Arte plástica; Música (Latinoamérica pgs. 29-41; 277-282; 301-305; 325-326).
15 (Mon.) Las literaturas prehispánicas: Náhuatl, Maya, Quechua (WebCT or CD-ROM).
Conquest and Colonization (1492-1542)
17 (Wed.) Las exploraciones, la conquista y su significado (Latinoamérica pgs. 45-59); Hernán Cortés (WebCT or CD-ROM).
22 (Mon.) Bernal Díaz del Castillo; Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (WebCT or CD-ROM).
Colonial Period (1542-1810)
24 (Wed.) El régimen colonial y su legado; Arquitectura; Arte plástica; Música (Latinoamérica pgs. 63-75; 282-290; 305-308; 326-329) Essay 1 due.
29 (Mon.) La vida intelectual durante la colonia (Latinoamérica pgs. 89-102); El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (WebCT or CD-ROM).

OCTOBER
1 (Wed.) Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (WebCT or CD-ROM).
Fight for Political Independence (1810-1824)
6 (Mon.) Las guerras por la independencia hispanoamericana; Arquitectura; Arte plástica; (Latinoamérica pgs. 107-118; 290-292; 308-309); Literatura (WebCT or CD-ROM).
8 (Wed.) MID-TERM EXAM.
13 (Mon.) THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY-NO CLASS.
Politically Independent Life: Region by Region (1824-present)
15 (Wed.) Los países del Río de la Plata (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay); Música en la Argentina (Latinoamérica pgs. 137-152; 336-338).
20 (Mon.) Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, José Enrique Rodó, Horacio Quiroga, Alfonsina Storni (WebCT or CD-ROM).
22 (Wed.) Los países andinos meridionales (Chile, Bolivia, Perú); Arquitectura en el Perú; Música indígena en el Perú; (Latinoamérica pgs.157-173; 294-297; 334-336); Poesía: César Vallejo and Pablo Neruda (WebCT or CD-ROM).
27 (Mon.) Los países andinos septentrionales (Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela) (Latinoamérica pgs. 177-189).
29 (Wed.) Gabriel García Márquez (WebCT or CD-ROM).

NOVEMBER
3 (Mon.) México y su revolución; Música en México (Latinoamérica pgs. 193-203; 333-334). Essay 2 due.
5 (Wed.) Carlos Fuentes (WebCT or CD-ROM).
10 (Mon.) Centroamérica Republicana (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá) (Latinoamérica pgs. 207-222); Rigoberta Menchú (WebCT or CD-ROM).
12 (Wed.) La Personalidad Hispánica de las Antillas Mayores (Cuba, Puerto Rico, La República Dominicana); Música Afrocubana (Latinoamérica pgs. 227-247; 331-333).
17 (Mon.) José Martí, Nicolás Guillén, Nancy Morejón, Rosario Ferré (WebCT or CD-ROM).
19 (Wed.) Review: Literatura: Del Americanismo al Universalismo Literario; Conclusion: Arquitectura en el siglo XX; Música en otros países latinoamericanos; Arte plástico en el siglo XX; Las nuevas culturas latinoamericanas (Latinoamérica pgs. 251-267; 292-294; 310-320; 338-339; 343-356).
24 (Mon.) Movie: Diarios de motocicleta. Oral Presentation handouts due to professor.
26 (Wed.) Movie: Diarios de motocicleta (continued) and discussion. Oral Presentation handouts due to professor.

DECEMBER
1 (Mon.) Presentations.
3 (Wed.) Presentations.

El programa de este curso está sujeto a posibles cambios (Please note that this syllabus is subject to change)

Absenteeism
Students seeking academic accommodation on medical grounds for any missed tests, exams, participation components and/or assignments must apply to the Academic Counselling office of their home Faculty and provide documentation. Academic accommodation cannot be granted by the instructor or department.

UWO's Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness (https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm)

Downloadable Student Medical Certificate (SMC): https://studentservices.uwo.ca under the Medical Documentation heading