Cervantes
SPAN 236
Fall 2020
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 327, MDST 254 |
Cervantes is known chiefly for DON QUIXOTE, often described as the first modern novel and fountainhead of one of the great modern myths of individualism. DON QUIXOTE also reimagines virtually every fashionable, popular, and disreputable literary genre of its time: chivalric, pastoral, picaresque, sentimental, adventure, and Moorish novels; the novella; verse forms; drama; and even the ways these kinds of literary entertainment were circulated and consumed, debated, celebrated, and reviled. It is a book about the life-enhancing (and endangering) power of books and reading and the interplay of fiction and history and truths and lies. Cervantes' art remains fresh and unsettling, sparing no one and nothing, including the author and his work. Distinguished by its commitment to the serious business of humor, make-believe, and play, the novel is at once a literary tour de force and a fascinating lens through which to examine the political, social, religious, and intellectual debates of its moment. Characteristic themes include social reality as artifact or fiction, the paradoxical character of truths, the irreducible diversity of taste and perception, the call for consent in politics and love, and personal identity (including gender) as a heroic quest. In this course, we will read, discuss, and write about DON QUIXOTE, along with a sampling of critical, philosophical, literary, and artistic responses it has inspired. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (COL)(HISP)(MDST-MN)(MDST)(MDST-Art/Arch)(MDST-History)(MDST-Lang/Lit)(MDST-Phil/Reli)(RMST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Cervantes, Miguel de. DON QUIJOTE: THE DEFINITIVE SPANISH EDITION FOR STUDENTS. Ed. Tom Lathrop. Newark, DE: LINGUATEXT, 2019 [NOT THE EARLIER LATHROP LEGACY EDITION OR INDEED ANY OTHER]. ISBN 9781589771024
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two short (3-5 pp.) papers, one short oral presentation (3-5pp. or 5-10 minutes), and one longer final paper (7-10 pp.) constitute 70% of the grade. Preparation for class (including regular short response papers), attendance, and informed participation count for the other 30%. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
SPAN236 is intended for students who have completed SPAN 221 with a B- or better. Students who have not done so should consult with the professor before pre-registering. Readings, written assignments, and class discussion will be in Spanish. Only COL students may take this course CR/U. Reading and writing are the best ways for adult learners to improve their spoken Spanish. You will therefore improve all of your language skills in this course. Although the required parts of the course will be handled on-line, depending on the consent of enrolled students and epidemiological conditions we will organize in-person activities: I will facilitate and/or organize informal, small-group gatherings outside and study groups among students, if safe and desired by students, to cut down on isolation. I would make a point of finding ways for us to get to know one another informally in smaller groups, either on-line or in-person before the start of the term as well as during it. I would want to build in previous one-on-one chats (on-line) before the start of the term: so we can start to get to know each other, so I can learn what students' particular needs and interests are, and so I can explain what I find most valuable about the course.
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CONDITIONS FOR CR/U STUDENT OPTION
The Department of Romance Languages & Literatures normally does not recognize CR/U except for COL students. The reason is that learning effectively in another language calls for regular completion of multiple activities over the course of the term, including faithful attendance and informed participation. In our experience students have counted on grades to determine where to focus their efforts. Because of the pandemic we have made the CR/U option available, but it should be chosen only as a measure of last resort. Since a full university credit is involved no matter what the grading option, bear in mind that CR/U assumes students will complete all graded activities including attendance and participation satisfactorily. Remember, too, that the Hispanic Literatures & Cultures major and study abroad continue to require that courses be completed with a minimum grade. If you take your course CR/U, your professor will record the letter grade and the Spanish section will decide accordingly whether the grade is sufficient for you to continue to the next level, to study abroad, to meet the requirement for acceptance into the major, or for the course to count for the major. If you are having difficulties of any kind, we urge you to contact your professor immediately to see what can be done to address them.
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| Instructor(s): Armstrong Roche,Michael Times: .M.W... 07:10PM-08:30PM; Location: ONLINE; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 18 | | SR major: 10 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 1 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 1 | JR non-major: 1 | SO: 2 | FR: 1 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 1 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 1 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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