UVM’s Spanish Program gives its students the opportunity to expand their Spanish language skills while also deepening their knowledge of the world’s Spanish-speaking nations and communities. Professors combine excellence in teaching with professional achievement in research on the literatures and cultures of Latin America, Spain, and US Latino populations.
The program includes courses on a wide panorama of topics including, for instance, Modern Latin American cultures, Cuban cinema, Latin American Poetry in Resistance, The Language of Social Justice, and Decolonizing Environmentalism. Many students take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad and then return to the program to continue to develop their knowledge and skills. The program sponsors Spanish-language social activities such as the weekly tertulias for Spanish conversation, as well as the annual Hispanic Forum on current issues.
Courses
SPAN 1010. Topics In: First-Year Seminar. 3 Credits.
Intensive first-year seminar focused on specific themes and/or disciplinary perspectives. Emphasis on developing critical reading and writing skills, substantive revision, information literacy, and analytical thinking. First-year seminars are frequently organized to meet one of the disciplinary Catamount Core requirements. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years.
SPAN 1020. Topics In: LASP Writing. 3 Credits.
Intensive course in a broad disciplinary area (humanities, social sciences, arts, or natural sciences). Part of an integrated first-year experience in which students take 2-4 classes exploring aesthetic, humanistic, social, linguistic, environmental, or scientific issues. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Co-requisite: Enrollment in the appropriate Liberal Arts Scholars Program.
SPAN 1025. Topics In: LASP Seminar. 3 Credits.
Intensive course in a broad disciplinary area (humanities, social sciences, arts, or natural sciences). Part of an integrated first-year experience in which students take 2-4 classes exploring aesthetic, humanistic, social, linguistic, environmental, or scientific issues. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Co-requisite: Enrollment in the appropriate Liberal Arts Scholars Program.
SPAN 1100. Elementary Spanish I. 4 Credits.
The fundamentals of Spanish grammar through composition, comprehension, pronunciation, speaking, reading, and writing in a cultural context. Classes are conducted in Spanish and students engage in active use of the language. No prior knowledge expected. Cannot be taken for credit after SPAN 1200. Catamount Core: GC2.
SPAN 1200. Elementary Spanish II. 4 Credits.
Continuation of SPAN 1100. The fundamentals of Spanish grammar through composition, comprehension, pronunciation, speaking, reading, and writing in a cultural context. Classes are conducted in Spanish and students engage in active use of the language. Cannot be taken for credit after SPAN 2100. Prerequisite: SPAN 1100 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2, OC.
SPAN 1210. Topics in Elementary Spanish. 1-3 Credits.
Elementary language study targeted to specialized vocabulary needs, such as health, ecology, or community development. May be repeated for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: SPAN 1200 or Instructor permission.
SPAN 1990. Special Topics. 1-18 Credits.
Introductory courses or seminars on topics beyond the scope of existing departmental offerings. See Schedule of Courses for specific titles.
SPAN 2100. Intermediate Spanish I. 3 Credits.
Significant review of grammar, moving toward increased proficiency in composition, listening comprehension, pronunciation, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis on cultural context. Compositions, oral practice, reading. Students may take 1 Spanish course numbered between 2100 and 2109 for credit. Cannot be taken for credit after SPAN 2200. Prerequisites: SPAN 1200 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2.
SPAN 2108. TR Intermediate Spanish I. 3 Credits.
Credit for the equivalent of Intermediate Spanish I taken at another institution and accepted for transfer credit at UVM. May count for the track 2 minor with approval of a minor advisor in Spanish. Students may take 1 SPAN course numbered between 2100 and 2109 for credit. Cannot be taken for credit after SPAN 2200. Prerequisite: SPAN 1200 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2.
SPAN 2109. AP Intermediate Spanish I. 3 Credits.
Credit awarded for achieving a certain score on the Spanish Language Advanced Placement (AP) Examination. The necessary score may vary from year to year; consult Transfer Affairs for appropriate specifics. Students may take 1 SPAN course numbered between 2100 and 2109 for credit. Prerequisite: SPAN 1200 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2.
SPAN 2200. Intermediate Spanish II. 3 Credits.
Continuation of Intermediate Spanish I. Grammar review, moving toward increased proficiency in composition, listening comprehension, pronunciation, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis on cultural context. Students may take 1 Spanish course numbered between 2200 and 2209 for credit. Cannot be taken for credit after SPAN 3110. Prerequisite: SPAN 2100 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2, OC.
SPAN 2202. Interm Span II: Sustainability. 3 Credits.
Continuation of SPAN 2100. Students improve grammar, proficiency and their knowledge of the Hispanic world, while acquiring a Global South perspective surrounding sustainability. Students may take 1 Spanish course numbered between 2200 and 2209 for credit. Cannot be taken for credit after SPAN 3110. Prerequisite: SPAN 2100 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2, OC, SU.
SPAN 2208. TR Intermediate Spanish II. 3 Credits.
Credit for the equivalent of Intermediate Spanish II taken at another institution and accepted for transfer credit at UVM. May count for the track 2 minor with approval of a minor advisor in Spanish. Students may take 1 SPAN course numbered between 2100 and 2109 for credit. Cannot be taken for credit after SPAN 3110. Prerequisite: SPAN 2100 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2, OC.
SPAN 2209. AP Intermediate Spanish II. 3 Credits.
Credit awarded for achieving a certain score on the Spanish Language Advanced Placement (AP) Examination. The necessary score may vary from year to year; consult Transfer Affairs for appropriate specifics. Students may take 1 SPAN course numbered between 2100 and 2109 for credit. Prerequisite: SPAN 2100 or equivalent. Catamount Core: GC2, OC.
SPAN 2609. AP Literature & Culture I. 3 Credits.
Credit awarded for achieving a certain score on the Spanish Literature and Culture Advanced Placement (AP) Examination. The necessary score may vary from year to year; consult Transfer Affairs for appropriate specifics. Catamount Core: AH2.
SPAN 2610. AP Literature & Culture II. 3 Credits.
Credit awarded for achieving a certain score on the Spanish Literature and Culture Advanced Placement (AP) Examination. The necessary score may vary from year to year; consult Transfer Affairs for appropriate specifics. Catamount Core: AH2.
SPAN 2990. Special Topics. 1-18 Credits.
See Schedule of Courses for specific titles. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610.
SPAN 3102. Race, Identity & Migrant Labor. 3 Credits.
Spanish composition and conversation course that explores the Mexican and Mexican-American experience in the United States during the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries and focuses on issues of sustainability, food sovereignty and institutionalized racism in service-learning and global contexts. Prerequisites: SPAN 2200 or equivalent; GRS 1500 recommended. Catamount Core: D1, SU.
SPAN 3110. Topics in Composition & Convrs. 3 Credits.
Writing practice, sentence structure, correct expression, and guided discussions in Spanish of cultural topics. A good command of basic grammar expected. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: SPAN 2200 or equivalent; or Instructor permission. Catamount Core: GC2, WIL2.
SPAN 3120. Spanish Grammar. 3 Credits.
An intensive study of Spanish grammar. Topical approach. Prerequisite: SPAN 2200 or equivalent; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 3610. Analyzing Hispanic Literatures. 3 Credits.
Introduction to basic genres of Hispanic literatures (narrative, poetry, drama, essay); development of analytical and critical reading/discussion skills. Short analytical papers and ample class discussion. Prerequisite: SPAN 3110 or concurrent enrollment with Instructor permission. Catamount Core: AH2.
SPAN 3615. Spain: Diversity & Expansion. 3 Credits.
An introductory literature course; students will read and analyze texts associated with the diverse cultures of Spain as it began the period of colonial expansion. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610. Catamount Core: AH2.
SPAN 3620. Spain: Monarchy to Democracy. 3 Credits.
An introductory literature course; students read and analyze literature and film written and produced in Spain from the neoclassical period until the present day. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610. Catamount Core: AH2.
SPAN 3665. LatAm: Colonialism&Resistance. 3 Credits.
An introductory literature course; students read and analyze Latin American texts from the period before the conquest to the 1898 Spanish American War. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610. Catamount Core: AH2, D2.
SPAN 3670. LatAm: Revolutn&Globalizatn. 3 Credits.
An introductory literature course; students read and analyze Latin American literature and film produced in the tumultuous 20th and 21st centuries. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610. Catamount Core: AH2, D2.
SPAN 3990. Special Topics. 1-18 Credits.
See Schedule of Courses for specific titles. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610.
SPAN 3991. Internship. 1-18 Credits.
On-site supervised work experience combined with a structured academic learning plan directed by a faculty member or a faculty-staff team in which a faculty member is the instructor of record, for which academic credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion.
SPAN 3993. Independent Study. 1-18 Credits.
A course which is tailored to fit the interests of a specific student, which occurs outside the traditional classroom/laboratory setting under the supervision of a faculty member, for which credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion. Permission of Chair required. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610.
SPAN 3994. Teaching Assistantship. 1-3 Credits.
Undergraduate student service as a teaching assistant, usually in an introductory level course in the discipline, for which credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion.
SPAN 3995. Undergraduate Research. 1-18 Credits.
Undergraduate student work on individual or small team research projects under the supervision of a faculty member, for which credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion. Permission of Chair required. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610.
SPAN 4100. Topics in Language. 3 Credits.
Varied topics devoted to a special area such as translation, creative writing, or Spanish for the professions (medicine, business, journalism, law). May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: SPAN 3110 or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4110. Adv Composition & Conversation. 3 Credits.
To improve both written and oral proficiency. Textbook supplemented by panel discussions, debates, translation, and a weekly composition. Prerequisite: SPAN 3110 or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4440. Hispanic Folklore. 3 Credits.
Explores the folklore of Spain and Latin America with emphasis on literary and artistic traditions. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4460. Modern Latin American Cultures. 3 Credits.
An overview of the cultures of Latin America with a multidisciplinary approach to understanding cultural constructions. Themes included: the city, nationhood, subjectivity, marginality. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission. Catamount Core: D2.
SPAN 4500. Topics in Cinema. 3 Credits.
Advanced study in Spanish cinema. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4550. Topics in Culture & Literature. 3 Credits.
Focus on a particular cultural topic in the Hispanic world such as regional studies, or current conflicts on ecology, ethnicity, or gender. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4560. Cuban Cinema and Revolution. 3 Credits.
Explores Cuban cinema in the context of the revolution and how Cuban films portrayed the dialectical struggle necessary to continue political and social change. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4565. Latin Amer Women in Lit & Film. 3 Credits.
Through the analysis of literary texts, films, and the study of other complementary readings, students investigate the historical and social construction Latin American women as a social category, with attention to social markers such as race, class, sexual orientation, language, and literacy. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4570. Latin Amer City in Lit/Film. 3 Credits.
A cultural studies approach to the representation of major Latin American cities in literature, film, and cultural critique. Topics may include: marginality, minorities, globalization, and social constructions of space. Prerequisite: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission. Catamount Core: D2.
SPAN 4575. Performance and Politics. 3 Credits.
A study of the relationship between Latin-American performance and its political contexts. Emphasis is placed on works particularly concerned with reshaping culture, politics, and aesthetics. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4580. Human Rights in Latin America. 3 Credits.
An interdisciplinary exploration of violations of human rights in the context of Latin America, focused primarily on examples from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4600. Topics in Literature. 3 Credits.
Advanced study in Spanish literature. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4610. Issues in Early Spanish Lit. 3 Credits.
An exploration of topics on Spain's richly diverse literature written before 1700. Prose and/or theatre texts from this highpoint of cultural development are the focus. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4660. Hispanic Writing from Margins. 3 Credits.
Exploration of writers and communities at the margins of mainstream Latin-America and/or Spanish culture. Topics may include indigenous, Afro-Hispanic, regionalist authors; testimonial literatures; censorship. Prerequisite: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4670. Narco Culture. 3 Credits.
Studies the culture that has arisen as a result of the drug trade in Latin America. Seeks to answer the following questions: 1) What is the relationship between the drug trade and the global world system and; 2) What role does art play in the episteme created by the drug trade. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4675. Petroculture. 3 Credits.
Studies the theme of petroleum in Latin American culture. A principle theme is the analysis of the importance of petroleum in the creation of the modern, globalized world as well as the formation of global capitalism. Prerequisites: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670, or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4680. Contemp Latin Amer Fiction. 3 Credits.
A study of representative works by major authors tracing the development of narrative forms from their roots in the last century to the present. Prerequisite: SPAN 3615, SPAN 3620, SPAN 3665, or SPAN 3670; or Instructor permission.
SPAN 4990. Special Topics. 1-18 Credits.
See Schedule of Courses for specific titles. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610.
SPAN 4991. Internship. 1-18 Credits.
On-site supervised work experience combined with a structured academic learning plan directed by a faculty member or a faculty-staff team in which a faculty member is the instructor of record, for which academic credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion.
SPAN 4993. Independent Study. 1-18 Credits.
A course which is tailored to fit the interests of a specific student, which occurs outside the traditional classroom/laboratory setting under the supervision of a faculty member, for which credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion. Permission of chair required. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610.
SPAN 4994. Teaching Assistantship. 1-3 Credits.
Undergraduate student service as a teaching assistant, usually in an introductory level course in the discipline, for which credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion.
SPAN 4995. Undergraduate Research. 1-18 Credits.
Undergraduate student work on individual or small team research projects under the supervision of a faculty member, for which credit is awarded. Offered at department discretion. Permission of Chair required. Prerequisite: SPAN 3610.
SPAN 4996. Honors. 1-6 Credits.
College honors thesis or other department/program honors, under the supervision of a faculty member. Offered at department discretion.