Courses

Crosslistings: LACS 20600

The objective of this course is to help students acquire advanced grammatical knowledge of the Portuguese language through exposure to cultural and literary content with a focus on Brazil. Students develop skills to continue perfecting their oral and written proficiency and comprehension of authentic literary texts and recordings, while also being exposed to relevant sociocultural and political contemporary topics. Students read, analyze, and discuss authentic texts by established writers from the lusophone world; they watch and discuss videos of interviews with writers and other prominent figures to help them acquire the linguistic skills required in academic discourse. Through exposure to written and spoken authentic materials, students learn the grammatical and lexical tools necessary to understand such materials as well as produce their own written analysis, response, and commentary. In addition, they acquire knowledge on major Brazilian authors and works.

Prerequisites
PORT 20100 or consent of instructor.

This course focuses on developing the tools necessary for advanced oral proficiency in an academic context. Through active class participation involving a number of class presentations, students practice a variety of discourse styles (e.g., debates, lectures, seminars, interviews). Special emphasis is placed on correct pronunciation.

Prerequisites
FREN 12003, 20300, or placement into FREN 20500.

This course explores major contemporary French and francophone artists, art forms and art works. Students will acquire basic linguistic and analytical skills to apprehend visual arts, graphic novels, movies and theatrical performance in French. They will work on individual and group art and academic assignments.
Taught in French. A screening and a museum field trip are required.

Prerequisites
FREN 12003, 20300, or placement into FREN 20500.

The goal of this advanced conversation course is to help students identify and acquire the mechanisms necessary to engage in academic discourse. Throughout the course, students will participate in debates, lectures, and seminars. In addition, they will conduct a formal interview with a Spanish speaker. The topics of the different activities will be selected by the students according to their specializations at the University, but they will always try to establish a relationship with the Spanish-speaking world. All activities will expose the student to different styles of discourse and academic vocabulary.
To also encourage spontaneous and informal conversation, six student-led get-togethers will be organized on a variety of topics. At the end of the course, students will know how to express themselves orally following the established academic conventions.

Prerequisites
(20302, placement or consent of instructor)
Span 20402 & Span 20602 may be taken non-sequentially.

This course can be counted towards completion of a major/minor in Spanish.

If you have questions regarding placement in the Spanish heritage program, can’t find your results, or have other questions, contact Megan Marshall (mtmarshall@uchicago.edu).

The goal of this advanced conversation course is to help students identify and acquire the mechanisms necessary to engage in academic discourse. Throughout the course, students will participate in debates, lectures, and seminars. In addition, they will conduct a formal interview with a Spanish speaker. The topics of the different activities will be selected by the students according to their specializations at the University, but they will always try to establish a relationship with the Spanish-speaking world. All activities will expose the student to different styles of discourse and academic vocabulary.
To also encourage spontaneous and informal conversation, six student-led get-togethers will be organized on a variety of topics. At the end of the course, students will know how to express themselves orally following the established academic conventions.

Prerequisites
(20302, placement or consent of instructor)
Span 20402 & Span 20602 may be taken non-sequentially.

This course can be counted towards completion of a major/minor in Spanish.

If you have questions regarding placement in the Spanish heritage program, can’t find your results, or have other questions, contact Megan Marshall (mtmarshall@uchicago.edu).

This course focuses on developing advanced oral proficiency skills in French in the context of contemporary cultural, social and political issues in the Francophone world. As Francophonie is a multifaceted concept that can be approached from various perspectives—institutional, linguistic, geopolitical, cultural, and literary—the course will start with a look at what Francophonie is and means in such places as the Caribbean, Europe, Francophone Africa, and North America. Students will read articles, watch and listen to films, reports, and interviews, engage in discussions and debates, conduct interviews, and carry out projects and presentations on themes of their own choosing within this framework.

Prerequisites
FREN 20300, FREN 12003, or placement into FREN 20500.

Crosslistings: GLST 21100, SPAN 21101

Straddling the border of southern France and northern Spain, the Basque Country is the home of a complex national community without a state —but with a language that is unrelated to any other in the world and is perhaps the most remarkable feature of their cultural identity. Through the analysis of a wide variety of texts and artifacts, this course will give students the the background to navigate through different dimensions of Basque culture (traditions, gastronomy, music, the language) as well as the history that has marked the development of Basque society (including the so-called Basque Conflict).

Prerequisites
Taught in English. Prior knowledge of Basque language or culture not required.

Crosslistings

LACS 21100

This sociolinguistic course expands understanding of the historical development of Spanish and awareness of the great sociocultural diversity within the Spanish-speaking world and its impact on the Spanish language. We emphasize the interrelationship between language and culture as well as ethno-historical transformations within the different regions of the Hispanic world. Special consideration is given to identifying lexical variations and regional expressions exemplifying diverse sociocultural aspects of the Spanish language, and to recognizing phonological differences between dialects. We also examine the impact of indigenous cultures on dialectical aspects. The course includes literary and nonliterary texts, audio-visual materials, and visits by native speakers of a variety of Spanish-speaking regions.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300 or 20302.

Crosslistings: LACS 21100

This sociolinguistic course expands understanding of the historical development of Spanish and awareness of the great sociocultural diversity within the Spanish-speaking world and its impact on the Spanish language. We emphasize the interrelationship between language and culture as well as ethno-historical transformations within the different regions of the Hispanic world. Special consideration is given to identifying lexical variations and regional expressions exemplifying diverse sociocultural aspects of the Spanish language, and to recognizing phonological differences between dialects. We also examine the impact of indigenous cultures on dialectical aspects. The course includes literary and nonliterary texts, audio-visual materials, and visits by native speakers of a variety of Spanish-speaking regions.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300 or 20302.

Crosslistings: LACS 21101

This advanced-level course will focus on speaking and writing skills through the study of a wide variety of contemporary texts and audiovisual materials. It will provide students with a better understanding of contemporary Haitian society. Students will review problematic grammatical structures, write a number of essays, and participate in multiple class debates.
Taught in Kreyòl.

Prerequisites
KREY 12300, 12301 or consent of instructor.

Crosslistings: LACS 21150

This sociolinguistic course expands understanding of both the historical and the contemporary development of Spanish in parts of the United States, and awareness of the great sociocultural diversity within the Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and its impact on the Spanish language. This course emphasizes the interrelationship between language and culture as well as ethno-historical transformations within the different regions of the United States. Special consideration is given to identifying lexical variations and regional expressions exemplifying diverse sociocultural aspects of the Spanish language, and to recognizing phonological differences between dialects. We also examine the impact of English on dialectical aspects. The course includes sociolinguistic texts, audio-visual materials, and visits by native speakers of a variety of Spanish-speaking regions in the United States.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300 or 20302.

This advanced-level course will focus on speaking and writing skills through a wide variety of texts and audiovisual materials. We will study a wide range of Catalan cultural manifestations (e.g., visual arts, music, gastronomy). Students will also review advanced grammatical structures, write a number of essays, and participate in multiple class debates. This course satisfies language competency.

Prerequisites
CATA 21100 or consent of instructor.

Crosslistings: CMLT 21502/31502

Ce cours est une initiation aux méthodes et aux techniques d’analyse littéraire. En travaillant sur des textes en vers et en prose issus des littératures francophones du Maghreb, de l’Afrique sub-saharienne et du Moyen-Orient, on apprendra à analyser les formes littéraires, les figures de sens, les procédés esthétiques et stylistiques, les structures et les voix narratives ainsi que les choix syntaxiques et lexicaux. On travaillera également sur des textes théoriques et critiques qui nous permettront d’approfondir nos lectures et de saisir les enjeux littéraires, culturels et intellectuels qui sous-tendent la création littéraire francophone. 

Taught in French.

Prerequisites
FREN 20500, 20501 or consent of instructor.

Crosslistings: FREN 21601, GLST 21600, LACS 21600

This course provides an interdisciplinary survey of the contemporary Francophone Caribbean. Students will study a wide range of its cultural manifestations (performing arts like music and dance, literature, cinema, architecture and other visual arts, gastronomy). Attention is also paid to such sociolinguistic issues as the coexistence of French and Kreyòl, and the standardization of Kreyòl.

Taught in English.

Crosslistings: GLST 21601, SPAN 21610

This course provides an interdisciplinary survey of contemporary Catalonia. We study a wide range of its cultural manifestations (architecture, paintings, music, arts of the body, literature, cinema, gastronomy). Attention is also paid to some sociolinguistic issues, such as the coexistence of Catalan and Spanish, and the standardization of Catalan.

The course will be conducted in English.

Crosslistings: SPAN 21660

In this course we will embark on a virtual journey through the streets and hidden corners of contemporary Barcelona, treating the city itself as a living museum and a dynamic text. Using art, cinema, literature, and even street art as our guides, we will explore how Barcelona’s urban landscape has become a canvas for cultural expression in the 21st century.

Moving beyond the monumental works of the past, we will focus on the city as it has been reimagined since the 1992 Olympic Games. We will ask: How do modern artists, writers, and filmmakers map the soul of this metropolis? How is the city’s identity negotiated in its public spaces, from the tourist-filled Gothic Quarter to the post-industrial workshops of Poblenou? Each week, we will "visit" a different neighborhood or explore a theme, using cultural works as our lens to understand the tensions between tradition and globalization, the impact of tourism, the voices of its diverse communities, and the politics of urban space in a cultural exploration of the living, breathing city of today.

Taught in English.

In this course we will embark on a virtual journey through the streets and hidden corners of contemporary Barcelona, treating the city itself as a living museum and a dynamic text. Using art, cinema, literature, and even street art as our guides, we will explore how Barcelona’s urban landscape has become a canvas for cultural expression in the 21st century.

Moving beyond the monumental works of the past, we will focus on the city as it has been reimagined since the 1992 Olympic Games. We will ask: How do modern artists, writers, and filmmakers map the soul of this metropolis? How is the city’s identity negotiated in its public spaces, from the tourist-filled Gothic Quarter to the post-industrial workshops of Poblenou? Each week, we will "visit" a different neighborhood or explore a theme, using cultural works as our lens to understand the tensions between tradition and globalization, the impact of tourism, the voices of its diverse communities, and the politics of urban space in a cultural exploration of the living, breathing city of today.

Taught in English.

Crosslistings: SPAN 21660

In this course we will embark on a virtual journey through the streets and hidden corners of contemporary Barcelona, treating the city itself as a living museum and a dynamic text. Using art, cinema, literature, and even street art as our guides, we will explore how Barcelona’s urban landscape has become a canvas for cultural expression in the 21st century.
Moving beyond the monumental works of the past, we will focus on the city as it has been reimagined since the 1992 Olympic Games. We will ask: How do modern artists, writers, and filmmakers map the soul of this metropolis? How is the city’s identity negotiated in its public spaces, from the tourist-filled Gothic Quarter to the post-industrial workshops of Poblenou? Each week, we will "visit" a different neighborhood or explore a theme, using cultural works as our lens to understand the tensions between tradition and globalization, the impact of tourism, the voices of its diverse communities, and the politics of urban space in a cultural exploration of the living, breathing city of today.

Taught in English.

Crosslistings: MDVL 21705

This class explores Spanish language, literature, and culture focusing on premodern Iberian texts and artifacts. We will start by anonymous Cantar de Mio Cid, the first great vernacular epic in the Middle Ages, and we will end in Maria de Zayas's Novelas ejemplares, one of the finest expressions of European early modern short story. Between these two literary works we will talk about music, painting, witchcraft, conversion, and the Inquisition as milestones of a five-century span. In this time Spanish consolidates as a written language, while numerous political and religious conflicts mark the struggle for hegemony in the Iberian Peninsula.
In addition to enhancing your knowledge of Iberian cultural history and improving your close reading and critical thinking skills, this course is designed to continue building on your linguistic competence in Spanish.

Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300

This is a survey of the literatures and cultures of Spain from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The course offers an introduction to key historical moments of Spanish modernity, including the age of liberalism and the end of the empire, the Civil War and the Spanish exile, and the fight for democracy and equality in the Transition period and in the present day. Through literature, film, and the visual arts we will discuss topics such as the rivalry of competing national projects, the creative tension between tradition and avant-garde, the relationship between languages, literature, and society, and the struggles of women, among others. We will study towering cultural figures such as Emilia Pardo Bazán, Federico García Lorca, Mercè Rodoreda, Pablo Picasso, or Luis Buñuel, among many others. In addition to enhancing your knowledge of Iberian cultural history and improving your close reading and critical thinking skills, this course is designed to continue building on your linguistic competence in Spanish.

Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300

This is a survey of the literatures and cultures of Spain from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The course offers an introduction to key historical moments of Spanish modernity, including the age of liberalism and the end of the empire, the Civil War and the Spanish exile, and the fight for democracy and equality in the Transition period and in the present day. Through literature, film, and the visual arts we will discuss topics such as the rivalry of competing national projects, the creative tension between tradition and avant-garde, the relationship between languages, literature, and society, and the struggles of women, among others. We will study towering cultural figures such as Emilia Pardo Bazán, Federico García Lorca, Mercè Rodoreda, Pablo Picasso, or Luis Buñuel, among many others. In addition to enhancing your knowledge of Iberian cultural history and improving your close reading and critical thinking skills, this course is designed to continue building on your linguistic competence in Spanish.

Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300

Crosslistings: LACS 21900, RDIN 21905

This course offers an overview of major trends in Spanish-American writing from the colonial period through the late nineteenth century. We will pay particular attention to both the aesthetic dimensions of the texts and the historical conditions that made them possible. Topics include the textual forms that emerged within the context of conquest and colonization, such as those produced by Indigenous writers; the formation of mestizo and criollo cultural identities and their gendered dimensions; the struggles for independence and the formation of new Spanish- American nations beginning in 1810; and literary responses to the challenges posed to those nations by the emergence of U.S. imperialism toward the end of the nineteenth century. We will read Indigenous chronicles and testimonies of the Conquest; works by the mestizo writer Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and the creole nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz; the autobiography of the enslaved poet Juan Francisco Manzano; independence-era literature by Simón Bolívar and Esteban Echeverría; and anti-imperialist texts by the Cuban writer José Martí.

Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300

Crosslistings: LACS 21900, RDIN 21905

This course offers an overview of major trends in Spanish-American writing from the colonial period through the late nineteenth century. We will pay particular attention to both the aesthetic dimensions of the texts and the historical conditions that made them possible. Topics include the textual forms that emerged within the context of conquest and colonization, such as those produced by Indigenous writers; the formation of mestizo and criollo cultural identities and their gendered dimensions; the struggles for independence and the formation of new Spanish- American nations beginning in 1810; and literary responses to the challenges posed to those nations by the emergence of U.S. imperialism toward the end of the nineteenth century. We will read Indigenous chronicles and testimonies of the Conquest; works by the mestizo writer Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and the creole nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz; the autobiography of the enslaved poet Juan Francisco Manzano; independence-era literature by Simón Bolívar and Esteban Echeverría; and anti-imperialist texts by the Cuban writer José Martí.

Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300

Crosslistings: LACS 22005, RDIN 22205

This course will survey some of the main literary and cultural tendencies in Latin America from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. We will pay special attention to their aesthetic dimensions, as well as the socio-historical and political conditions that made them possible, and in which they simultaneously intervened. Questions to be studied might include the innovations of the Modernist and avant-garde movements, fantastic literature, the novel of the so-called “Boom,” cultural production associated with revolutionary movements, military dictatorships, and the Cold War, as well as new currents in literary and theatrical practices. Likewise, the course will foreground some of the following concepts relevant to the study of this production: modernity and modernization; development and neoliberalism; neo-colonialism and empire; cultural autonomy and ideas of poetic and cultural renewal; the epic vs. the novel; realism and non-verisimilitude; and performativity, among others. In addition to enhancing your knowledge of Latin American cultural history and improving your close reading and critical thinking skills, this course is designed to continue building on your linguistic competence in Spanish.

Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300 or consent of instructor.

Crosslistings: LACS 22005, RDIN 22205

This course will survey some of the main literary and cultural tendencies in Latin America from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. We will pay special attention to their aesthetic dimensions, as well as the socio-historical and political conditions that made them possible, and in which they simultaneously intervened. Questions to be studied might include the innovations of the Modernist and avant-garde movements, fantastic literature, the novel of the so-called “Boom,” cultural production associated with revolutionary movements, military dictatorships, and the Cold War, as well as new currents in literary and theatrical practices. Likewise, the course will foreground some of the following concepts relevant to the study of this production: modernity and modernization; development and neoliberalism; neo-colonialism and empire; cultural autonomy and ideas of poetic and cultural renewal; the epic vs. the novel; realism and non-verisimilitude; and performativity, among others. In addition to enhancing your knowledge of Latin American cultural history and improving your close reading and critical thinking skills, this course is designed to continue building on your linguistic competence in Spanish.

Taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites
SPAN 20300