Spanish

Did you know that the United States now has over 50 million Spanish-speakers, making it the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, after Mexico? In this course, we will explore the past, present, and future of the many different Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S. The main objective is to develop critical and linguistic awareness of the relationship between language, individual, and society. We will accomplish this through an examination of historical migration patterns and settlements, dialects of Spanish in the different regions of the U.S., the linguistic...

In this course, we will explore the construction of the image of Spain for foreign consumption from the turn of the twentieth Century to the present. We will analyze the presence of Spain beyond its borders, including aspects such as military and economic colonialism, migration, tourism, sports, arts, food, fashion, and language. We will study a wide array of documents (films, literary texts, articles, commercials, visual culture, etc) from the perspective of postcolonial theory and cultural studies. Instructor: Pilar Martínez-Quiroga Email: pquiroga@illinois.edu CRN  54423 M/W/F at...

This course will examine how both emigration and immigration have been portrayed in the Spanish literature and in others cultural manifestations since 1900 to the present. In order to analyze the different Spanish migrations, the course will explore the historical, political, social, and economic contexts that caused them. The course will discuss concepts and themes such as immigration and emigration, exile, diaspora, community, and transculturation. Prerequisites: SPAN 228 - Section C (CRN 66502): 10:00am-10:50am (MWF), at 1048 FLB - Section F (CRN: 49963): 2:00pm-2:50pm (MWF), at 1126...

This course examines how the experiences of African slaves since their arrival with colonizing Spaniards to the Americas in the 16th century, culturally shaped what is known today as Latin America. Through music, food, dance, art, religion, labor and clothing, African migrants became part of diverse communities (diasporas) that fought to gain visibility, humanity, dignity and power in a society where they were perceived as inferior human beings. How do we understand Latin American culture through the diverse contributions of African slaves  and African descendent people since the...

In this service-learning course, you will learn with and from local Latinx immigrants as you volunteer two hours each week with a local organization that serves our immigrant community. Time in the classroom focuses on immigration policies, life in the “new Latino diaspora” and the headlines about immigration in the US. *Fulfills the US Minority cultures gen ed requirement. The course is taught in Spanish; anyone who grew up speaking Spanish at home (heritage learners) and/or has taken four years of high school Spanish can join the course and succeed. CRN 35295    ...

Learn the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship, a practice that seeks opportunities at the nexus of languages, cultures and communities. We will focus on the question of how to create linguistically- and culturally-appropriate programming within nonprofits. To make those nonprofits sustainable, we will take from the world of business to find ways they can generate income and build effective systems. You will spend two hours a week in class and two hours a week (on average) volunteering in a local nonprofit, using your Spanish to learn from and serve our local Latino community. Come to...

This course is an introduction to the classics of Mexican Cinema, from silent film until today. We will examine genres like melodrama, horror, comedy, and the comedia ranchera, in order to think about the way in which film has crystalized ideas about Mexican identity. We will study Mexican stars ranging from Cantinflas to El Santo. (Undergrads are welcome to take SPAN 326 twice, as long as the topics are different.) SPRING 2020.  CRN: 49961

This course explores why many authors turned to romance in order to rethink categories of race and gender. We will delve into stories of forbidden love that feature slaves, bandits, lepers, and prostitutes in order to consider how Latin American identity was rewritten in the nineteenth century. Advanced undergrads are welcome to join this class! SPRING 2020. CRN: 52372 / 52373