27 courses with the subject HISP, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
Fundamentals of the grammar and structure of the Spanish language with emphasis on oral skills and reading. George Azcárate, Omar Badessi. Open to students with no previous instruction in Spanish. Yearlong course 105- HISP 106 . Four 50-minute periods; one hour of drill. Course Format: CLS
Fundamentals of the grammar and structure of the Spanish language with emphasis on oral skills and reading. George Azcárate, Omar Badessi. Open to students with no previous instruction in Spanish. Yearlong course HISP 105 -106. Four 50-minute periods; one hour of drill period. Course Format: CLS
Intensive study and review of Spanish grammar at the second-year level with emphasis on oral practice and writing skills. Omar Badessi.
This course develops a set of methodological and theoretical tools for the investigation of cultural practices such as literature, popular and mass culture, social movements and institutions in Spanish-speaking countries. .
This course offers an in-depth coverage of Spanish grammar with emphasis on reading and writing skills. A more traditional approach in grammar explanations is combined with the study of numerous examples and exercises based on everyday life. The objectives of this course are 1) to provide a thorough review of major topics of Spanish grammar— ser and estar , por and para , the preterit and the imperfect, sequence of tenses, conditional clauses, etc.; 2) to explore in-depth the different mechanics of writing in Spanish (punctuation, written accents, etc.); 3) to work on writing skills in Spanish through the use of various writing techniques and strategies—the art of writing narratives, dialogue, descriptions, letters, and reports; 4) to improve reading skills and knowledge of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions in Spanish; 5) to continue to increase cultural knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world. Through the use of the target language in class, this course also contributes to the general language acquisition process. Some translation work is required as well—contextualized passages in English translated into Spanish are used to illustrate a variety of grammatical principles.
This year’s workshop provides a space for the development of the student’s ability as a writer of fiction in Spanish. Writing projects could include short stories, drama, poetry and miscellany, depending on the student’s individual interests. Workshop members share, read and critique each other’s writing. We also engage some readings and exercises designed to enrich the student’s ability to give form, texture, and voice to their writing. Mario Cesareo.
Two 75-minute periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
(Same as LALS 227 ) Studies in Latin American literary and cultural production from the European invasion to the crisis of the colonial system.
This course offers an introduction to Hispanic linguistics, providing students with a broad overview of both foundational and specialized subfields. Topics include syntax (the structure of sentences), morphology (the formation of words), phonetics (the physiological production of speech sounds), phonology (the patterns and relationships of sounds within a language), historical linguistics (the evolution of Spanish over time), language acquisition (how languages are learned), sociolinguistics (language use in social contexts), and dialectology (regional and social variation in language). No prior coursework in linguistics is required. The course is conducted entirely in Spanish and is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the structure and diversity of the Spanish language through analytical and applied approaches. Ryan LaBrozzi.
(Same as LALS 274 ) It admits of three modes, according to each student’s preference. The course includes periodic meetings where the texts are collectively discussed. A) Chronicle: the course hinges around an ongoing event (political, historical, etc.) chosen by each student. Such event is researched as it develops during the semester, in depth and thoroughly. The end result is an annotated dossier of primary and secondary sources and the writing of a chronicle based upon some of the models studied (García Márquez, Rodolfo Walsh, Germán Castro Caycedo, Alma Guillermo Prieto, etc.) B) Fiction: the course is geared toward completion of a piece of writing previously agreed upon between each student and me (collection of poems or short stories, novelistic fragment, journal, short film and so on). Writing models and problematics are discussed and serve as a springboard for each student’s project. C) Testimonial Writing: the course allows for crafting a piece of testimonial writing (of one’s own or someone else’s experience). Writing strategies are derived from an understanding of the genre’s logic and its problematization. In all modalities, the final text can take the form of an audiovisual product (the student’s technical knowledge for carrying on such a project is presupposed).
0.5 to 1 unit(s) The Oviedo Project at Vassar College aims at translating the 50 books of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo’s Natural History of the Indies –the first comprehensive description of the New World, written between 1524 and 1548—in time for the 500 th anniversary of the publication of an abridged version of the first book in 1526. The collaborative project has been developed as part of Vassar’s new curriculum to work with student translators to produce the first complete English-language translation of the celebrated text. Students study and put into practice translation theory and editing skills as they complete their section of the project, under the guidance of profs. Michael Aronna, Lizabeth Paravisini, Nicolas Vivalda.
This course focuses on one relevant Latin American or Spanish film director dealing with Latin American topics, and involves concentrated readings, research, and small group discussions on themes like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, poverty, nationalism, liberalism, development, and modernity(ies). Student learn to identify and analyze the intersection between form and content in a select number of relevant Latin American films by situating them in contexts that are simultaneously national, regional, and global. Proposed directors: Luis Buñuel, Arturo Ripstein, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Leonardo Favio, Pablo Larraín, Patricio Guzmán.
Through frequent conversations and writing opportunities, this course offers students the opportunity to analyze and gain a deeper understanding of their study abroad experience in a Spanish-speaking country. Through storytelling, memoirs and the creation of a final project, students reflect critically on tourism, knowledge production, global citizenship and their plans to integrate their study away experience into current learning opportunities or professional aspirations. Taught in Spanish.
(Same as LALS 279 ) The current climate crisis urges us to review how we interact with the environment. From an Indigenous perspective, the environment is nothing less than the land and all the diverse life forms, including humans, that sprout from them (the land as “they” and not a lifeless “it”). In this intensive, we critically reflect on our relationship to the land by engaging with land-based pedagogies practiced by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) scholars, farmers, and educators. This intensive includes discussion sessions and hands-on activities co-created, co-facilitated, and in collaboration with the education team of the Poughkeepsie Farm Project. Written and oral assignments are conducted in Spanish. Interested students should contact Professor Montserrat Madariaga-Caro.
0.5 to 1 unit(s) Individual projects or internships. The department. The Department.
0.5 to 1 unit(s) The Department.
The Department. Course Format: INT
(Same as LALS 353 and MEDS 353 ) Digital media are ubiquitous. Through them we communicate, inform ourselves, organize our lives, watch one another, self-soothe and invent ourselves. Digital media are both central to struggles for social justice and at the same time, in the hands of corporate and state agents, weapons against these struggles. This course explores how the history, physical infrastructure, political economy and symbolic and affective meanings in media-scapes across Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Spain are crucial for understanding digital culture and its impact on us. Topics studied include Indigenous digital culture; digital literacy; fake news; social media and social movements; gendered, racialized and classed identities in online communities; (dis)embodiment; the networked self; and border surveillance technologies. We analyze a range of media texts including novels, films, theoretical essays, manifestos, archives and multi-media born-digital content. Taught in Spanish.
(Same as LALS 374 ) It admits of three modes, according to each student’s preference. The course includes periodic meetings where the texts are collectively discussed (Previous Requisite: one course at the 220 level or special permission by me.). A) Chronicle: the course hinges around an ongoing event (political, historical, etc.) chosen by each student. Such event is researched as it develops during the semester, in depth and thoroughly. The end result is an annotated dossier of primary and secondary sources and the writing of a chronicle based upon some of the models studied (García Márquez, Rodolfo Walsh, Germán Castro Caycedo, Alma Guillermo Prieto, etc.) B) Fiction: the course is geared toward completion of a piece of writing previously agreed upon between each student and me (collection of poems or short stories, novelistic fragment, journal, short film and so on). Writing models and problematics will be discussed and serve as a springboard for each student’s project. C) Testimonial Writing: the course allows for crafting a piece of testimonial writing (of one’s own or someone else’s experience). Writing strategies are derived from an understanding of the genre’s logic and its problematization. In all modalities, the final text can take the form of an audiovisual product (the student’s technical knowledge for carrying on such a project is presupposed).
0.5 to 1 unit(s) The Oviedo Project at Vassar College aims at translating the 50 books of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo’s Natural History of the Indies –the first comprehensive description of the New World, written between 1524 and 1548—in time for the 500 th anniversary of the publication of an abridged version of the first book in 1526. The collaborative project has been developed as part of Vassar’s new curriculum to work with student translators to produce the first complete English-language translation of the celebrated text. Students study and put into practice translation theory and editing skills as they complete their section of the project, under the guidance of profs. Michael Aronna, Lizabeth Paravisini, Nicolas Vivalda.
This course focuses on one relevant Latin American or Spanish film director dealing with Latin American topics, and involves concentrated readings, research, and small group discussions on themes like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, poverty, nationalism, liberalism, development, and modernity(ies). Student learn to identify and analyze the intersection between form and content in a select number of relevant Latin American films by situating them in contexts that are simultaneously national, regional, and global. Proposed directors: Luis Buñuel, Arturo Ripstein, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Leonardo Favio, Pablo Larraín, Patricio Guzmán.
(Same as LALS 379 ) The current climate crisis urges us to review how we interact with the environment. From an Indigenous perspective, the environment is nothing less than the land and all the diverse life forms, including humans, that sprout from them (the land as “they” and not a lifeless “it”). In this intensive, we critically reflect on our relationship to the land by engaging with land-based pedagogies practiced by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) scholars, farmers, and educators. This intensive includes discussion sessions and hands-on activities co-created, co-facilitated, and in collaboration with the education team of the Poughkeepsie Farm Project. Written and oral assignments are conducted in Spanish. Montserrat Madariaga-Caro.
(Same as LALS 387 ) A seminar offering in-depth study of topics related to the literary and cultural history of Latin America. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic changes.
One 2-hour period. Course Format: CLS
0.5 to 1 unit(s) The Department. Special permission. Does not fulfill the requirement for 300-level work in the major or correlate sequence. Course Format: OTH
Source: Vassar College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
