Students are required to sign up for four courses during the fall and spring terms.
Advanced Spanish Language in Context I. Review and refinement of grammatical structure, practical vocabulary and syntax. Regular written compositions will be required. Special emphasis will be placed on the development of conversational skills. Prof. Enrique Santamaría.
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Advanced Spanish Language in Context II. Study and analysis of the structure of the Spanish language in both written (formal) and oral (colloquial) contexts, in order that the students acquire maximum competence in the recognition and use of the subtleties of the language. Prof. Vivian Samudio.
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Advanced Grammar Review. Study of the syntactical properties of the Spanish language and comparative analysis of English and Spanish structures. Open only to the most advanced students. Prof. Teresa Bordón.
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Spanish Phonetics and Phonology. Study of the principles of Spanish phonology and phonetics, with special emphasis on the native English speaker. Prof. Mar Campelo. Download syllabus
Madrid, Capital of the World. Named after one of Hemingway's first short stories about Spain, where Madrid represented a vibrant urban lifestye full of different kinds of people from all walks of life. A city where everyone came with many dreams and illusions due to the fact that the city was the center of the nation. Therefore, writers showed the national reality as manifested in the rich and suggestive world of Madrid. This course will analyze Madrid's reality on novels and short stories with special emphasis on those changes that occured from the 19th century to present. Prof. Eugenio Suárez Galbán.
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Gender and Identity in Female Contemporary Literature. Close analysis of representative examples of narrative, essay, poetry and theater of contemporary Spanish women writers. The works will be studied in the context of current feminist, hermeneutic and psychocritical theories. The course will include writings by Ana Maria Matute, Josefina Aldecoa, Carmen Martin Gaite, Gloria Fuertes, Esther Tusquets, Marina Mayoral, Mercedes Abad, Rosa Montero, Cristina Fernandez Cubas, Paloma Pedrero and Elena Santiago. Prof. Marcos Roca.
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Spain and the Americas: Negotiating Conflicting Identities. This course examines the conflicting
identities that emerged on both sides of the Atlantic in response to the process of Spanish conquest and
colonization in the Americas. We will analyze diverse Spanish and Spanish American texts from the
first stage of Western globalization and explore social and cultural dynamics of key interest today:
constructions of identity and racial, gender, and ethnic otherness; cultural mediation; and
multiculturalism, among others. Students will learn to identify and analyze different strategies of
representation, domination, negotiation, and resistance in the colonial situation. Prof. Soledad Gálvez.
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Spain: A model of European Democracy. Study of the main political and legal institutions of Spain, and the political process that has occured in Spain in recent years giving shape to a different european democratic model. The course is a study of the existing relations among the main elements in a democratic political system such as the Constitution, political parties, leaders, institutions, etc.. It also describes and analyzes the process of the political transition and the consolidation of the Spanish democracy, the integration in the EU and the main political and social changes in Spain. Prof. Francisco Bobillo.
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Spain and the Process of European Unity. Study of post-World War II and contemporary Europe, with an emphasis on the relationship between European political and economic developments and Spain's evolution from the isolation of franquismo to present-day democracy. Prof. Tomás Rodríguez Cano.
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Spanish Society and Economy in the EU. Study of the main changes in the Spanish Society and Economy in the last decades with special emphasis on questions related to EU origins, the Euro vs. the US dollar as an international currency, pros and cons of the European social model, the situation of women in Spain and the consequences of inmigration in Spain. All these topics will help students to understand the daily realities they will face during their stay in Madrid. Prof. Ainhoa Marín.
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Culture shock: Spain's cultural diversity. Introduction to the nature and methods of cultural anthropology and study of aspects of Spanish life from an anthropological perspective: ethnic groups, family relationships, "fiestas," religion, values and beliefs, giving special emphasis to the matter of gender. Students will learn to observe, define and interpret the anthropological differences of a foreign culture and thus better understand the "culture shock" that results from contact with Spanish life. Prof. Aída Bueno.
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Spain Today: Social and Professional Learning. (Internship: 12 students max.) Study of and active participation in Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) and other social institutions in order to comprehend how the Spanish people, and Spanish youth in particular, are responding to the needs of contemporary life. The course includes weekly hands-on involvement in Spanish life and customs outside the classroom (through a project chosen by the student from an extensive list of possibilities), regular class meetings, and guest lectures from experts in different fields. A project prospectus, ample field notes, and lengthy research paper are required. Prof. Sheila Klaiber.
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History of Spanish Art I (from Prehistory to Baroque). Study of Medieval and Renaissance masterpieces in architecture, sculpture and painting, with an emphasis on El Greco and the 17th-century realists, notably Velásquez, Ribera, and Zurbarán. Reference to the architecture and sculpture as a basis for the students' appreciation of the museums and monuments visited during group and individual excursions throughout Spain. Prof. Alfredo Ramón and Prof. Linda Hament.
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Appreciating Painting and Its Painters: Velázquez, Goya, and Picasso. An introduction, from a critical and aesthetic perspective, to the work of Spain?s most notable painters, past and present. Emphasis on the appreciation and analytical study of paintings in the Museo del Prado, the Museo del Siglo XIX and the Central Nacional Reina Sofía. Prof. Carmen Padilla.
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Introduction to Flamenco Dance. (14 students max.) Overview of flamenco dance as a performing art. Emphasis on sevillanas, tangos flamencos and alegrías. Special attention to body awareness, partner communication and movement efficiency. Performance presentation required at the end of the course. Prof. Laura Murcia.
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Art studio: Drawing and Painting. (8 students max.) Studio art course, arranged especially for members of the HCAYS, with one of the finest professors of the Estudio L'Atelier. Study of elements of drawing and painting (pastel, acrylic, oil, watercolor), prgressing from still life to classic statue, live models and landscape, with emphasis on expression and creativity and including instruction online, texture, mass and composition. A theoretical component will include reference to historical and bibliographic material as well as to contempory commercial and artistic phenomena. This is to be considered 200-level (no prerequisite) for those who have had no experience in art. Those with past work in this area will follow a more advanced level of readings and discussion, for which the course is to be considered 300-level is required. Prof. Oscar Sánchez Fuster. Download syllabus
Documentary Film Workshop: "A Student Self-portrait in Madrid". (10 students max.) This workshop allows students to discover and explore creative documentary filmmaking through two parallel and complementary lenses. First, via a theoretical approach to documentary filmmaking focusing specifically on Spanish production; second, by creating a documentary project. Students will use documentary filmmaking as a form of personal expression in order to articulate through this medium their expectations, perspectives, and experiences when immersed in a different culture and society. Each student will direct their own documentary self-portrait, which will give voice and make visible their reality and life experiences in Madrid. Prof. Jean Castejón. Download syllabus
Advanced Spanish Language in context I. Review and refinement of grammatical structure, practical vocabulary and syntax. Regular written compositions will be required. Special emphasis will be placed on the development of conversational skills. Prof. Enrique Santamaría.
Download syllabus
Advanced Spanish Language in context II. Study and analysis of the structure of the Spanish language in both written (formal) and oral (colloquial) contexts, in order that the students acquire maximum competence in the recognition and use of the subtleties of the language. Prof. Vivian Samudio.
Download syllabus
Advanced Grammar review. Study of the syntactical properties of the Spanish language and comparative analysis of English and Spanish structures. Open only to the most advanced students. Prof. Teresa Bordón.
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Advanced Expository Writing and Syntax. Study of the structure of the language on the most advanced level. Written, grammar and spoken exercises. Prof. Mar Campelo.
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Cervantes - El Quijote - Chapter by chapter study of Cervantes' masterpiece, with emphasis on its unique contribution to the birth of the modern novel and its reflection of Golden Age Spain. Prof. Eugenio Suárez Galván.
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Subjectivity and Identity in Contemporary Spanish Poetry. Study of the most characteristic, stylistic and thematic concerns of poetry of the 20th century. Prof. Marcos Roca.
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Contemporary Narratives and Globalization in Spain and Latin America. An interdisciplinary examination of Spanish and Latin American literary and visual narratives that respond to the dislocations produced by neo-liberal policies from the mid-1980s to the present. Topics include: the emergence of new subjectivities; globalization and youth; gender, race, and class dynamics; migrations; representations of the city; writing and memory; and forms of aesthetic representation. Prof. Soledad Gálvez.
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Civil War, Dictatorship and Democracy. Study of the evolution of major events that constitute the three periods preceding Spain's present-day constitutional monarchy: the Civil War, the Franco Era and the Transition to Democracy. These periods will be considered from a political, sociological and economic perspective and will be discussed in terms of both their domestic and international dimensions. Prof. Tomás Rodríguez Cano.
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Surprises and conflicts: the Spanish change (1950 - present). Study of contemporary social structures, including population shifts, political affiliation, education, generation conflict, marriage, sexual mores, family life, problems of sexual inequality, communication, moral codes and social deviance. Prof. Antonio Muñoz.
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Spain today: social and professional learning. (Internship: 12 students max.) Study of and active participation in Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) and other social institutions in order to comprehend how the Spanish people, and Spanish youth in particular, are responding to the needs of contemporary life. The course includes weekly hands-on involvement in Spanish life and customs outside the classroom (through a project chosen by the student from an extensive list of possibilities), regular class meetings, and guest lectures from experts in different fields. A project prospectus, ample field notes, and lengthy research paper are required. Prof. Sheila Klaiber.
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Creative Writing. This course offers a different approach to the study of literature. Various genres will be explored in terms of the main components which make up written expression. In a theoretical and practical way, students will be given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the fundamental elements of literary language and will explore the creative techniques of three important genres: Narration, Poetry and Children’s Literature. The students themselves will be the protagonists when they challenge themselves by creating literary texts. During the course they’ll also get to know the professional and creative experiences of a few authors that will visit with us in class. Prof. Jorge de Arco.
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Theatre on and off stage. Divided in two areas: the critical analysis of 3 plays offered in the Madrid theaters and staging of a play as an approach to the different theatrical spaces such as acting, production, costumes and scenography. Prof. Ainhoa Amestoy.
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History of Spanish Art II (from Goya to Picasso). Study of modern Spanish painting from Goya to the present, with special attention to its traditions as manifested in the works of such twentieth-century masters as Miró, Juan Gris and Picasso. The course will include regular visits to the Prado Museum and close examination of its ample holdings in the works of these painters. Prof. Alfredo Ramón and Prof. Linda Hament.
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Introduction to Flamenco Dance. (14 students max.) An overview of flamenco dance as a performing art. Emphasis on tanguillos, fandangos and bulerías. Special attention to body awareness, partner communication and movement efficiency. Performance presentation required at the end of the course. Prof. Laura Murcia Cánovas. For syllabus, see Fall Semester listing.
Art studio. Drawing and painting. (8 students max.) Prof. Óscar Sánchez Fuster. See Fall Semester listing. Download syllabus
