Hispanic Studies at William & Mary
Course Descriptions
Hispanic Studies 101: Elementary Spanish (4 credits)
Training in grammar, pronunciation, aural-oral skills, reading and writing. The work includes intensive practice in speaking and understanding. Three hours in the Master Class, two hours in the drill class.
Hispanic Studies 102: Elementary Spanish II (4 credits)
Training in grammar, pronunciation, aural-oral skills, reading and writing. The work includes intensive practice in speaking and understanding. Three hours in the Master Class, two hours in the drill class.
Hispanic Studies 150: Freshman Seminar (3 credits)
Exploration of specific topics in Hispanic literary and cultural studies to be conducted in English. Normally available only to freshman. Cannot be used for concentration or minor in Hispanic Studies.
Hispanic Studies 150W: Service-Learning and Hispanic Studies (3 credits)
Taught in English
Hispanic Studies 151: Freshman seminar (3 credits)
Exploration of specific topics in Hispanic literary and cultural studies to be conducted in Spanish. Writing intensive. Normally available only to freshmen with advanced skills in Spanish, such as those with AP scores of 4 or 5. Cannot be used for concentration in Hispanic Studies; may be used for the minor.
Hispanic Studies 201: Intermediate Level Spanish I (3 credits)
A review and continuation of the study of Spanish grammar, incorporated with the continued development of reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills. Students who have completed four years of high school Spanish will not receive credit for HS 201.
Hispanic Studies 202: Intermediate Level Spanish II (3 credits)
A review and continuation of the study of Spanish grammar, incorporated with the continued development of reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills. Selected readings from Spanish and Spanish-American Literature. Students who have completed four years of high school Spanish will not receive credit for HS 201.
Hispanic Studies 207: Cross-Cultural Perspectives: The U.S. and the Spanish-speaking World. (3 credits)
An introduction to the Hispanic cultures of Latin America, Spain and the United States that stresses oral and written discourse and grammatical and cultural competence. Practice in the writing of analytical essays on cultural themes. GER 4C.
Hispanic Studies 208: Fundamentals of Literary Criticism (3 credits)
An examination of selections of Hispanic literature to develop an understanding of methods of evaluating literary works.
Hispanic Studies 280: Introduction to Hispanic Studies (3 credits)
This course provides an overview of the field of Hispanic Studies through an examination of film, literature, visual arts and other forms of cultural production. Lectures in English. Discussion sections offered in English.
Hispanic Studies 281: Introduction to Hispanic Studies (3 credits)
This course provides an overview of the field of Hispanic Studies through an examination of film, literature, visual arts and other forms of cultural production. Lectures in English. Discussion sections offered in Spanish.
Hispanic Studies 300: Hispanic Studies in William and Mary Global Education Programs (3 credits)
Hispanic studies in William and Mary global education programs. Course may be repeated for credit.
Hispanic Studies 305: Advanced Composition and Grammar (3 credits)
The goal of this course is to help students of Spanish become mature writers and thinkers in their second language. One of our textbooks is the popular science magazine "Muy interesante" from Spain, used to examine different types of writing from reporting scientific research to playfully persuasive ads to serious arguments about saving the planet and changing social attitudes. Drawing in part on the writing strategies familiar to English composition, we become a discourse community that writes for its members and the wider college community around us. Grammar study is a part of this course as an editorial skill that helps us communicate our ideas more clearly and effectively.
Hispanic Studies 317: The Art of Spanish Text Translation (3 credits)
A study of translation methods and theory applied to literary, technical and commercial texts. Students will engage in class discussion, group problem-solving exercises via listserver, independent work, and the design of a portfolio as major course components.
Hispanic Studies 321: Cultural Studies Criticism (3 credits)
Cultural Studies Criticism through Poetry and Photography. The course introduces students to cultural studies critical methodologies through the study of poetry and photography. Course materials include photographic essays and poetry addressing issues central to Latin American, Spanish, and U.S. Latino production, and a number of short fictions and theoretical readings that examine the relationship between visual and narrative culture.
Hispanic Studies 374: Knights, Witches, and Savages: Introduction to Early Modern Hispanic Culture (1492-1700)(3 credits)
This course explores aspects of the development of Early Modern Hispanic culture (1492-1700) through the examination, analysis and interpretation of cultural artifacts (literature, drama, architecture, visual arts, music, historiography) produced for or against the narratives that support the ideology of the Hapsburg Empire in the Renaissance. Through the analysis of products originating in diverse geographical areas of the empire (
Hispanic Studies 381: Issues in Mexican Culture (3 credits)
Borders, Markets and Shifting Identities. This course analyzes border issues, local/global markets and national/regional identities. It focuses on the negotiation of power in relation to these themes. Students read texts by authors whose works address Mexican culture from the colonial period to the present. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 382: Issues in Mexican Culture: Borders, Markets and Shifting Identities (3 credits)
This course analyzes border issues, local/global markets and national/regional identities. It focuses on the negotiation of power in relation to these themes. Students read texts by authors whose works address Mexican culture from the colonial period to the present. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 383: Issues in Visual Culture (3 credits)
Hispanic visual culture located itself on a series of borders where national cultures meet, forms (film, photography, painting, advertising) are fused, and images engage with their creation and exhibition contexts. Emphasis on representation, interpretation and identity construction. Satisfies HS practicum requirement. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 384: Landscapes of Spain: Real Places, Imagined Spaces (3 credits)
Real Places, Imagined Spaces. This survey course explores how Spanish writers and artists from the 18th century to the present inscribe “place” (literary landscapes, imagined spaces, geographical locations) according to changing concepts of Spanish history, cultural identity, and modes of representation. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 385: Modern Spanish Culture: The Politics of Identity (3 credits)
This course explores how the sites of Spanish culture (monuments, canonical works of art, literature, music, political/cultural heroes, iconic historical events) tell the story of Spanish history, encode national myths, or may be subverted to express marginalized/alternative forms of identity. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 386: Issues in Spanish Culture: On-Site Research (1 credit)
Students construct a research project on Spanish culture as part of the W&M summer study program in Spain. Satisfies the Hispanic Studies practicum requirement.
Hispanic Studies 387: Sound, Meaning and Identity (3 credits)
This course introduces students to phonetics and sociolinguistic research. Students collaborate on projects about the Spanish spoken in selected regions, interview native speakers, and analyze texts that portray dialects in ways that inform regional, ethnic or class identities. Fulfills a requirement for teacher certification.
Hispanic Studies 390: Topics in Hispanic Studies (3 credits)
An examination of issues within an interdisciplinary context. Topics and texts relevant to Spanish, Latin American and/or U.S. Latino context/s. May be repeated for credit if topic varies. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 391: Masterworks: Issues in Canon Formation (3 credits)
This course addresses the works of canonical writers (may include, for ex., Cervantes, Galdos, Borges, Garcia Marquez, etc.). The theoretical perspectives presented are driven by the interdisciplinary concerns that reflect current scholarship in Hispanic Studies, including the role of cultural 'masterpieces' in the creation of community, the role of the market in canon formation (what sells? where? why?), and the relationship between social movements, literacy, and canonical literature. HS core course. May not be repeated for credit.
Hispanic Studies 397/398: Hispanic Topics in English Translation (3 credits)
Concentrated study of a particular author, work or area of Spanish or Spanish American culture. Specific topic listed each semester. Cannot be used to minor in HS.
Hispanic Studies 417: Hispanic Cinema (3 credits)
A study of the cultural and political developments in 20th century Latin America through the medium of film. The course will address film's relation to literature, art, history, and politics.
Hispanic Studies 480: Cultures of Dictatorship (3 credits)
This course addresses the impact on cultural production of recent dictatorial regimes in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Includes study of literature, film and testimonio, historical documents and art. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 481: Local and Global Issues in 20th Century Poetry (3 credits)
An analysis of the ways in which Latin American and U.S. Latino poetry inform our understanding of the 20th century. Emphasis on the relationship between local production and global consumption of culture, especially poetry. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 482: Love and Prostitution in Medieval Spain (3 credits)
The two most dangerous inventions of the Middle Ages are said to have been romantic love and gunpowder. This course explores women as objects of love, facilitators of frontier conquest, faithful wives and sometimes wayward women. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 483: Translation Practicum (3 credits)
Students explore the constructs of migrant culture through a four week service learning experience on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and/or abroad. Requirements include a research paper in Spanish, a reflection journal, patient log, and a formal presentation on campus. Satisfies HS practicum requirement. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 484: Gender Issues in Hispanic Culture (3 credits)
This course explores issues related to gender in Hispanic cultures; for ex., the construction of femininity and masculinity in the media; homophobia; changing gender roles in a globalized community. Texts include film, poetry, narrative, autobiography, & visual arts. Satisfies HS practicum. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 485: Post-Franco Literature and Culture (3 credits)
This course examines cultural change in Spain in the 25+ years since the death of Francisco Franco. Issues include construction and representation of national and regional identity, gender, and cultural movements in film, journalism, museums, novels, poetry and visual arts. The course content includes writing by Marias, Gaite, Diaz Mas and Munoz Molina. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 486: Spanish Epic, Language and Nationalism (3 credits)
This course includes a study of historical linguistics through a study the national epic, the Poem of the Cid, read in the original language. In keeping with the program objectives of the new Hispanic Studies curriculum, the course will deal with issues of Spain’s epic literature and epic heroes, how they were selected from the historical stream to exalt specific virtues, and even served in the 20th century to confirm the ideologies of the Franco dictatorship. The problems of the promotion of a national language are studied in the context of the 19th-century Germanic influence on literary and linguistic study and the consolidation of European nation states.. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 487: Imagine Another World: Spanish Art and Society (3 credits)
A study of the early 20th century Spanish artistic and political scene, explosive years of radical experimentation and innovation in all cultural media, as well as massive socio-political upheaval (i.e. the rise of socialist and anarchist political parties; establishment of ill-fated democratic republic). Texts include Lorca's poetry, Bunuel's early films, and the art of Dali and Remedios Varo. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 489: Ethnic Conflict in the Spanish Empire (3 credits)
Through the study of cultural artifacts from the Early Hispanic world (1300-1700), course explores trajectory from the arguably diverse Middle Ages to the homogenizing politics of the Holy Roman Empire. Historical events such as the expulsion of the Jews and Muslims, and the creation of Spanish Inquisition illustrate some of the ethnic anxieties of this period. Readings include epic poems (Mio Cid), novel (Cervantes), and chronicles (Cortes), that illustrate the problems originating from construction of national and imperial identities along racial, religious and ethnic lines. HS core course.
Hispanic Studies 492: Independent Study (3 credits)
A tutorial designed primarily for concentrators who wish to pursue an independent study of issues in Hispanic Studies. Programs of study will be arranged individually with a faculty member. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
Hispanic Studies 493: Senior Research in Hispanic Studies (3 credits)
This capstone course guides students in synthesizing their Hispanic Studies course work and field experiences. Open to senior concentrators, juniors by permission of instructor. Satisfies concentration writing requirement.
Hispanic Studies 495: Honors (3 credits)
For College provisions governing the Admission to Honors.
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