107 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 0091Sustainable Development and Culture in Latin America
This interdisciplinary course exposes students to the three dimensions of sustainable development -environmental, economic, and social- through an examination of three products -peyote, coca, and coffee- that are crucial in shaping modern identity in areas of Latin America. The course integrates this analysis of sustainable development in relation to cultural sustainability and cultural practices associated with peyote, coca, and coffee and their rich, traditional heritage and place in literature, film, and the arts. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: ANTH 0091, ENVS 0053, LALS 0091 Mutually Exclusive: SPAN 3910 1 Course Unit University of Pennsylvania Catalog 2695
This course explores the involvement of the Latinx environmental justice movement since the 1960s. It addresses theories and concepts of environmental racism and environmental justice, underscoring how Latinx have challenged, expanded, and contributed to the environmental justice discourse. In this course, students will explore national case of studies of environmental and racial injustice as they bear on Latinx communities both in rural areas and in urban barrios throughout the United States. The course will analyze these case studies through the lens of Latinx artistic and literary texts (essays, paintings, short stories, documentaries, and short films) as they provide a unique historic and multicultural perspective of the Latinx experience with environmental injustice and of how Latinxs imagine alternative transitions and responses to environmental marginalization. In addition, the works of Latinx artists and writers will serve as case studies to deconstruct racial stereotypes of Latinxs as unconcerned about environmental issues, shedding light on how they share a broad engagement with environmental ideas. The case studies analyzed in this course emphasize race and class differences between farmworkers and urban barrio residents and how they affect their respective struggles. The unit on farmworkers will focus on workplace health issues such as toxic chemicals and collective bargaining contracts. The unit on urban barrios will focus on gentrification, affordable housing, and toxic substances in the home. We will also review current and past programs that have been organized to address the aforementioned problems. This is an Academically Based Community Service Course (ABCS course) through which students will learn from and provide support to a Latinx-serving organization in the City of Philadelphia on preventing exposure to hazardous substances, thus bridging the information gap on environmental justice issues in the Latinx community in Philadelphia. Information dissemination and education efforts will be conducted by collaborating with Esperanza Academy Charter School in Philadelphia to implement lessons on preventing exposure to hazardous substances. Studying environmental justice and pairing it with community service will heighten students' awareness of the complexities of culture, race, gender, and class while providing them with an invaluable experience of cross- cultural understanding.
This course is a first-semester language course that emphasizes the development of foundational listening, speaking, reading and writing skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish- speaking world. Through listening activities and videotaped interviews with native speakers, your aural and oral abilities will improve at the same time that you will become familiarized with different varieties of standard spoken Spanish. You will be given ample opportunities to practice orally and in writing so that you can reinforce newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures. Reading strategies will facilitate your comprehension of the texts included in the course syllabus. Readings focused on a specific country or region, visual items (such as maps, photos, films) and a class project will advance your knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices and products while increasing your intercultural competence. Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide you with guided practice before moving to more independent and spontaneous language production. Working in small groups and in pairs, you will participate in class activities that simulate real-life situations that will help you gain confidence communicating in Spanish. Goals: By the end of this course you can expect to handle a variety of day-to-day situations in a Spanish-speaking setting: 1) Greet and introduce people, invite people to events, accept or reject invitations, ask for directions, tel time, shop and order meals in a restaurant. 2) Talk about yourself, family, and friends regarding physical and emotional states, daily routines, leisure, preferences and plans. 3) Use the cultural information learned in class as an icebreaker to find common ground with a wide variety of Spanish speakers. Pre-requisite: Score below 380 on the SAT II or; below 285 on the online placement examination
SPAN 0105Spanish for the Medical Professions, Elementary I
This course is a first-semester elementary Medical Spanish Language course and the first in the Spanish for Medical Professions sequence. It is designed for students with no prior coursework in Spanish. This course teaches beginning students the fundamentals of practical Spanish with an emphasis on medical situations and basic medical terminology. In this course, particular attention will be given to developing speaking and listening skills, as well as cultural awareness. It incorporates activities, vocabulary, and readings of particular interest to healthcare practitioners, while adhering to the goals and scope of Spanish 0100, the first-semester Spanish language course. Students who have already taken Spanish 0100 will not receive credit for Spanish 0105. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level. Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement (AP, SAT II, etc.) or have taken courses at the 1000 and 3000 level, may not take basic-level language courses in the same language. They will not receive credit for this course (Spanish 0105). Prerequisite: Offered through the Penn Language Center.
This course is an intensive course designed for students who have already satisfied the language requirement in another language and have not previously studied Spanish. By combining the curriculum of Spanish 0100 and 0200, Spanish 0120 seeks to develop students' foundational listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills s while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Through listening activities and mini documentaries shown in class, students will develop their aural and oral skills at the same time that they will become familiarized with different varieties of standard spoken Spanish. Students will be given ample opportunities to practice orally and in writing so that they can reinforce newly acquired vocabulary and linguistic structures. Readings focused on a specific country or region, visual items (such as maps, photos, and films) and a class project will advance students' knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices and products while increasing their intercultural competence. Goals: By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of day-to-day situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as: 1) Introduce themselves, use greetings, describe people, places and things, give instructions, tell time, go shopping, order meals in a restaurant, and make travel plans. 2) Talk about themselves, families, and friends regarding academic life, l daily routines, health, work, leisure, and preferences (using the present and past tenses). 3) Use the cultural information learned in class as an icebreaker to find common ground with a wide variety of Spanish speakers. Permit required from the course coordinator
SPAN 0205Spanish for the Medical Professions, Elementary II
The continuation of Spanish 0105, Spanish 0205 is a second-semester Elementary Medical Spanish 0105 course. Note: offered through the Penn Language Center. Pre-requisite: successful completion of Spanish 0100 or 0105 or a score of 380-440 on the SAT II or 285-383 on the online placement examination.
SPAN 0210Elementary Spanish I and II: Advanced Beginners
This course is designed for students who have some prior experience in Spanish. It is an intensive elementary-level language course that in one semester covers the material studied over two semesters in our Spanish 0100 and Spanish 0200. The course provides a quick- paced review of material normally covered in a first-semester Spanish course and then proceeds to introduce new material so students will be prepared to take Spanish 0300 during the subsequent semester. As in other Spanish courses, Spanish 0210 emphasizes the development of foundational listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Through listening activities and mini documentaries shown in class, students will develop their aural and oral skills at the same time that they will become familiarized with different varieties of standard spoken Spanish. Students will be given ample opportunities to practice orally and in writing so that they can reinforce newly acquired vocabulary and linguistic structures. Readings focused on a specific country or region, visual items (such as maps, photos and films) and a class project will advance students' knowledge of Hispanic cultural practices and products while increasing their intercultural competence. Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide you with guided practice before moving to more independent and spontaneous language production. You will participate in paired, small-group and whole-class activities that simulate real-life situations that will help you gain confidence communicating in Spanish. Goals: By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of day- to-day situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as: 1) Introduce themselves, use greetings, describe people, places and things, give instructions, tell time, go shopping, order meals in a restaurant, and make travel plans. 2) Talk about themselves, families, and friends regarding academic life, daily routines, health, work, leisure, and preferences (using the present and past tenses). 3) Use the cultural information learned in class as an icebreaker to find common ground with a wide variety of Spanish speakers.
SPAN 0215Spanish for Health Care Professionals I and II
Spanish 0215 Elementary Medical Spanish I and II is an accelerated elementary-level language course that covers in one semester the material studied over two semesters in Spanish 0105 and 0205 (first and second semester elementary Medical Spanish). Designed for students who have some prior experience with the language, this course teaches the fundamentals of Spanish with an emphasis on medical situations and basic medical terminology. Particular attention is given to developing speaking and listening skills, as well as cultural awareness. Course activities, vocabulary, and materials are selected to be of particular relevance to healthcare practitioners. After successful completion of this course, students will be prepared to enroll in either SPAN 0300 or 0305. Prerequisite: A score between 380 and 440 on the SAT II or the written departmental exam; a score between 285 and 383 on the online placement examination, or permission of the instructor.
This course, a first-semester intermediate-level course, emphasizes students' acquisition of new vocabulary and linguistic structures in a cultural and communicative context while building on their previous speaking, reading, listening and writing skills. A substantial amount of the course is devoted to learning and using the past tenses. As in other Spanish courses, students will take part in a wide range of activities, including role-plays, film viewings, listening to music and class discussions of current social and cultural topics. Goals: By the end of this course students can expect to handle a variety of common situations in a Spanish-speaking setting such as: 1) Narrate past actions, ranging from personal anecdotes to historical events 2) Give advice, recommendations, and commands to people 3) Express their feelings and doubts when reacting to what others have said 4) Talk about their future expectations and wishes 5) Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Hispanic cultural practices and products.
SPAN 0305Spanish for the Medical Professions: Intermediate I
This course is a first-semester intermediate-level language course that emphasizes the development of the four basic skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), and the acquisition of medical terminology. Students will be expected to participate in classroom activities such as role-plays based on everyday situations that they may encounter at work settings such as doctors' offices, clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms in order to develop meaningful and accurate communication skills in the target language. Students will also review and acquire other essential tools of communication in the target language applicable both within and outside the medical field. Major course goals include: the acquisition of intermediate-level vocabulary, the controlled use of the past tense, and the development of writing skills at a paragraph level with transitions. Students who have already taken Spanish 0300 will not receive credit for Spanish 0305. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level. Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement (AP, SAT II, etc.) or have taken courses at the 1000-3000 level may not take basic-level language courses in the same language. They will not receive credit for this course (Spanish 0305). Note: Offered through the Penn Language Center.
SPAN 0340Intermediate Spanish I and II: Accelerated
This course is limited to those students who have satisfied the language requirement in another language. Spanish 0340 is an intensive intermediate-level language course that covers the material presented in Spanish 0300 and Spanish 0400. The course emphasizes the development of the four canonical skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) within a culturally based context. Class time will focus on communicative activities that combine grammatical concepts, relevant vocabulary, and cultural themes. Students will participate in pair, small-group and whole-class activities to practice linguistics skills in a meaningful context. Major course goals include: the acquisition of intermediate-level vocabulary, the controlled use of the past tense and major uses of the subjunctive, and the development of writing skills. Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement in Spanish may not take basic level language courses (0100-0405) in the same language. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the Director of the Spanish Language Program.
This course is a fourth-semester language course that both reinforces and enhances the communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) previously acquired while exploring the rich cultural mosaic of the Spanish-speaking world. Class activities are designed so that students can build up these four skills in order to function at an intermediate language level. Readings focused on contemporary social and political issues of the Hispanic world will advance your knowledge of Hispanic and cultural practices while increasing your intercultural competence. Unique to this course is the preparation of an oral presentation on a topic related to the Hispanic world throughout the semester and presented during the last days of classes. The purpose of this task is to help students develop their presentational competence in Spanish. Conducted entirely in Spanish, this class will provide students with ample opportunities to work in small groups and in pairs while gaining confidence communicating in Spanish. This course satisfies the language requirement at Penn. Goals: By the end of this course, students can expect to handle a variety of situations in a Spanish-speaking setting, such as: 1) Express their opinions on a variety of contemporary events and issues 2) Defend their position when presented with a hypothetical situation 3) Deliver short presentations on a chosen subject after thorough preparation 4) Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Hispanic cultural practices and products.
SPAN 0405Spanish for the Medical Professions: Intermediate II
Spanish 0405, the continuation of Spanish 0305, is an intermediate- level integrated skills language course. It emphasizes the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities. Students will be expected to participate actively in classroom activities such as communicative activities, role-playing based on typical doctor/patient interactions as well as other medical situations. Students will also review and learn other essential tools of communication applicable both inside and outside the medical field. Students who have already taken Spanish 0400 will not receive credit for Spanish 0405. Although these courses have different numbers, they are at the same level. Students who have already fulfilled the language requirement (AP, SAT II, etc.) or have taken courses at the 1000-3000 level may not take basic level language courses in the same language. They will not receive credit for this course (Spanish 0405). This course satisfies the language requirement in Spanish. Note: Course is offered through the Penn Language Center. Pre-requisite: successful completion of Spanish 0300 or 0305 or a score of 550-640 on the SAT II or 454-546 on the online placement examination.
SPAN 0800 is a half-credit conversation course. This course is restricted to residents of the Modern Language College House. This course can be taken twice for credit. Two Term Class, Student must enter first term; credit given after both terms are complete 0.5 Course Units 2026-27 Catalog | Generated 08/03/26
SPAN 1005Advanced Spanish for the Medical Professions
The goal of this course is to provide advanced practice in Spanish to those students who are interested in pursuing careers in the medical and health care fields. Through readings and authentic materials on contemporary health issues, for example, i.e., H1N1 influenza, comparative healthcare systems, obesity, "chagas" disease, etc., students will acquire the vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to discuss a wide array of topics pertaining to the health- related professions. Students will also gain awareness of those health care issues affecting the Hispanic/Latino patient. Oral and written presentations will complement topics covered in class.
Spanish for Business I provides advanced-level language students with technical vocabulary and oral communicative skills by studying business concepts as they apply to the corporate dynamics of the Spanish-speaking world, with an emphasis on the startup ecosystem. Students also analyze the business environment in a number of countries in Latin America and Spain taking into consideration local economies and markets in light of their recent history as well as current events.
This course is specifically designed for advanced speakers of Spanish (i.e., native speakers, high-level heritage speakers, and students who have studied in a Spanish-speaking country for at least one semester). Through the study of entrepreneurship case studies in Latin America, students will take an in-depth look at the business dynamics and practices in a number of countries in the region. Students will also enhance their business and language skills through the creation of an entrepreneurial project that culminates in a final business pitch.
SPAN 1200Advanced Spanish II: Grammar and Composition
This course is an advanced-level language course that emphasizes the acquisition of the tools necessary for successful written expression in Spanish. These tools include a solid knowledge of the major points of Spanish grammar, an ample vocabulary, control of the mechanics of the language (spelling, punctuation, etc.), and a thorough understanding of the writing process. Throughout the semester, students will use these tools to analyze authentic texts and to produce a variety of written assignments. By the end of the course, students will have developed their awareness of the norms of standard Spanish and learned to incorporate these features into their own writing. The class will be conducted in Spanish and students are expected to speak in Spanish at all times. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the directors of the Spanish language program.
Spanish for the Professions is designed to provide advanced-level language students with a wide-ranging technical vocabulary and the enhancement of solid communicative skills within the cultural context of several developing Latin American countries. Focusing on topics such as politics, economy, society, health, environment, education, science and technology, the class will explore the realities and underlying challenges facing Latin America. Through essays, papers, articles, research, discussions, case studies, and videotapes, we shall take an in-depth look at the dynamics of Latin American societies. The course will focus on--but not be restricted to--Mexico, Cuba and Argentina. Any questions about placement should be addressed to the Director of the Spanish Language Program.
SPAN 1300Foundations of Spanish Culture and Civilization
A general introduction to the study of Spanish culture, this course is designed to help students understand the historical foundations of contemporary Spanish society, its values and its institutions. The focus is on the main events of Spanish history and the origins and continuity of social and political institutions from pre-modern Spain up to the beginning of the modern era. This course is offered in the Penn-in-Madrid summer program.
SPAN 1800Contexts of Hispanic Culture and Civilization
The primary aim of this course is to develop students' knowledge of the geographical, historical and cultural contexts in those regions where Spanish is used . At the same time that they are introduced to research techniques and materials available in Spanish, students strengthen their language skills through readings, class discussions, and frequent writing assignments. This course is designed to give students a broad understanding of Hispanic culture that will prepare them for upper-level course work and study abroad.
Although it’s possible to read a short story or a novel on your own, approaching a text using theoretical tools produces a more insightful reading and leads the reader to a deeper appreciation of the text. In this course we shall read and discuss varied and stimulating literary works written by both canonical and non-canonical Hispanic authors, while you familiarize yourself with important theoretical and critical terms, notions, and debates. (Post)structuralist theorists offer an indispensable gateway to popular genres such as fantastic literature and science fiction; Ecocriticism will focus our attention on the portrayal of nature, shedding light on our contemporary environmental concerns; Marxist notions of class struggle provide useful tools when examining the conflicts between social groups presented in a text; a feminist or queer approach inform a literary work by foregrounding gender or sexual differences; and a psychoanalytical view may shed light on stories portraying family dynamics or a child’s behavior. By the end of the semester, you will have gained valuable skills and insights to act as a more informed interpreter of literature and culture.
SPAN 210(1 c.u., fulfills the Foreign Language Requirement)
2014-2015 academic year. All poli- No credit (fulfills the Foreign Language Requirement) cies remain under ongoing review and are subject to change without
SPAN 220(1 c.u., fulfills the Foreign Language Requirement)
prior notice. All scores of 4 to 1 No credit (fulfills the Foreign Language Requirement) receive no credit or equivalency unless otherwise indicated. If an STAT 101 waiver or STAT 111 waiver AP exam is not listed here, Penn
This course is an introduction to Hispanic linguistics, with special emphasis on the Spanish sound system (phonetics and phonology) and Spanish word-formation (morphology). Topics to be covered include articulatory phonetics, use of the phonetic alphabet, English and Spanish contrastive phonology, regional and social variations of Spanish pronunciation, word formation (derivation and composition), and the structure of the Spanish verb (inflection). We all also explore basic notions of morphosyntax. of Evaluation will be based on participation and homework, periodic quizzes, mid-term exam, and a final examination during finals week. Students will be required to write a linguistic autobiography. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
The course will explore three main issues: (1) The external history of the Spanish language: How do linguists read history? What cultural and historical events are important for the development of the Spanish language? As linguistic historians, we shall follow a canonical chronology that will examine pre-Roman influences, the spread of Latin, the linguistic fragmentation of the Peninsula, medieval attempts at standardization, trans-Atlantic expansion, the rise of the Academía, and the linguistic revival of the Autonomías. (2) The internal history of the Spanish language: Just when did Latin become Spanish? Why are some linguistic changes predictable while others aren't? Why don’t Spanish speakers say "fiestivo" or "duermimos"? But what about "cuentista"? Why do some Spanish speakers say "hablastes", "siéntensen" and "la di el libro a María"? And what about that lisping king? (3) What did the earliest Spanish texts look like? No prior knowledge of Latin or linguistics is necessary, but having an unquenchable curiosity about language is a definite advantage. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit 2026-27 Catalog | Generated 08/03/26
This course is designed for students who already have a solid foundation in Spanish and English grammar. It provides an introduction to the theory and practice of translating between English and Spanish, addressing important topics such as discourse strategies, register and mood, dialect, genre, and cultural norms linked to written and oral communication. This is a very writing-intensive class, both in and out of the classroom. There are assinged readings from the textbooks and/or assignments online for every class meeting, which will be used to discuss both the practicalities and the cultural implications of translation. Class meetings will consist of class discussions about translation in general, and critiques of your own translation efforts in particular, combined with small group or pair work on translation exercises. While there will necessarily be some use of English, the class is conducted primarily in Spanish. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
This course treats the major works of the Spanish Middle Ages in light of their cultural and historical context. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https:// www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese-studies/undergraduate/ hispanic-studies Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3300Studies in Golden Age and Early Modern Spanish Literature
and Culture A study of the major literary and cultural achievements of the Spanish Golden Age and early modern period. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https:// www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese-studies/undergraduate/ hispanic-studies Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
A study of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quijote. Special attention will be paid to this masterpiece's cultural and historical context, as well as to it reception. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
In this course, we study the development and evolution of the Spanish short story from its origins to the present. Students learn to analyze and recognize different points of view, voices and narrative strategies in the readings, thus becoming more aware of their active role as readers in the text. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3430Studies in Modern and Contemporary Spanish Literature
A study of the major literary works of modern and contemporary Spain. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/undergraduate/hispanic-studies Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
"The Generation of '98" is the name used to bring together a group of Spanish writers, essayists, and poets that were profoundly affected by the moral, social and political crisis in Spain caused by the military defeat by the US and the subsequent loss of of its last overseas colonies. The shock of Spain’s defeat in the war, which left it stripped of its last vestiges of empire and international prestige, provided an impetus for many writers and thinkers to embark on a period of self-searching s and an analysis of Spain’s problems and its destiny. Novelists, poets, essayists, playwrights and thinkers such as Miguel de Unamuno, Antonio Machado, Azorin, Ramiro de Maeztu, Valle-Inclan, Ganivet, and Pio Baroja reinvigorated Spanish letters and restored Spain to a position of intellectual and literary prominence that it had not held for centuries. Some of the topics covered in this course may include Spanish nationalism and the identification of Spain with Castile, regionalisms, the crisis of Spain, tradition and reform, religion, the perception and position of Spain in the world, etc. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
Since the final years of the Francoist dictatorship, women writers started to abandon the subterfuge strategies through which they had avoided the regime’s censorship. Soon they began to explicitly state issues that had been dangerous to mention previously, such as sex and female bodily experience, national and individual identity, collective and personal memory, and surrounding changing realities like consumerism, media, migration, counter cultural movements, globalization, and human (in)communication. Using journalistic collaborations and literary prizes, they wrote their way up to the editorial market and the Royal Academy of Language, becoming prominent figures in the aesthetic and gender debates of a new canon in the making. In this course we will analyze women's writing in post-Franco Spain from a variety of perspectives and theoretical positions to explore what it means to be a woman writer: to be feminine, to be queer, to be oneself, to be a part of, to be free. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3500Studies in Modern and Contemporary Spanish Culture
This course treats important themes and questions in modern and contemporary Spanish cultural production. Course content may vary. Please see specific section details.
A study of the Spanish avant-garde including the poetry of GarcÃa Lorca, the films of Luis Buñuel, and the paintings of Salvador DalÃ. We will explore the reception of the avant-garde and of Surrealism in Spain followed by the transformation of the avant-garde into two politically riva ideologies.
SPAN 3504Spanish Surrealism: The Works of Salvador DalÃ
The Spanish painter Salvador Dalà (1904-1983) is the most recognizable figure in the Surrealist movement. In the public eye he was considered at times the embodiment of the movement itself. Dalà responded with a high dosage of histrionics by cultivating an extravagant public persona. However, this public image often obscures the importance of his seminal contributions to the avant-garde movement. Dalà is arguably one of the most serious and interesting thinkers and theorists of the avant- garde movement during the 1930's and 1940's. He is also one of the most important painters of the movement, and his contributions to contemporary art are irreplaceable. In this course we will read his written work and we will study and analyze his paintings trying to uncover constant topics, motifs, obsessions, etc.
SPAN 3600Studies in Spanish, Latin American and Latinx Cinema
This course explores fundamental aspects of Spanish, Latin American, and Latinx cinema. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/ hispanic-portuguese-studies/undergraduate/hispanic-studies.
A survey of Spanish cinema from the 1940’s to the present. Special attention will be paid to the political, cultural, and social discourses that the films reproduce, adapt or question. This will allow an understanding of the implicit or explicit social dialogues that shaped cinematographic production in Spain from the post-civil war years, through Franco’s dictatorship, the advent of the democratic state in the 1970’s, and the economic and political crisis of the 21st century. At the same time films will be analyzed from the standpoint of their rhetorical construction, examining the specificity of cinematic language and its particular case.
This course will explore the flourishing of the genre of documentary and non-fiction film in the last decades in Spain. We will study poetic, experimental, and social documentaries in their socio-historical context. For this we will need to engage not only films and film theory texts, but also historical recounts of contemporary Spain. We will also analyze the limits between non-fiction and fiction film, focusing on some recent works that have critically blurred the distinction between both genres.
Through the lens of border crossing, we will explore various current topics in Contemporary Spanish Cinema, such as immigration and emigration narratives in times of globalization and economic crisis, cinematic transgressions, and the emergence of glocal vs. national films. A fluid conceptualization of the border will guide our exploration on how Contemporary Spanish Cinema talks about gender, race, nationalisms, migration, history, and psychology.
One of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the world, Almodóvar is unquestionably the most international of today’s Spanish filmmakers. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with Pedro Almodóvar’s films and to shed some light to the intricacies of its themes, cultural background, and visual style. Together with primary and secondary texts, we will offer an overview of Almodóvar’s career from his early iconoclastic Post Franco films of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s to his most recent work that has gained him a reputation as an international auteur. Some of the topics covered will include questions of national identity, gender, sexuality, as well as Almodóvar’s original use of genre, visual style, and the director’s relationship to the postmodern concepts of performance and parody.
This course aims to familiarize students with the major achievements and cultural moments of Latin American cinematography. We will cover a broad set of themes, nations and time periods employing multiple theoretical positions.
SPAN 3652Crossing Borders in Latin American Cinema
Through the lens of border crossing this course will explore various current topics in Contemporary Latin American Cinema such as immigration, exile and travel narratives, gender crossing, social and political transgressions, transnationalism, and co-productions. The concept of the border will be fluid and central to the course, and through it we will reflect upon what separates and unites people at an individual, sexual, social, cultural, political, national, and geographical level. This focus will help us explore a wide variety of “movements”, negotiations, and transgressions taking place in the Latin American Cinema of the last three decades.
This course offers students the chance to explore the rich theatrical traditions of Spain and Latin America as well as works by new Latinx writers. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic- portuguese-studies/undergraduate/hispanic-studies Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit 2026-27 Catalog | Generated 08/03/26
This course is based on an understanding of theater as a social space and a cultural practice that allows a collectivity--in its most concrete sense, the audience--to think in public about itself and about the fundamental forces facing and shaping it. In this course, we will mainly read contemporary Latin American and Latinx theatrical texts produced by women and queer authors. Our focus will be to discuss how, in the last approximately four decades, the stage as space and performance as practice have been used in Latin America as vehicles to represent and discuss issues related to gender and sexuality, to reconfigure the parameters of these debates, to examine and question existing social structures and attitudes, to propose and rehearse alternative solutions to the problems faced by marginalized subjects, and overall to explore the transformative capabilities of theater. We will also examine how conceptions and representations of gender and sexuality intersect with other identitarian coordinates, such as race, class, and nationality. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3682 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3684Theatrical Modernity and Postmodernity in Latin America
This course will focus on the theatrical tradition of Latin America during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In addition to reading some of the most influential playwrights of the region, we will discuss the aesthetic theories and sociohistorical contexts that have shaped contemporary Latin American and Latino theater and performance practices. We will also explore how the stage has served as a space in which to represent, debate, negotiate, and complicate issues related to national, gender, political, and ethnic communities and identities. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3684 1 Course Unit
This course treats multiple aspects of Spanish theater from the Golden Age (16th and 17th centuries) to the present through the reading of some of the main dramatists of the Spanish literary canon, such as Lope de Vega, Cervantes, and Lorca. We will focus on textual analysis and performance as two fundamental elements in the understanding and appreciation of Spanish theater. Students will thus gain an understanding of how to interpret the the theatrical text, whether for meaning or performance. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3700Studies in Colonial Latin American Literature and Culture
The colonial period in Latin America spans more than 400 years. In this course, we study the culture of the Spanish-speaking Americas from the moment Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean to the Latin American wars of independence during the 19th century. We analyze the role that religion and race played in the emergence of colonial societies and the development of national revolutionary discourses. We reflect on the tensions between indigenous populations and Spanish settlers and study the literary culture that developed in the New World. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese-studies/ undergraduate/hispanic-studies Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3701 1 Course Unit
Something unprecedented has been happening lately in the Latin American literary market and scene. Women writers in great numbers have been publishing without encountering major constraints or pressures, and their fictional work has been receiving more awards and critical accolades than ever before. Hence, the assertion made by a critic in El País that “the other Latin American Boom is female” (“El otro ‘boom’ latinoamericano es femenino”) merits to be considered and unpacked. For example, compared to their literary precursors, have the 21st-century female authors presented the customary topics of family, motherhood, sexuality, illness, etc. in a radical new way? Which are the social, political, economic, and aesthetic conditions that have given raise to this proliferation of female authors and the wide acceptance of their fictional worlds? How do these conditions differ from the Latin American literary Boom of the 20th century? These are among the questions we will explore. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3732 1 Course Unit
Why has Latin American narrative of the 1960s and 70s enjoyed such popular and critical success? What distinguishes this literature from that which was written earlier or later or outside Latin America? Who were the major writers of the boom generation, and what unites or separates them? In this course we will consider these questions as we read important works of fiction by authors such as Cortázar, Donoso, Fuentes, GarcÃa Márquez, and Vargas Llosa as well as criticism that sheds light on the phenomenon of the boom. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3734 1 Course Unit
This course examines contemporary narratives of childhood and adolescence from Latin America. These stories critique the forces that shape young people as they attempt to define themselves in societies marked by racial, ethnic, gender, and class divisions. Texts for the course will be drawn from different geographical regions and will include novels, short stories, and films from the second half of the twentieth century through the present. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3738 1 Course Unit
Non-fiction is a narrative mode that presents an account of a subject as fact, but it is a label that began to be used to describe narratives dealing with real events and real people fairly recently. This course studies the boundaries and tensions between facts and fiction in Latin America from a historical perspective. We start by analyzing early modern writing by the Spanish conquistadors: cannibals, human sacrifices, sirens, sea monsters, and El Dorado are just a few subjects that 16th- century “non-fiction” presents as facts. We move then to discuss 19th- century journalism about cosmopolitanism and urban modernization. Technological innovations blur the boundaries between fact and fiction, something that film, narrative journalism, and literary chronicles would exploit thought-out the 20th century. Finally, we study non-fictional narratives in contemporary podcasts and social media. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3740 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3742Detectives, Criminals, and Writers in Latin American Fiction
Born as a sub-genre, crime fiction (a denomination which encompasses a wide number of texts: classical detective stories, hard-boiled, true-crimes and the non investigative crime novel) has become one of the most attractive literary forms for writers, and one of the favorites for readers. Because it is built around topics like the crime and the law, the search of the truth and the unstable identity of the subject in mass societies, it has become an ideal vehicle for the expression of the anxieties and fears that dominate the contemporary culture. Its versatility has been used by many Latin-American authors to express the social and political conflicts of the continent, as well as to explore its literary possibilities through formal searches, characterized by parody, meta-literary and auto referential games. The aims of this course are, on the one hand, to offer a panoramic vision of the crime fiction in Latin America through the reading of some representative authors; and, on the other, to explore how they can be can be read from different theoretical approaches. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3742 1 Course Unit
This course focuses on literary representations of rural Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries. While it remains common to understand rural societies as traditional or backward in contrast with the city (considered the true center of modernity), this course approaches rural social orders as sites of modernity and modernization in their own right. We will be primarily concerned with examining how works Latin American literature and film created rural visions of modernity, particularly in relation to land reform, political revolution, and capitalist agriculture. While our principal focus will be literature, we will also consider how other forms such painting, film, and political documents envisioned rural transitions. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3802 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3806Representations of Dictatorship in Latin America
This course explores the phenomenon of Latin American dictatorship through literature, film, graphic novels, and visual and public art, asking how these different media and genres depict and respond to state violence, censorship, and trauma. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: CIMS 3806, LALS 3806 1 Course Unit
Cities exist not just in their geography, but in their spirit, and that spirit is captured in literature. In this course we will read compelling works from Mexico City, Lima, and Buenos Aires that represent life in these Latin American capitals at different points between 1950 and the present. As we explore fiction and non-fiction writing by both established authors and emerging writers, we will learn about the forces and events that have shaped narratives of the urban experience in Latin America. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3808 1 Course Unit
The Amazon evokes opposing images. It has been described alternately as paradise lost and green hell, a place to retreat from the restraints of civilization or to be devoured by savage men and beasts, a land of natural abundance and environmental degradation. Our objective in this course is not to determine which of these descriptions is most accurate, but to understand how these opposing visions were created and what they aim to communicate. As we explore the Amazon through works of fiction we will gain an appreciation of the problems and promise of the region as well as greater knowledge of important authors, themes, and techniques of Latin American literature. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3810 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3812Afro-Latin America: Culture, History, and Society
A transnational and interdisciplinary examination of the black experience in Latin America and the Spanish, French and English-speaking Caribbean, since slavery to the present. Combining cultural analysis with the study of fundamental theoretical works on race and racialization, students will gain a thorough comprehension of historical, political and sociocultural processes shaping the existence of Afro-descendants in the Americas. The scrutiny of systemic racial exclusion and marginalization will allow the understanding of how these dividing practices condition cultural production.
SPAN 3814The Caribbean and Its Diaspora: Culture, History, and Society
A thorough panorama of contemporary Caribbean societies and their diasporic communities, this course enhances the students' knowledge of the region's main historical, political, and sociocultural trends. We wil examine Caribbean multiple narratives of survival and resilience within a global context, through the study of 20th and 21st-centuries literary, cinematographic, musical, visual and performative works. The cultural analysis will be supported by a theoretical framework encompassing critical Caribbean theories on identity and identification.
This course engages students with current theoretical trends and approaches to Spanish and/or Latin American literatures and cultures. Course content may vary. Please see the department website for current course offerings: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/undergraduate/hispanic-studies Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3902What Is Mexico? Questioning Mexican Icons
This course studies Mexico through many lenses. From history to art, from anthropology to pop culture, from literature to film, our primary objective is to question current and past iconicity to develop a more complex and nuanced understanding of Mexican history and culture. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3902 1 Course Unit University of Pennsylvania Catalog 2705
This course examines Marxist thought in Latin America, from the early twentieth century to the present. We will study a range of materials from across Spanish America, including essays, novels, films and speeches. We will ask after the specificities of Latin American Marxist thought (on the land and indigenous questions, dependency, guerrilla warfare, etc), at the same time as we contextualize those specificities within a wider Marxist tradition. We will also inquire into the waning and resurgence of Marxism in recent decades in the region. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3904 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3906The Ethnographer in Latin American Literature and Film
This course asks students to read ethnographic accounts as literature and to read literature in light of interdisciplinary concerns surrounding representation and cultural difference. The course is transhistorical and transatlantic but with a strong focus on Latin America. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3906 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3910Sustainable Development And Culture in Latin America
This interdisciplinary course exposes students to the three dimensions of sustainable development -environmental, economic, and social- through l an examination of three products -peyote, coca, and coffee- that are crucial in shaping modern identity in areas of Latin America. The course integrates this analysis of sustainable development in relation to cultural sustainability and cultural practices associated with peyote, coca, and coffee and their rich, traditional heritage and place in literature, film, and the arts. This is an upper level seminar open to majors and minors of Spanish and those who have completed Pre-requiste SPAN 1800 or SPAN 1900 or permission of the Undergraduate Chair. Fall, even numbered years only Also Offered As: ENVS 3053, LALS 3910 Mutually Exclusive: SPAN 0091 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3912Labor in Contemporary Latin American Literature and Film
This course studies different forms of cultural production (film, novel, short story, critical essay) as entry-points into new settings and conditions for work in Latin America, in four sectors that have become especially salient in the region: services, finance, agro-industry and the informal economy (particularly drug trafficking). We will pay particular attention to how cultural production allows us to envision the coordinates of the larger, indeed global, economy into which workers are inserted. We will examine how cultural production allows us to map shifting class structures; we will also track how gender and race shape national and international divisions of labor. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: CIMS 3912, LALS 3912 1 Course Unit 2026-27 Catalog | Generated 08/03/26
SPAN 3914Madness and Women in Contemporary Hispanic Culture
The first goal of this course is to examine different “cases” of mental disturbances suffered by women in Hispanic cultures as they have been depicted in novels, short stories and films in the last 50 years. We will study "cases" of female madness precipitated by maternity, domesticity, sexuality, creativity, historical events, and biculturalism. Secondly, we wi focus on the “causes” psychoanalysts, authors and literary critics have proposed for those mental illnesses. Additional readings on a wide range of disciplines --feminism, literary theory, psychology and psychoanalysis-- will enhance our understanding of the works selected for the course and will help us identify their political and ideological underpinnings. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3914 1 Course Unit
SPAN 3916Contemporary Latin American and Latinx Cultural Production
This course provides an insightful understanding of the main aesthetic, socioeconomic, political and cultural dynamics at play in the 20th and 21st centuries Latin American societies and Latinx communities in the United States. Combining the analysis of literary, cinematic, musical, visual and performative works with theoretical readings, students will discuss issues on national, racial, gender and sexual identifications; pervasive inequalities, the impact of globalization and new technologies; migration, violence, terror, revolutions, dictatorships, the Cold War, and t implementation and effects of Neoliberalism. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 3916 1 Course Unit 2026-27 Catalog | Generated 08/03/26
This course explores the involvement of the Latinx environmental justice movement since the 1960s. It addresses theories and concepts of environmental racism and environmental justice, underscoring how Latinx have challenged, expanded, and contributed to the environmental ll justice discourse. In this course, students will explore national case studies of environmental and racial injustice as they bear on Latinx communities both in rural areas and in urban barrios throughout the United States. The course will analyze these case studies through the lens of Latinx artistic and literary texts (essays, paintings, short stories, documentaries, and short films) as they provide a unique historic and multicultural perspective of the Latinx experience with environmental injustice and of how Latinxs imagine alternative transitions and responses to environmental marginalization. In addition, the works of Latinx artists and writers will serve as case studies to deconstruct racial stereotypes of Latinxs as unconcerned about environmental issues, shedding light on how they share a broad engagement with environmental ideas. The case studies analyzed in this course emphasize race and class differences between farmworkers and urban barrio residents and how they affect their respective struggles. The unit on farmworkers will focus on workplace health issues such as toxic chemicals and collective bargaining contracts. The unit on urban barrios will focus on gentrification, affordable housing, and toxic substances in the home. We will also review current and past programs he that have been organized to address the aforementioned problems. This is an Academically Based Community Service Course (ABCS course) through which students will learn from and provide support to a Latinx-serving organization in the City of Philadelphia on preventing exposure to hazardous substances, thus bridging the information gap on environmental justice issues in the Latinx community in Philadelphia. Information dissemination and education efforts will be conducted by collaborating with Esperanza Academy Charter School in Philadelphia to implement lessons on preventing exposure to hazardous substances. Studying environmental justice and pairing it with community service will heighten students' awareness of the complexities of culture, race, gender, and class while providing them with an invaluable experience of cross- cultural understanding.
Independent research under the supervision of a department faculty member. Research topic is determined in consultation with the supervising faculty member.
Must be completed in the Department at Penn. The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2026 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation. 2026-27 Catalog | Generated 08/03/26
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit University of Pennsylvania Catalog 2707
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
SPAN 5430Environmental Humanities: Theory, Method, Practice
Environmental Humanities: Theory, Methods, Practice is a seminar-style course designed to introduce students to the trans- and interdisciplinary field of environmental humanities. Weekly readings and discussions will be complemented by guest speakers from a range of disciplines including ecology, atmospheric science, computing, history of science, medicine, anthropology, literature, and the visual arts. Participants will develop their own research questions and a final project, with special consideration given to building the multi-disciplinary collaborative teams research in the environmental humanities often requires. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: COML 5430, ENGL 5430, ENVS 5410, GRMN 5430 1 Course Unit
In spite of the recent proliferation of scholarship on the topic of decolonization, Western academics have often failed to seriously engage with the rich corpus of anticolonial theory and analysis produced in the context of struggles against imperialism. This course examines theories of imperialism, neo- and internal colonialism, and decolonization developed in the 20th and early 21st centuries, focusing on thinkers and movements from the global South, and from Latin America and the Caribbean in particular. We will address differences among contemporary discourses on decolonization, while delving deep into national liberation Marxism. Theories and debates within Marxist thought concerning national self-determination, racism, and development will figure prominently in the course, as will analyses of cultural imperialism, ideology, and the role of intellectuals and artists. The course will be , conducted in English; course readings will be in English and Spanish. Students with questions about language requirements should contact the instructor. Also Offered As: COML 5965, ENGL 5965 1 Course Unit
This class examines various theories of and methods for archival research. Reflecting on the so-called archival turn in a number of disciplines, we will consider “the archive” as a philosophical, historiographic, and political problematic. We will also attend to specific, material archives as changing political, economic, and ideological sites. The 17th- to 19th-century Americas will be our center of gravity, but students are encouraged to bring questions, interests, and expertise in other periods and regions to our collective efforts. We will begin by reading some foundational philosophical and historiographic texts, and then turn to a series of thematic units, such as: black lives, indigeneity, and catastrophe.
The aim of this seminar is to prepare graduate students in Hispanic Studies to teach a wide range of courses typically offered at North American universities and colleges--from the elementary Spanish language level to upper-division seminars--while familiarizing themselves with current approaches and methodological trends in foreign language instruction. By designing a content-based syllabus, including selecting and sequencing of reading materials and choosing the appropriate learning outcomes and assessment methods, graduate students will gain a greater awareness of curricular planning and development and acquire skills that will significantly ease their future teaching endeavors such as using a backward design model, incorporating their own research interests into their lessons and courses, or taking advantage of the resources available to language learners on campus. By the end of the course, graduate students will be able to talk about and reflect on their teaching in an effective and professional manner.
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: COML 6301 1 Course Unit
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit 2026-27 Catalog | Generated 08/03/26
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 6920 1 Course Unit
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 6940 1 Course Unit
SPAN 6942Impossible Innocence: the Films of Luis Buñuel
This seminar provides an overview and introduction to the cinema of Luis Buñuel with a particular focus on the Spanish filmmaker’s engagement with Surrealism. Drawing on the expertise of Professors Ignacio Javier López and Michael Solomon, each seminar session will unfold in two parts: first, Solomon will offer a general introductory lecture and discussion covering various aspects of Buñuel’s filmography including technical and formal analyses that touch on cinematic form, montage, and adaptation, and a contextualization of Buñuel’s cinema within the Spanish, Mexican, Latin American, and European (inter) national cinemas and cinematic movements; second, López will offer a close examination of individual films focusing on Buñuel’s longstanding ties with (the ideas of) Surrealism from the movement’s initial moment of scandal and provocation—understood by its participants as a new philosophy, a new way of seeing in an endless process of discovery—to a second moment in which Surrealism admits its failure to enact its revolutionary goals. Films covered in the seminar include Buñuel’s Un Chien Andalou (1929), L’Age d’or (1930) Menjant garotes, Las Hurdes/Terre sans pain (1933/36) Los Olvidados (1950) Susana (1951) Ensayo de un crimen (1955), Death in the Garden (1956), Nazarín (1959), Viridiana (1961) The Exterminating Angel (1962), Belle de jour (1967), Tristana (1970), and Obscure Object of Desire (1977). Students will start working early on a final project (seminar paper), reworking the draft several times during the semester.
Topics vary. Please see the Spanish Department's website for the current course description: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/hispanic-portuguese- studies/pc Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 6970 1 Course Unit
In-depth analysis of the black experience in Latin America and the Spanish, French and English-speaking Caribbean, since slavery to the present. The course opens with a general examination of the existence of Afro-descendants in the Americas, through the study of fundamental historical, political and sociocultural processes. This panoramic view provides the basic tools for the scrutiny of a broad selection of literary, musical, visual, performance, and cinematic works, which leads to the comprehension of the different ethical-aesthetic strategies used to express the Afro-diasporic experience. Essential concepts such as negritude, creolite, and mestizaje, as well as the most relevant theories on identity and identification in Latin America and the Caribbean, will be thoroughly examined, in articulation with the interpretation of artistic works. Power, nationalism, citizenship, violence, religious beliefs, family and community structures, migration, motherhood and fatherhood, national and gender identities, eroticism, and sexuality are some of the main issues discussed un this seminar. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: AFRC 6971, ENGL 7971, LALS 6971 1 Course Unit
SPAN 6972Brazil and the World: Geographic Imaginations in Literature
and Visual Cultures This seminar examines cultural representations of Brazil in relation to other imagined geographies, global discourses and transnational connections - Brazil and Latin America, Brazil and the Black Atlantic, etc. It provides a theoretical framework for comparative analysis, and its central cultural objects include Brazilian literature, visual culture an intellectual history. Not Offered Every Year Also Offered As: LALS 6972 1 Course Unit
Independent research under the supervision of a department faculty member. Research topic is determined in consultation with the supervising faculty member. 1 Course Unit Spanish and Portuguese (SPPO) Statistics and Data Science (STAT)
