Apr 18, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Course Numbering System

The following lists include all courses normally offered at Albion College. However, not all courses are offered every year. When possible, courses offered in alternate years are designated. For details, students should consult the Class Schedule for each semester, available online at: www.albion.edu/registrar. The College reserves the right to add or withdraw courses without prior announcement, as conditions may require.

Unless otherwise stated, 100 level courses are intended for freshmen, 200 level for sophomores, 300 and 400 level for juniors and seniors.

A list of courses which meet the core and category requirements, organized by departments, is available online at www.albion.edu/registrar.

Further information may be obtained at the Registrar’s Office in the Ferguson Student, Technology, and Administrative Services Building.
 

Spanish

For those students with previous experience in Spanish, a placement test will be used in order to determine the appropriate entry-level course. Only those students who have had no previous experience with Spanish may initially enroll in SPAN 101 . In order to ensure classes of relatively equal skill levels, the professor reserves the right to reassign any student who does not seem appropriately qualified for the course in which he or she has enrolled.
  

  • SPAN 101: Elementary Spanish

    (1 Unit)
    Introduces Spanish language and Hispanic culture through the contextualized study of grammatical concepts and vocabulary. Develops the four essential skills—reading, writing, listening and speaking—necessary for the interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes of communication. Conducted in Spanish. Tutorials with teaching assistants are integrated into the course. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 102: Elementary Spanish, continued

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 101 , appropriate score on departmental placement test or permission of instructor.
    Continuation of SPAN 101 . Expands vocabulary, grammar and cultural knowledge to enable a more informed interpretation and production of written and spoken communication in Spanish. Conducted in Spanish. Tutorials with teaching assistants are integrated into the course. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 187: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 188: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 189: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 201: Intermediate Spanish: Societies in Transition

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 102 , appropriate score on departmental placement test or permission of instructor.
    Development of the four skills necessary to acquire a second language at an intermediate level (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and an examination of crucial and interesting information about the societies and cultures that serve as context for the Spanish language and how those societies have changed and continue to evolve. Conducted in Spanish. Tutorials with teaching assistants are integrated into the course. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 202: Intermediate Spanish: Arts and Media

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency SPAN 102 or permission of instructor.
    Development of the four skills necessary to acquire a second language at an intermediate level (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and an examination of identity in media and the arts in the Spanish-speaking world. Conducted in Spanish. Tutorials with teaching assistants are integrated into the course. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 203: Intermediate Spanish: Politics in Music and Film

    (1 unit)
    Proficiency Expected Level: SPAN 102, appropriate score on departmental placement test, or permission of instructor.
    Development of the four skills necessary to acquire a second language at an intermediate level (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and an examination of identity in politics and music in the Spanish-speaking world. Conducted in Spanish. Tutorials with teaching assistants are integrated into the course.  Staff
  

  • SPAN 287: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 288: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 289: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 300: Spanish for Heritage Speakers

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite:  Determined by Placement Exam or Instructor’s Permission
    The course is designed for students who were raised in a home where Spanish is spoken, who speak or understand Spanish, and are to some degree bilingual in English and Spanish.  The course will include composition and conversation, with a focus on aspects of grammar and vocabulary that are of particular interest to heritage learners.  Assignments will be based on a variety of readings about contemporary issues of importance to the Spanish-speaking world.  Conducted in Spanish.  Lecture Staff
  

  • SPAN 301: Advanced Oral and Written Expression

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 202 , appropriate score on departmental placement test or permission of instructor.
    Development of communication skills in Spanish relative to grammar, syntax, appropriate registers, necessary vocabulary, non-verbal cues and culturally specific idiomatic usage. Also includes the processes of conversation development, thesis formation and strategies for argumentation operating within Hispanic cultural norms, as well as key contemporary issues of importance to the Spanish-speaking world. Conducted in Spanish. Tutorials with teaching assistants are integrated into the course. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 302: Advanced Oral and Written Expression through Hispanic Film

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 300 or SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    Development of communication skills in Spanish relative to grammar, syntax, appropriate registers, necessary vocabulary, non-verbal cues and culturally specific idiomatic usage. Also includes the processes of conversation development, thesis formation and strategies for argumentation operating within Hispanic cultural norms, as well as key contemporary issues of importance to the Spanish-speaking world. Improves fluency through the viewing, analysis and interpretation of Hispanic film. Conducted in Spanish. Tutorials with teaching assistants are integrated into the course. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 303: Spanish for the Professions

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 300 or SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    Designed for students who are interested in studying Spanish in the context of activities related to the professional world (business, health care, education, finance, law, social work, etc.). Emphasizes the specialized vocabulary of the professional world and requires a working knowledge of Spanish grammar. Includes topics ranging from specific professions, to generalized professional concerns, to translation. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 304: Advanced Oral and Written Expression through Creative Writing

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency:  SPAN 300 or SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    Focus will vary, but may include the following: “Spanish/Latin American/ U.S. Latino Theatre,” “Spanish/Latin American/ U.S. Latino Short Story” and “Spanish/Latin American/ U.S. Latino Poetry.” Introduces the respective genre through readings of literary works and critical and theoretical studies. Includes development of a portfolio of creative writing projects produced individually and collaboratively. Conducted in Spanish. Oswald.
  

  • SPAN 305: Multicultural Spain: Historical Perspectives and Current Issues

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 300 or  SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    Explores Spanish society as a dynamic multicultural construct—Spain’s changing role in the world; the intersection of Castilian, Galician, Andalusian, Catalan and Basque cultures; shifting demographics, etc.—through the study of historical and literary texts, media sources, and other pertinent cultural artifacts. Studies the historical dimensions of the social phenomena and the historical reasons for the contemporary social, political and cultural situation. Conducted in Spanish. Oswald.
  

  • SPAN 306: South American Identities and Cultural Perspectives

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 300 or  SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    Examination of past, present and future struggles for identity and cultural perspective in South America, with a focus on the Southern Cone and Andes regions. Explores cultural artifacts such as music, visual arts, performance arts, literature, popular culture and folklore in South America from the pre-Columbian period to the twenty-first century. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 307: Cultural Encounters: Caribbean, Central and North America

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency:  SPAN 300 or SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    Examines past, present and future struggles of cultural encounters and production in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. Explores cultural artifacts such as music, visual arts, performance arts, literature, popular culture and folklore from the legacy of the pre-Columbian period to the twenty-first century and considers this region’s growing interaction with the United States. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 314: Storytellers

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 300 or SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    An introduction to the workings of storytelling. Focuses on the short story as a genre to explore the different ways of narrating through key literary and cultural movements that have defined the Spanish-speaking world, including the oral and pre-Columbian traditions, romanticism, modernism and magical-realism. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 315: Hispanic Studies: Textual Analysis and Interpretation

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 300 or  SPAN 301  or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
    An introduction to the analysis, interpretation and appreciation of Hispanic literature and culture, focusing on a variety of cultural artifacts from the Spanish-speaking world (literature, painting, music, film, etc.). Special attention will be given to theoretical concerns. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 350: Gender in the Spanish-Speaking World

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 314  or SPAN 315  or permission of instructor.
    Students will analyze how gender is constructed and represented in Spanish-speaking societies through the examination of a wide range of cultural artifacts (i.e. literature, film, media) from the Spanish-speaking world. Writing assignments will assess students’ comprehension of texts and their ability to incorporate critical analysis within the theoretical context of gender. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 360: Key Issues in Spanish Peninsular Literature and Culture

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 305  or SPAN 314  or SPAN 315 , or permission of instructor.
    Analysis of a special problem, topic, issue, phenomenon, period, author, genre or movement in Spanish Peninsular Literature and/or culture from its beginning to the present. Conducted in Spanish. Oswald.
  

  • SPAN 361: Key Issues in Latin American Literature and Culture

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: Spanish 306 or 314 or 315, or permission of instructor.
    Analysis of a special problem, topic, issue, phenomenon, period, author, genre or movement in Latin American literature and/or culture from its beginning to the present. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 362: Latinx Literature and Cultures in the United States

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 307  or SPAN 314  or SPAN 315 , or permission of instructor.
    Analysis of a special problem, topic, issue, phenomenon, period, author, genre or movement in U.S. Latino or Chicano literature and/or culture from its beginning to the present. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 372: Afro-Latinx: TransAmerican Identities and Histories

    (1 unit)
    Proficiency Expected Level of proficiency - SPAN 306 or 307, or permission of instructor.
    This course examines the black experience in Latin America, beginning with the TransAtlantic Slave Trade, up to contemporary social movements in the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, and the island of La Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti). The content of the course will include literature, film, and music in Spanish, or translated to English from Haitian Creole and Portuguese. Barrios
  

  • SPAN 387: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 388: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 389: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 391: Internship

    (1/2 Unit)
    Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 392: Internship

    (1 Unit)
    Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 398: Practicum

    (1/2 Unit)
    Experience in language teaching in the classroom or with individual students under the close supervision of a regular instructor. Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 401: Seminar

    (1/2 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 314  or SPAN 315  or permission of instructor.
    Variable topic seminar. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 402: Seminar

    (1 Unit)
    Proficiency Expected level of proficiency: SPAN 314  or SPAN 315  or permission of instructor.
    Variable topic seminar. Conducted in Spanish. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 411: Directed Study

    (1/2 Unit)
    Directed studies generally are reserved for those students who have schedule conflicts between two majors. They are also available for students pursuing honors theses. In specific cases, students may request directed studies that cover topics beyond the scope of the current curriculum. These students are expected to present their proposed plan of study to the instructor for approval well in advance of registration. Staff.
  

  • SPAN 412: Directed Study

    (1 Unit)
    Directed studies generally are reserved for those students who have schedule conflicts between two majors. They are also available for students pursuing honors theses. In specific cases, students may request directed studies that cover topics beyond the scope of the current curriculum. These students are expected to present their proposed plan of study to the instructor for approval well in advance of registration. Staff.