58 courses with the subject SPAN, 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.
SPAN 001Elementary Spanish 0011
Students who start in the SPAN 001-002 sequence must complete 002 to receive credit for 001. This course is intended for students who begin Spanish in college. The first year of Spanish is designed to encourage the development of communicative proficiency through an integrated approach to the teaching of all four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The course also helps students develop as global citizens. This is achieved through a range of activities, which asks students to explore and interpret authentic materials as well as engage in interpersonal and presentational communication.
This course is intended for students who begin Spanish in college. The first year of Spanish is designed to encourage the development of communicative proficiency through an integrated approach to the teaching of all four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The course also helps students develop as global citizens. This is achieved through a range of activities, which asks students to explore and interpret authentic materials as well as engage in interpersonal and presentational communication. Students who start in the SPAN 001-002 sequence must complete 002 to receive credit for 001.
SPAN 002B is intended for those students who have had at least a year of Spanish but have not yet attained the level of SPAN 003 . This accelerated course covers the materials of SPAN 001 / SPAN 002 in one semester, allowing for the review of basic concepts learned in the past. It encourages development of communicative proficiency through an interactive task-based approach, and provides students with an active and rewarding learning experience as they strengthen their language skills and develop their cultural competency. After completing this course, students will be prepared to take SPAN 003 .
This intermediate-level Spanish course continues to develop students’ functional, communicative language skills through reinforcement, expansion, and synthesis of the concepts learned during the first year. It seeks to develop students’ fluency and accuracy in order to express, interpret, and negotiate meaning in context. The course offers contextualized activities that review language and foster skill development, while at the same time, preparing students to continue their Spanish coursework and for real-life communicative tasks.
SPAN 002 or SPAN 002B or the equivalent Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Martín Macho. Spring 2027. Ramírez Canosa. Fall 2027 Martín Macho. Spring 2028 Ramírez Canosa. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 004Advanced Spanish1
This course features a thematic approach that exposes students to current topics, and offers a comprehensive look at Spanish grammar through communication-oriented activities. It encourages students to build on their current Spanish language skills and learn more advanced grammar points. Students will improve their linguistic accuracy and develop their cultural knowledge and critical thinking skills in Spanish. SPAN 004 prepares students to take introductory writing courses.
SPAN 003 or the equivalent. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Díaz. Spring 2027. Ramírez Canosa. Fall 2027 Martín Macho. Spring 2028 Ramírez Canosa. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 008Spanish Conversation and Composition1
Recommended for students who need to improve Spanish oral and written expression. This is a practical course for writing and rewriting in a variety of contexts, and it will prepare the student to write at an academic level of Spanish. It includes a review of grammar and spelling, methods for vocabulary expansion, and attention to common errors of students of Spanish living in an English-speaking society. Films and literary texts will serve as a stimulus for advanced conversation with the goal of improving fluency and comprehension in Spanish.
SPAN 004 or the equivalent or permission of the instructor. -Fulfills the Writing Course requirement. -This course counts toward a major/minor in Spanish. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 012Imágenes y contextos hispánicos1
This course provides an introduction to the Hispanic world with an emphasis on its visual culture. The goal is to understand the key cultural processes that have shaped Latin America and Spain. We will begin by examining early contact between Europeans and Amerindian civilizations. We will analyze how the history of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions in Spain had a great impact on how the Spanish colonial empire developed in the New World. We will then study the nation-building processes of the nineteenth century in Latin America, and continue on to more recent topics, such as the periods of war and postwar in Spain and some Latin American countries. Students will develop advanced skills in written Spanish by completing several written assignments over the course of the semester.
SPAN 004 or the equivalent or permission of the instructor. -Fulfills the Writing Course requirement. -This course counts toward a major/minor in Spanish. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-Paired Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish/courses Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 014Spanish Composition and Conversation1
Spanish Composition and Conversation is designed for students who wish to enhance their written and spoken Spanish. This practical course reviews grammatical structures that are often challenging to master, along with issues of spelling and accentuation. Through authentic readings and writing workshops, students will refine various writing styles and deepen their comprehension of Spanish. In addition to composition, the course will provide ample approaches to writing and conversation practice to boost fluency and comprehension. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the skills to write and speak confidently at an academic level in Spanish. - Fulfills the Writing Course requirement. - This course counts toward a major/minor in Spanish.
SPAN 004 or the equivalent or permission of the instructor. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Díaz. Spring 2027. Martínez. Fall 2027 Díaz. Spring 2028 Martínez. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 015First Year Seminar: Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture1
(Cross-listed as LITR 015S , ENGL 009F , LALS 015 ) This course is an introduction to the writings of Latino/as in the U.S. with emphasis on the distinctions and similarities that have shaped the experiences and the cultural imagination among different Latino/a communities. We will focus particularly in works produced by the three major groups of U.S. Latino/as (Mexican Americans or Chicanos, Puerto Ricans or Nuyoricans, and Cuban Americans). By analyzing works from a range of genres including poetry, fiction, film, and performance, along with literary and cultural theory, the course will explore some of the major themes in the cultural production of these groups. Topics to be discussed include identity formation in terms of language, race, gender, sexuality, and class; diaspora and emigration; the marketing of the Latino/a identity; and activism through art. Offered each fall. Taught in English. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, CPLT Fall 2026. Díaz. Fall 2027 Díaz.
Medical professions have consistently been in high demand in the job market. Proficiency in Spanish is a critical skill in the healthcare field, particularly in the United States, where a significant portion of the population speaks it. This course is designed to prepare students for careers in healthcare through a combination of oral and written grammatical training. It offers practical opportunities to engage with real-world scenarios commonly encountered by medical students, pre-professionals, and professionals. These include interactions in hospitals, emergency rooms, doctors’ offices (both physical and virtual), laboratories, and clinics, focusing on communication with Spanish-speaking patients and colleagues. Beyond its grammatical and communicative focus, the course integrates medical narratives such as films, documentaries, fiction, visual culture, and journalistic articles. These materials provide insights into how health and illness are portrayed in the Spanish-speaking world, fostering a deeper understanding of cultural and ethical considerations. The course is structured into modules that address topics like medical and surgical vocabulary, the human body and diseases, and healthcare professions. Analytical discussions will cover themes such as disabilities, illnesses, nutrition and malnutrition, sports, emerging medical technologies, death and euthanasia, medical ethics, plastic and organ surgeries, maternity, psychological disorder, among others. This interdisciplinary course is ideal for students pursuing interests in medicine, clinical practice, nutrition, psychology, biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, dentistry, physical therapy, or sport medicine. Humanities. 1 credit.
(Cross-listed as LITR 020S ) Uruguayan-born writer Horacio Quiroga stated that “as long as the human language is our preferred vehicle of expression, man will always make stories, because the short story is the one natural, normal and irreplaceable form of storytelling”. Latin American writers moved the short story genre into new and exciting directions. Fantastic tales, magical realism, metafiction, neogothic, and postmodernism are some of the distinctive features of the Latin American short story. We will read a wide variety of short stories from the 20th and 21st century. We will learn about story structure and key elements of storytelling. First, we will study works by Horacio Quiroga and Jorge Luis Borges, whose innovations redefined the genre and moved Latin American fiction into the forefront of world literature. Afterwards, we will read short stories by Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Clarice Lispector, and Mariana Enríquez, among others. This course affords students the possibility of reading for pleasure while refining critical reading skills. No prior preparation in literature or Spanish is necessary. Taught in English.
This course covers representative Spanish works from medieval times to the present. Works in all literary genres will be read to observe times of political and civic upheaval, of soaring ideologies and crushing defeats that depict the changing social, economic, and political conditions in Spain throughout the centuries. Each reading represents a particular literary period: middle ages, renaissance, baroque, neo-classicism, romanticism, realism, naturalism, surrealism, postmodernism, etc. Emphasis on literary analysis to introduce students to further work in Spanish literature.
Fulfills the writing requirement and counts toward the Spanish major/minor.
SPAN 023Introducción a la literatura latinoamericana1
Continue your Spanish studies through engaging works of Latin American literature. This course explores the dynamic connections between literature, politics, and social change, with readings by authors such as Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Horacio Quiroga, and Pablo Neruda, alongside newer voices, all centered on the question: “Who are we?” Designed as a natural next step after language courses, the class emphasizes guided discussion and approachable analysis to build confidence in reading and writing in a supportive environment. Especially recommended for students considering study abroad.
SPAN 004 (A or higher) or SPAN 014, or instructor permission. Fulfills the writing requirement and counts toward the Spanish major/minor. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, GLBL-Paired, ESCH, CPLT Fall 2026. Martínez. Fall 2027 Martínez. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 025Reading Borges: Labyrinths and Forking Paths1
(Cross-listed as LITR 025S ) Embark on an engaging exploration of Jorge Luis Borges, widely regarded as the most influential writer of the 20th century. His impact on literature and science is unparalleled, with works that foreshadow key themes in literary theory and anticipate the advent of the Internet. Particularly resonant with scientists in computer science, mathematics, and physics, Borges’s ideas on infinity, parallel universes, labyrinths, and forking paths continue to inspire contemporary thought. As a truly global author, Borges’s short stories seamlessly blend influences from Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and various belief systems, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. Discover the artful combination of theoretical concepts and aesthetic brilliance in Borges’s works as you venture through the mind of a visionary writer who transcended cultural and linguistic boundaries. This English-taught humanities course welcomes students from all academic disciplines, including those in STEM fields, and does not necessitate any prior literature or Spanish background. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP, LALS. Spring 2027. Martínez. Spring 2028 Martínez.
(Cross-listed as LITR 042S ) Given his profound impact on modern literature and science, Jorge Luis Borges is, perhaps, the most influential writer of the 20 th century. His fiction anticipated the major topics of contemporary literary theory, and for many, Borges even prefigured the World Wide Web. His short-stories showcase a deep engagement with his readings on mathematics, physics and astronomy, political science, linguistics and philosophy as well as deep connections with psychology and neuroscience. As a world author, Borges worked inside all cultural traditions: Asia and the Middle East, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam, and he offered a creative and irreverent response to Western literary tradition. We will explore how Borges fictionalized theoretical problems without ever allowing the development of the tale to lose its aesthetic brilliance. This is an ideal Humanities course for students in all majors, including STEM students. No prior preparation in literature or Spanish is necessary.
This course is an introduction to political and ideological uses of the fantastic genre and horror fiction in Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia during the Early Modern period. We will study texts such as short stories, novels, poetry, theater, painting, inquisition records, and films. The course examines how texts that blur the lines between the real and the unreal, the natural world and the supernatural can be used as mechanisms of social control that seek to propagate concerns, fears, and stigmas on racial minorities and marginalized groups. Students will learn about the key sociopolitical, religious, and historical contexts of the era that will help us understand how the fantastic and horror fiction engage with their society. We will explore themes such as the world of the witches, monsters and prodigies, religious miracles, and diabolical metamorphoses, or the boundaries between life and death. Students will become familiar with the following terms: horror, fantastic, miracle, magic, diabolical, metamorphosis, and sensationalism. At the end of the semester, students are expected to know how the popular imagination and the fiction of the Early Modern period can help us understand the complex sociohistorical vision of that era. Taught in Spanish.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish/courses Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 044Marginalidad y justicia en la época de Cervantes1
This course will examine marginality, criminality, and justice as circumstances that define a significant part of the social and literary history of early modernity in Spain. We will focus on some of Miguel de Cervantes’ main works to discover and understand the reality of minority racial groups, and other marginalized such as orphans, sex workers, captives, necromancers, queer people, outcasts and wanderers, as well as people with physical or mental disabilities. The objective of having Cervantes as a central figure in this course is due to the fact that he lived in conditions of poorness and captivity in Argel (Africa) that led him to deeply understand the world of the marginalized; none of his contemporaries portrayed the underprivileged in the realistic and laudable way he did. While we will read some of the Cervantine works, we will also analyze laws, inquisition records, moral treatises, paintings, maps, present-day news, films, and documentaries. Exploring these materials from a modern sensibility will help us understand the contemporaneity of Cervantes’ thought and learn about the strategies that minority and marginal groups have used to survive over time. Reading materials will be available in contemporary Spanish. Taught in Spanish.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 045Plagas, epidemias y pandemias en el mundo global hispano1
The Black Death, a catastrophic global outbreak of bubonic plague, devastated Asia in the mid-14th century and reached Europe through commercial ships sailing the Mediterranean Sea. The recent global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has reminded us that a virus is a silent passenger that can travel the world and change the trajectory of human history. This course proposes a literary, medical, religious, and cultural history of the crises caused by infectious diseases in the Global Hispanic world, focusing on the representations of plagues, epidemics, and pandemics from the Medieval era to the 21st century. Through the study of a literary, pictorial, and cinematographic corpus, we will explore concepts such as stigma, trauma, endemic, apocalyptic scenarios, famines, pestilences, confinement, death, fake news, among others. At the end of the semester, it is expected that students will be able to understand some ideas and concerns of the crises caused by spreadable diseases that emerged in the 14th-17th centuries and remained relevant in later periods. Similarly, they will reflect on health crises as repetitive phenomena with a global impact that transcends geographical and temporal boundaries affecting the Hispanic world socially, economically, religiously, and culturally. Reading materials will be available in contemporary Spanish.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 049Latino Cityscapes in Literature and Film1
(Cross-listed as LITR 049S ) The experience of Latinos in the United States has been historically linked to cities and urban spaces. Many major cities in the US, such as Miami, New York, or Los Angeles, undoubtedly have a Latino character that is now inextricably linked to these urban landscapes. This course will discuss the representation of cities and urban landscapes in contemporary Latino films and literary works to explore how the city emerges as an essential component of Latino identity in the United States. Some questions we will address are: How are cities shaped and transformed by Latino communities? How has the Latino experience in the US been impacted by the urban settings they called home? How do essentially urban issues such as crime, gentrification, racial and gender politics, and cultural production relate to Latino experiences? Could we imagine cities like New York, Houston, or Miami without Latinos? These and other questions will allow us to reflect on the larger and lasting impact of Latinos on the fabric of the United States. We will read and watch works by Ernesto Quiñones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Gregory Nava, Jennine Capó Crucet, the Newyorican Poets movement, Roberto Lovato, Elizabeth Acevedo , and Sandra Cisneros, among others. Humanities. 1 credit.
The African heritage has been an essential part in the constitution and evolvement of the Caribbean. This course will survey the Afro-Caribbean imagination mainly through the study of literary works and visual culture artifacts from the Hispanic Caribbean. We will analyze the political and economical forces that have affected the experience of Africans and African descents in the region and will study the relevance of Afro-Caribbean philosophy, religion, music, and other symbolic expressions in contemporary Caribbean culture and artistic experimentations. We will pay special attention to ideas of colonialism and subalternity; race, mestizaje , and nation; myth and performativity; and transculturation, syncretism and transvestism.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, LALS, FMST, GLBL-Paired Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 051Cuba contemporánea: utopía, revolución y reforma1
This course will focus on Cuban literature and culture produced during the historical period of the Cuban Revolution. By reading varied-and often opposed-literary accounts and artistic representations of those years, the course seeks to analyze the complex socio-economical, political, and ideological processes that have informed Cuban society and culture since 1959 until the present day. Although it will use a panoramic and chronological approach, emphasis will be given to works produced in the last three decades. Issues to be discussed include the relation between national identity, ideology and political discourse; the politics of representation in terms of race, gender and sexuality; exile and diaspora, the social role of the intellectual, ethics and aesthetics, and the current period of political and economic transition.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, PEAC, GLBL-Paired Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 052Afro-Caribbean Literature and Visual Culture1
(Cross-listed as LITR 052S and LALS 052 ) The African heritage has been an essential part in the constitution and evolvement of the Caribbean. This course will survey the Afro-Caribbean imagination through the study of literary works and visual culture artifacts. We will analyze the political and economical forces that have affected the experience of Africans and African descents in the region and will study the relevance of Afro-Caribbean philosophy, religion, music, and other symbolic expressions in contemporary Caribbean culture and artistic experimentations. We will pay special attention to ideas of colonialism and subalternity; race, mestizaje, and nation formation; transculturation and syncretism; and myth and performativity. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, BLST, GLBL-paired
SPAN 053Memorias a la deriva. El Caribe y sus diásporas1
This course will focus on the study of the central role that notions of diaspora and insularity have played in the formation of Caribbean cultures with emphasis in the symbolic representation of these issues during the 20 th and 21 st centuries. Particularly, we will pay attention to icons, images, and metaphors that have become an essential part of Caribbean aesthetics and subjectivity like the island, the sea, the boat, the hurricane, the bird, the cannibal, and the runaway. By tracing the representation of those emblems in a wide variety of texts and visual culture works we will reflect on the intersections between history, politics, diaspora, ecology, and affects.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, BLST Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 054Contemporary Cuba: Utopia, Revolution and Reform1
(Cross-listed as LITR 054S) This course will focus on Cuban literature and culture produced during the historical period of the Cuban Revolution. By reading varied-and often opposed-literary accounts and artistic representations of those years, the course seeks to analyze the complex socio-economic, political, and ideological processes that have informed Cuban society and culture since 1959 until the present day. Issues to be discussed include the relation between national identity, ideology and political discourse, the political conflict between US-Cuba; exile and diaspora; the politics of representation in terms of race, gender and sexuality; the role of the intellectual in times of political and ideological conflicts; the ethic of aesthetic discourses; and the current period of political and economic transition. Authors included are Fidel Castro, Ernesto Guevara, Reinaldo Arenas, Leonardo Padura, and Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, among others. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, PEAC
Puerto Rico is one of the last standing colonies in the world. Puerto Rican and Nuyorican artists and writers have faced their anachronistic status with intelligence, inventiveness and humor. This class will study the Puerto Rican imagination through the analysis of a range of works, including narrative, theater, creative essays, as well as film and the visual arts. We will focus particularly on 20th- and 21st- century works produced by both mainland and diaspora creators. We will pay special attention to the relationship between aesthetics, nationalism and colonialism, diaspora, race and gender.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, ESCH. Spring 2027. Díaz. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish/courses Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 056Don Quijote1
Ciencia y tecnología en Don Quijote Don Quijote states, “Chivalry is a science that comprehends in itself all or most of the sciences in the world.” Elaborating on this idea, this course studies Cervantes’ masterpiece through the lenses of science and technology. This approach explores the roles of multiple disciplines of knowledge in the creation of this novel as well as their influence on early modern thought. Our readings and writings will include disciplines such as medicine, physiology, botany, zoology, mathematics, astronomy, geography, printing, and robotics, among others. Through these areas of expertise, students will see the contemporaneity of the book and will take a look inside Cervantes’ thinking when he wrote Don Quijote . Taught in Spanish.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for CPLT Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 057Performing Latinidad: Latinx Theater, Film, and Performance Art1
(Cross-listed as THEA 007 , LITR 057S and LALS 057 ) This course will introduce students to Latinx performance in the U.S., from the mid-20th century to today. Students will study different modes of performances such as theater, film, the work of performance artists and everyday performances (such as political events) through the lens of perfomance studies theory and different perspectives on Latinidad. Following a critical performative pedagogy, the class will combine seminar-style discussions with performance workshops. Topics covered will include the representation and embodiment of gender and race, acts of decolonization, memory construction and diasporic experiences, citizenship and community building, and the politics of Latinidad. By analyzing these and other relevant issues through readings, discussion, and performance exercises, we will be able to survey the state of contemporary Latinx performance in the U.S. while gaining a better understanding of the connection between performance theory and practice, as well as the relevance of performance in everyday aesthetics and life. This course is taught in English.
This course will focus on memory making as an identity building agent. We will study literary texts, films and other cultural artifacts to commemorate the silenced voices of the past. The work of several Spanish authors, film directors and intellectuals of the last decades, who try to recover the silenced voices of the past in an effort to contest the “rhetoric of amnesia”, so persistent in the early transition to democracy in Spain, will be studied through close readings and a theoretical component. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of memory in literary, film and cultural narratives to build national identity.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for PEAC Spring 2028 Guardiola. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
This course is an overview of literary and artistic expressions as a response of the presence of the “other”, contributing to build a collective cultural imaginary of a diverse society where immigration is a compelling influence. Migrant movements within and outside Spain, and their impact on transforming Spanish society, will be studied in theatre, film and literature. The imaginary vision of the “other” will be unveiled as an integral part of the imagined self-identity. Through different readings and visual art forms we will observe the challenge to identity definition caused by an array of people from different races, cultures and religions.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, GLBL-Paired Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 062The Politics of Latinx Art and Activism1
(Cross-listed as LITR 062S and LALS 062 ) (Art)ivism, or the practice of social and political activism through art and artistic devices, has been fundamental for the development and strengthening of Latinx communities in the US since the beginning of the Chicano movement until today when Latinx writers and artists are actively involved in politically contentious issues such as racial discrimination, gender equality, immigration rights, environmental justice, among others. In this course, we will explore and discuss the work of established and emergent Latinx writers and artists that engage in practices of artivism trying to expose, better understand and fight the many forms of injustice and oppression faced by Latinx communities while promoting practices of radical democracy. Artivists such as Gloria Anzaldúa, Guillermo Gómez Peña, Tania Bruguera, Favianna Rodriguez, Daniel Alarcón, among others, use their art not only to raise awareness about social injustices and oppression; their works function also as springboards for community building, solidarity, and political action that can have lasting impacts. The work of many artivists will also open the door to discuss how non-traditional forms of literary and artistic expression such as street art, spoken word, performance art, and artistic pedagogical projects are powerful forms of political intervention and citizenship participation. Furthermore, we will discuss issues such as the relevance of art in the contemporary world, the reception and distribution of politically engaged art, the ethics of artivism, and the importance of pedagogical practices based on a radical democracy model. This course is taught in English.
(Crosslisted as LALS 063 , LITR 063S ) This course focuses on the audiovisual representation of Latinx in the United States and the politics behind those representations. From Carmen Miranda to Selena and Jennifer Lopez, from the films of Robert Rodríguez to the productions of Lin Manuel Miranda, including works by contemporary visual and performance artists, the course discusses the representation of Latinx identities and sociopolitical issues by both Hollywood and independent Latinx filmmakers and visual artists. Through the analysis of visual narratives in films, documentaries, TV episodes, music videos, performances, and visual artworks, we will examine issues such as the representation of women, sexuality, and gender stereotypes; race, ethnicity and Afro-Latinos; migration, discrimination, and citizenship; and violence, gentrification, and urban life, among other themes relevant to Latinx communities. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, FMST.
SPAN 065Comida y cultura en el mundo hispanoamericano1
Food and culture have been inseparably intertwined since the beginnings of humankind. Food has not only sustained life, but has also driven exploration, exchange, and transformation across the globe. We could even argue that the search for food-particularly spices-was one of the key motivations behind Christopher Columbus’s voyages, ultimately leading to the encounter between the two hemispheres and the historical formation of what we now call the Ibero-American region. In this course, we will explore the historical, cultural, and symbolic power of food through its rich representation in literature, film, and visual culture. We will examine how food functions as a strong marker of national identity in Spain and Latin America, while also serving as a material and symbolic bridge that reveals dialogues, tensions, and connections among countries, cultures, traditions, and communities. Through the lens of food, we will engage with critical questions of mestizaje, transculturation, diaspora, sex and gender, environmental concerns, and other pressing social and cultural issues. By tracing what is cooked, consumed, represented, and remembered, this course invites students to rethink history, identity, and cultural exchange-one meal at a time. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS. Spring 2028 Díaz.
In this course we will explore the work of representative Spanish women writers of the last three centuries in order to study the development of female self-awareness. We will read texts by Carolina Coronado, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Mercé Rodoreda, Esther Tusquets, Carme Riera, Almudena Grandes, etc. The main objective of the course is to analyze female discourse within the historical, psychoanalytical, metafictional and allegorical realm of the texts to find multiple female voices.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for GSST Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 067Legado artístico y cultural de la Guerra Civil1
A literary and filmic study of different works generated by the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). We will contemplate the antagonistic interpretations of the conflict itself, its roots, and its impact for a better understanding of modern Spain. We will study the themes and questions of the war echoed in Spanish poetry, short fiction, novels, and films from the time of the war up through the present day. Readings will include works by Machado, Cernuda, Hernández, Sender, Matute, Orwell, Laforet, Llamazares, Mendez, etc. Films will include documentaries as well as classic and contemporary features.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for FMST, PEAC Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 069Cartografías urbanas1
The city as a cultural artifact offers writers myriad narrative possibilities; mere location, cultural symbolism or the link for values and concepts that determine the human being’s place in its own society and historical moment. We will explore cultural representations of the city as an icon of industrialization in the nineteenth century and the declining of the modern city and its narratives in post-industrial and post-colonial times. Cultural cartographies of the city will help us to better understand new urban configurations and subjectivities. The discussion will focus on Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. We will see urban representations in novels by Galdós, Pardo Bazán, Baroja, Laforet, Cela, Rodoreda, Roig, Mendoza and representative films.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Guardiola. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 070El cuento latinoamericano: relatos de un continente1
This course offers an engaging introduction to the Latin American short story, a genre celebrated for its inventive storytelling, unexpected turns, and global influence. Students will explore forms such as magical realism, fantastic literature, horror, and detective fiction through works by Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Clarice Lispector, and Mariana Enríquez. Designed to foster thoughtful participation, the course emphasizes quality of engagement over quantity, inviting students to develop their interpretive skills in a supportive and dynamic environment. By the end of the term, students will come away with a deeper appreciation for the pleasure of reading thoughtful, imaginative, and beautifully crafted literature. Open to all students. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP, CPLT, LALS. Fall 2026. Martínez.
SPAN 074Queer Issues in Latin American Literature & Cinema1
(Cross-listed as LITR 074S ) This course will map new forms of representation and interpretation at play in a set of queer issues emerging on recent Latin American literature and cinema. Emphasis will be on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender subjectivities. The aim is not merely assembling a corpus of readings around the notion of minority sexualities but to analyze how sexuality is culturally constructed in specific spatial and temporal geographies. We will also investigate the ways in which literary genres are disturbed and redeployed by queer interventions, and how cinema becomes a privileged medium for empowerment and visibility. Taught in English. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for GSST, LALS
SPAN 075Debates in Latinx Culture: Today and Tomorrow1
(Cross-listed as LITR 075S ) This advanced course on Latinx culture focuses on contemporary debates and polemical issues involving Latinx cultural production and representation. In a colloquium and seminar style, students will discuss a wide range of thought-provoking topics such as social movements and the political participation of Latinos; new trends in film and media; the politics of the literary market; social media presence; new linguistic and bilingual developments; fashion, music, and the commodification of identity politics in popular culture; among other controversial topics that are fundamentally shaping the presence and impact of Latinx in the US and the world, today and tomorrow. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, GLBL-Paired
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, GLBL-Paired, GSST Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 077Cine y literatura: la adaptación fílmica1
The aim of this course is to study a particular set of Latin American texts and their film adaptations. Incorporating relevant critical terminology, the immediate focus will be on the medium-specific language of the visual text and on the close reading of literary texts. We will identify and analyze the strategies used to adapt novels and short stories to the film medium. The approach of this class will set aside the issue of fidelity to understand how the film presents its own interpretation of literary texts. The works chosen pose special challenges for adaptation. Novels/stories and film adaptations may include, but are not limited to, Plata quemada, “ Patrón” , Oriana, Tan de repente, Pantaleón y las visitadoras, Ilona llega con la lluvia, among others.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 078Laberintos borgeanos1
This course is all about reading and discussing the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges-the writer who turned literature into a series of mind-bending puzzles. Because we focus on brief, tightly written short stories rather than long novels, you’ll be able to slow down, enjoy the language, and really unpack what’s going on in the original Spanish. We’ll explore his “labyrinths,” where philosophy, math, and science collide with detective plots and gaucho knife fights. We’ll read Borges from two angles: as a global writer who claims the right to use any cultural tradition, and as an Argentine and Latin American author who rewrites the histories and myths of his own region. If you want to sharpen your Spanish through close reading while debating big ideas-from infinite libraries to the nature of reality-this is the class for you.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, INTP Fall 2027 Martínez. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 079García Márquez y su huella1
This course examines the work of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014), and his literary influence on a younger generation of Colombian writers. García Márquez has been involved in many of the crucial literary, political and cultural issues of this era, in Colombia, Latin America and globally. His work exemplifies these conflicts and ranges from so-called realismo mágico (Cien años de soledad) to historical fiction (El general en su laberinto) and documentary writing (Relato de un náufrago). We will also read works by Laura Restrepo, William Ospina, and Juan Gabriel Vázquez. The goal is not to trace the inheritance of the Macondian imaginary world, but rather to reflect on a particular understanding of literary genres, and the power of fiction to represent social, economic and political challenges.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities 1 credit. Eligible for LALS Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 080Los hijos de la Malinche: Representaciones culturales de la Revolución Mexicana1
This course will examine the representations of the Mexican Revolution in novels, short stories, essays, theatre, films, and corridos by Mexican authors and artists. We will pay attention to the complexity of perspectives generated by this sociopolitical upheaval, whose legacy has been riddled with ambivalence. The objective is to gain a critical understanding of how and why the Revolution became such a fundamental part of Mexican identity and culture. Topics include: political disenchantment, solitude, class division, gender roles, national myths, and identity construction.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 082Mexico Unbound: History, Culture, and Power1
(Cross-listed as LITR 082S , LALS 082 ) How do culture and history shape a nation’s identity? This course examines Mexico through an interdisciplinary lens, exploring the forces of power that define its social, political, and artistic life. Drawing on literature, cinema, visual art, and historical texts, we trace Mexico’s trajectory from pre-Columbian civilizations and colonial rule to modern nation-building, the Mexican Revolution, and contemporary struggles shaped by extractivism, neoliberalism, and the drug trade. Cultural production is approached as a site of both domination and resistance. Students will analyze how literature, film, and art reflect, legitimize, and contest systems of power-including colonialism, nationalism, class, gender, and state authority. Particular attention is paid to the politics of representation: who tells Mexico’s stories, how the nation is imagined from within and beyond its borders, and how marginalized voices challenge and redefine national myths. Students will emerge with a nuanced understanding of Mexico as a dynamic, contested, and ever-evolving cultural space. Course is taught in English. Humanities 1 credit. Eligible for LALS. Spring 2028 Buiza.
SPAN 084México 1968: La violencia del Estado de ayer y hoy1
This course will examine the cultural representations of violence in contemporary Mexico, from the 1968 student massacre in Tlatelolco to the female homicides in Ciudad Juárez to the social unrest brought about by the war on drugs. The objective will be to understand not only the dynamics of political and social violence in Mexico, but also the bearing that it has had on literature and film. We will analyze the ways in which literary works, poetry, chronicles, and films contend with the issues of state terror, institutionalized oblivion, trauma, violence, and cultural identity formation. In addition to film and literature, the course will incorporate the scholarly and theoretical interventions that will help make sense of this crisis of violence plaguing Mexico.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, PEAC Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 087Cruzando fronteras: el cine mexicano de ayer y hoy1
This course studies the rich history of Mexican cinema. It begins by analyzing how the Golden Age of Mexican cinema fomented a national identity that still prevails in culture today. We then move to contemporary transnational Mexican cinema to study the influences of globalization and neoliberalism in internationally acclaimed Mexican directors such as Natalia Almada, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Guillermo del Toro, among others. This part of the course studies Mexican cinema as a transnational product of cosmopolitan filmmakers who go beyond traditional ideas of national cinema in their quest for creativity, freedom of expression, and broader audiences. In addition to studying films, the course will take into account the recent scholarship pertaining to Mexican cinema. Throughout the course, we’ll examine issues of displacement, nonbelonging, migration, class, race, gender identity, and social inequality.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for FMST, LALS, GLBL-Paired Spring 2028 Buiza. Catalog chapter: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Department website: Spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 088Pasados desgarradores: revolución y trauma en la literatura centroamericana1
This course focuses on contemporary Central American literature. It begins with the revolutionary poetry, narrative of resistance, and testimonio that emerged out of the sociopolitical turmoil of the isthmus during the decades of war, revolutions, and genocide. We will then study the atmosphere of disenchantment during the postwar period and the aesthetic shift in representations of trauma, violence, and disaffection. We will study novels, short stories, poems, films, music, and read scholarly articles to understand the sociohistorical and literary context of the war and the postwar periods in Central America.
SPAN 022 , SPAN 023 , the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS, PEAC, GLBL-Paired, CPLT Fall 2026. Buiza. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 095Spanish Culminating Exercise0.5
Spanish majors will register in this course in the spring semester of their senior year to prepare their Spanish final paper. Students are urged to have their paper proposals approved as early as possible during the fall semester of their senior year. Permission of the Department Chair and a supervising Spanish professor is needed. Offered every spring. 0.5 credit.
This colloquium is required for all seniors majoring in Spanish. Focusing on the senior essay required to complete the major, students will participate in workshop-style activities designed to polish students’ writing in Spanish, refine their arguments and enhance their writing style, in addition to providing research guidance as needed. Students will work in peer-centered environments as well as individually with the instructor. The class will also offer resources aimed at helping students prepare for their oral examination. Students will complete their senior essays by the end of the spring semester. Students are urged to have their essay proposals approved as early as possible during the fall semester of their senior year. 0.5 credit.
In this seminar, we will study the work of Cuban master writer Alejo Carpentier, who famously coined and developed the concept of “lo real maravilloso.” Carpentier wrote in a myriad of genres using journalism, creative essays, short stories and novels to explore and expose what he considered to be a wondrous and unique sense of history, space, and time in Latin American and the Caribbean. While reading some of his most relevant works such as El reino de este mundo , La música en Cuba , Los pasos perdidos , El siglo de las luces , and El arpa y la sombra , we will explore his exquisite craft of the novelistic discourse and his studies on Afro-Caribbean history and culture, the baroque and neo-baroque styles seen as a historical and post-colonial ethos, and his meditations and experimentations in literary representations of space and time. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for LALS
SPAN 103Trauma y derechos humanos en la literatura centroamericana2
This seminar studies contemporary Central American literature and culture with a focus on theories of trauma to discuss cultural representations of human suffering, empathy, and pain. The seminar explores the social disintegration and legacy of violence left by decades of civil wars, genocide, and revolution in the region, as well as theories of trauma, memory, affect, aesthetics, philosophical cynicism, and human rights. These theoretical approaches will help us reflect on the relation between literature and human rights; the sociopolitical upheavals and their cultural representations; and how cultural production engages with issues of peace and conflict in the neoliberal era. We will pay special attention to representations of social disaffection, political disillusionment, and survival in a postwar context shaped by socio-economic precarity. In addition to reading literary works by some of the main authors in the region-such as Horacio Castellanos Moya, Rodrigo Rey Rosa, and Claudia Hernández-we will analyze scholarly debates surrounding Central American literature, as well as watch films and performances that probe into the issues of ethics, historical truth, social justice, reconciliation, and the human predicament in a postwar society.
Students wishing to take seminars must have completed SPAN 022 or SPAN 023 , plus at least one course in Spanish numbered 30 and above. Students are admitted to seminars on a case-by-case basis by the instructor according to their overall preparation. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for LALS, PEAC, GLBL-Paired, CPLT Fall 2027 Buiza. Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 104La voz de la mujer a través de los siglos2
The seminar will look into the work of a few outstanding women writers from Spain throughout the centuries to study the development of a feminine conciousness. The text selection will include works by Santa Teresa, María de Zayas, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Carolina Coronado, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Carmen de Burgos, Rosa Chacel, Carmen Martín Gaite, Carmen Laforet, Mercé Rodoreda, Esther Tusquets, Carme Riera, Almudena Grandes and others. The essential aim of the seminar will be to analyze feminine discourse in the realm of the historical, psychoanalytical, metafictional, and allegorical fiction in order to search for a diversity of feminine voices.
Students wishing to take seminars must have completed SPAN 022 or SPAN 023 , plus at least one course in Spanish numbered 30 and above. Students are admitted to seminars on a case-by-case basis by the instructor according to their overall preparation. Humanities. 2 credits. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 105Federico García Lorca2
We will examine the masterful literary production of this internationally known Spanish writer who speaks to the “outcasts.” Lorca’s work synthesizes traditional Spanish themes and values with contemporary European trends. The readings will cover different periods and genres of Lorca’s literary production in works of poetry such as Romancero Gitano and Poeta en Nueva York , and dramatic works, including Doña Rosita la soltera , Yerma , La casa de Bernarda Alba , Bodas de sangre , and others.
Students wishing to take seminars must have completed SPAN 022 or SPAN 023 , plus at least one course in Spanish numbered 30 and above. Students are admitted to seminars on a case-by-case basis by the instructor according to their overall preparation. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for CPLT, ESCH. Fall 2026. Guardiola. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 106Tomás Gutiérrez Alea y el nuevo cine latinoamericano2
This seminar focuses on the work of Cuban filmmaker Tomás Guitérrez Alea (Titón). Considered one of the most important Latin American directors of all time, Alea was a main figure in the New Latin American Cinema movement that revolutionized filmmaking in the region during the second half of the 20th century with its goals of using films as a decolonization tool and for achieving social and political change. Alea cultivated all cinematographic genres and forms, from short films and documentaries to dramas, comedies, and historical fiction, always incorporating his peculiar and indispensable witty sense of humor. His filmography, which includes masterpieces such as Memories of Underdevelopment , The Last Supper , and Strawberry and Chocolate, offers a sharp and critical insight into post-revolutionary Cuba and is the testament of a truly revolutionary, non-conformist creator. The course will look at Alea’s cinema as a springboard to study not only his films, visual aesthetics, and artistic experimentations, but also to learn about the New Latin American Cinema movement and discuss the role of cinema in society, films as a decolonization tool, the relationships between film theory and practice, cinema and literature, and the legacy of Titón’s work in a new generation of Latin American filmmakers.
Students wishing to take seminars must have completed SPAN 022 or SPAN 023 , plus at least one course in Spanish numbered 30 and above. Students are admitted to seminars on a case-by-case basis by the instructor according to their overall preparation. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for LALS, FMST. Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 108Borges y sus laberintos2
Jorge Luis Borges imagined the world as a labyrinth that could take many forms (a library, a map, a novel, an encyclopedia), and he used this symbol to allude to human destiny, and the quest for meaning in life. Given his profound impact on modern literature, philosophy and science, Borges is, perhaps, the most influential writer of the 20th century. His fiction has shaped all modern and contemporary fiction, but also influenced fields as diverse as critical theory, philosophy, film, and computer science. We will study how Borges’s short stories blend Latin American localism and universalism, often through philosophical parables, metafictional commentaries, and detective fiction, without ever allowing the development of the tale to lose its aesthetic brilliance. To help enrich our class discussions, each class will be organized around one of Borges’s major themes: mazes/labyrinths, identity and duplicity, memory, circular time, and historical truth, among others.
Students wishing to take seminars must have completed SPAN 022 or SPAN 023 , plus at least one course in Spanish numbered 30 and above. Students are admitted to seminars on a case-by-case basis by the instructor according to their overall preparation. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for INTP, LALS, CPLT Catalog chapter: Spanish Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SPAN 109Gabriel García Márquez2
This seminar examines the work of Latin America’s best-known novelist of the 20 th century: Colombian Nobel Prize winning writer Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014). As a public intellectual, García Márquez was involved in many of the crucial cultural and political issues of his time, and his work represents these conflicts, ranging from so-called realismo mágico to historical fiction and non-fiction writing ( Relato de un náufrago, Noticia de un secuestro
