Beginning Spanish I This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of grammar and focuses on the development of four skills in Spanish: comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis will be placed on active communication aimed at the development of oral and comprehension skills. This course is for students who have not previously studied Spanish. Students are expected to continue with SPAN 0104 after successful completion of SPAN 0101.

Beginning Spanish II This course is a continuation of SPAN 0101. Intensive reading, writing, and oral activities will advance students’ proficiency in Spanish in an academic setting.

Intermediate Spanish This accelerated course is designed to review, reinforce, and consolidate the linguistic structures that students need in order to reach the intermediate level of proficiency in Spanish. A grammar review will accompany intensive language acquisition, vocabulary expansion, readings, discussions, and compositions.

Intermediate Spanish II A course for students seeking to perfect their academic writing skills in Spanish. The course is also an introduction to literary analysis and critical writing and will include reading and oral discussion of literary texts. The course will also include a thorough review of grammar at a fairly advanced level. This course may be used to fulfill the foreign languages distribution requirement.

Spanish for Heritage Speakers This course is specifically designed for heritage speakers, i.e., individuals who grew up speaking Spanish at home but were formally educated in another language, or individuals from similar contexts. In this course students will learn about different aspects of their own varieties of Spanish, social perceptions towards them, and how these varieties are valid forms of communication. Additionally, students will study grammatical differences between their varieties of Spanish and a more formal, academic Spanish. The grammatical aspects will primarily focus on written Spanish, vocabulary, and verb tenses that tend to vary in different varieties of Spanish. (by placement exam or waiver) 3 hrs. lct.

Spanish in Context: Practicing Advanced Grammar In this practice-based course, students who have a genuine interest in acquiring a deeper knowledge of grammar will be challenged to take control of their Spanish. Through a variety of tasks designed to contextualize and problematize key grammatical points—including both input and output in spoken and written language—we will not only work to improve linguistic competency but will also confront important issues dealing with interactional, intercultural, and metalinguistic competencies. Students will be expected to draw from their experiences with Spanish in and out of the classroom at Middlebury. (This is a half credit course.)

An Introduction to the Study of Hispanic Literature This course in literature and advanced language is designed to introduce students to literary analysis and critical writing. The work will be based on the reading of a number of works in prose, drama, and poetry. Frequent short, critical essays will complement readings and provide students with practice in writing.

Introduction to Spanish Phonetics and Pronunciation In this course we will study the sound system of Spanish with the aims of introducing the fields of phonetics and phonology while improving pronunciation. Students will become familiar with phonetic transcription, comparing and contrasting articulatory and acoustic characteristics of Spanish as well as English in order to understand and implement different phonological patterns produced by native speakers of Spanish. This analysis is both phonetic and social, in that students learn the social meanings of different pronunciation patterns across these Spanish-speaking countries as they relate to race, ethnicity, class, education, gender, age, and other social factors. Additionally, we will discuss major pronunciation differences across the Spanish-speaking world.

XICANXRIBEÑXS: Our Stories, Our Worlds In this course we will study how Chicanos/Xicanxs and Hispanic Caribbean communities have organized networks of solidarity to overcome oppression and work towards liberation. The Spanish portmanteau “XICANXRIBEÑXS” is an ode to the famous Revista Chicano-Riqueña that evolved out of the Civil Rights Movement and the rise of Ethnic Studies in the 1960s and early 1970s. We will examine their de/colonial histories, contentious status as diasporic communities, and literary and artistic legacies. Some topics may include Latinx print culture, Gloria Anzaldúa’s mestiza feminism in relation to Afro-Caribbean feminisms, and musical cultures from/ bomba/ and fandango to Selena and Cardi B.

Narratives of Diversity in 21st Century Spain In this course we will explore recent Spanish voices that denounce the inequalities suffered historically by minorities in that country. These narratives strive to criticize oppression and to create a more inclusive space of coexistence. We will analyze the memoirs of the Afro-Spanish activist Desiree Bela-Lobedde and of the Asian-Spanish singer Chenta Tsai. We will also analyze queer cultures in rural spaces, and the controversial use of flamenco by singer Rosalía, among other topics. Finally, through the essay Ofendiditos by Lucía Litjmaer, we will analyze the reactions that these narratives encounter in the current Spanish and international political climate. 3 hrs.lect./disc

Ideas and Cultures of the Southern Cone What’s in a name? A sub-region of Latin America, the Southern Cone consists of three countries marked by cultural, geographical, historical, sociopolitical (dis)connection. In this course we will approach Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay not only as nations, but as a region with extensive transnational connections. Through analysis of a wide-range of cultural products like Ercilla’s early modern epic poem La Araucana, Figari’s paintings depicting candombé culture, and films of the New Argentine Cinema, we will study aspects of the cultural identities and intellectual histories of these countries and the region.

A Bridge Between Nations: Introduction to Galician Culture and Language Galicia is a cultural region in the Iberian Peninsula. In this course we will explore how the study of the Galician region, its language and culture, can help us develop a deeper understanding of the Luso-Hispanic world. This will be an interdisciplinary course in which we discuss history and politics (formation of the region, its place in the globalized world and Spain); key sociolinguistic terms (diglossia, minoritized/minority language); and cultural manifestations while we explore and learn a new, but familiar, language. (SPAN 220 or PGSE 0215 or equivalent). 3 hrs.lect./disc

(Intimate) Otherness in Contemporary Hispanic Fiction Recent Hispanic literature locates otherness in ambiguous spaces. The "other" can be excluded in order to demarcate selfhood, but also recognized as internal ("intimate") to a complex and perhaps richer self. In this course students will sharpen oral and written communication skills and build a sophisticated vocabulary to analyze the literary and cultural context of the Spanish speaking world. This goal will be accomplished through readings in late 20th/early 21st century short stories and novellas from the Iberian Peninsula and Spanish America. Race, gender, class, nationality, and health are some perspectives we will adopt in order to map the literary production/deconstruction of "others" as marginalized/embraced subjects.

Hispanic Theatre In this course we will explore a broad selection of dramas from Spain and Spanish America. We will focus on close readings of plays, considering, where relevant, their historical and cultural contexts. Emphasis will also be placed on the development of critical vocabulary and writing skills in Spanish. Texts will be selected from various periods from the Middle Ages to present day. Authors include: Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderón, sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Tirso de Molina, Alarcón, Castellanos, Gambaro, García Lorca, Mihura, Díaz, Solórsano.

Whose “New World”?: Early Latin America after Eurocentrism Colonialism in the so-called New World may have begun with Columbus in 1492, but its impact continues to be felt across the lands that some Indigenous groups call Abya Yala today. In this course we will study how Indigenous and Black communities and other human actors in the region spearheaded, since the late fifteenth century, the first global wave of decolonization in response to the catastrophic transformations brought about by early modern Spanish imperialism. We will consider oral and written testimonies, visual art, material artifacts, and cultural performances from pre-Hispanic times to the long eighteenth century. Our goal will be to re-imagine an early Latin American world beyond/outside/after Eurocentrism.

Hispanic Film The cinema is a space of social interaction, of entertainment, of bodily (dis)pleasure, of cultural critique, of commerce, of many things. In this course we will study, with a focus on comparative analysis, the text and context of films produced throughout the Hispanic world. Through examining the work of filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, we will closely analyze film form and engage key debates in film theory such as authorship, genre (comedy, documentary, melodrama, etc.), and (trans)national cinema, as well as explore the ways in which class, culture, disability, history, politics, race, and sexuality are represented cinematically. Critical, scholarly, and theoretical readings will supplement film viewings.

Transnational Art and Activism in Latin America In this course we will consider how art has the potential to support social movements and political activism, focusing on national and international activism in the Americas in the late 20th and 21st Centuries. From movements like the Zapatista Army of National Liberation to NiUnaMenos, and beyond, the arts have helped to amplify, disseminate, and mediate the ideologies and efforts of these diverse groups. We will broach topics of gender, sexuality, indigeneity, environmental activism, and decolonization, drawing parallels between the strategies used throughout the Hemispheric Americas. The similarities, divergences, and encounters between these cases will allow a deeper reflection on the meaning of activism, solidarity, media, art, and protest. Materials will include visual culture, performance, and music, among other media.

Resistencia Latinex How do Latinex people resist oppression? Chilean survivors of the Pinochet dictatorship preserve their historical memory through textile art; Mexican Indigenous women expel the triple mafia of drug gangs, government, and police from their town; in Vermont, migrant workers sustain the dairy industry and themselves despite structural and institutional violence. Through stories of resistance to oppression, students will learn how communities and individuals take on misogyny, environmental injustice, slavery, and or structural violence. They will convey their findings in personal essays, historical fiction, and public presentations. In Spanish.

Latin American Queer Culture In this course we will study LGBTQ cultural productions from Hispanic Latin America, including fiction, poetry, film, visual art, and theory, covering works from the Southern Cone, the Andes, the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico. We will pay special attention to the uses of queerness in portrayals of ideological conflict: when and how does queerness become an element of dissent, an ethic of resistance, a critique of normativity, a marketable quality. Topics will include indigenous sexualities pre-Conquest, the impact of colonial rule, homonationalism, the criminalization of homosexuality, queer activism, and sexuality from transgender//travesti/ and nonbinary perspectives.

Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics This course is an introduction to the theory and methodology of linguistics as applied to the study of Spanish. The course’s goals are to understand the basic characteristics of human language (and of Spanish in particular), and to learn the techniques used to describe and explain linguistic phenomena. We will study the sound system (phonetics/phonology), the structure of words (morphology), the construction of sentences (syntax), as well as the history and sociolinguistic variation of the Spanish language, as spoken in communities in Europe, Latin America, and Northern America. We will examine texts, speech samples, and songs, illustrating these linguistic phenomena.

Creative Reading & Writing In this course we will read and write short stories in Spanish. After Borges, Latin American writers understand their task as the creative reading and rewriting of literary tradition. The first module of the course is devoted to developing students’ awareness of how reading and writing are intertwined through intertextuality. The second module offers a workshop in which students will produce their own fiction and comment on their classmates’ work. Through creative reading and writing, students will hone their skills in Spanish.

Superhero Parodies In this class we will discuss how the superhero/adventure genre in comic books was initially constructed as a mouthpiece of traditionalist nationalist values in the United States and Spain. Through the study of theories of intertextuality and postcolonial theory, students will analyze how Hispanic/Latin comic book creators from Europe and the Americas have parodied the hegemonic values that have influenced our views of economics, gender, and race with the goals of bringing diversity and inclusion in this particular graphic narrative genre.

Migrant Oral Narratives: Resistance and Self-Care from Central America to Vermont This course focuses on the oral practices that migrants have developed to care for themselves and their communities as they face the challenges of life in a foreign environment. Using their ears, hands and voices, students will learn through podcasts and videos, but also through service activities, participant observation and conversations as we partner with Vermont organizations such as Migrant Justice, Addison Allies and Viva el Sabor. The product of their work will include team teaching and a podcast. 3 hrs sem.

Youth Cultures in Contemporary Spain In this course we will explore youth cultures in contemporary Spain (1980-2016). In 1985 the Spanish punk rock band Siniestro Total wrote the song “I Will Dance On Your Grave”, a metaphor for the end of the dictatorship and the beginning of “freedom”. We will explore the colorful Movida (80s), the grunge movement (90s), queer cultures (2000s), and the disenchantment (2010s). All these events will be framed in a global context and accompanied by critical theory. Through literature, comics, film, arts, and music, we will discuss issues of sexuality, drugs, family, gender, and politics. (SPAN 0220 or equivalent).

A Spanish Culture Through Art: Velázquez, Goya, Picasso, and Dali In this course we will study the rich artistic heritage of Spain by examining in depth the life and works of the four most internationally renowned Spanish Artists of all times: Velázquez, Goya, Picasso, and Dalí. Our objective will be to go beyond knowledge of the peculiarities or style of each artist. We will seek to relate the images represented in the paintings to Spanish culture of the various periods, identify their prevailing values and ideas, and discover what the artists teach us about Spain and its contributions to Western civilization. In addition, we will explore the legacy they have left behind, a fact that makes possible a continuous artistic resurgence generation after generation. We will visit virtually El Prado Museum, Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, Reina Sofía Museum, and Salvador Dalí Museum.

Streaming Spain Streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have changed forever the audiovisual scenario due to their innovative distribution practices and their agreements with national production companies. In this course, we will analyze how content (movies and shows) produced and/or showcased by these multinational streaming platforms shape the understanding of modern Spain in the globalized context. To do so, we will study comedies Valeria, Paquita Salas, Lo nunca visto, narco-fictions Fariña, Vivir sin permiso, dramas Adú/, /Merlí: Sapere Aude, and thrillers La casa de papel, O sabor das margaridas to delve into issues of identity, class, gender representation, economic insecurity, and globalization. (SPAN 220 or equivalent). 3 hrs.lect./disc.

Hispanic Performance Studies Performance studies is an interdisciplinary field that borrows from theatre studies, anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies. This course offers an introduction to performance studies through a focus on Hispanic culture. We will ask the question “What is performance?” and develop the tools to describe, analyze, and interpret a broad range of performances such as plays, political speeches, bullfights, protests, recordings, celebrations, and everyday encounters.  We will focus on performance as a process–oriented, participatory, and experiential way of engaging the world. We will concentrate on the overlapping aspects of performance as/of literature (poetry and drama), as/of everyday life (ritual, identity, and culture), and as/of politics (power, activism, and social change).  We will pay particular attention to the relationship of performance to social culture, investigating the link between performance and race, gender, and sexuality.   Because the goal of the course is to produce critical thinkers who are capable of using performance as an analytical tool and as part of a creative process, students will be required to perform.

Sound, Race, and Resistance In this course, we will examine how works from across Latin America address intersections of listening and race. Exploring where sound serves as a site of racialization as well as how the ear can construct and contest difference, we will place films, literary texts, a tape documentary, and even a radio play into conversation with readings from the interdisciplinary field of sound studies. Doing so will allow us to consider how we might counter essentialist notions of sound as we critique misguided understandings of necessary connections between voice and race, to name one key concern. In addition to contemplating these ways that our ears have been tuned or trained, we will also study works that demand we listen differently.

Advanced Conversation In this course we will focus on the development of oral skills in Spanish at the advanced level. Students will also be exposed to cultural context in Spanish, through which they will be introduced to social and political trends in the Spanish-speaking world. Through oral exams, presentations, debates, and other forms of oral assessment, students will deepen their oral skills, as well as their understanding and production of oral expression in the target language. The course will give special attention to communicative skills in Spanish, particularly speaking (including pronunciation) and listening. The instructor may choose specific grammar points for review when necessary.

Peru: Identity, Ethnicity, History In this course we will study Peru’s diverse cultures, races, and ethnicities. Our discussion of Peruvian identity(-ies) will be connected to an exploration of selected topics of history and politics, with an emphasis on contemporary Peru: the Internal Conflict, Fujimori's dictatorship, and the return to democracy (1980-the present). We will read literary works and historical accounts, watch films and documentaries, and look at art and photography in order to extract their key themes and better understand the construction of Peru as a complex, multilingual nation, considering its past, present, and future. Relations with the United States and Latin America will be addressed.

Representations of Social, Cultural, and Political Identities in Spain In this course we will study the different representations of Spanish culture and politics. We will emphasize specific aspects that make Spain richly varied: Spain´s breathtaking reinvention and reaffirmation of its own identity after the Disaster of 1898, religious customs and conflicts, gender relations, political values of Spaniards. At the same time, the cultural impact of Don Quixote, Goya, Lorca, republicanism and dictatorship, civil war, flamenco, bullfighting, and soccer. Works to be discussed include a short selection of literary pieces, cultural, visual, musical, and film representations. This course is recommended for students planning to study in Spain.

Understanding Iberian Identity through the Analysis of Spanish and Portuguese National Identities In this course we will focus on different ways of understanding how the complex idea of “Iberian Identity” has been represented and reframed in Spain and Portugal over the centuries. In particular, we will analyze the concept of “Iberian Identity” as one that emerges directly from the differences and similarities already contained in the Spanish and Portuguese national identity discourses from the nineteenth-century to the present. We will put special emphasis on a full range of controversial collective narratives and memories that have shaped the Spanish and Portuguese discourses on national identity. We will look for power and social relations that are highlighted by the different and complementary discursive strategies of the dominant and subordinate discourses in both countries. We will deal with a variety of materials ranging from journal articles, political discourses, photographs, paintings, music, films, documentaries, and interviews, among others.

Literature in the Time of Code Literary works can help us think critically about the possibilities and problems posed by new technologies. But what contemplative or creative spaces can literature establish now that reading and writing increasingly occur alongside forms of computation ranging from social media algorithms to artificial intelligence? In this course, which is anchored in Argentina but also incorporates texts from elsewhere in Latin America, we will examine some complexities that arise when literature confronts code. Resisting accounts of technological determinism and instead contemplating how literary texts can help us assess the changes that code enacts, we will consider materials including speculative short stories, a cy-fi novel, poetry generators, and manifestos, and we will even evaluate the limits of computational approaches to literary analysis.

Reproduction, Maternity, and Abortion in Latin America Motherhood is a topic that has long been dismissed as trivially feminine and therefore understudied as a literary theme. However, during the 21st Century, there has been a boom of Latin American literature with maternal themes. In this course, we will consider essays, novels, and poetry with themes such as pregnancy, miscarriage, fertility, abortion, family planning, birth, adoption, and communal motherhood practices. The goal is to give students the analytic tools to understand the conditions that gave rise to this trend and how these works invoke and/or resist essentialist and patriarchal notions of motherhood. Texts may include Margaret Gibson’s Queering Motherhood, Linda Kerber’s “The Republican Mother,” Lina Meruane’s Contra los hijos, Pilar Quintana’s La perra, and Isabela Zapata’s In vitro.

Lusa-Hispanic Painting from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Eras The main goal of this course is to analyze art. Focusing on aesthetics, we will learn to appreciate the differences between Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque painting. Regarding formal elements we will work on the use of lines, colors, proportions, and perspective. Artistic appreciation will be complemented with readings on historical and theoretical issues regarding the intersection between imperial power and religion, race, and ethnicity (Casta painting), mythology, the use of the body as a metaphor, still lifes, and Vanitas painting. The course will also include a chapter on art by ‘forgotten’ women, as well as a chapter on architecture, including Brazilian colonial monuments. Students will compare artistic manifestations from Portugal, Spain and the New World, and will be able to trace connections with contemporary art. Among artists included: El Greco, Clara Peeters, Velázquez, Josefa de Óbidos, Goya, Illescas and The Quito School of Art, Villalpando, Correa, and Cabrera (México), Aleijadinho, Zapata, Master of Calamarca and many anonymous painters from the Cusco School (Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia).

Rewriting National Fictions: Adapting Citizenship in Foundational Narratives How do new nations consolidate their citizenry under a collective identity with shared traits, beliefs, and values? How do contemporary citizens grapple with the constraints on the ideal citizen? In this course we study the “foundational fictions” that united Latin American countries after their independence from Spain, using Argentina as our principal case study. We analyze the implications of these narratives, namely who is excluded? To answer this question, we perform comparative readings of foundational fictions and their reinterpretations that seek to identify and rectify these exclusions. Texts include Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities; Doris Sommer’s Foundational Fictions; José Hernandez’s Martín Fierro and Gabriela Cabezón Cámara’s Las aventuras de la China Iron; Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s Facundo and Ricardo Piglia’s Respiración artificial.

Indigenous peoples and social movements  in Bolivia Quechua and Aymara people of the Andes, and the indigenous nations from the  Lowlands have been key in grassroots movements in Bolivia in the 21st century. We will study  historical and present indigenous decolonial and environmental struggles, tackling issues of political representation and self-representation. We will look at indigenist literature and film, the Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and indigenous journalism and  performance. The Bolivian case will be placed in context with other social movements in the region and the Global South.

Afro-Caribbean Music Genres In this course we will study Afro-Caribbean music genres (eg, reggae, mambo, salsa, merengue, reggaeton, and calypso) and their impact within the region and on the global stage. Our main goal will be to compare the contested theoretical concept of cultural hybridity among the larger Caribbean nations (Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic) and their diasporas. We will also explore how Caribbean musicians and superstars work within the global infrastructure of the music/dance industry, while occasionally managing to counter the hegemonic erasure of the legacy of Black rebellion, worker revolution, nationalism, and racial/gender politics. (SPAN 0220 or 300 level Spanish course) 3 hrs. lect

Hispanic Athletes: Sports, Nationalist Culture, and the Global Media In this course, we will study sports as an essential part in the construction of nationalist pride and perceptions of race, class, and gender in several Hispanic nation-states and subcultures in Europe and the Americas.  We will analyze fictional narrative content such as literature and films (Pepe el Toro, Sugar, Black Diamonds, and many others). In addition, we will also explore how media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, videogames, documentaries, and the internet affect our perceptions of sporting events and their superstars to create controversies, support hegemonic nationalist ideas, and further the commercial ambitions of corporations.

The Luso Hispanic Fiction Writer In this course we will study the representation of the writer of fiction in Luso-Hispanic contemporary narrative. As Julio Premat argues, writers often understand their task not only as the creation of literary works, but also as the fashioning of an authorial self within fiction and through essays, interviews, photographs. We will study how and why such images are crafted, and how they reflect ideas about the aesthetic and political role of the writer, the “truth” of fiction, the interplay between literature and reality, and the relationship between authorship and gender. Portuguese-language texts will be read in Spanish translation.

Hispanic Musical Films In this course we will study Hispanic musical films (including fiction and documentaries) from Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Our main goal will be to understand how Hispanic countries use this cinematic genre to establish nationalist constructions and ideologies, and how this has consequently affected the development of Hispanic musical narratives in the United States. Analyses will focus on how different ethnic aspects are defined as 'Other' in musical genres such as Flamenco, Tango, Rancheras, Tex-Mex, Salsa, Reggaeton, Merengue, and Spanish Rock. We will explore why Hispanic musicals are perceived as exotic in relation to their Anglophone counterparts while studying films such as Buena Vista Social Club, Allá en el rancho grande, Selena, and El día que me quieras.

Understanding Decolonial Thought In this course we will read texts on decolonial theory to analyze cinema from the Americas (e.g. White Zombie, King Kong, Pelo malo, Get Out, Rhymes for Young Ghouls, The Milk of Sorrow, A Fantastic Woman, The Silent House, Too Late To Die Young, The Lost Daughter and Soldiers or Zombies, S1). Decolonizing requires the exposure of structures of oppression that remain in a society after colonization. We will therefore focus on coloniality of power (e.g. intersection of race and capitalism, biopolitics), coloniality of gender (abortion, the privilege of the phallus, hypersexualization, violence against female and trans bodies), coloniality of knowledge (education, privileging the Global North), coloniality of being (religious imaginaries, existential phenomenology), and visuality vs. countervisuality (what we are allowed to see vs. what is there to be seen). Among authors included: Quijano, Fanon, Mbembe, Lugones, Segato, hooks, Maldonado-Torres, Mierzoff, Coates, Wynter, and Ahmed.

Stars and Stardom in Latin America Manila, 2013: Lionel Messi features in a WeChat ad. São Paulo, 1995: Ninón Sevilla walks into frame on an imported telenovela. Middlebury, 1938: Lupe Vélez appears in Life Magazine. Impinging upon even our most mundane moments, stars and stardom have become integral to our modern experience. Through the study of theories on stardom, as well as an array of works of cultural production (films, music, images, performances, etc.), in this course we will examine cultural, economic, political, racial, and social factors that influence the creation, development, and perpetuation of understandings of individual stars and, more generally, stardom in Latin America.

Introduction to the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands The U.S.-Mexico borderland is a region of profound cultural and political significance, where connections and divisions have shaped the historical and contemporary landscape. In this course we will explore various forms of border crossing—geographical, racial, cultural, sexual, linguistic, and gendered. We will examine the history of the border, beginning with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the implementation of NAFTA, and the recent crisis of child detainment at the border. Through a combination of readings, music, film, and class discussions, we will analyze how the border is represented in cultural texts and how these portrayals bridge and exacerbate social differences. We will also explore how state and community institutions respond to and navigate these diverse forms of border crossings.

Soccer in Latin America Why are Latin Americans so passionate about soccer? The answer to this question is a complex and multifaceted one. The history of this passion goes back to the mid-19th century when British workers were sent to Latin America to build railroads and operate railroad companies. Along with them, soccer arrived in the region. The first documented match took place in Argentina in 1867. Since then, soccer quickly spread out over Latin America to become the most popular sport — by a large margin — in nearly every country. In this course we will examine the history of soccer in Latin America and its links to politics, culture, racial issues, and gender discrimination. We will also take a look at the lives of iconic figures such as Di Stéfano, Garrincha, Pelé, Maradona, Messi, and Marta. The course is intended to finish with a soccer practice and a match against another team. 3hrs.sem.

Latin American Feminisms In this course we will explore feminist thought throughout Latin America through an interdisciplinary and decolonial lens. The goal is to understand how Latin American feminisms contribute to global debates on gender, race, colonialism, and ecology. We begin with the pan-Indigenous framework of Abya Yala—the Indigenous name for the American continent—to rethink the relationship between gender, coloniality, and power. Topics include the coloniality of gender; Indigenous Andean thought; epistemic violence; the nexus of race, empire, and extractivism; gore capitalism and economies of violence; body–territory as a site of struggle; and environmental justice. Theoretical and activist perspectives are placed in dialogue with contemporary visual art and cinema, offering students tools to analyze how feminist struggles are expressed across different media and contexts.

Decolonizing Zombies! Zombies are generally depicted as metaphors that represent contemporary affects. In this course we will study a number of zombie movies with a focus on theories of race, gender, coloniality, iconoclasm, and queer temporality. With a strong emphasis on the American continent, the course will have a global approach, which will allow us to delve into issues of neoliberalism, cannibalism, genocide, diaspora, virus spread, and political criticism. The main goal is to expose colonial structures embedded in the representation of zombies, as well as in the making of the genre. Among films included are: White Zombie, The Night of the Living Dead, Savageland, World War Z (United States); Mangue negro (Brazil), Juan de los muertos (Cuba), El desierto (Argentina), El año del apocalipsis (Peru); Ladronas de almas, Halley (Mexico); Descendents (Chile), Rec (Spain), I’ll see You in my Dreams (Portugal), The Girl with All the Gifts (United Kingdom); Train to Busan (Korea); The Empire of Corpses, and Versus (Japan).

Exploring Orientalist Adventures in the Americas In this class we will study 20th and 21st century adventure narratives from the Americas to explore how artists have struggled to represent Asian or Middle East cultures within or against Western imperialist ideologies. We will use Edward Said’s seminal work Orientalism as a theoretical framework and study how racist narratives are predominant within our industrial mass media (radio, serials, films, comic books, social media, and streaming services). Furthermore, we will explore how new gender and race paradigms have provided space for adventure narratives that attempt to dismantle the biases against Asian citizens in the Americas. This class will cover from Martial Arts narratives in the United States to Mexican Geisha comic books to Argentinean adventures in the Middle East.

Borges In this course we will analyze and discuss representative works of Jorge Luis Borges, with additional readings from major literary and cultural sources influenced by the Argentine author. We will discuss examples of Borges's poetry, short fiction, essays, and translations. His work will serve as a gateway to such topics as literary theory, the role of the author, orality, philosophy, modernism and post-modernity, genre and subterfuge.

Decolonizing Porn: Circulating Desire between Europe and the Americas In this course we will use feminist, queer, critical race, and decolonial theories to analyze porn in Europe and the Americas. The goal is to give students the analytic tools they need to think deeply about the centrality of porn to our lives and to global capitalism, creating jobs in the “gig economy” as well as huge amounts of profit even as it extracts unpaid labor from trafficked bodies. We will consider pornographic photography, cinema, AI, and deep fakes. Texts will include Linda Williams’ Hard Core: Power, Pleasure, and the ‘Frenzy of the Visible,” Gayle Rubin’s “Thinking Sex,” Heather Berg, Porn Work and Jennifer Nash’s The Black Body in Ecstasy. In the SPAN section of the course, students will also be asked to participate in Spanish at least three times on the Spanish-language day of the class. All students will present their public-facing projects at the end of the class.

The Cannibal is You! In this course we will explore the cultural significance of cannibalism. Although the concept has existed since Antiquity, the term was invented during Colonial times precisely for purposes of otherization. We will read colonial sources, study images that circulated depicting Americans as cannibals, and consider anthropological and critical studies in order to understand the connections between cannibalism and concepts of race, gender, class, and disability. We will then be in a better position to delve into contemporary fiction (e.g., Bazterrica’s Cadáver exquisito), visual culture and cinema on cannibalism from Latin America and beyond. (e.g., Somos lo que hay, Ravenous, Estômago, American Carnage, Cerdita, Bones and All).

The Latin American ‘novela total’ In this seminar we will read Latin American ‘total novels’: long and complex fictional artifacts that purport to map the whole of reality in all its perspectives. We will analyze the structure of landmark ‘total novels,’ explore the intersection of modernist aesthetics and Cold War politics that made them possible, and probe their current relevance. Texts may include Cien años de soledad (1967) by García Márquez and Conversación en La Catedral (1969) by Vargas Llosa, as well as more recent novels that attempt to renew this tradition.

Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World What does it mean to be bilingual? In this course we will study bilingualism with a special emphasis on Spanish-speaking bilinguals in Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Course topics will include social, political, linguistic, and psychological aspects of bilingualism. Special attention will be paid to societal bilingualism, language use among a group or community, individual bilingualism, how an individual’s language use changes in different contexts and throughout an individual’s lifespan, and government and educational policies throughout the Spanish-speaking world. We will study texts, speech samples, and media that highlight different aspects of bilingualism. (At least two Spanish courses at the 0300 level or above, or by waiver)

Migrant Childhoods & Adolescence In this course we will examine Latinx and Latin American migrant childhoods and adolescence through literature, cultural production, and interdisciplinary scholarship. While children are often seen as innocent and in need of protection, the racialized and migrant child is represented in more complex ways. We will analyze how childhood and adolescence function in narratives of identity, belonging, and migration, focusing on tensions between vulnerability, protection, and agency. Beyond literature, we will consider film, media, and art to explore how representations of youth intersect with histories of displacement, borders, and globalization. By historicizing ideas of childhood and adolescence, we will study them as social constructions shaped by political economies, international law, migration, and cultural memory, emphasizing ongoing processes of “becoming.”

Creative Writing: Long Form Narrative This course offers students the opportunity to advance in creative writing in Spanish. Students will create a long-form work—a novella, a collection of interrelated short stories, or a collection of interrelated autobiographical narratives. Through workshops and analyses of literary models, students will develop narrative and stylistic techniques to produce at least twenty-five pages of polished creative work around a unified topic. Prior creative writing experience would be helpful.

Representing Mexican Resistance In this seminar we will study the history, culture, and representation of contemporary Mexican feminist, indigenous, and environmental movements. We will analyze the news media’s efforts to manipulate, co-opt, or undermine autonomous governance, as well as independent media counter-narratives serving Mexican communities. We will use journalistic and creative writing genres to create a news and culture magazine focusing on Mexico and its Vermont diaspora, and share it with migrant community members and Spanish speakers-learners. Sources include the media, works from philosophy, fiction, graphic novel, and history such as Ackerman, Barkin, Calzada, Colmenares, De la Cerda, Dussel, Martínez, Ortiz, Rico Straffon, and von Vertrab.

The Cinema in Uruguay It is often said that Uruguay (mostly) lacks a national cinema, but it has a vibrant, discerning film culture. Extending back generations, Uruguayans have regularly enjoyed imported movies from throughout the world that have shaped how critics, cinephiles, and everyday people understand the cinema. Foreign fare has also impacted domestic consumption and reception of the (sporadic until recently) work of Uruguayan filmmakers. To approach what this all means in Montevideo and beyond, we will study the reception of a wide range of international movies including, but not limited to Hollywood blockbusters, European art house classics, Latin American (mostly Argentine, but also Mexican) melodramas and comedies, and Hong Kong action cinema, as well as Uruguayan films that reached and moved local audiences.

Colonial Objects: Materiality and the Invention of the New World Beyond gold and silver, what objects served as the building blocks of Spanish colonialism in the New World? What is the relationship between material culture and mestizaje? How do indigenous and black bodies—the flesh of unsovereign otherness—materialize in the language of empire? In this seminar we will explore the role of objects and material culture in shaping colonial discourse during the long history of colonialism in Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean. Our primary readings assemble an operational canon: from “discovery” and early-contact narratives by Cristóbal Colón and Fray Ramón Pané to the proliferation of ambivalent discourses about colonial subjects, objects, and others that pose a threat to colonial order, including works by Bernardo de Balbuena, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Alongside these texts, we will consider as well examples of material culture (maps, visual art, artifacts, commodities, and archaeological remnants) from pre-Columbian and colonial times to the present

In the Middle of Nowhere: Rural Spain through History In this course we will analyze visual and narrative discourses related to rural communities in Spain. From a historical point of view, we will explore literary concepts such as bucolismo and naturalismo, the paleto cinema of the Francoism era and its contestation in Los santos inocentes. From there we will move to contemporary issues such as the vindication of the España vaciada, and new critical approaches such as the glocal, the rurban, and ecofeminism. We will include the voices of Ana Iris Simón, Oliver Laxe and María Sánchez that portray rural spaces and its inhabitants with respect and dignity. The goal of this course is to showcase rural spaces as sophisticated, diverse, and complex while we explore our own experience of Middlebury as a rural place. (Al least two Spanish courses at the 0300 level or above, or by waiver.) 3hrs.lect./disc.

Gabriel García Márquez's Cien años de soledad Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez is one of the most significant authors of 20th century literature, and Cien años de soledad is often considered the most important Latin American novel ever written. In this course we will delve into this masterpiece from different perspectives. Through close-reading we will focus on its literary aspects - form, style, metaphor - while making connections with García Márquez’s life, Colombian history, Cold War politics, the Latin American Boom, metafiction, magical realism, and issues of race and gender. (Two Spanish courses at the 0300-level or above, or waiver)

Understanding the Myth of Don Juan in the Western Tradition The myth of Don Juan has embodied the thoughts, desires, and aspirations of multiple authors from different times and countries. In this course we will gain insights into core characteristics that define the Don Juan persona. We will analyze the original components of the character of Don Juan, situate the myth in its social and historical contexts, and study the different dramatic and literary strategies used by authors, artists, and filmmakers in their construction of Don Juan. Resources to be analyzed will include: fiction, poetry, film (fiction and documentary), philosophical essays, painting, music, and performance. 3 hrs lect./disc.

Witches in Global Visual Culture In this course we will study the global visual representation of witches. During the 15th-18th century witch trials were responsible for the killing of between 40,000-50,000 women. In the 21st century, women are still being accused of witchcraft, and are murdered because women are believed to bring good or bad luck. Studying the construction of the witch narratives throughout history could alleviate this perception and reduce violence against women. We will examine passages from The Hammer of Witches and witches’ trials, as well as study the intersections between witchcraft, capitalism, and psychoanalysis. We will also focus on the role eugenics and artificial intelligence have played in modifying the depictions of witches. We will consider the way feminism has re-semanticized witches in the fight against patriarchy through political movements, theory (e.g. Silvia Federici) and visual culture by viewing art, graphic novels, TV series, and films from countries throughout the world.

Making Monsters: Global Visual Culture In this course we will trace a cultural history of the monster, focusing on the construction of monstrosity as an imaginary concept based on cultural ideas regarding power and its manipulation, deformed and reproductive bodies, witchcraft, sexuality, race, the intelligence of female subjects, transgression of heteronormativity, masculine fears, fears of the other, and fears of the unknown and the powerful. Monsters also have a biopolitical dimension and can manipulate our lives. Using a global perspective (e.g. the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa), we will study monsters as depicted in science, art, cinema, and popular culture. We will emphasize feminist, decolonial and horror theories, as well as post- and transhumanism. Resources may include: Divine images, mythological and folklore figures, representation of the Native Americans during colonization, freaks, ‘degenerate’ art, industrial and nuclear accident monsters, vampires, zombies, and mutants.

Latin America in Paris/Paris in Latin  America Paris has been central in cultural exchanges with Latin America, as a model of an ideal city, a  rejected cipher of coloniality, and a place of encounters. Many Latin American intellectuals  and artists, such as Cesar Vallejo and Remedios Varo, lived and created in Paris. Tango  became an Argentinean national symbol after having been recognized in the Parisian night scene. In this course we will study phenomena such as these to understand the dynamics of translation and exchange of people and ideas, and their profound impact on both Latin America and Paris.

Decolonizing Zombies Zombies are generally depicted as metaphors that represent contemporary affects. In this course we will study a number of zombie movies with a focus on theories of race, gender, coloniality, iconoclasm, and queer temporality. With a strong emphasis on the American continent, the course will have a global approach, which will allow us to delve into issues of neoliberalism, cannibalism, genocide, diaspora, virus spread, and political criticism. The main goal is to expose colonial structures embedded in the representation of zombies, as well as in the making of the genre. Among films included are: White Zombie, The Night of the Living Dead, Savageland, World War Z (United States); Mangue negro (Brazil), Juan de los muertos (Cuba), El desierto (Argentina), El año del apocalipsis (Peru); Ladronas de almas, Halley (Mexico); Descendents (Chile), Rec (Spain), I’ll see You in my Dreams (Portugal), The Girl with All the Gifts (United Kingdom); Train to Busan (Korea); The Empire of Corpses, and Versus (Japan).   (Two 3XX courses or by waiver) (Previously SPAN 0381.)

Patriarchy’s Toxic Imagination in Global Horror Cinema What is toxicity and how is this linked to patriarchy and contemporary horror cinema? In this course we will analyze a number of movies in order to understand how the construction of female bodies as monsters is linked to toxic imagination and patriarchal values. Approaching toxicity from Mel Y. Chen’s perspective and using affect theory (e.g. Ahmed), we will delve into issues such as reproductive horror, trans horror, posthumanism, environmentalism, and religious horror. Among movies included: Huesera: The Bone Woman, 2023; Woman of the Photographs, 2023; Crimes of the Future, 2022; Culpa, 2022; Madres, 2021; Titane, 2021; Coven: Akelarre, 2020; Impetigore, 2019; Saint Maude, 2019; Bit, 2019; Mesmeralda, 2019; La casa lobo 2018; The Autopsy of Jane Doe, 2016; Prevenge, 2016; Antibirth, 2016; and Madre, 2016.

From Page to Stage: Representing Hispanic Theatre (in Spanish) The first third of this course will be dedicated to an in-depth analysis of selected plays from Spain or Latin America. Readings on semiotics and performance studies, in addition to other works by the authors, texts of the same genre, and on relevant socio-historical and political topics will complement our study. Problem-based learning will guide the second two-thirds of the semester, dedicated to preparing a full production of one of the plays to be presented at the end of the semester. Students will be involved as actors as well as in all aspects of production and decision-making, requiring about 3 hours of rehearsal per week outside of regularly-scheduled class time. (At least two courses at the 300-level or above or by waiver) (Formerly SPAN 0399)

Open Topic Research Seminar In this seminar students will develop a research project on a topic of their choice. At the beginning of the semester, the class will focus on research methodology, the discussion of different cultural theories, and their application. Students will be encouraged to focus on, or make comparisons with, contemporary cultural phenomena that they are passionate about so that they can explore how to discuss current issues from a theoretical perspective. The seminar will include a mixture of group and individual meetings; readings will be adjusted according to students’ interests.  At the end of the semester, students will present their final paper in a departmental venue. (Two Spanish courses numbered 0350 or above or by waiver) 3hrs. sem/disc

La Vida en Vermont: Reflections of the Migrant Community In this course we will engage with local migrant community members predominantly from Latin America to learn about their lives in Vermont. How do newcomers navigate different cultural landscapes? What do they miss of their homelands and where do they find resonance in New England? Materials such as El Viaje mas Caro The Most Costly Journey will provide historical and ethical foundations. Representatives from community partner organizations such as Addison Allies will support our understanding of local circumstances. Following interviews working with applied theatre skills, students will prepare staged readings to share the stories of migrant community resilience for English and Spanish speaking audiences. This course is a Public Humanities Lab; Spanish language skills welcome but not required.

Socio-cultural Changes in Spain: An Anthropological Perspective ( in Spanish) The objective of the program is to bring students closer to the knowledge of anthropology through the presentation of studies on Spanish culture and society. The different topics will be approached from the perspective of Social and Cultural Anthropology, emphasizing the cultural diversity that characterizes Spain. We will begin by analyzing the concept of culture and its relevance to anthropology, and we will provide a common theoretical base from which all students can follow the development of the course. We will deal specifically with three topics: urban anthropology, family anthropology, and cultural diversity and immigration.

Irina Feldman

Patricia Saldarriaga

Miguel Fernandez

Olga Sanchez Saltveit

Marcos Rohena-Madrazo

Alla Fil

Brandon Baird

Laura Lesta Garcia

Enrique Garcia

Sam Carter

Madison Felman-Panagotacos

Fernando Rocha

Aida Bueno Sarduy

Gloria Gonzalez Zenteno

Raquel Albarran

Alicia Nunez

Nicolas Poppe

Marta Manrique-Gomez

Luis Castaneda

Mario Higa

Read 355 reviews for Spanish courses at Middlebury College. Find the best Spanish professors and courses.  Discover your new major today!

I think Nicolas Poppe is an incredibly kind and energetic professor. He loves what he studies, and he really tries to get his students excited about the material. My problem with the course was just that I felt the homework was more like busywork rather than engaging homework. I also thought that it would have been helpful to have more presentations on the context behind the screenings and articles we examined, because it felt more like a do it yourself class with lots of discussion. 

I had mixed feelings about this course. Poppe was enthusiastic about the material, and it was clear that this was something he was passionate about. However, at times it felt like there just wasn't enough content to have an entire undergraduate level course on Uruguayan film, and the class may have been more successful if it had picked a Latin American country with a more developed film industry. I liked that the class took a chronological approach and started at the beginning of film in Uruguay, but some classes it just felt like we didn't have much to discuss or would be repeating the same things. He also would take off points for things on homeworks and essays, but not leave comments about what was wrong, which was confusing and at times felt unfair. 

Professor Garcia was very enthusiastic about the material. There were writing assignments somewhat often and reading each night but it was entirely manageable and I thought he was a very fair grader. Great class and would love to take another one with him in the future.