THE HISPANIC STUDIES MAJOR
FACULTY
Christine A. Pabon
Thomas A. Pabon
George R. Shivers
Requirements
Prerrequisite: HPS 202 (Intermediate Spanish II) or the equivalent
To major in Hispanic Studies a student must take at least eight courses in language, literature, and culture in Spanish above the 200 level. The Department strongly recommends that majors study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country for at least one semester. Washington College sponsors exchange programs in Madrid and Granada in Spain, and in Mexico, Costa Rica and Ecuador. We also recommend that majors take at least two years of a second foreign language. Students may receive credit in the major for International Literature and Culture (ILC) courses which are taught in English, while dealing with some area of Hispanic culture, if they do all written work in Spanish. During her/his senior year the student must complete a senior project. The project may be a comprehensive examination, based upon courses taken as well as a modest reading list. Students who have maintained at least a 3.4 average in the major (or who have permission of the Spanish faculty, may choose to write a senior thesis. Other types of senior theses include translations into English of a work in Spanish, with a written introduction in Spanish; a performance in Spanish (musical, dramatic) with research-based program notes; an exhibit of photographs or other Hispanic cultural materials, again with research-based program notes written in Spanish.
COURSES
HPS 301 Advanced Spanish Proficiency I: Contemporary Spanish America Prerequisite: HPS 202 or the equivalent. (Shivers)
HPS 302 Advanced Spanish Proficiency II: Contemporary Spain Prerequisite: HPS 202 or the equivalent. (Shivers)
An introduction to the study of the literatures of Spain and Spanish America. These courses provide students with the analytic tools that will facilitate the reading and interpretation of Hispanic literature and its representative authors. Emphasis is placedon poetry, drama, short story, novel, and film. Prerequisite HPS 202 or permission of the instructor. (T. Pabon or Shivers)
A survey of historical developments in Spanish civilization, its transplantation to the New World, and its encounter and interaction with the indigenous cultures of this hemisphere, as well as with the African cultures imported through the slave trade. This course is built around the video series "El Espejo Enterrado", written and narrated by Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes.The course covers the period up to the 18th century. Prerequisite: HPS 202 or permission of the instructor. (Shivers)
A continuation of HPS 305, this course uses "El Espejo Enterrado" as well as other texts to explore the major developments and themes in Hispanic cultures in Spain and the Americas during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Prerequisite: Spanish 305 or permission of the instructor. (Shivers)
Designed to give students a foundation in the vocabulary of business and international trade and in the expression of basic business concepts in Spanish. Practice in presenting oral reports on business and cultural topics, in reading business reports and other texts of a cultural nature, and in writing various kinds of business correspondence, including resumes, memos, and letters. All materials are presented within a cultural context intended to expand the student's knowledge and understanding of the manners and mores of Spain and the Spanish-speaking republics of Latin America, as well as of demographic, geographic, and other data related to those nations. Prerequisites: HPS 202 or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. (Shivers)
HPS 405, 406 Cervantes
An intensive study of the life and works of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, with special emphasis on the Novelas ejemplares and El ingenioso hidalgo, Don Quijote de la Mancha. Prerequisite: HPS 303, 304 or permission of the instructor. (T.Pabon)
HPS 411 Theatre and Poetry in Spain
A study of works by the major poets and dramatists of Spain from the Siglo de Oro through the contemporary period. In a given semester works and writers will be selected from among the following: La Celestina , San Juan de la Cruz, Fray Luis de León, Garcilaso de la Vega, Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderón de la Barca, Fernández de Moratín, José de Espronceda, Carolina Coronado, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Rosalía de Castro, José de Zorrilla, el Duque de Rivas, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Federico García Lorca, Jorge Guillén, Miguel Hernández, and Antonio Buero Vallejo. Prerequisite: HPS 303, 304 or permission of the instructor. (T. Pabon or Shivers)
HPS 412 The Novel and Short Story in Spain
A study of works by Spain's major prose writers from the Siglo de Oro through the 20th century. Works and writers studied will be selected from among the following: Lazarillo de Tormes, Quevedo, Larra, Bécquer, Juan Valera, Pérez Galdós, Emilia Pardo-Bazán, Azorín, Valle-Inclán, Unamuno, Sender, Delibes, Carmen Laforet, Ana María Matute, Cela, and others. Prerequisite: HPS 303,304 or permission of the instructor. (T. Pabon or Shivers)
HPS 413, 414 Spanish American Literature
A study of the major literary movements in Spanish America from the colonial period to the present, with special emphasis on the contemporary novel and short story. Prerequisite: Spanish 303,304 or permission of the instructor. (Shivers or T. Pabon)
HPS 491, 492 Special Topics in Hispanic Studies
The intensive study of a selected author, movement, genre, or theme in literature or film or a study of the culture of a particular period, region or nation. Recently offered topics include the following: Contemporary Spain, The Generation of 1927 and Afterward, and Gender in Hispanic Literature and Film. Prerequisite: HPS 303,304 or permission of the instructor. (T. Pabon or Shivers)
HPS 000 Senior Seminar
A non-credit course required of all senior majors. Faculty will meet on a regular basis with students as a group or individual as they complete their senior project.
THE FOLLOWING INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE AND CULTURE COURSES MAY BE TAKEN AS PART OF THE HISPANIC STUDIES MAJOR:
ILC 308 Spanish and Latin American Literature in Translation
A study of a selected author, movement, genre, or theme from the literature of Spain, the Spanish-speaking republics of Latin American, and Brazil. Topics taught in this course in the past have included: The Works of Cervantes, Hispanic Women Writers, The Quest for Identity in Latin American Literature, and War and Revolution in the Literatures of Spain and Latin America. (T. Pabon or Shivers)
A study of the historical, political, and literary evolution of Mexico from the Pre-Columbian period to the present. In addition to historical texts, the course will include readings from Pre-Columbian poetry, The True History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, the poetic and autobiographical writings of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, The Itching Parrot by Fernández de Lizardi, The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela, and works by such contemporary writers as Rosario Castellanos, Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, and Laura Esquivel. Also included is Octavio Paz's classic analysis of Mexican national character and culture, The Labyrinth of Solitude . (Shivers and Premo)
ILC 413 The Film in Spain and Latin America
A study of the film as art form and as social and cultural document in Spain, Spanish America, and Brazil. The thematic focus of this course and the films included will vary. Important topics include gender issues, the quest for identity, and freedom vs. repression. Prerequisite: ILC 305 or permission of the instructor. (Shivers and/or T. Pabon)
ILC 391, 391 Topics in International Literature and Culture and the Environment (When the subject matter is appropriate to the field of Hispanic Studies)
ILC 491, 492 Special Topics in International Literature and Culture (When the subject matter is appropriate to the field of Hispanic Studies)
OTHER COURSES:
The Department encourages students to study FLS 200 Introduction to Languages. Students may also take FLS 490 Foreign Language Internship.
FLS 200 Introduction to Language
This course will introduce the student to the study of linguistics. Concepts of both historical and descriptive linguistics are included. Some of the areas of study are: linguistic history and methodology, language origin, language and society, language structure, dialects and language families.
Designed to provide students with pre-professional experience in fields in which their language proficiency is an essential asset. Specific internship experiences will vary. In the past Hispanic Studies students have held internships in Public Health and Spanish at the Kent County Health Department, Kent-Queen Annes Hospital, and Delmarva Rural Ministries, and in Teaching English to Speakers of Spanish (ESL) with the Kent County Board of Education and with Delmarva Rural Ministries.
THE SENIOR PROJECT
During their Senior year Hispanic Studies majors must complete a Senior project in order to qualify for graduation. This requirement may be filled in a number of ways:
1. The Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive is normally given on the Friday and Saturday immediately after the end of classes in December and May of each year, although they may be scheduled at other times deemed more convenient for the student. Students who are preparing for the comprehensive examination are expected to meet, individually or as a group, with the Hispanic Studies faculty, on a regular basis throughout the time of preparation. The objectives of the comprehensive examination are to provide the students with the opportunity to analyze and synthesize the knowledge gained during their years of study in the program; to enable them to reflect upon and demonstrate understanding of the relationships among the various elements of the body of knowledge and experience they have acquired; to enable them to demonstrate the body of knowledge and the insights they have acquired in the literature and culture, as well as the basic concepts and methods of literary criticism; and to allow the students to demonstrate their ability to use the Spanish language with precision and ease, both in writing and in speaking. In preparing for the comprehensive the student should be guided by the individual course materials accumulated during the period of study, as well as by a reading list developed in consultation with the Hispanic Studies faculty.
II. The Senior Thesis
Students who have achieved a GPA of 3.4 or above in their Hispanic Studies courses may choose to write a senior thesis. The topic of the student's research should be chosen in consultation with the Hispanic Studies faculty. The thesis must be written in Spanish and deal with a topic related to Hispanic language, literature, film, or other areas of Hispanic cultures. The thesis should have a substantial bibliography, and should consist of a minimum of 30/35 pages. Students are expected to give an oral presentation based on their thesis research to the Hispanic Studies faculty (and to their peers by their invitation) after the final draft of the thesis has been completed. The oral presentation should be approximately 15/20 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer period.
The following are examples of theses presented in the past:
Allyson Tunney, La poesía por la revolución; la revolución por la poesía: la historia de la poesía de Nicaragua en relación a la Revolución . 1987.
Juliana Cofone, La zarzuela: el arte dramáticomusical de España . 1996.
Patricia Walton, La Virgen de Guadalupe, la religión y las mexicanas. 1996.
Erin Miller, El concepto del movimiento feminista ilustrado por las obras de Frida Kahlo y Rosario Castellanos, 1997.
Laura Meerholz, Un análisis de obras de Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez , 1997.
Abbie Robbins, Los murales de Diego Rivera: la búsqueda de la identidad por la historia y por el pueblo, 1998.
Doris Morales, Cuando era puertorriqueña: el choque de dos culturas, 1998.
Beth Moser, Los dos mundos de un niño chicano en los EEUU, 1998.
Alex Phillips, La opresión de la mujer: un estudio cultural y psicológico, 1998.
III. Translation Project
Students may also do a translation from Spanish to English a significant literary or cultural text, whether a collection of poems, an essay, short stories, or a dramatic work. The translation must be proceeded by a preface in Spanish which discusses the significance of the work, as well as problems encountered in the process of translation. The student must also give an oral presentation in Spanish upon completion of the translation.
The following are some of the translation projects that have been presented in completion of the senior project requirement:
Sean Ireton, Translations of Short Stories by Mario Benedetti. 1988.
Raphael Koster, A Translation of El camino by Miguel Delibes, 1992.
Michael Tyson, A Translation of La fundación, a Play by Antonio Buero Vallejo, 1992.
IV. Other Projects
The Senior Project may take other forms as well. For example, students who have a strong interest in computing science and/or in pedagogy may want to develop a computer program for Spanish language instruction or another type project related to Spanish linguistics, theoretical or applied. Students who have a strong interest in Music may wish to give a performance of a Spanish musical program, accompanied by program notes written in Spanish with English translation, or to compose original musical settings for Spanish texts. Students interested in Art or Photography may develop an exhibit, accompanied by exhibit notes in Spanish, with English translations. All such projects should be developed in consultation with the Hispanic Studies faculty. As with other senior projects, any project developed in this category will include an oral presentation to the faculty at the end of the project period.