Undergraduate Course Descriptions

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Spanish

Fall 2025

SPAN 101 1st Year Spanish: Multiple CRNs

Spanish 101-102-103 is a three-quarter sequence designed for students with no experience or up to two years of previous study. Students with two or more years of experience, should consider taking Span 111-112 during the winter and spring terms.

Emphasis on the development of speaking, reading, and writing skills; introduction to Hispanic culture. Sequence. Conducted in Spanish.

The first-year program in Spanish at UO aims to develop real-world, on-demand proficiency for all students. Our goal is Benchmark III on the scale used by the Center for Applied Second Language Studies.

SPAN 150 Hisp & Ltnx Cultures >1 >GP >IC: 15984

This course is an introduction to cultures of the Hispanic/Latinx world (Iberia, Latin America, US). In this course we will learn about various types of cultural production throughout the Spanish-speaking world, such as art, poetry, fiction, monuments, celebrations, and food ways. There will be a series of guest appearances from Spanish faculty members who will speak about their areas of specialization, so this course is a great way to learn all about the minor and major in Spanish in Romance Languages and meet the professors who teach in the program. This course satisfies the UO Core requirements for Arts and Letters (Group 1 Arts and Letters) and Global Perspectives requirement.

SPAN 201 2nd Year Spanish >1 >GP >IC: Multiple CRNS

Development of Spanish language proficiency beyond beginning level through the study of the cultural products, practices, and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world. Topics include history, geography, demographics, foodways, social movements, art, politics, and other cultural phenomena.

The Spanish 200-level sequence is an intermediate-level course designed to provide you with an active and rewarding learning experience as you (1) strengthen your language skills (real-world, or instrumental, use of Spanish), (2) deepen your knowledge of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, and (3) use a second language to improve your overall literacy (reading, writing, listening, speaking).

The completion of this sequence (SPAN 203) is one means of satisfying the UO BA language requirement. These courses devote extensive practice to oral skill development in real-world contexts; by the end of the sequence, the average student should be able to converse with native speakers on many topics of everyday interest (family, studies, travels, holidays, etc.), as well as articulate the most important cultural, social, and historical information about Spanish-speaking communities around the world. The goal we set for most students corresponds roughly to the Intermediate-Mid level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, although many students may surpass this basic level, depending on their personal investment in the course and hours of study.

Language study is a crucial part of a broad education. As a core part of a humanities curriculum, these courses expose students to the diversity of cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will be exposed to and asked their views on current political and social issues, history events, expressions of art and music, and other related areas.

SPAN 218 Latino Heritage I >1 >AC >US: 14920, 14921 & 14922

Designed for heritage learners—students who grew up with Spanish in their community and want to build communication skills in Spanish. Content focuses on personal experiences in U.S. Latinx communities. Cannot be combined with SPAN 201, SPAN 202, SPAN 203 for more than 15 credits of second-year Spanish. Sequence with SPAN 228.

As the title suggests, course content focuses on students’ expression of personal identity as members of a Spanish-language heritage community in the U.S. Course work is designed to develop a range of bilingual abilities, with a focus on oral production in informal contexts (similar to the SPAN 101-102-102-201 sequence for second language students of Spanish), through building vocabulary, teaching basic grammatical terminology, and basic literacy (reading and writing).

The courses in the Latino Heritage series (SPAN 218, 228) have an obvious focus on the development of Spanish-language proficiency. However, they use the approach known as “content-based instruction” in language teaching: language ability is developed through the study, in Spanish, of content that is typically included in humanities courses across campus. These new classes will cover the basics of human and cultural geography and ethnography, necessary for an understanding of the origins and demographics of Latino heritage communities in the U.S. and their relationship to the communities of origin. Coursework leads students through an examination of cultural production (music, literature, and plastic arts) and also include issues of linguistic and cultural prejudice by examining the connections between language, power, and social inclusion. This multi-faceted study of the make-up and dynamics of Latino communities in the U.S. therefore satisfies the Arts and Letters area requirement.

SPAN 228 Latino Heritage II >1 >GP >IC: 16322

Designed for heritage learners—students who grew up with Spanish in their community and want to continue developing communication skills in Spanish. Content focuses on personal experiences in U.S. Latinx communities. Cannot be combined with SPAN 201, SPAN 202, SPAN 203 for more than 15 credits of second-year Spanish. Sequence with SPAN 218.

This course belongs to the Herencia Latina series (with SPAN 218), courses designed to integrate heritage learners of Spanish into the curriculum of the Spanish-language program at UO. The target audience is defined as students with at least Intermediate Low oral proficiency for whom Spanish is a community/home language and whose oral communication skills may be more developed than their literacy skills. The completion of this series (SPAN 228) is one means of satisfying the UO BA language requirement.

As the title suggests, course content focuses on the use of Spanish as a vehicle of communication in the U.S. and around the world and serves to help students establish a personal connection between their Spanish-language heritage and the wider Spanish-speaking world. Course work is designed to develop a range of bilingual abilities, improving their oral production in informal and formal contexts and preparing them to use Spanish in academic/formal contexts (similar to the SPAN 202-203 sequence for monolingual English speakers), through expansion of vocabulary and exposure to normative (standard) Spanish. Course content will also include issues of linguistic and cultural prejudice by examining the connections between language, power, and social inclusion.

The courses in the Latino Heritage series (SPAN 218, 228) have an obvious focus on the development of Spanish-language proficiency. However, they use the approach known as “content-based instruction” in language teaching: language ability is developed through the study, in Spanish, of content that is typically included in humanities courses across campus. These new classes will cover the basics of human and cultural geography and ethnography, necessary for an understanding of the origins and demographics of Latino heritage communities in the U.S. and their relationship to the communities of origin. But the bulk of coursework leads students through an examination of cultural production (music, literature, and plastic arts). Course content will also include issues of linguistic and cultural prejudice by examining the connections between language, power, and social inclusion. This multi-faceted study of the make-up and dynamics of Latino communities in the U.S. therefore satisfies the Arts and Letters area requirement.

SPAN 301 Identidades Hispanas >1 >GP >IC: 14924, 14925, 14926 & 14927

Develops advanced language skills through analysis of major historical influences in the cultures of Spanish-speaking regions: Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Taught in Spanish.

At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in Spanish, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (SPAN 316-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Spanish major and/or minor.

Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Spanish or Romance Languages majors or minors. SPAN 301 Culture and Language: Identities in the Hispanic World (Cultura y lengua: Identidades hispanas) explores various social and cultural identities that have formed in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world (especially Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean). Through literary and journalistic texts and films–ancient legends, colonial-era accounts, present-day narratives, essays, and dramatic works–we study the historical presence and the contemporary realities of various ethnic groups and social classes.

SPAN 303 Expresiones Artisticas >1: 14929, 14930 & 14931

Develops advanced language skills through the study of cultural products (e.g., art, literature, film, music) in Spanish-speaking societies. Taught in Spanish.

Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in Spanish, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking.

These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (SPAN 316-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Spanish major and/or minor. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Spanish or Romance Languages majors or minors.

SPAN 303 Culture and Language: Arts in the Hispanic World (Cultura y lengua: Expresiones artísticas) focuses on the varied artistic expressions (including but not limited to fine arts, photography, film, popular art, literature, and music) with the goal of broadening the student’s knowledge and understanding of the cultures, history, geography and other related areas of the Spanish-speaking world

These objectives will be achieved through reading and analyzing cultural and literary texts, examining and interpreting works of art, and research and discussion of related topics. Students will write both essays of literary or visual analysis and creative works.

SPAN 305 Cambios Sociales >1 >GP >IC: 15986 & 15988

Develops advanced language skills through the investigation of major currents of change in modern Spanish-speaking societies, gender issues, technology, revolution and counter-revolution. Taught in Spanish.

SPAN 305 Culture and Language: Social Change (Cultura y lengua: Cambios sociales seeks to extend students’ knowledge and understanding of the Spanish language while studying some of the major political, economic, and historical changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in Spain and Latin America, with an emphasis on how these have affected everyday life.

SPAN 308 Comunidades Bilingues >2 >GP >IP: 14934, 14935, 14936 & 14937

Designed for heritage learners—students who grew up with Spanish in their community and want to continue developing communication skills in Spanish. Explores socio-linguistic dynamics of communities in which Spanish is in contact with another language. Open to all students. Taught in Spanish.

Course Description: SPAN 308, Bilingual Communities, examines the social and linguistic dynamics of the various communities in which Spanish is in contact with other languages. The Spanish language, a communication system resulting from language contact over many centuries, is a means of expression for multilingual people in the United States, Latin America, Spain, Africa, and Asia. This class aims to illuminate various topics related to this reality while at the same time expanding students’ language repertoire and skills in Spanish and promoting and developing their critical language awareness skills. This class is open to all students of the Spanish language. At the same time, it is part of the Romance Languages initiative for the development and learning of Spanish for heritage learners.

As in all SHL (Spanish Heritage Language Program) courses, we will use, as a starting point, the belief that languages are a social phenomenon and therefore include, by necessity and nature, variety as a result of the constant movement and change of its people – universally human aspects. Thus, we must approach the study of languages in a way that overcomes linguistic hierarchies and assumptions based on the paradigm of a “standard” language. This paradigm works on the assumption that there is a “correct” way to speak a language and that there are “native” speakers who speak this “standard,” ignoring the realities of language variety based on identity and social context.

The most appropriate position to study Spanish/Castilian in an ethical and honest way is not to consider the language as a simple linguistic object independent of its speakers and sociopolitical realities, but as a living and constantly evolving instrument of many nations and cultures which is closely linked to the identities of its speakers.

SPAN 311 Adv Writing in Spanish: 14938

This requirement for the Spanish major provides additional language development for students early on in the major, emphasizing academic writing skills in Spanish.

In Jaramillo’s Spanish 311 Advanced Writing class, students will embark on an exciting journey that blends creativity, critical thinking, and real-world issues. They’ll engage in fascinating discussions about Mexican history, culture, and literature, analyzing short stories, novels, and films to uncover pivotal moments in women’s and LGBTQ+ histories. These rich explorations provide the foundation for broader themes like identity, resilience, and social justice, creating a dynamic context for honing advanced writing skills. The class also integrates a strong focus on AI literacy and ethical AI collaboration in the writing process. Students will learn to use cutting-edge AI tools as partners for brainstorming, revising, and refining their essays, while critically engaging with the possibilities and responsibilities of technology. Activities like speedwriting, group discussions, film analysis, and thought-provoking essays keep the energy high and the learning meaningful. This is more than a writing class—it’s a space where history meets innovation, culture meets creativity, and every voice contributes to building a more thoughtful and inclusive narrative. It will be an unforgettable, empowering experience for any aspiring writer!

Este curso de escritura avanzada – con formato taller – desarrolla las habilidades de escribir de los estudiantes.  Aprenderán técnicas y formas de escritura, incluyendo la escritura veloz, los resúmenes y los ensayos argumentativos– sobre la literatura y sobre los aspectos socio-lingüísticos en los medios de comunicación. El desarrollo de pensamiento crítico es una parte esencial de ese proceso.  Además, los estudiantes mejorarán su redacción y aprenderán a editar mejor la estructura de sus oraciones y párrafos. Finalmente, este curso prepara al estudiante para los cursos más avanzados de español.

Nota– Este curso fue diseñado para estudiantes de español como segunda lengua (L2).  También son bienvenides estudiantes de herencia (estudiantes que crecieron hablando español), aunque la clase alternativa Span 312 – también sobre la escritura avanzada – se diseñó específicamente para ellas/ellos.

SPAN 312 Spanish in the Media: 14939 & 14940

Designed for heritage learners. Examines the role of Spanish in various forms of media such as television, Internet, and literature. Students practice advanced writing skills necessary to participate in argumentative writing and close textual readings.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 320 Intens Grammar Review: 14941 & 14942

This course is a study and review of some of the central complex themes of Spanish grammars. We will use Critical Language Awareness (CLA) to study, review and practice elements of both the privileged normative varieties of Spanish and the minoritized varieties. We will also reflect on which variations we and our classmates use in our daily lives.

SPAN 343 Hispanic Cul Lit III >1 >GP >IC: 14945

This class introduces students to a variety of literary works from Latin American Independences to the Spanish Civil War, with emphasis on their relationship to historical events and critical representation of Iberian and Latin American societies.The “long nineteenth century” is the century of crisis, flanked by revolutions, transformations and wars. We will cover from the Wars of Independence in Latin America and the Napoleonic Wars in the Iberian Peninsula to the Spanish Civil War. We will study changes in the key concepts that articulate 19th and early 20th century debates in a Transatlantic framework, without losing sight of the intellectual context that runs parallel to the changes in these concepts: revolution and freedom, nation building and subject formation, civilization, progress, national identity (creole identity, subaltern identities, “Spanishness” and “casticismo”), democracy, modernity, modernization. Among other topics, will trace: the colonial legacy in the hegemonic nation building projects of the intellectual liberal elites; the conflict between lettered elites and popular masses; bourgeois revolutions; imperial nostalgia for the lost colonies; building of national identity in Spain; the inextricability of fiction from politics; aesthetic innovations at the brink of the Spanish civil war. Students will:

Identify and explain key cultural problems of the Hispanic world from the early 19th century to the mid-twentieth century
Compare and contrast regional and socio-cultural differences, as well as hemispheric tendencies, in Latin American and Spanish literary production
Situate assigned literary texts and other types of cultural production in the context of the historical events, social movements and aesthetic currents that influence them, and in contrast to other literary and cultural periods
Distinguish the ways in which literary texts and other forms of cultural production thematize social conflict relating to gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity, language and other cultural differences
Identify the ways in which the formal elements in a given literary text (such as genre, figurative language and point of view) point us toward appropriate or useful interpretations
Write logical, convincing critical argument as response to a critical question, using evidence from primary literary and historical documents as well as secondary essays by modern scholars
Demonstrate continued improvement in written and spoken expression in Spanish, with increased attention to accuracy and fluency

Spanish 343, along with other courses in the Hispanic Cultures through Literature series, fulfill the arts and letters group requirement. They cover broad historical periods, geographic areas, and genres of aesthetic production, provide students with an overview of how literary texts and other forms of cultural production thematize social issues relating to gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity, language and other cultural differences. Students also focus on the study of how formal elements of literary production (genre, figurative language, point of view, etc.) point us toward appropriate or useful interpretations. These courses also continue to develop students’ abilities to write logical, convincing arguments as response to a critical question, using evidence from primary literary and historical documents as well as secondary essays by modern scholars.Spanish 343, along with other courses in the Hispanic Cultures through Literature series, also fulfill the multicultural group requirement. Their Transatlantic orientation obliges students to compare and contrast regional and socio-cultural differences, as well as hemispheric tendencies, in Latin American and Spanish literary production.

SPAN 348 US Latino Lit & Cul >1 >AC >US: 35985

Introduction to Hispanic literature written in the United States. Close reading and discussion of selected texts by Hispanic authors; emphasis on literary trends and themes.

This course is an introduction to Latinx literature, art, film, and other forms of cultural production in the United States. Students will study a range of 19th- through 21st-century Latinx thought and creative expression and will address relevant literary, cultural and social themes in class discussion and writing assignments. Topics include: borderlands, US-Latin American relations, the politics of language, Chicano/Latino/Latinx identities, Chicana/Latina feminisms, migration and exile, foodways, and popular culture. Students are expected to read, discuss, and write in Spanish, although course material vary in linguistic registers (Spanish, English, Spanglish, Caló, etc.). This course satisfies the USDIA Category for the UO Cultural Literacy Requirement.

SPAN 350 Introduction to Poetry >1 >GP >IC: 15990

This course explores the development of Peninsular Spanish Poetry from the Renaissance to the present, and of Latin American Poetry from pre-Columbian times until our day. After an initial period that covers poetic terminology, genres, versification, and methods of analysis, the course dedicates precisely the same number of days to Peninsular Poetry as it does to Latin American poetry. The poems are selected to represent specific literary periods, movements, and highlights of both regions, but also to represent the historical moment. They are also carefully selected to be representative of the work of each poet. Except in cases of movements/periods such as the Baroque in which the most defining characteristic is complexity, the poems are chosen for their ease of comprehension and for their potential interest and pertinence to our current times. The objective is to lead the students into understanding how our current poetry and literature in Spain and Latin America have been shaped by the cumulative effects of literature and its relationship to history and the arts.

The course moves chronologically. It progresses through the Renaissance, the Baroque, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism until the end of the 19th century. Beginning with the Generation of ’98 there is even more of a historical connection of the poems. After the Generation of ’27, they are tied to the Spanish Civil War and then the various stages of the Franco regime. After Franco’s death in 1975 the poetry is viewed more in terms of its social value, feminism, and other tendencies of current importance.

The Latin American part of the course begins at this point and we go back to pre-Columbian times to read some poems that illustrate philosophies and artistic values of the indigenous cultures. Then we move relatively fast through the colonial period stopping to look with more attention to Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz. After Modernism at the end of the 19th Century enters the picture, the rest of the term is spent looking at specific poets of major importance as well as various movements that are evident in specific countries, in most cases associated with the historical moment. Countries such as Chile and Argentina which went through difficult political periods are represented by poetry that illustrates their struggles. Feminist poems from various countries are studied, as well as poetry that represents environmental concerns.

SPAN 353 Intro to Narrative >1 >GP >IC: 15991

In this course we read a wide selection of short stories and/or a novel by authors from Spain and Latin America. Our discussions will concentrate on formal critical analysis, but the texts are always connected to their historical contexts. Throughout the course, we will introduce and incorporate into our discussions the terminology and key concepts of literary criticism and narrative analysis. We will work towards being able to write a clearly focused original critical essay in Spanish analyzing an aspect of a text or a group of texts, and using three or more bibliographical sources.

SPAN 407 Sem History & Fiction: 15992

SPAN 355 aims to expand the students’ creative capabilities in Spanish through several writing exercises. In this class students will develop their literary sensitivity as well as their critical judgment and interpretative skills. Students will also enhance their Spanish oral, written, and reading proficiency while acquiring knowledge of writing techniques and cultural background about literary schools and writers from Spain and Latin America. During class we will also read in Spanish literary pieces from indigenous and European immigrant traditions in the Americas. Our seminar will be organized in the format of literary workshops and group discussions. Students are expected to write poems and/or short stories in guided writing exercises, and we will also read literary texts relevant to each individual writing project. By the end of the term, students will have produced a collection of original work in Spanish, which they will present in a public forum for the UO and local community. Readings, writing assignments, and class discussion are conducted in Spanish.

SPAN 490 Top TBA >GP >IC: 14953

Explores major literary trends, authors, and works. Recent topics are Avant-garde in the Mexican Revolution, Testimonial Literature, Latin American Theater. Repeatable twice for a maximum of 12 credits when topic changes.

SPAN 490 Top Guatemala: Genocide >GP >IC: 15993

During the late 20th century, much of Latin America was engulfed by intense political conflict, the legacies of which still resonate. Focusing on Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, and especially Guatemala— whose genocide has been repeatedly examined in a rich display of documentary, fiction, film and anthropological study—, this course comparatively examines these periods of dictatorship and violence, and then explores how these societies have reckoned with their powerful aftermath through imaginative artifacts. Topics covered include documentary film’s capacity to perform justice work, indigenous rights and performative rites of repair, peace processes, truth commissions, transitional justice, activism, law, and the politics of historical interpretation.

Winter 2025

SPAN 102 1st Year Spanish: Multiple CRNs

Emphasis on the development of speaking, reading, and writing skills; introduction to Hispanic culture. Sequence. Conducted in Spanish.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 111 Intens Begin Spanish: Multiple CRNs

Intensive study for experienced language learners; introduction to Hispanic culture. Prereq: evidence of placement. Sequence. Conducted in Spanish. Cannot be combined with SPAN 101, SPAN 102, SPAN 103 for more than 15 credits of first-year Spanish.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 202 2nd Year Spanish >1 >GP >IC: Multiple CRNs

SPAN 218 Latino Heritage I >1 >AC >US: 25274, 25275 and 25276

SPAN 228 Latino Heritage II >1 >GP >IC: 25277, 25278 and 25279

The courses in the Latino Heritage series (SPAN 218, 228) have an obvious focus on the development of Spanish-language proficiency. However, they use the approach known as “content-based instruction” in language teaching: language ability is developed through the study, in Spanish, of content that is typically included in humanities courses across campus. These new classes will cover the basics of human and cultural geography and ethnography, necessary for an understanding of the origins and demographics of Latino heritage communities in the U.S. and their relationship to the communities of origin. But the bulk of coursework leads students through an examination of cultural production (music, literature, and plastic arts). Course content will also include issues of linguistic and cultural prejudice by examining the connections between language, power, and social inclusion. This multi-faceted study of the make-up and dynamics of Latino communities in the U.S. therefore satisfies the Arts and Letters area requirement.

SPAN 301 Identidades Hispanas >1 >GP >IC: 25280

One of three Culture and Language courses (SPAN 301, 303, and 305) that begin a student’s advanced-level work in the Spanish major/minor. These three courses are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year Spanish, into the use of the Spanish language in the study of works of literary art and other cultural expressions of the Hispanic world. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through literary works and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in Spanish, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (SPAN 316-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Spanish major and/or minor. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Spanish or Romance Languages majors or minors. SPAN 301 Culture and Language: Identities in the Hispanic World (Cultura y lengua: Identidades hispanas) explores various social and cultural identities that have formed in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world (especially Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean). Through literary and journalistic texts and films–ancient legends, colonial-era accounts, present-day narratives, essays, and dramatic works–we study the historical presence and the contemporary realities of various ethnic groups and social classes.

SPAN 303 Expresiones Artisticas >1: 25281, 26494 and 26495

One of three Culture and Language courses (SPAN 301, 303, and 305) that begin a student’s advanced-level work in the Spanish major/minor. These three courses are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year Spanish, into the use of the Spanish language in the study of works of literary art and other cultural expressions of the Hispanic world. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through literary works and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in Spanish, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (SPAN 316-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Spanish major and/or minor. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Spanish or Romance Languages majors or minors. SPAN 303 Culture and Language: Arts in the Hispanic World (Cultura y lengua: Expresiones artísticas) focuses on the varied artistic expressions (including but not limited to fine arts, photography, film, popular art, literature, and music) with the goal of broadening the student’s knowledge and understanding of the cultures, history, geography and other related areas of the Spanish-speaking world. These objectives will be achieved through reading and analyzing cultural and literary texts, examining and interpreting works of art, and research and discussion of related topics. Students will write both essays of literary or visual analysis and creative works.

SPAN 305 Cambios Sociales >1 >GP >IC: 25283 and 26887

One of three Culture and Language courses (SPAN 301, 303, and 305) that begin a student’s advanced-level work in the Spanish major/minor. These three courses are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year Spanish, into the use of the Spanish language in the study of works of literary art and other cultural expressions of the Hispanic world. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through literary works and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in Spanish, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (SPAN 316-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Spanish major and/or minor. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Spanish or Romance Languages majors or minors. SPAN 305 Culture and Language: Social Change (Cultura y lengua: Cambios sociales seeks to extend students’ knowledge and understanding of the Spanish language while studying some of the major political, economic, and historical changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in Spain and Latin America, with an emphasis on how these have affected everyday life.

SPAN 308 Comunidades Bilingues >2 >GP >IP: 25284, 25285, 25286 and 25287

SPAN 311 Adv Writing in Spanish: 25288

This requirement for the Spanish major provides additional language development for students early on in the major, emphasizing academic writing skills in Spanish.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 312 Spanish in the Media: 25289 and 25290

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 320 Intens Grammar Review: 25291 and 25292

SPAN 322 Intro Hispanic Ling: 26843

Linguistic description of the Spanish language, including phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, history, and social and geographical variation.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 344 Hispanic Cul Lit IV >1 >GP >IC: 26944

This course introduces students of Spanish to key 20th- and 21st-century literary texts as well as other forms of cultural production such as film, music and visual arts from Latin America and Spain. Students are challenged to develop advanced reading comprehension skills, explore the intersections between cultural production and social formations and interpret the ways in which these literary texts elucidate the complex socio-historical contexts in which they emerge. Students will:

Identify and explain key cultural problems of the Hispanic world in the 20th and 21st century
Compare and contrast regional and socio-cultural differences, as well as hemispheric tendencies, in Latin American and Spanish literary production
Situate assigned literary texts and other types of cultural production in the context of the historical events, social movements and aesthetic currents that influence them, and in contrast to other literary and cultural periods
Distinguish the ways in which literary texts and other forms of cultural production thematize social conflict relating to gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity, language and other cultural differences
Identify the ways in which the formal elements in a given literary text (such as genre, figurative language and point of view) point us toward appropriate or useful interpretations
Write logical, convincing critical argument as response to a critical question, using evidence from primary literary and historical documents as well as secondary essays by modern scholars
Demonstrate continued improvement in written and spoken expression in Spanish, with increased attention to accuracy and fluencySpanish 344, along with other courses in the Hispanic Cultures through Literature series, fulfill the arts and letters group requirement. They cover broad historical periods, geographic areas, and genres of aesthetic production, provide students with an overview of how literary texts and other forms of cultural production thematize social issues relating to gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity, language and other cultural differences. Students also focus on the study of how formal elements of literary production (genre, figurative language, point of view, etc.) point us toward appropriate or useful interpretations. These courses also continue to develop students’ abilities to write logical, convincing arguments as response to a critical question, using evidence from primary literary and historical documents as well as secondary essays by modern scholars.Spanish 344, along with other courses in the Hispanic Cultures through Literature series, also fulfill the multicultural group requirement. Their Transatlantic orientation obliges students to compare and contrast regional and socio-cultural differences, as well as hemispheric tendencies, in Latin American and Spanish literary production.

SPAN 348 US Latino Lit & Cul >1 >AC >US: 25298

SPAN 353 Intro to Narrative >1 >GP >IC: 26899

SPAN 420 Top Applied Linguistcs: 26498

Variable topics in Spanish linguistics, including advanced grammar, history of the Spanish language, the language of Iberia, Spanish sociolinguistics. Repeatable when topic changes.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 490 Top Postcolonial Spain >GP >IC: 25307

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 490 Top Represion Estado >GP >IC

No Expanded Course Description

Spring 2025

SPAN 103 1st Year Spanish: Multiple CRNs

Emphasis on the development of speaking, reading, and writing skills; introduction to Hispanic culture. Sequence. Conducted in Spanish.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 112 Intens Begin Spanish: Multiple CRNs

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 203 2nd Year Spanish >1 >GP >IC: Multiple CRNS

Language study is a crucial part of a broad education. As a core part of a humanities curriculum, this course exposes students to the diversity of cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will investigate and express their views on current political and social issues, historical events, cultural products (literature, art, music), and other related areas.

SPAN 218 Latino Heritage I >1 >AC >US: 34957

SPAN 228 Latino Heritage II >1 >GP >IC: 34958 and 34958

The courses in the Latino Heritage series (SPAN 218, 228) have an obvious focus on the development of Spanish-language proficiency. However, they use the approach known as “content-based instruction” in language teaching: language ability is developed through the study, in Spanish, of content that is typically included in humanities courses across campus. These new classes will cover the basics of human and cultural geography and ethnography, necessary for an understanding of the origins and demographics of Latino heritage communities in the U.S. and their relationship to the communities of origin. But the bulk of coursework leads students through an examination of cultural production (music, literature, and plastic arts). Course content will also include issues of linguistic and cultural prejudice by examining the connections between language, power, and social inclusion. This multi-faceted study of the make-up and dynamics of Latino communities in the U.S. therefore satisfies the Arts and Letters area requirement.

SPAN 301 Identidades Hispanas >1 >GP >IC: 34960 and 34961

SPAN 303 Expresiones Artisticas >1: 34962

One of three Culture and Language courses (SPAN 301, 303, and 305) that begin a student’s advanced-level work in the Spanish major/minor. These three courses are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year Spanish, into the use of the Spanish language in the study of works of literary art and other cultural expressions of the Hispanic world. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through literary works and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in Spanish, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (SPAN 316-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Spanish major and/or minor. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Spanish or Romance Languages majors or minors. SPAN 303 Culture and Language: Arts in the Hispanic World (Cultura y lengua: Expresiones artísticas) focuses on the varied artistic expressions (including but not limited to fine arts, photography, film, popular art, literature, and music) with the goal of broadening the student’s knowledge and understanding of the cultures, history, geography and other related areas of the Spanish-speaking world. These objectives will be achieved through reading and analyzing cultural and literary texts, examining and interpreting works of art, and research and discussion of related topics. Students will write both essays of literary or visual analysis and creative works.

SPAN 305 Cambios Sociales >1 >GP >IC: 34964 and 34965

One of three Culture and Language courses (SPAN 301, 303, and 305) that begin a student’s advanced-level work in the Spanish major/minor. These three courses are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year Spanish, into the use of the Spanish language in the study of works of literary art and other cultural expressions of the Hispanic world. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through literary works and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in Spanish, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (SPAN 316-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Spanish major and/or minor. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Spanish or Romance Languages majors or minors. SPAN 305 Culture and Language: Social Change (Cultura y lengua: Cambios sociales seeks to extend students’ knowledge and understanding of the Spanish language while studying some of the major political, economic, and historical changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in Spain and Latin America, with an emphasis on how these have affected everyday life.

SPAN 308 Comunidades Bilingues >2 >GP >IP: 34967, 34968, 34969 and 34970

SPAN 311 Adv Writing in Spanish: 34971

SPAN 312 Spanish in the Media: 34973 and 34972

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 320 Intens Grammar Review: 34974 and 34975

SPAN 324 Pronunciation & Phonet: 34977

Study of Spanish sounds, rhythms, and intonation; supervised pronunciation practice. Offered alternate years.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 348 US Latino Lit & Cul >1 >AC >US: 35985

SPAN 350 Introduction to Poetry >1 >GP >IC: 34981

SPAN 353 Intro to Narrative >1 >GP >IC: 34982

SPAN 355 Creative Wrtg in Span >GP >IC: 34983

SPAN 399 Sp St Span Lane Cty: 35986

Repeatable.

No Expanded Course Description

RL 407 Sem Idea of Europe: 34797

Prof. Nathalie Hester

The Idea of Europe is a multi-disciplinary course that explores the meanings of Europe past and present. Guest faculty from a variety of disciplines on campus (humanities, social sciences and the arts) lecture weekly on the European legacy as we explore cultural, historical, political and social institutions that continue to inform our ideas of Europe today. While the overall framework is historical, the course is a creative investigation into different perspectives, texts, issues, and disciplinary assumptions–often incompatible or competing–that shape “Europe” as an object of study. Students will be required to keep a reaction journal and to complete a paper or project on some aspect of Europe. This course is taught in English and may bear credit in French, Italian, and Spanish.

Doctoral students: this course provides credit in your primary romance language only.

SPAN 407 Cinema and Historical Memory in Latin America and Spain: 35987

Latin American and Iberian cinema has served to construct and revise the historical and the political memory of war and dictatorships. We will explore how this trend, which has recently sparked particular attention by cultural critics, has changed our ways of remembering, of coming to terms with the multiple generational gaps, and played a crucial cultural and political role in the transitions to democracy. We will discuss classics such as Mexico’s En el balcón vacío (1962) and Spain’s El espíritu de la colmena (1973), and more recent films such as Los girasoles ciegos (2008), and Pa negre (2010); as co-productions Mexico and Spain, El espinazo del Diablo (2001), El laberinto del fauno (2006); in France Julie Gavras’s La faute à Fidel!, (Blame it on Fidel!) (2006); as co-production Uruguay, Argentina and Spain, Paisito (2008); in Chile, Machuca (2004); in Argentina Kamchatka(2002), Cautiva (2003), Infancia clandestina (2011), Cordero de Dios (2008), El premio (2011) and in Brasil, O ano em que meus pais saíram de ferias(2006). In every class, we will discuss one film and a chapters from Timothy Corrigan’s A Short Guide to Writing about Film and critical and/or theoretical essays by scholars such as (Laura Mulvey, André Bazin, Steven Marsh, Dudley Andrew, Sarah Wright, Sarah Thomas, Erin Hogan, Ignacio Sánchez Prado, Gonzalo Aguilar, Laura Podalsky) and as well as essays on the role of filmmaking in the Politics of Memory in the last thirty years.

SPAN 420 Top Ling Landscapes: 34987

Variable topics in Spanish linguistics, including advanced grammar, history of the Spanish language, the language of Iberia, Spanish sociolinguistics. Repeatable when topic changes.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 428 Spanish in the US: 35988

The history and description of the linguistic characteristics of and narratives about the use of Spanish within the United States. Offered alternate years.

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 490 Top Narco Cultures >GP >IC: 34990

No Expanded Course Description

SPAN 490 Top TBA >GP >IC: 35989

12 credits when topic changes.

Italian

Fall 2025

ITAL 101 1st Year Italian: Multiple CRNs

Introduction to Italian stressing speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills. Sequence. No Expanded Course Description

ITAL 152 Italian Cinema >1 >GP >IC: 16494

To what extent can cinema be an instructive medium to envisage, remember and celebrate forms of resistance against oppression and tyranny? How can films enable us to imagine alternative futures? And how can cinema function as a means towards emancipation for is audiences?

This course will explore the relevance of these questions to the development of cinema in Italy as one of the key cultural practices and most important forms of political contestation of the 20th century.

By introducing students to the history of Italian cinema, the course will focus on some of the major Neorealist films of the postwar period [including Rome Open City and Bicycle Thieves] and on the work of some of the most iconic filmmakers of the European auteur film canon (including Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini). Students will learn that rather than simply being a form of popular entertainments, cinema played a crucial role in Italy’s cultural and political life. They will examine, for example, how in the immediate post-war period Neorealist cinema strived to reveal the social reality of marginalization and hardships that Mussolini’s fascist propaganda and control of the media had concealed for almost two decades. Students will learn how a number of Italian filmmakers made us of cinema as an instrument of social and ideological critique. They will also examine the endeavors of some of these filmmakers to conceive a new cinematic language against the dominant conventions and codes of Hollywood.

ITAL152 is an archetypal Arts and Letters course in that it introduces students to the study of one of the most influential national cinemas in the world and to an understanding of its cultural and political significance beyond its national borders. The focus of the course on the relation between cinematic representation, meaning and social reality emphasizes the importance of visual culture in the formation of both individual and collective identity and strengthens the students’ understanding of and ability to consider critically media culture in our current global society. ITAL 152 is one of two lower division ITAL courses offered in English and will be a “partner” course to ITAL 150, which has A&L group status.

ITAL 201 2nd Year Italian >1: 16496, 16497 & 16498

The Italian 200-level sequence is an intermediate-level course designed to provide you with an active and rewarding learning experience as you (1) strengthen your language skills (real-world, or instrumental, use of Italian), (2) deepen your knowledge of Italian culture, and (3) use a second language to improve your overall literacy (reading and writing). This completion of this sequence (ITAL 203) is one means of satisfying the UO BA language requirement. (1) Many students’ main reason to study Italian is to improve their conversational skills. These courses devote extensive practice to oral skill development in real-world contexts; by the end of the sequence, the average student should be able to converse with native speakers on many topics of everyday interest (family, studies, travels, holidays, etc.). The goal we set for most students corresponds roughly to the Intermediate Mid level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (see below), although many students may surpass this basic level, depending on their personal investment in the course and hours of study. (2) Our departmental philosophy supports second-language study as a crucial part of a humanities education. As a core part of a humanities curriculum, these courses expose students to the diversity of cultures in the regions of Italy. Students will be exposed to and asked their views on current political and social issues, historical and current events and various artistic expressions. (3) These courses aim to promote the continued development of students’ overall literacy by exposing them to Italian literary and journalistic texts. Reading and writing are included to support the development of oral and listening skills and to prepare students to continue their study of Italian at more advanced levels. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines: Speaking Level: INTERMEDIATE MID Speakers at the Intermediate-Mid level are able to handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. Conversation is generally limited to those predictable and concrete exchanges necessary for survival in the target culture; these include personal information covering self, family, home, daily activities, interests and personal preferences, as well as physical and social needs, such as food, shopping, travel and lodging. Intermediate-Mid speakers tend to function reactively, for example, by responding to direct questions or requests for information. However, they are capable of asking a variety of questions when necessary to obtain simple information to satisfy basic needs, such as directions, prices and services. When called on to perform functions or handle topics at the Advanced level, they provide some information but have difficulty linking ideas, manipulating time and aspect, and using communicative strategies, such as circumlocution. Intermediate-Mid speakers are able to express personal meaning by creating with the language, in part by combining and recombining known elements and conversational input to make utterances of sentence length and some strings of sentences. Their speech may contain pauses, reformulations and self-corrections as they search for adequate vocabulary and appropriate language forms to express themselves. Because of inaccuracies in their vocabulary and/or pronunciation and/or grammar and/or syntax, misunderstandings can occur, but Intermediate-Mid speakers are generally understood by sympathetic interlocutors accustomed to dealing with non-natives. © 1999 American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages

ITAL 301 L’Italia contemporanea >1 >GP >IC: 12665

These three courses (ITAL 301, 303, & 305) are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year Italian, to the study of literary works and other cultural expressions of Italy. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through works of literature, and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing Italian by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. All three classes seek to develop students’ capacities in Italian, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (ITAL 317-318-319) and further literary and cultural study in the Italian major and/or minor. Through the reading of an abridged version of the novel “Cuore di Pietra”, and the viewing of documentary and film segments, this course (ITAL 301) explores the main historical events and social changes that occurred in contemporary Italy from its unification to the present. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the Italian or Romance Languages majors or minors.

ITAL 318 Surv Baroq/Enlight >1: 35981

This course offers an overview of Italian literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries, from baroque poetry to eighteenth-century theater. We look at a variety of texts that reflect Italy’s changing cultural, social, and linguistic contexts as well as literary tastes, such as Pietro Della Valle letters of travels from the East, Galileo’s scientific writings, Giambattista Basile’s comic and often raunchy fairy tales, and proto-feminist nun Arcangela Tarabotti’s social critique. We examine the Italian encounter with the French Enlightenment and read a comic play by Venetian Carlo Goldoni that includes different Italian dialects. Written assignments help students hone their skills in literary analysis and better understand the literary parameters of early modern Italy.

Winter 2025

ITAL 102 1st Year Italian: 22910, 22911, 22912 and 22913

Introduction to Italian stressing speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills. Sequence.

No Expanded Course Description

ITAL 152 Cinema and Society >1 >GP >IC: 26484

How has Italian film grappled with significant moments of social transformation? This course introduces students to the study of Italian history and culture through masterpieces of Italian cinema. As we move through key genres and auteurs, we will explore how films from the 1940s through today engage issues related to war, family, labor, gender, organized crime, and migration. We will also discuss how these works use a range of styles and forms to address local, national, and global questions, and how they reflect shifts in industry and technology. Students will develop skills in filmic analysis, a deeper awareness of contemporary Italian history, and an appreciation for Italian cinema and its place on a global stage. Taught in English.

ITAL 202 2nd Year Italian >1: 22915 and 22916

ITAL 319 Surv 19C & 20C >1: 26486

The aim of this course is to give students a broad overview of Italian literature during the 19th and 20th centuries. The course will focus especially on the turbulent process of nation building that lead to the unification of Italy in 1861 and has continued ever since, through the constant shifts and revisions in the discourse of national identity brought about by cataclysmic historical events such as the two world wars, fascism, the economic boom etc. The course will analyze the role that Italian literature played in the drafting and redrafting of a national consciousness. It will also highlight how pre-Unification ideas of ‘the Italy to come’ relate to the post-Unification reality, through a study of the works produced by authors such as Foscolo, Manzoni, Boito, Marinetti, C. Levi Tomasi di Lampedusa and others. The course will focus on different aspects of Italian cultural production, in order to develop an understanding of the complexity of the process of nation formation in Italy. Another important goal of the course is to improve analytical skills and strengthen oral and written expression.

RL 407 Sem Black Mediterranea: 25111

Prof. Eleanor Paynter

How do histories of empire and extraction bear on the contemporary Mediterranean? How have scholars, writers, and artists documented and responded to these dynamics? In this course, we will examine the relationship between (post)coloniality, race, and mobility, focusing especially on the expanding body of Black Mediterranean scholarship and cultural production. Beginning with the Italian context and actively thinking across the Mediterranean region, we will consider how shifting notions of belonging shape Europe and how a Black Mediterranean framework can inform understandings of borders, migration, citizenship, and questions of racial and social justice. Taught in English. Language credit in Italian.

Spring 2025

ITAL 103 1st Year Italian: Multiple CRNs

Introduction to Italian stressing speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills. Sequence.

No Expanded Course Description

ITAL 122 1st Yr Ital Careers I: 35979

Italian 122 is the second course in the series of First Year Italian for Careers courses and is designed for students who have Novice Mid level proficiency in the target language. The Ital 121-122 series covers first year Italian in two terms as opposed to three terms.

Ital 122 course is designed for students with diverse career paths, and it aims to enhance your language skills, enabling you to communicate effectively in both formal and informal settings within the broader spectrum of Italian culture, with a specific focus on business and related social contexts.

The course will focus on fundamentals of Italian language, culture, and society, emphasizing practical applications in various daily interactions and business settings in formal, and informal ways. By the end of the course, you will develop a solid grasp of language use (grammar, vocabulary) by immersing yourself in the rich cultural values that shape Italian communication both in everyday situations and various business-related scenarios. The cultural awareness that you will gain will extend beyond the workplace, offering insights into Italian customs, values, and expressions for both formal and informal interactions. Through interactive activities, role-playing, and case studies, you’ll apply your language skills to navigate real-world scenarios, receiving personalized feedback on your linguistic and cultural development. Key topics covered in this class will include:

Traditional events and people
Italian business etiquette (e.g., email/phone/text/social media, business cards, greetings, gift-giving, meals, drinking, conversation pitfalls)
How business relationships are formed (time required, whether between individuals or organizations, use of intermediaries)
Gender roles
Applying for jobs (resumes, cover letters, interviews, presentations)
Meetings, teams, decision-making
Domestic challenges (unemployment (NEETs), aging population etc.)

ITAL 203 2nd Year Italian >1: 32499, 32500 and 32501

ITAL 305 The (Global) South on Italian Screens: 35980

In this course, we will explore how Italian cinema has engaged places and communities connected with the Global South over the last century. How has cinema shaped the place of the South in Italian imaginaries? What do portrayals of characters from Ethiopia and Libya, or stories set in the Middle East, have to do with Italy’s own South or its position in Southern Europe? Through films ranging from the dramatic to the comedic to the documentary, we will consider how films from the colonial era to the present raise questions about race, gender and sexuality, class, transnational movements, and the ethics of representation in and beyond Italy. Taught in Italian.

ITAL 399 Sp St Mediating Migration

Images and stories of migration and displacement are transforming our ideas about mobility, citizenship, history, and rights. This course examines the relationship between migration and media, focusing on Italy and the Mediterranean region: how do cinema, journalism, social media, and visual art represent migration experiences and issues? How might these representations influence public discourse about borders and belonging? What do we learn by putting the Mediterranean in conversation with other border zones? We will also explore how migrants themselves use media technologies to navigate journeys, build community, and share their stories. Our Mediterranean focus will encompass multiple borders and media forms, as we consider work ranging from Oscar-nominated films to films shot on smart phones, global news coverage of refugee and border issues, surveillance technologies, migrants’ uses of WhatsApp and messaging services, and art exhibitions. Taught in English (with materials available in Italian for majors/minors).

RL 407 Sem Idea of Europe: 34797

Doctoral students: this course provides credit in your primary romance language only.

Portuguese

Fall 2025

PORT 101 1st Year Portuguese: 14460

Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese language and culture, with emphasis on speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension skills. Sequence with PORT 101, PORT 102.

No Expanded Course Description

PORT 201 2nd Year Portuguese >1: 14461

PORT 201 – Builds upon the skills developed in the first year Portuguese sequence and further develops the ability to produce and comprehend Brazilian Portuguese. Students will be asked to produce language through speaking and writing, and to receive it through listening and reading. A primary goal of the course is to improve the students¿ ability to communicate in Portuguese. To this end, regular conversation and composition in Portuguese as well as an intensive review of grammatical structures is provided. The students will be given the opportunity to refine their language skills through language use in everyday situations. Another focus of the course is on gaining familiarity with the culture and society in which Portuguese is spoken. Students will engage with material from Brazilian and Portuguese cultural and literary contexts. Throughout the course, students will read, listen to, and discuss various Portuguese written texts and authentic spoken material, including dialogs, short narratives, and newspaper articles.

This course will create meaningful opportunities for students to engage actively in cultural and textual analysis through the language and cultural material presented as part of the curriculum. Proposed courses are broad in scope and liberal in nature in that Portuguese language and Portuguese, Brazilian, and African culture will be approached through a variety of methods and world outlooks. For example, linguistic, cultural, textual, historical and geographical materials will be introduced, discussed, and analyzed. Students will be encouraged to view topics discussed through non-US perspectives, such as those of South America, Africa and Europe. The multiplicity of perspectives within these regions will also be highlighted.

PORT 301 Expressoes Artisticas >1 >GP >IC: 14462

Develops advanced language skills through the study of key representations in Brazilian art, literature, film, and music. Taught in Portuguese. Prereq: PORT 203 or equivalent. Offered alternate years.

No Expanded Course Description

Winter 2025

PORT 102 1st Year Portuguese: 24814

Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese language and culture, with emphasis on speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension skills. Sequence with PORT 101, PORT 103.

No Expanded Course Description

PORT 202 2nd Year Portuguese >1: 24815

PORT 202 – Builds upon the skills and knowledge developed in PORT 201 and further develops the ability to produce and comprehend Brazilian Portuguese. Students will be asked to produce language through speaking and writing, and to receive it through listening and reading. A primary goal of the course is to improve the students¿ ability to communicate in Portuguese. To this end, regular conversation and composition in Portuguese as well as an intensive review of grammatical structures is provided. The students will be given the opportunity to refine their language skills through language use in everyday situations. Another focus of the course is on gaining familiarity with the culture and society in which Portuguese is spoken. Students will engage with material from Brazilian and Portuguese cultural and literary contexts. Throughout the course, students will read, listen to, and discuss various Portuguese written texts and authentic spoken material, including dialogs, short narratives, and newspaper articles.

Spring 2025

PORT 103 1st Year Portuguese: 34496

Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese language and culture, with emphasis on speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension skills. Sequence with PORT 101, PORT 102.

No Expanded Course Description

PORT 199 Sp St Accelerated PORT: 34497

Repeatable.

No Expanded Course Description

PORT 203 2nd Year Portuguese >1: 34498

Builds upon the skills and knowledge developed in PORT 202 and further develops the ability to produce and comprehend Brazilian Portuguese. Students will be asked to produce language through speaking and writing, and to receive it through listening and reading. A primary goal of the course is to improve the students¿ ability to communicate in Portuguese. To this end, regular conversation and composition in Portuguese as well as an intensive review of grammatical structures is provided. The students will be given the opportunity to refine their language skills through language use in everyday situations. Another focus of the course is on gaining familiarity with the culture and society in which Portuguese is spoken. Students will engage with material from Brazilian and Portuguese cultural and literary contexts. Throughout the course, students will read, listen to, and discuss various Portuguese written texts and authentic spoken material, including dialogs, short narratives, and newspaper articles.

French

Fall 2025

FR 101 1st Year French: Multiple CRNS

Introduction to French stressing the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through a communicative approach. Sequence. Conducted in French. No Expanded Course Description

FR 150 Cul Legacies France >1 >GP >IC: 15978

This course explores and explodes cultural stereotypes associated with France. Particular attention will be paid to questioning the variety of legacies France has bequeathed to the rest of the world. Topics may include: French language and identity; love and romance; food; fashion; cinema; wars and revolutions; France and its former colonies; francophobia and francophilia. This course satisfies the UO Core requirements for Arts and Letters (Group 1 Arts and Letters) and Global Perspectives requirements.

FR 201 2nd Year French >1 >GP >IC: Multiple CRNS

The French 200-level sequence is an intermediate-level course designed to provide you with an active and rewarding learning experience as you (1) strengthen your language skills (real-world, or instrumental, use of French), (2) deepen your knowledge of the cultures of the French-speaking world, and (3) use a second language to improve your overall literacy (reading, writing, listening, speaking).

The completion of this sequence (FR 203) is one means of satisfying the UO BA language requirement. These courses devote extensive practice to oral skill development in real-world contexts; by the end of the sequence, the average student should be able to converse with native speakers on many topics of everyday interest (family, studies, travels, holidays, etc.), as well as articulate the most important cultural, social, and historical information about Francophone communities around the world. The goal we set for most students corresponds roughly to the Intermediate-Mid level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, although many students may surpass this basic level, depending on their personal investment in the course and hours of study.

Language study is a crucial part of a broad education. As a core part of a humanities curriculum, these courses expose students to the diversity of cultures of the French-speaking world. Students will be exposed to and asked their views on current political and social issues, history events, expressions of art and music, and other related areas

FR 301 France Contemporaine >1 >GP >IC: 12204 & 12205

These two courses (FR 301 & 303) are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year French, into the use of the French language in the study of works of literary art and other cultural expressions of the francophone world. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through literary works and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing French by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. Both classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in French, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (FR 317-319) and further literary and cultural study in the French major and/or minor. This course (FR 301) explores French society, politics and culture in the 21st century. It questions stereotypes, investigates current debates and controversies, explore tensions between tradition and change through a variety of documents (news articles, polls, songs, poems, cartoons, websites, print and TV news). Exemples of themes include immigration, cultural practices, environment, globalisation, the recent presidential elections, and the new Europe. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the French or Romance Languages majors or minors.

FR 319 Surv 19C & 20C >1 >GP >IC: 15979

This course provides an overview of the modern literature and culture of France and the Francophone world. In addition to examining broad literary movements, this course looks at connections between literature and the idea of modernity, and between literature and other arts, as well as society, politics, and power. The course combines close readings of representative genres with a discussion of the socio-political, cultural, artistic, and historical conditions of their times.

FR 333 French Narrative >1 >GP >IC: 15980

This course follows the development of French prose, in various forms and genres, from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Short stories, tales, letters, and novels are the primary focus of the reading. Moving chronologically, the course takes love as its principal theme and explores how the representation of this universal topic can reflect different spiritual, political, philosophical, and poetic notions, not just of a particular historical period or literary movement, but also of an individual author. Readings can include stories of cruelty or wit from Marguerite de Navarre¿s Heptaméron, intrigue from the court of Louis XIV in the letters of Madame de Sévigné, excerpts from the libertine epistolary novel Les liaisons dangereuses, and short stories by Guy de Maupassant and Albert Camus.FR333 serves as a bridge between the literature surveys (317-8-9) and 400-level classes. It helps students further develop their language skills and emphasizes written production, especially literary analysis. Various writing assignments enable students to move more smoothly into advanced undergraduate literature courses.

FR 425 French-Eng Translation: 16355

Offers an overview of translation theory and practice from English to French and French to English. No Expanded Course Description.

FR 460 Top Liberté & Égalité: 15981

Changing topics concerning trends or particular authors representative of 18th-century French literature. A recent topic is Being Modern in the 18th century. Repeatable when topic changes.

No Expanded Course Description

Winter 2025

FR 102 1st Year French: 22437, 22438 and 22441

Introduction to French stressing the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through a communicative approach. Sequence. Conducted in French.

No Expanded Course Description

FR 111 Intens Begin French: 22442

Intensive study for experienced language learners; introduction to French culture. Sequence. Cannot be combined with FR 101, FR 102, FR 103 for more than 15 credits of first-year French.

No Expanded Course Description

FR 112 Intens Begin French: 22444

Intensive study for experienced language learners; introduction to French culture. Cannot be combined with FR 101, FR 102, FR 103 for more than 15 credits of first-year French.

No Expanded Course Description

FR 150 Cul Legacies France >1 >GP >IC: 26669

The purpose of this course is to explore and explode cultural stereotypes while examining some of the social and cultural phenomena that many associate most strongly with France. We will focus our readings and discussions on five main topics: language and identity; love and romance; food and fashion; wars and revolutions; and cultural imperialism. Readings, viewings, and activities, covering periods from the 18th-century to the present day, will allow you to identify and analyze some of the legacies that helped to produce modern-day France. Assignments include a “time capsule” group project and an annotated bibliography.

FR 202 2nd Year French >1: 22445, 22446, 22447 and 22448

Language study as a crucial part of a broad education. As a core part of a humanities curriculum, these courses expose students to the diversity of cultures of the French-speaking world. Students will be exposed to and asked their views on current political and social issues, history events, expressions of art and music, and other related areas.

FR 203 2nd Year French >1: 22450

The completion of this sequence (FR 203) is one means of satisfying the UO BA language requirement. These courses devote extensive practice to oral skill development in real-world contexts; by the end of the sequence, the average student should be able to converse with native speakers on many topics of everyday interest (family, studies, travels, holidays, etc.), as well as articulate the most important cultural, social, and historical information about Francophone communities around the world. The goal we set for most students corresponds roughly to the Intermediate-Mid level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, although many students may surpass this level, depending on their personal investment in the course and hours of study.

Language study is as a crucial part of a broad education. As a core part of a humanities curriculum, these courses expose students to the diversity of cultures of the French-speaking world. Students will be exposed to and asked their views on current political and social issues, history events, expressions of art and music, and other related areas.

FR 302 Culture et langage >1 >GP >IC: 22451 and 22452

This course introduces students to the societies and cultures of diverse regions of the contemporary French-speaking world. We will explore and analyze the cultural legacies of colonialism and the complexities of evolving national and linguistic identities. Focusing on francophone societies in North America, Europe, North Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, we will examine cultural practices, artistic production, and current social and political issues.

The two courses, FR 301 & 302, are designed to empower students as they make the transition from language-based study in first- and second-year French, into the use of the French language in the study of works of literary art and other cultural expressions of the francophone world. Each course presents specific social, cultural, and historical issues through literary works and journalistic, cinematic, and artistic materials. Primary attention is given to the development of the analytical and critical skills that are a crucial part of a humanities-based education. At the same time, students continue to improve abilities in speaking, reading, and writing French by enriching advanced-level vocabulary, practicing written and oral expression, and improving aural and reading comprehension. Both classes seek to develop students’ capacities, in French, for the integration of humanities content through synthesis, reflection, and critical thinking. These courses thus serve as an effective “bridge” in preparing students for upper-division literature survey courses (FR 312, 317, 318, 319) and further literary and cultural study in the French major and/or minor. This course (FR 302) explores the richness and variety of the societies and cultures of the contemporary French-speaking world, going beyond the cultural material covered in the 200-level sequence by adding depth and detail to the geographical coverage. Through readings and films, we consider and analyze the cultural legacies of colonialism and the complexities of evolving national and linguistic identities. Focusing on francophone societies in North America, Europe, North Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, we examine cultural practices, artistic production, and current social and political issues. Note: These “stand-alone” courses may be taken in any order and as they fit the student’s interest and schedule, to fulfill requirements for the French or Romance Languages majors or minors.

FR 312 Survey: Francoph Lit >1 >GP >IC: 22453

This survey class will introduce students to major authors and texts of Francophone World including Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Quebec, Caribbean, and France. French is spoken widely on the continent of Africa.

Class work: midterm exam, presentation, and final project

FR 318 Monarch Liberty Revolu >1: 26481

This course is an introduction to French literature and society of the 17th and 18th centuries through the study of texts representative of the main genres and authors of the period. The course focuses on understanding the evolution from absolute monarchy to the French Revolution through the quest for liberties. The first half of the course focuses on Corneille, Molière and Racine during “le Grand siècle” (1600-1700), while the second half explores the Age of Enlightenment or “le siècle des philosophes” (1700-1789) with Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot. We will analyze what ideas during this period became a source of founding ideals in the US. As we read plays (tragedy and comedy), letters, a philosophical tale, encyclopedic articles, a “rêverie,” and an anthem, we will examine the advantages of each genre to capture an audience and circumvent censorship. We will reflect on how questions of power and its impact on liberties remain relevant today. The focused reading, the written and oral work will enable you to improve your oral and written proficiency in French. Course conducted in French.

FR 399 Sp St Identités BD Fr: 26482

Ce nouveau cours est une introduction à la la longue tradition des bandes dessinées ou BD (comic strips) et romans graphiques francophones. Nous allons étudier l’esthétique des artistes et auteurs qui ont inventé les figures iconiques des Schroumpfs (les Smurfs en traduction anglaise), de Tintin, d’Astérix et Obélix, et aussi explorer les œuvres contemporaines de trois autrices et auteurs majeurs, Marguerite Abouet, Jul’ Maroh et Riad Sattouf. Le thème des identités, leur singularité et leur diversité va structurer la lecture et l’interprétation de six bandes dessinées ou romans graphiques. Le genre de la BD pose un défi au canon littéraire mais son expressivité nous permettra de découvrir une nouvelle façon de raconter les identités francophones et comprendre les forces et faiblesses de ces récits au XXème et XXIème siècle.

FR 416 Adv Writing in French: 22458

Extended written production; writing for specific purposes and audiences. Advanced grammar review and composition; study of specialized vocabulary.

No Expanded Course Description

FR 490 Top Mongo Beti: 22459

In this seminar, we will analyze Mongo Beti’s view of his society of origin after his return from forty years of exile in France. In these post-exile writings, the rebellious writer offers a (re)reading of his milieu of origin through the prism of French culture, with which he is strongly impregnated.

Class work: midterm, presentation, final project

Spring 2025

FR 103 1st Year French: Multiple CRNS

Introduction to French stressing the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through a communicative approach. Sequence. Conducted in French.

No Expanded Course Description

FR 112 Intens Begin French: 32058

Intensive study for experienced language learners; introduction to French culture. Cannot be combined with FR 101, FR 102, FR 103 for more than 15 credits of first-year French.

No Expanded Course Description

FR 201 2nd Year French >1 >GP >IC: 32059

FR 203 2nd Year French >1: Multiple CRNS

The completion of this sequence (FR 203) is one means of satisfying the UO BA language requirement. These courses devote extensive practice to oral skill development in real-world contexts; by the end of the sequence, the average student should be able to converse with native speakers on many topics of everyday interest (family, studies, travels, holidays, etc.), as well as articulate the most important cultural, social, and historical information about Francophone communities around the world. The goal we set for most students corresponds roughly to the Intermediate-Mid level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, although many students may surpass this level, depending on their personal investment in the course and hours of study.

FR 307 Oral Skills: 32065 and 32066

Penser le monde qui change. S’exprimer en français sur mes idées, mes rêves, mes projets, mes espoirs et mes sentiments sur le monde qui vient. Le français n’est pas juste une langue utilitaire pour obtenir ou faire quelque chose mais une langue pour aider à penser ce qu’on sent et pour sentir autrement. Dix semaines consacrées à dix valeurs positives : la communication, la collectivité, la localité, la joie, le bien-être, le travail, l’art, la nature, le don, l’amour. Autour de chaque valeur: du vocabulaire concret et abstrait, des expressions idiomatiques, des jeux de rôles, des extraits de journaux télévisés, des chansons, des poèmes, des conversations à plusieurs, des moments d’expression libre. L’objectif est de pratiquer et d’améliorer la compréhension du français oral et l’expression orale. Communiquons en français pour vivre mieux, ici et maintenant, et pour imaginer positivement le monde qui vient et notre contribution.

FR 317 Surv Mediev/Renaiss >1 >GP >IC: 32067

This course is an introduction to early textual production and society in France, from feudal times to the cosmopolitan court of François 1er. Epic poems, comic stories, love poetry, tales of rebel giants, philosophical texts and legal documents provide insights into how the idea of French cultural identity developed in pre-modern times. The course combines close readings of representative genres with a discussion of the socio-political, cultural, and artistic conditions of their times.

FR 330 French Poetry >1 >GP >IC: 35976

Beginning with the Middle Ages and continuing to its most recent creations, French and Francophone poetry offer a beautiful concert of voices. This expression of the soul ranges from marginal to canonical and from individual experiences to group movements, including the Pléiade, romanticism, symbolism, surrealism and Négritude. This class will address the concept of the inspiration of the poet, the different forms of poems (ode, sonnet, fable, prose poem, calligramme, etc.), the basic technical elements of poetic composition (verses, rhythm, rime, rhetorical figures), and the principal movements from Louise Labé to Aimé Césaire, from Rimbaud to rap artist or singers using poetry. This class is not a survey but an exploration, like a voyage, through the poetic interpretations of the world by French and Francophone poets. This class is for intermediate students and is designed to improve communication skills in French and gain cultural knowledge.

FR 333 French Narrative >1 >GP >IC: 32068

In this class, students will analyze critically La Peste, by Albert Camus, a Nobel Prize winner (1957). Studying this novel will help them understand the Covid-19 Pandemic in the deepest and complex manner.

Class work: midterm, presentation, final project

RL 407 Sem Idea of Europe: 34797

Repeatable. Changing topics on issues relevant to study in two or more Romance languages. Recent topics include Travel Writing, Testimonial Writing, Caribbean Women Writers.

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