Syllabus
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Class discussion and assignments will be in Spanish. All assignments written outside of class must be typed and double-spaced. Any work turned in outside of regular class time should be left on my door at 869 Ballantine Hall, in the folder marked "470 Women and Hispanic Lit: Drop off".Required Texts Oral Presentations
Course Evaluation Informes
Class Participation Midterm Exam
Attendance Final Paper
Guides
1. Reserve Binder:
Photocopies on Reserve in the Media/Reserves Section in the Main Library.
This binder is listed as "Personal Copies" (important that you note this),
by my last name, and our course number. They are on 3 hour closed
reserve and may be both read and photocopied in Media/Reserves.
Gómez de Avellaneda, Gertrudis. Sab. (1841) Madrid: Catedra, 1999.
Bombal, María Luisa. La ultima niebla. (1934) Santiago de Chile: Editorial Andres Bello, 1996.
Rodoreda, Mercé. La plaza del diamante. (1965) Barcelona: Edhasa, 1982.
Poniatowska, Elena. Querido Diego.Te escribe Quiela. (1978) México, D.F.: Editorial Era, 1978.
Martín Gaite, Carmen. El cuarto de atrás. (1978) Barcelona: Destino, 1978.
Rosetti, Ana. Indicios vehementes. (1985) Madrid: Hiperión, 1998.
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1984.
García, Cristina. Soñar en cubano. New York: Ballantine Books, 1993.
*One copy of each of the above texts (with
the exception of Querido Diego) have been placed on 3 hour open reserve
and may be checked out and read outside of the library.
Course Evaluation:
17% Class Participation
10% Oral Presentation
28% 4 "Informes" (7% each)
20% Midterm Exam
25% Final Paper
This may be the element most crucial to your interest and therefore, the class's success. Engaged, intellectual participation in class discussion is fundamental both to your understanding and that of your peers. To this end, you should take notes and think critically about the texts before coming to class. You will find that if you bring all of your questions, opinions, and problems to the discussion, we all benefit from them. You will generally be required to have read and prepared anywhere from approximately 35(Thurs.) - 90(Tues.) pages per class discussion, depending on the difficulty of the text.
Attendance:
The class format is driven by class discussion, with very few lectures,
therefore regular class attendance is critical to your success. You
may miss 2 classes during the course without penalty, after which, your
final grade will be directly affected for each subsequent absence.
Please remember that if you must miss class, you are responsible for both
the material covered that day as well as the work for the following class.
Be sure to record the emails and phone numbers of two peers.
Depending on our needs as a group, there will be guides available during the term for some of the works we are reading. You will find them to be helpful in preparing your readings and your discussion interventions; they will give you a sense of how to look at the text, issues I want you to be thinking about, and topics to focus on for the midterm, informes and final paper. Since they are aimed at helping you prepare your readings, any guides turned in for a grade will be included in your participation grade. They will be made available to you via the course website. As we progress through the readings, check here for new guides (see link below). Oral Presentation/s:
Each student will be required to give at least one 15 minute oral presentation in class. This means that each presenter will be prepared with their own observations and reading of the text, but will also lead group discussion. Those who are not presenting will be involved in the consideration of the text and should come to class with questions already formulated to pose to all of us as a group as well as to the discussion leader. See link below for guidelines.
Informes:
During the term, you will write four "informes", each approximately
2-3 pages long (see course schedule for due dates). An "informe"
is more formal than what you might call a "journal" and less formal than
an argumentative "paper" (where you are proving a thesis). It is
intended to be a place for you to reflect on our readings and class discussions,
push beyond what we have talked about in class, and work through issues
you find interesting in the texts. Since you will use the same tools
on the Midterm and in your Final Paper, in a very real sense, the "informes"
are building blocks. It will allow you to pose relevant questions
about the texts we discuss, help you work through your readings in a more
coherent way, and provide a space for your readings to gel. See link
below for guidelines.
This will be an in-class exam that builds on your past readings and our class discussions. It will most likely include short answer and essay questions. Final Paper:
We will discuss the requirements for the final paper during the term, but it will deal with one or more of the texts we have read and will be limited to 8-10 pages. The due date for the final paper will be as listed in the Final Exam Schedule for Fall 2000.
Guides | Presentations | Informes