Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic and pronunciation, alphabet, simple oral communication, reading simple prose and other basic language skills. The fundamentals of Arabic grammar are reviewed. May not be taken for credit by those with more than one year of previous high school (grades 10, 11, 12) study or one semester of college study of Arabic. Consult instructor for details.
5 units
Spanish & French Studies
Overview | Requirements | Courses | Faculty
Overview
The study of a culture through its language offers insights into unfamiliar worlds which cannot be realized in any other way; such study is one of the distinguishing features of a liberal arts education. Moreover, competence in a language other than English can provide a decided advantage for any post-graduate education or career objective.
The Spanish and French Studies program at Occidental is designed to provide the student with an analytical grasp of the traditions and complexities of the Spanish and/or French-speaking world. The rich cultural and literary expressions of Spain and Latin America provide the context for a classroom environment that builds strong conversational skills and immerses the student in intensive language use. Similarly, the department introduces students to the rich intellectual, literary, cultural, and political traditions of the Francophone world through the study of works from Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. Classroom instruction and discussions take place entirely in Spanish or French, and students benefit from a state-of-the-art language studio (featuring computerized instruction, video programs, and daily newscasts from around the world). Occidental College's strategic position in Southern California also provides students with numerous opportunities to use the Spanish language interactively.
The department strongly encourages all students, whether considering a major in the department or not, to investigate Occidental's opportunities for study abroad (see Off-Campus Study). In recent years, students from a wide variety of departments, including the sciences, have taken advantage of these programs, greatly enhancing their education and future opportunities. These programs exemplify Occidental's ideal of a liberal education that increases sensitivity to and appreciation of other cultures. Finally, the department also invites students to engage in community-based learning through the different activities available in the intermediate and advanced Spanish language classes.
Linguistics at Occidental College is housed in the Department of Spanish and French Studies.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language as a type of human activity: how languages are constructed and why, where they came from, and how they got that way. It also delineates the breadth and limitations of language's usability. Thus linguistics straddles the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. As an applied field, it is highly useful to anyone learning another language, to those intending to teach English or any other language, to people studying other cultures (since culture is encoded and transmitted largely via language structures), and to those studying human cognition or child development (since language structure plays a central role in both).
Requirements
FRENCH
MAJOR: The French major may choose either a literature or a culture concentration.
French Literature concentration: particularly recommended for students interested in further study of French language and culture, the literature concentration requires French 202, six courses (24 units) above 202 and one course (4 units) in literary theory or linguistics. Students must take one pre-19th Century literature course and are encouraged to take one non-European literature course.
French Culture concentration: recommended for students with near-native language skills in speaking, writing, and reading French. This concentration requires French 202 and four courses (16 units) above 202 (including two numbered above 350), taught in French by professors of the French section at Occidental, and one course (4 units) in literary theory or linguistics. Students may choose two additional courses (8 units) from Art, ECLS, History, or Politics. A student interested in francophone African literature, for example, might choose courses in African History or Politics.
For both the literature and culture concentration, majors must enroll in at least one French course in the department during their senior year.
WRITING REQUIREMENT: Students majoring in French will satisfy the final component of Occidental's college-wide writing requirement with the submission of their translation portfolio (see Comprehensive Requirements below) which consists of two essays in English and one in French. Students should familiarize themselves with the departmental requirement at the time of declaring the major. See the Writing Program and the department chair for additional information.
COMPREHENSIVE REQUIREMENT: The comprehensive requirements in French are spread out over the senior year and consist of the following: translation, a grammar proficiency test (exempted by a score of 85% or higher on the grammar examination of French 202), a textual analysis (commentaire composé, exempted by satisfactory work in French 202), a written essay (dissertation en temps limité), an oral presentation, and a grade of B in linguistics, should the student take linguistics for the literature concentration. A thesis option is also available to satisfy part of the comprehensive requirements. All students are encouraged to take the major seminar (490).
GROUP LANGUAGE MAJOR AND DOUBLE MAJOR: Students may combine French with Chinese, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, or linguistics to form a Group Language major. Please see the Group Language entry in this catalog for details.
Students also may pursue a double major. Pairing a language major with such disciplines as Art, Diplomacy and World Affairs, English and Comparative Literary Studies, and History can be especially advantageous for careers or further study based on these fields.
MINOR: A minor in French consists of French 201 plus four courses (16 units) above French 201. For a literature concentration, students should enroll in French 201 and four more advanced courses, including one at the 350 level or above. For a culture concentration, students should choose French 201, three advanced courses taught by professors in the French section at Occidental and one relevant course outside the department.
HONORS: Majors in the department with an overall GPA of 3.25 may qualify for Honors at graduation through a distinguished comprehensive thesis or examination. See the Honors Program and consult the major advisor and chair for details by the end of the fall semester, junior year.
SPANISH
MAJOR: Spanish majors are required to take Spanish 202 or 211, 6 courses numbered above 202/211, and Spanish 490. Of the group of 6 courses, a minimum of 3 must be in literature and 1 in linguistics. At least one of the six courses must be numbered 340 or above. A maximum of 3 courses may be taken outside the department, including those taken on study abroad programs. Only 1 course may be taken in English. All courses taken outside the department for the Spanish major must be approved in advance by the student's departmental adviser. For both the Spanish major and minor, the terms literature and culture refer to the literatures and cultures of Spain, Spanish America, and the Latino United States. The term linguistics includes both general linguistics (Linguistics 301 and 350) and all linguistics courses related to the Spanish language.
Spanish Majors choose 1 of 3 tracks of study:
- Spanish Literary Studies: 4 courses in literature, 1 course in linguistics, and 1 other course in literature, linguistics, or culture.
- Spanish Linguistics: 3 courses in literature, and either 3 courses in linguistics or 2 courses in linguistics and 1 course in culture.
- Spanish Cultural Studies: 3 courses in literature, 2 courses in culture, and 1 course in linguistics.
MINOR: Spanish minors are required to take Spanish 202 or 211 plus 4 courses numbered 300 and above in literature, linguistics, and culture. At least one course must be numbered 340 or above. A maximum of 2 courses may be taken outside the department, including those taken on study abroad programs. Only 1 course may be taken in English. All courses taken outside the department for the Spanish minor must be approved in advance by the department.
WRITING REQUIREMENT: Students majoring in Spanish will satisfy the final component of Occidental College's writing requirement by receiving a grade of B- or higher in a Spanish course numbered 340 or above. See the Writing Program and the department chair for additional information.
COMPREHENSIVE REQUIREMENT: The comprehensive requirement consists of the senior seminar and an oral presentation on a topic related to the senior research paper.
GROUP LANGUAGE MAJOR AND DOUBLE MAJOR: Students may combine Spanish with Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or linguistics to form a Group Language major. Please see the Group Language entry in this catalog for details.
Students may also pursue a double major. Pairing a language major with such disciplines as Art, Diplomacy and World Affairs, English and Comparative Literary Studies, and History can be especially advantageous for careers or further study based on these fields.
HONORS: Majors in the department with GPA of at least 3.50 in major courses and an overall GPA of 3.25 may qualify for Honors at graduation through a distinguished comprehensive thesis. See the Honors Program and consult the major advisor and chair for details by the end of the fall semester, junior year.
LINGUISTICS
LINGUISTICS MINOR: Students pursuing a minor in Linguistics are required to take Linguistics 301. Subsequently, they must take a second course in linguistics. This course may be a second course listed under linguistics in the catalog, a Spanish linguistics course, or a linguistics course via transfer or study abroad (with approval of the linguistics faculty). All students must take one semester of a foreign language from one of the following categories: 1) Greek or Latin, 2) Spanish or French, 3) German or Russian, 4) Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese. This course must be in addition to and in a different category from the language used to fulfill the Core language requirement. Students must also choose two additional courses with a language focus in consultation with the linguistics faculty. These courses may include one more foreign language course, a course in Spanish linguistics, Cognitive Science 330, Philosophy 370, Education 205, or a linguistics course via transfer or study abroad (with approval of the linguistics faculty).
GROUP LANGUAGE MAJOR: Students may combine linguistics with Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian or Spanish to form a Group Language major. Please see the Group Language entry in this catalog for details.
Courses
Arabic
No result
101 - Elementary Arabic I
102 - Elementary Arabic II
Continuation of Arabic 101. Prerequisite: Arabic 101 or permission of instructor.
5 units
201 - Intermediate Arabic I
This course focuses on the development of communicative skills via reading, speaking, listening and writing activities with intensive grammar review. Students read and discuss cultural and literary texts as well as simple media materials. Prerequisite: Arabic 102 or equivalent.
202 - Intermediate Arabic II
Continuation of Arabic 201. Prerequisite: Arabic 201 or equivalent.
252 - Advanced Arabic Conversation
Oral practice in an informal setting; includes at least one viewing of a Arabic feature film.
1 unit
275 - Perspectives From the Arab World
A selection of literary works and films from the Arab world will be analyzed in the context of historical, cultural, social, and political developments, from the last decades of the twentieth century. The texts in various genres-short story, novel, memoir, poetry--will highlight the heterogeneity and complexity of Arab countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Some of the main themes that we will cover include tradition versus religion, challenges of modernity, gender relations, social (im)mobility, and generational gap. The course will be conducted in English.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
301 - Arabic in the Media I
An advanced Arabic course intended for students who have taken Intermediate II. It introduces the language of the newspapers, magazines, and internet news sites. Students will gain access to different sources from the Arab world. What is the intellectual justification of the course? It offers an extensive practice of the four language skills--reading, listening, writing about and discussing current news topics. It promotes both cultural and linguistic competence. How will student work be assessed? Four short compositions and two oral presentations. Prerequisite: Arabic 202 or the equivalent
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
302 - Arabic in the Media II
This is a continuation for Arabic in the Media I. Prerequisite: Arabic 301
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
397 - Independent Study in Arabic
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
2 or 4 units
French
No result
101 - Beginning French I
Introduction to French through a variety of communicative approaches. Emphasis is placed on speaking and listening as well as grammar and writing. Students who have had more than one year of French in high school or more than one quarter in college may not take this course for credit.
102 - Beginning French II
This course is a continuation of French 101. Students are introduced to the culture of the French-speaking world through readings and discussions. Prerequisite: French 101 or permission of instructor.
151-152, 251-252 - Intermediate and Advanced Conversation in French
Oral practice in an informal setting; includes at least one viewing of a French feature film. Usually taught by a French language assistant from France, under the supervision of a French professor. Open to students who have completed French 102, as well as to those on a more advanced level. Students enroll in 251-252 according to level of previous preparation. Graded on Credit/No Credit basis only; attendance is mandatory. May be repeated for credit.
1 unit
197 - Independent Study in French
Individual study of a major author, movement, or genre. For students with advanced competence who seek study in an area not included in the department's curriculum. Prerequisite: permission of department.
2 or 4 units
202 - Introduction to Literary Analysis/Advanced Composition and Grammar
The methods and vocabulary of textual analysis, introduced through close reading, discussion, and written commentary of selected poems, plays, and prose texts from the Renaissance to the present. The techniques of French critical writing, oral explication de texte, and commentaire composé will be stressed. Includes study of general linguistic problems pertaining to the structure of modern French (vocabulary, phonetics, grammar, style). French 202 is required of all French majors and minors and for students wishing to study in France. Prerequisite: French 201 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE
301 - Arab Francophone Works
An introduction to late twentieth-century Francophone literary works (short stories, a novel, poetry) and films from the Levant (Lebanon, Syria) and North Africa (Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria. and Morocco). The course underlines the diversity of this part of the world, the various ways French is used, and its relation to the native tongue-Arabic. Questions of cultural/national identity are also examined. Among authors read are Joyce Mansour (Egypt), Amin Maalouf (Lebanon), Tahar Ben Jelloun (Morocco). Prerequisite: French 202.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
343 - Theory and Practice of Translation
An introduction to the theory and practice of translation from English to French ("thème") and French to English ("version") as both a craft and an art with its codes and principles. Although emphasis is placed on practice, the course examines important theoretical questions such as translation as both a product and as a process. With some attention to the difference between "literal" and "free" translation, the course explores the lexical and semantic strategies that translators employ. The course begins with the smallest "unit of translation" and progresses to consider a wide variety of texts: fiction, poetry (song lyrics), advertisements, televisual, and filmic. Students may choose to translate a business, technical, legal, medical, or literary text as part of their final project. Satisfies ECLS Creative Writing emphasis.
354 - L'idéal Classique
A survey of 17th Century literature. Particular emphasis given to the classical dramatists and moralists. Readings and discussions to include works by Corneille, Racine, Molière, Descartes, Pascal, and Lafayette. Prerequisite: French 202 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE • PRE-1800
354 - Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Works
Readings and discussion in the French novel and philosophical texts, including works by Prévost, Diderot, Rousseau, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, and Zola. Prerequisite: French 202 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE • PRE-1800
363 - Seminar in Genre or Non-French Literature: Representations of French in Colonial History North and West Africa
The course is an exploration of various literary and cinematic representations of the French colonial history and its legacy in the Maghreb and West Africa. It examines visual and textual narratives of war, clashes, collaboration, and post-independence from the last decades of the twentieth-century. Films and literary texts to include La bataille d'Alger (Pontecorvo), Le camp de Thiaroye (Sembene), Les femmes d'Alger dans leur appartement (Djebar).. Prerequisite: French 202 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
365 - Seminar in an Literary Theme
Psychological and political views of the "disruptive" female presence in literature and in the critical theory of Derrida and Lacan. Works will range from 17th century fiction to feminist writers including Beauvoir, Irigaray, and Cixous, as well as examples of women's self writing in the francophone world. Taught in English. Prerequisite: French 202 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: INTERCULTURAL
397 - Independent Study in French
Individual study of a major author, movement, or genre; or the teaching of French. For students with advanced competence who seek study in an area not included in the department's curriculum. Prerequisite: permission of department.
2 or 4 units
499 - Honors Thesis in French
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
Italian
No result
151 - Intermediate Conversation in Italian
Oral practice in an informal setting; includes at least one viewing of an Italian feature film. Graded on a Credit/No Credit basis only; attendance is mandatory. May be repeated for credit.
1 unit
Linguistics
No result
301 - Introduction to Linguistics
This course is designed as a solid introduction to and overview of the field of linguistics. Students will explore a number of topics that are at the core of linguistics. We begin with a theoretical background in subfields such as syntax, morphology, phonology, and phonetics. Then we move to broader issues such as sociolinguistics, language acquisition, psycho/neurolinguistics, and historical linguistics. Not normally open to first-year students. Prerequisite: one year of a modern language or permission of instructor.
350 - Psycholinguistics
Traditional linguistics has revealed how complex and ambiguous natural language is. Despite this fact, people are able to effortlessly and accurately produce and understand language. At the crossroads of linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience, psycholinguistics is concerned with providing an explanation of how the human language processing system works. This course introduces students to the main goals, theories, and experimental methods of psycholinguistic research. We discuss the current state of our understanding of language learning and processing, as well as the experimental and analytical techniques that have been used to examine these issues. Prerequisite: An introductory course in linguistics (301), Cognitive Science (101), or Psychology (102), or by permission of the instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: MATH/SCI
397 - Independent Study in Linguistics
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
2 or 4 units
Spanish
No result
101 - Beginning Spanish I
Introduction to Spanish through a variety of communicative approaches. Emphasis is placed on speaking and listening as well as grammar and writing. Students who have had more than one year of Spanish in high school or more than one quarter in college may not take this course for credit.
102 - Beginning Spanish II
This course is a continuation of Spanish 101. Students are introduced to the culture of the Spanish-speaking world through readings and discussions. Prerequisite: Spanish 101 or permission of instructor
105 - Rancho Hollywood: Los Angeles Migrations Stories
This course offers students the opportunity to analyze narrative stories, films, and other cultural artifacts that document a history of immigration and migration to Los Angeles from Mexico and Central America during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Many of the narratives, films, and other cultural works studied treat significant contemporary issues (e.g. the representation of history, questions of identity and alterity, questions of race and ethnicity, globalization, authority, the construction of class and gender in society) that Los Angeles faces as an emblematic socio-cultural space that continuously shifts as consequence of new arrivals to the city. Emphasis will be placed on studying narratives and films within the social, historical and cultural contexts of the material they treat, and current critical theories. Specifically, this course presents a critical view of the representation of migrations to Los Angeles in order to understand how these migration stories function as a socio-cultural medium that document and occupy many geographical spaces that establish Los Angeles as a heterogeneous cultural place and space.
151-152, 251-252 - Intermediate and Advanced Conversation in Spanish
Oral practice in an informal setting; includes at least one viewing of a Spanish feature film. Usually taught by Spanish language assistants from Spain and Latin America, under the supervision of a Spanish professor. Open to students who have completed Spanish 102, as well as those on a more advanced level. Students enroll in 251-252 according to level of previous preparation. Graded on Credit/No Credit basis only; attendance is mandatory. May be repeated for credit.
1 unit
197 - Independent Study in Spanish
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
2 or 4 units
201 - Intermediate Spanish
This course focuses on the development of speaking and writing skills. Students read and discuss cultural and literary texts from a variety of Spanish-speaking countries. The fundamentals of Spanish grammar are reviewed. Prerequisite: Spanish 102 or permission of instructor.
202 - Advanced Spanish
This course is intended to further develop language skills while introducing students to the fundamentals of literary analysis through a study of Mexican, South American, and Spanish literary texts. Particular emphasis is placed on oral communication and writing. This course parallels Spanish 211 and is designed for non-native speakers of Spanish. Students may not take both for credit. Prerequisite: Spanish 201 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: INTERCULTURAL
211 - Advanced Spanish for Native Speakers
This course is designed for native Spanish -speakers with little or no formal training in the language. Emphasis will be placed on reading and writing skills. Students will also be introduced to the fundamentals of literary analysis, through a study of Mexican, South American, and Spanish literary texts.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: INTERCULTURAL
301 - Introduction to Pre-Columbian Colonial Latin American Literature and Civilization
General survey of Pre-Columbian civilizations and literature of Meso and South America, the impact of the Discovery, the Conquest, the Colonial Period, and the processes leading to the Independence and the formation of the new Republics. Literary and historical readings, compositions, and short essays and presentations will be used to continue developing language skills. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA • PRE-1800
302 - Introduction to Medieval and Golden Age Spanish Literature and Civilization
General survey of Peninsular literature and civilization from the Middle Ages to the 18th Century through readings and discussion. Continuing emphasis on written and oral language improvement. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE • PRE-1800
303 - Introduction to Modern Latin American Literature and Civilization
General survey of literature and civilization of 19th and 20th century Latin America through readings and discussion. Continuing emphasis on written and oral language improvement. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
304 - Introduction to Modern Spanish Literature and Civilization
General survey of literature and civilization of 19th and 20th century Latin America through readings and discussion. Continuing emphasis on written and oral language improvement. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
312 - Spanish Film and Culture
This course surveys the history of Spanish film from its inception to the present. The course introduces students to basic concepts of film studies, including cinematography, mise-en-scène, sound, narrative, and style, but emphasizes representation, and in particular depictions of gender, sexuality, and national identity in the context of dictatorship and democracy. The course further introduces students to the auteurist tradition in Spanish cinema. The films studied vary from year to year, but the course typically highlights the cinematic production of Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura, and Pedro Almodóvar. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE
313 - Latin American Film and Culture
This course offers students the opportunity to analyze films that have emerged in Latin America (e.g. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru), as well as in the United States in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Many of the visual works studied treat significant contemporary issues in Latin America such as the representation of history, questions of identity and alterity, questions of race and ethnicity, globalization, authority, the construction of class and gender in society. Emphasis will be placed on studying films within the social, historical and cultural contexts of the material they treat, and current critical theories. Specifically, this course is a critical survey of the representation of Latin America with representative examples from different historical periods (beginning with the pre-Columbian and Colonial periods followed by the 19th and 20th Centuries). The goals of the course are to understand how film as a medium has functioned historically and aesthetically in its representations of different sectors of society.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
314 - Latin American Women's Voices in Fiction and Film
How do Latin American women writers and film-makers use language and sound? This course analyzes questions of social critique and the use of language in the short stories of Uruguayan writer Cristina Peri Rossi, PuertoRican writer Rosario Ferré, and Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, as well as the use of voice, music, and mise-en-scéne in films by Latin American directors Gabriela David, Maria Luisa Bemberg and Susana Amaral. Prerequisite: Spanish 202/Spanish 211.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
316 - Violence in Latin American Fiction and Film
Violence is a tragic reality in Latin America, and film-makers and novelists from Latin America include representations of violence in novels, films, and short-stories that also depict the history of Marxist insurgency groups, right-wing dictatorships, paramilitary activity, ongoing rural and urban poverty, and the vicissitudes of the drug-trade. Key spaces and moments in Latin America's recent histories of violence include Peru's Shining Path guerrilla movement, Chile's jails under Pinochet, the rise of the Colombian drug cartels, the mammoth Brazilian favelas (slums) and the bloodshed of the wars in Central America. Through a study of Nobel-Prize winning author Mario Vargas Llosa, popular novelist Isabel Allende, critically acclaimed Brazilian cinema novo, Colombian novelist Fernando Vallejo and cinematic adaptations of his work, and selected passages from The Autobiography of Rigoberta Menchu, this course will examine questions regarding the ethical, strategic, and po! litical uses of violence in literature and film. Prerequisite: One Spanish 300 level course
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
320 - Golden Age Spanish Literature and Film
An analysis of the relationship between literature and film, focusing on texts from the Spanish Golden Age and their film adaptations. Issues to be discussed include film adaptation as a cultural construct; narrative voice in literature and film; the transformation of the written word to the visual image; and the relationship between politics, literature and film. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE • PRE-1800
340 - Spanish Phonology
This course serves as a general introduction to the study of the Spanish sound system. The objectives of this course include strengthening students' Spanish pronunciation in the direction of a more native-like, normative pronunciation and introducing them to phonetics and phonology. Students will be introduced to theoretical means of analyzing the sound system of a language. They will also examine contrasts between American English and Spanish, and apply these concepts in exercises of both written transcription and oral production as well as with a linguistic analysis of spoken Spanish. Finally, students will also be acquainted with phonological differences among the dialects of the Spanish language. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: INTERCULTURAL
341 - History of the Spanish Language
This course consists of an introduction to historical Hispanic linguistics. Students learn about the major phonological, morphosyntactic, and lexical changes that have occurred in the language from the time of the arrival of the Roman armies into the Iberian Peninsula until the present. Foreign influences on the evolution of the Spanish language are discussed briefly. The primary focus of this course is the internal history of the language from Vulgar Latin to Modern Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE • PRE-1800
342 - Spanish in the US
An introduction to Spanish language and Spanish-speaking communities in the US, including communities in the Southwest, Florida, the Northeast, Louisiana, and the Midwest. This course focuses on the language-internal features apparent in the different regions, as well as social factors like age, education, gender, race, nationality, and socioeconomic status. We will also discuss social issues such as language attitudes and bilingualism. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: INTERCULTURAL
351 - Cervantes and the Renaissance
This course consists of an introduction to historical Hispanic linguistics. Students learn about the major phonological, morphosyntactic, and lexical changes that have occurred in the language from the time of the arrival of the Roman armies into the Iberian Peninsula until the present. Foreign influences on the evolution of the Spanish language are discussed briefly. The primary focus of this course is the internal history of the language from Vulgar Latin to Modern Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 202 or 211.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE • PRE-1800
353 - Images of Sacred and Profane Love in Medieval and Golden Age Spain
This course analyzes both pictorial and literary images of sacred and profane love in Medieval and Golden Spain. Through a comparative approach the course will explore the differences and similarities in the treatment of secular and religious love by painters (Velazquez, Murillo, Rivera, etc) and writers (Garcilaso, San Juan de la Cruz, Gongora, etc). Topics such as courtly love, mystical experience, and social conventions will be studied. At least two field trips to local museums will be scheduled. Prerequisite: Spanish 302 or permission of instructor.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE • PRE-1800
362 - Modern Spanish Theater and Cinema
This course will focus on the theater of Federico García Lorca and the cinema of Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar. Students will engage in an in-depth study of García Lorca's plays, examining his theatrical representation of surrealism, gender, and sexuality in conjunction with key films of Buñuel and Almodóvar. Prerequisite: Spanish 301, 302, 303, 304, 312, 314, or 320 .
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: EUROPE
363 - Hispanic Autobiography
This course will apply current theories of autobiographical discourse to Spanish, Latin American, and U.S. Latino life-writing. Students will examine the relation of personal identity to dominant ideologies of gender, race, class, and politics, and will explore the role of memory and fantasy in literary self-expression. Authors studied will vary from year to year but will typically include Gloria Anzaldúa, Reinaldo Arenas, Juan Francisco Manzno, Carmen Martín Gaite, Rigoberta Menchu, Constancia de la Mora, and Mario Vargas Llosa. Students will have the opportunity to write their own autobiographies. Prerequisite: Spanish 301, 302, 303, or 304.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: INTERCULTURAL
377 - Magical Realism in Latin America
Although magical realism remains a difficult term to define, there is some consensus that Miguel Angel Asturias (from Guatemala), Alejo Carpentier (Cuba), Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), and Isabel Allende (from Chile) are the most renowned practitioners of this literary genre. Pre-Columbian mythology, peasant folklore, popular Catholicism, European surrealism, the genealogical novel, and an ethical pressure on Latin American writers to represent their national cultures all play a part in the development of magical realism in Latin America. The course explores why Men of Maize (Asturias), The Kingdom of This World (Carpentier), One Hundred Years of Solitude (García Márquez) and The House of the Spirits (Allende) are considered paradigmatic works of magical realism. Throughout the course students will be asked to reflect upon the contested meanings and history of the term "magical realism" as the term is applied to different works of Latin American fiction. Prerequisite: One 300-level Spanish course.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
378/379 - Buenos Aires in Fiction and Film
The course adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the question of how place and landscape (Buenos Aires and the pampas) influence literary and filmic imagination. Buenos Aires is one of the great cities of Latin America. Readings for the course include nineteenth-century essays and stories which document the harnessing of the agricultural resources of Argentina into a meat-exporting economic machine; turn-of-the-century fiction and essays also document the transformation of Buenos Aires by new European immigration (often non-Spanish), the impact of European anarchist thought, and the architectural boom at the end of the nineteenth century. Mid-twentieth-century writers such as Borges, Cortázar and Sábato will be discussed in the context of their references to specific Buenos Aires neighborhoods (e.g. Chacarita, Belgrano, San Telmo, and Retiro). Through documentaries and narrative films, the second half of the Spring course introduces students to the rise of the Argentine Armed Forces, the enduring influence of Peronism, the trauma of the dictatorship years, and the economic and political contradictions of contemporary Argentina. Spanish 378 is not open to graduating seniors; its co-requisite, Spanish 379 Abroad, The Buenos Aires Practicum, involves a three week stay in Buenos Aires from late May to mid-June. Prerequisite: Spanish 301, 302, 303, or 304.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
300 - The Urban Culture of Buenos Aires
This course is both a language immersion program for advanced students of Spanish and a complement to Spanish 378, Buenos Aires in Fiction and Film. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Argentina was Latin America's wealthiest nation; its ruling class set out to build a capital city on a grand European scale. The Buenos Aires opera house is the most important performing arts center in Latin America; the parks, boulevards, government buildings, art museums, and private homes of Buenos Aires gave the city its reputation as the Paris of Latin America. At the same time the city is the seat of some of the most progressive and experimental theater companies and visual artist communities of Latin America. Twenty one days in Buenos Aires will allow us to experience the diverse and contradictory heritage of a city whose inhabitants once thought of themselves more as "European" than as "Latin American". The class will visit fifteen Buenos Aires museums, take six tours led by professional historians (tours focused on architecture, urban history, and politics), and experience some of the neighborhoods that we read about in Spanish 378. We will pay particular attention to neighborhood bookstores, cafés, parks, and milongas (neighborhood tango clubs). Texts to be read during our stay in Buenos Aires are Wayne Bernhardson's Buenos Aires, Jason Wilson's Buenos Aires ─ A Cultural History, and chapters from James Scobie's Buenos Aires─ From Plaza to Suburb. Course evaluation will be based on 18 reflective journal entries, participation in group activities, and a research paper due approximately one month after students return to the United States. A preliminary bibliography for the practicum research paper will be due at the end of Spanish 378, the Spring course on the Oxy campus which is a co-requisite for the Buenos Aires practicum. Spanish 379 Abroad is not open to graduating seniors. Prerequisite: Spanish 301, 302, 303, or 304.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
382 - Contemporary Mexican Novel
This course analyzes the narrative development of the contemporary Mexican novel from the Mexican Revolution to the present. Principal novelists studied in this seminar are Mariano Azuela, Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, Gustavo Sainz, Elena Poniatowska, Angeles Mastretta, and Laura Esquivel. This course combines textual analysis with the application of contemporary literary theory. Prerequisite: One Spanish 300 level course
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
383 - Survey of Chicano Literature
This course offers a representative overview of Chicano literary production covering five genres: poetry, theater, novel, short story, and essay. An historical framework is outlined to establish the different periods of Chicano creativity from its origins to contemporary times, using a series of works and authors to illustrate their respective social context. Prerequisite: Spanish 301, 302, 303, or 304.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LATIN AMERICA
397 - Independent Study in Spanish
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
2 or 4 units
490 - Senior Seminar: Genre and Literary Theory
This course will provide an in-depth analysis of one or more of the following genres: drama, poetry, essay, novel, short story, and film, with an introduction to contemporary literary, film, and cultural studies theory. Texts will be drawn from Spain and Latin America. Prerequisite: Spanish majors in their senior year only.
499 - Honors Thesis in Spanish
Prerequisite: permission of department.
501, 502, 503, 504 - The Teaching of Spanish
Classroom observation at Occidental College, aimed at the evolution of language pedagogy, instructional materials and procedures, lesson plans, and testing and evaluation. Designed primarily for M.A.T. candidates. Under the guidance of Occidental Spanish language instructors, and through daily classroom observation, M.A.T. candidates will learn how to teach elementary Spanish (501, 502), intermediate Spanish (503), or Spanish for native speakers (504). Spanish 501-502 assumes daily attendance of 101-102; 503 assumes daily attendance of 201; 504 assumes daily attendance of 210.
5 units
Faculty
Regular Faculty
Felisa Guillén, chair
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., M.A., University of Madrid; Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara
Norman Bridge Distinguished Professor of Spanish, Spanish and French Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., Pomona College; M.A., Ph.D., UCLA
Assistant Professor, Spanish and French Studies
B.A., Montclair State University; M.A., Ph.D., Rutgers University; Graduate Certificate in African Studies, Rutgers University
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., UC Riverside; M.A., Indiana University; Ph.D., UCLA
Professor, Spanish and French Studies Advisory Committee, Group Language
A.B., M.A., Ph.D., UCLA; Ph.D., Wright Institute Los Angeles Attestation d’études, Université de Bordeaux
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Advisory Committee, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., Wellesley College; M.A., Ph.D., Columbia University
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., Swarthmore College; M.A., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Associate Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Advisory Committee, Cognitive Science; Affiliated Faculty, Linguistics; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.S., St. Cloud State University; M.A., Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
On Special Appointment
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Spanish and French Studies
B.A. Universidad Complutense, M.A. George Washington University, M.A. University of Washington, Ph.D University of Washington
Adjunct Instructor, Spanish and French Studies
B.A. U.S.C., M.A. California State University Long Beach
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Spanish and French Studies
B.A. U.C.L.A., M.A. U.C.L.A., Ph.D U.C.L.A.
Elena Villa Fernandez de Castro
Adjunct Instructor, Spanish and French Studies
B.A. Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, BSc Universidad Complutense de Madrid, M.A. University of Hawaii