Course Descriptions

SPAN 442: Natural Wonder: Constructing Knowledge of the Natural World through the Literatures and Cultures of Latin America

Professor Sean Gullickson

Spring 2025

View on Schedule of Classes for Spring 2025

Full Description Text:

Humanity and the natural world are inextricably connected. No technological, cultural or civic achievement will ever fully separate us from nature – or nature from us. This connection is at its strongest in Latin America. From the Atacama Desert to the Amazon Rainforest, the beaches of the Caribbean to the Tierra del Fuego, this course will center the role that nature has played and continues to play in the literatures, cultures and societies of South and Central America. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will explore such topics as indigenous perspectives and forms of knowledge, land rights and related disputes, corporate and governmental “greenwashing,” fast fashion and waste, and “cli-fi,” science fiction with a focus on climate. Students will be encouraged to make productive connections with their other areas of study and more deeply explore their own relationship(s) with the natural world throughout the semester.

SPAN 443: Fictionalizing the Spanish Empire in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Professor Patricia Manning

Spring 2025

View on Schedule of Classes for Spring 2025

Full Description Text:

SPAN 443 will analyze the cultural dynamics in the US and Spain in the 20th and 21st centuries that motivate particular representations of the Spanish empire.

At present, the Spanish right fondly looks back on Spain’s imperial age as an idyllic era. Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s El capitán Alatriste series, along with Pérez-Reverte’s media presence, has helped cultivate this nostalgic-and erroneous-celebration of Spain’s empire as a golden age of masculinity and “Spanish values.” (We will study the meaning of the latter phrase).

Along with the first novel in Pérez-Reverte’s YA series, we will read a number of texts that contradict this worldview. We will begin with selections from the autobiography of seventeenth-century Spanish soldier Antonio de Erauso, who was born Catalina de Erauso and fled life as a nun to join the army, a novella by best-selling seventeenth-century writer María de Zayas and selections from Herminia Luque’s 2015 historical novel Amar tanta belleza about Zayas and other seventeenth-century female writers.

Decades before Pérez-Reverte and Luque fictionalized the Spanish empire in their historical novels, writers in the US also reflected on Spain’s empire and focused on its Black writers and artists. During the Harlem Renaissance, Arturo Alfonso Shomburg brought attention to Juan Latino, a Black Latin teacher and author in sixteenth-century Spain. We’ll read a translated selection of Latino’s poetry. Decades later, Elizabeth Borton de Treviño’s 1965 YA novel Yo, Juan de Pareja, which we’ll read in her son’s 1994 Spanish translation, fictionalized the life of Juan de Pareja, an enslaved painter who worked with Diego de Velázquez.

We’ll also consider how Ilan Stavans’ Spanish 2018 comic book Don Quixote of La Mancha  treats the moments in Cervantes’ novel that relate to Spain’s empire.

Evaluation will be based on participation, a presentation (likely in pairs), short writing assignments, an in-class exam and a final research project.

Course texts will be available as reserves in Watson Library if students prefer not to purchase them.

Spanish 453: Twentieth Century Spanish Studies

Poets and Singer-songwriters

Professor Jonathan Mayhew

Spring 2025

View on Schedule of Classes for Spring 2025

Full Description Text:

This course is devoted to musical versions of the work of poetry of canonical figures such San Juan de la Cruz, Luis de Góngora, Rosalía de Castro, Antonio Machado, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Pablo Neruda, Federico García Lorca, and Miguel Hernández. This phenomenon is especially important in flamenco music, but occurs in other genres as well, from classical to pop. 

Composers and performers to be studied include Manuel de Falla, Federico García Lorca, Luigi Nono, Germaine Montero, Leonard Cohen, Joan Manuel Serrat, Paco Ibáñez, Amancio Prada, Camarón de la Isla, Enrique and Estrella Morente, Carmen Linares, and Miguel Poveda.

This is a significant topic for three main reasons. (1) In quantitative terms, there is a lot of material to be studied. (2) The poets whose work have been set to music are among the most celebrated figures of twentieth century literature. (3) From a comparative perspective, the work of peninsular musicians can be linked to the Chanson Française [French Song], the Nueva Canción Latinoamericana, and similar movements bridging the gap between canonical literature and popular culture. Since this phenomenon has not received much academic attention to date, the possibilities for original research are promising.

SPAN 461. Getting Sick: Health, Infrastructure, and Literary representations in the Spanish Speaking World

Professor Ninel Valderrama Negrón

Spring 2025

View on Schedule of Classes for Spring 2025

Full Description Text:

This interdisciplinary course will examine the relationships between health and infrastructure as depicted in novels, short stories, poems, and visual culture set in the Global Hispanophone city. You will examine how literature reflects societal concerns about health and infrastructure, with an emphasis on the portrayal of public health crises, urban settings, and problems across the nineteenth century. You will investigate the historical and contemporary implications of these themes, analyzing works on topics such as healthcare accessibility, the consequences of urbanization, and the representation of marginalized populations. Readings will be mostly from Spanish literary sources but will also include academic papers and book chapters. In this 8-week seminar, students will do research, propose, and develop a digital portfolio that will be used as the primary assessment for the seminar.

Course conducted in Spanish and may be repeated for credit as the topic varies. Prerequisite: SPAN 340 or consent of instructor. A grade of "C" or better in SPAN 340 is strongly recommended for students enrolling in this course.

Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Kansas

SPAN 570 – Studies in Hispanic Linguistics: Social & Dialectal Variation

CROSS-LISTED WITH LAC 501

Instructor: Antônio R.M. Simões, Professor                         

asimoes-AT-ku.edu (replace -AT- with @)

Phones: 785-864-0285, 785-864-3851

CLASS TIME: MW 12:30AM - 1:45PM

Place: Wescoe Building 4025

Office Hours: MW 2:00 – 3:30PM, or by appt

Line number: 48042  

Textbook REQUIRED:

Gramática española: Variación social, Kim Potowski and Naomi Shin, Routledge, 2018 Paperback

Course description:Welcome to SPAN 570! Exploring Spanish grammar and usage in varied social contexts using with the help from AI technologies such as virtual, mixed and augmented realities!

This course is designed for both undergraduate and graduate students, aiming into probe the nuances of Spanish grammar in social and regional variation. We'll explore how Spanish grammar varies based on regions, social and cultural groups, socio-political contexts, and communication situations. Understanding this variation is essential for grasping concepts like prestigious and stigmatized forms of Spanish, viewed through both historical and contemporary lenses. Some of the features and what to expect from the course:

User-friendly access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT through Meta Pro headsets, featuring 360-degree videos and simulations from platforms like YouTube VR, Google Arts & Culture, National Geographic VR, and RoundMe—all readily accessible online.

Interactive presentations: Regular Powerpoint presentations with audio will help you enhance your spoken and written Spanish and develop self-repair skills for better language proficiency and confidence in public speaking.

Unique Learning: SPAN 570 covers aspects of Spanish not typically addressed in other courses. For instance, we'll explore the use of 'vos' instead of 'tú,' an equally common form in the Spanish language. We'll examine its historical development and the reasons it's sometimes overlooked in traditional language courses.

Understanding Diversity:

Discover why certain varieties of Spanish, like those spoken in parts of the Caribbean, are stigmatized. Examine how social class influences language use and how Spanish speakers adjust their speech according to social and geographical contexts. We’ll also explore attitudes toward linguistic practices in indigenous communities and other contexts, focusing on both stigmatized and prestigious forms of Spanish in bilingual and multilingual settings.  

SPAN 785: Latin American Cinema from the Politics of Third Cinema to the Enjoyment of the Neoliberal Multiplex

Professor Santiago Rozo-Sánchez

Spring 2025

Full Description Text:

This course offers an introduction to Spanish-language fiction films from Latin America. It will trace a historical arc starting with the emergence of ‘new cinemas’ in the 1950-60s and culminating in the establishment of national cinematic industries by the 2020s. We will explore key concepts in national cinema, such as genre, the interplay between film and politics, how cinema shapes national and gender identities, modernization, and aspects of technique and cinematic language. The focus will primarily be on films from the two dominant industries in the Spanish-speaking world, Mexico and Argentina, while also highlighting notable works from other nations like, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Paraguay, Peru, Salvador, & Uruguay. Each week, we will analyze two or three films centered on a specific period or theme, featuring prominent directors such as, Luis Buñuel, Glauber Rocha, Tatiana Huezo, Patricio Guzmán, and Lucrecia Martel. The films will be paired with 2-3 academic articles. 

SPAN 802 – How languages are learned

Professor Antônio R.M. Simões

Spring 2025

View on Schedule of Classes for Spring 2025

Full Description Text:

SPAN 802 is a dynamic graduate course designed to explore the intersection of theory and practice in language acquisition. This course offers students the opportunity to reflect on how languages are learned and how this knowledge can inform innovative teaching practices in today’s multilingual, multicultural classrooms.

“How Languages Are Learned” examines key theoretical frameworks of language learning/acquisition, with an emphasis on their application in real-world educational settings.

The course goes beyond traditional approaches by incorporating the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Humanities (DH) to create engaging, technologyenhanced learning environments.

In an increasingly globalized world, effective language teaching requires an understanding of how languages are learned/acquired in diverse, immersive environments. Through this course, students will explore tools such as virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), augmented reality (AR), and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, utilizing Meta Pro headsets, 360-degree videos, and simulations available on platforms like YouTube VR, Google Arts & Culture, National Geographic VR, and RoundMe. These tools, accessible on personal devices, will provide students with hands-on experience in the technologies shaping the future of language education.

PowerPoint-style presentations and collaborative projects will encourage students to develop creative strategies for assessing and improving language acquisition in a variety of contexts. The course fosters a spirit of innovation and peer collaboration, creating a supportive learning community.

Special guest lectures from experts in Digital Humanities and multicultural language teaching will enrich the course. Confirmed speakers include Professor John Ewan from KU and Professor Aline Germain- Rutherford from the University of Ottawa, in Canada], with a third guest speaker to be announced soon.

Whether you are interested in academic research, enhancing your teaching skills, or applying theoretical knowledge in practical settings, this course should equip you with the tools and insights needed to succeed in the evolving field of language education.

Main Bibliographical References

Required Textbook: How Languages are Learned (4th Edition) by Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada, 2013.

Required Chapter: Sociocultural Theory and L2 Development, by James P. Lantolf, Matthew E. Poehner, and Steven L. Thorne in Theories in Second Language Acquisition: An Introduction (3rd edition), edited by Bill VanPatten and Jessica Williams, 2020, pp. 223-247.

Additional selected articles will be provided for supplementary readings and discussion. 

Spanish 940: Seminar in Trans-Atlantic Literatures & Cultures:

TransAtlantic Celestina—From the Comedia de Calisto y Melibea (1499) to Los amores de Calisto, Melibea y la vieja Celestina (2013)

Prof. I. J. Rivera

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:00 -2:15 pm Wescoe 2600

View on Schedule of Classes for Spring 2025

Full Description Text:

“To carry things across the Atlantic always entails an element of danger, but also the possibility for alchemical transmutation,” -Tobias Boes              

This seminar will focus on the transatlantic afterlife of Fernando de Rojas’s Comedia de Calisto y Melibea (Burgos: Fadrique de Basilea, 1499). The seminar will use González Echevarría’s Celestina´s Brood (1993) as a starting point to think critically about the ways in which Rojas´s Comedia emerges into the literary and cultural production of Latin American and Latinx communities. At the same time, we will explore the theoretical framework afforded by the lens of Transatlantic Studies as exemplified by the work of Tobias Boes and Robert Myers. 

The course will follow a seminar format in which students will take an active role in structuring and planning essential aspects of the class. Each student will write one long analytical research paper on an original topic related to the course and will be responsible for oral reports on secondary materials and for directing one class session. The research paper should reflect the theoretical and research interests of the individual members of the seminar as they pertain to the Comedia and its reception within the transatlantic world.

The readings will include:

• Cancino, Los amores de Calisto, Melibea y la vieja Celestina [musical 2013]
• Escalona, Nacer contigo [televisión 2012]
• Fuentes, Aura [novela 1962]
• Mosquera, Manifiesto de Celestina [novela 1995]
• Muñiz-Huberman, Areúsa en los conciertos [novela 2002]
• Nin-Culmell, La Celestina [ópera 1976]
• Rivera, Cloud Tectonics [teatro 1995]
• Vera, La Celestina [cine 1996]

Familiarity with Rojas’s (Tragi)Comedia de Calisto y Melibea is a prerequisite for this seminar. 

For more information, contact Prof. Rivera at ijrivera@ku.edu.

PORT 785: Special Topics in Brazilian Culture & Literature Studies

Afro-Latin American Cultures

Prof. Luciano Tosta

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:00 -2:15 pm Bailey 103 (Class #52557) 

View on Schedule of Classes for Spring 2025

This is a survey course about the history of the Afro-descendant communities in Latin America with an emphasis on the cultural productions of these groups. We will analyze how Afro-descendants have represented themselves and been represented in literature, cinema, and music. We will also discuss how they have used art as a form of self- and political expression. Students will acquire a solid view of the history of race relations in countries such as Cuba, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, and understand the role that African identity has played in the formation of these national cultures.

Course crosslisted with PORT 347, AAAS 320, AAAS 723, GIST 501, & LAC 701