- SPAN501 Theories, Methods, and Practices in the Teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
This course is specifically designed for pre-service and in-service teachers. It will provide an overview of second language acquisition theory as well as an in-depth study of current foreign language methodology as it applies to the teaching of Spanish in middle school and high school environments. The philosophy of this methodology centers on the use of language in meaningful contexts for real-world communicative purposes. It is firmly grounded in the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Foreign Languages. Students will gain practice in evaluating textbooks, writing lesson plans, designing instructional units, and classroom management procedures.
- SPAN502 Technology for the Spanish Language Classroom
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
This course is specifically designed for pre-service and in-service teachers of Spanish as a foreign language. The primary goal of the course is to explore the pedagogical implications of using a wide array of technological resources in the Spanish language and culture classroom. This class will also explore how Internet technology can be used as a springboard for cultural analysis and comparison. Students will examine current pedagogical theories related to language teaching and learning and will design a curricular unit that inludes samples of all technologies examined. All work will be based upon the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Foreign Languages and the National Educational Technology Standards for Students. It is assumed that participants will have basic word processing and Internet skills.
- SPAN512 Assessing Foreign Language Learners of Spanish
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
This course, taught entirely in Spanish with occasional reading in English, is specifically designed for pre-service and in-service teachers of Spanish. It will examine the various geographic and cultural traditions that make up today’s Spanish-speaking worlds. In so doing, the course will prepare teachers to develop connections between course content and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Foreign Languages and the National Standards for Foreign Language Teaching. The course is interdisciplinary. Topics to be studied in depth include issues of national and cultural identity, social life, and cultural production.
- SPAN515 Latin American Film for the Spanish Language Classroom
This course is specifically designed for preservice and in-service teachers of Spanish. By using film and readings in the literatures of Spanish America, it will develop historical, social, and cultural context for language instruction. Explicit connections to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Foreign Languages and the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning will be made. Class meetings will be conducted entirely in Spanish. The course is organized as a series of film-viewing and discussion sessions based on the films and the reading assignments. Students will gain experience researching film background, drawing critical connections to history, society, and culture, and designing units integrating film into language curriculum.
- SPAN516 Cities of Light and Shadows: Urban Experiences in Latin America
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
This course, taught entirely in Spanish with occasional readings in English, is specifically designed for pre- and in-service teachers of Spanish. It will examine various representations of the city in Spanish American literature. In so doing, the course will prepare teachers to develop connections between course content and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Foreign Languages and the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. This class will provoke a comparison between urban experiences in Latin America and similar experiences in the United States. It will also include an overview of the main moments in Spanish American literature when cities came to represent social, economic and demographic tensions that redefined national and regional identities. The class also includes a unit on the literature of Hispanic people in the U.S. since the urban experience is a central theme to this literature.
- SPAN520 A Linguistic Perspective on Variations in the Spanish Language
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
This course, taught in Spanish, will examine the main Spanish variants of today’s Spanish-speaking worlds, and grammatical traditions of Spanish. The course presents accessible research on fundamental problems of Spanish grammar that teachers deal with on a daily basis. Topics include the origin of differences among Spanish variants, what is good spoken Spanish, and how various historical periods dealt with this last question.
- SPAN530 Cervantes and His World
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
In depth analysis of Cervantes’ Don Quixote (original Spanish version). This course examines the cultural production as well as the social conditions of 16th and 17th century Spain as expressed in the life and work of Miguel de Cervantes. This course will be taught in Spanish.
- SPAN532 Latin American Popular Culture
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
The course introduces students to concepts, contexts, and case studies of Latin American popular culture and prepares them to develop connections between course content and the Massachusetts Foreign Languages Curriculum Framework and National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Classes are conducted in English but assignments require advanced mastery of Spanish.
- SPAN540 Caribbean borders: Literature and Identity in the Hispanic Caribbean
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to contemporary Spain. Topics include: literature, art, architecture, music, film, history, politics and society. The course explores Spain’s most salient 19th, 20th and 21st century social and cultural transformations. Advanced fluency in Spanish required.
- SPAN550 Spain: Between Past and Future
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to contemporary Spain. Topics include: literature, art, architecture, music, film, history, politics and society. The course explores Spain’s most salient 19th, 20th and 21st century social and cultural transformations. Advanced fluency in Spanish required.
