SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS
Voyage: Fall 2014
Discipline: Spanish
SPAN 3030: Cultural Conversations: Say It in Song!
Division: Upper
Faculty Name: María Celeste Delgado-Librero
Pre-requisites: SPAN 3010 (Grammar Review), AP Spanish score of 4 or 5, Placement Test
score above 535, or one course above the advanced-intermediate college-level Spanish. If you
have any questions, please contact me at [email protected].
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a three-credit intermediate course designed to polish the linguistic skills acquired at the
2000 level in such a way that students successfully transition to advanced-level comprehension
and conversation. The point of departure of each class will be a song from any of the Spanish
speaking cultures in the world, which will be analyzed as both a linguistic and a cultural product,
with the goals of reviewing some of the most difficult aspects of Spanish grammar, augmenting
students’ vocabulary, and engaging students in a wide range of cultural, political, and ideological
topics relevant not only to the Spanish-speaking world but also to the non-Spanish-speaking
ports of call. This is not a lecture course but rather a seminar meant to foster interpersonal
communication and cultural understanding; therefore active verbal participation will be required
from each student during each class session.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The global objectives of this course are developing the students’ language skills, increasing their
knowledge of different Spanish-speaking cultures, and providing the opportunity to analyze the
interconnections among these cultures, the students’ own, and those of the countries visited on
the voyage.
Specifically, in-class activities are designed to develop aural and oral skills through active
student participation; homework assignments seek to develop their reading and writing skills and
to increase their vocabulary; songs, films, and reading assignments expand their cultural
knowledge of Spanish-speaking cultures; and field assignments, along with class discussions,
hope to raise students’ awareness of the interconnections among different world cultures.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS/MATERIALS
All the necessary material will be available through the ship’s intranet.
TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE
Depart Southampton- August 23
A1
Course intro
Song: Two fragments from La verbena de La Paloma (zarzuela)
Topic: Traditional celebrations such as bullfights – culture, art, sport, or animal
torture?
A2
Songs: “Ay Carmela” (war song) and the Spanish national anthem
Topic: Patriotism
St. Petersburg: August 29- September 2
A3
Film: La niña de tus ojos
Songs: “Y viva España” (Manolo Escobar), “Españolito” (Joan Manuel Serrat),
and “España, camisa blanca” (Ana Belén y Miguel Ríos)
Topic: What is Spain?
Travelogue entry due
Gdansk: September 5-7
Rostok: September 8-9
A4
Song: “Yo me quedo en Sevilla” (Pata Negra – flamenco)
Topic: The Roma in Europe. The rise of Neonazi, Neofascist, and xenophobic
movements
La niña de tus ojos review due
A5
Song: “Eres tú” (Mocedades – Canción ligera)
Topic: Love, of course
Antwerp: September 14-16
Le Havre: September 17-19
A6
Song: “La hoguera” (Javier Krahe – protest song)
Topic: Protesting in oppressive and democratic regimes
Travelogue entry due
A7
Song: “Haz turismo” (Celtas Cortos – rock with Celtic influences)
Topic: Colonialism, imperialism, the role of the USA in the world
Dublin: September 24-27
A8
Song: “Los muchachos de mi barrio” (Chambao – flamenco chill)
Topic: Drugs & poverty
Travelogue entry due
A9
Songs: “Ciudadanos de un lugar llamado mundo” (Delafé y las Flores Azules –
indie/hip hop), “Grândola, Vila Morena” (Zeca Afonso – protest song)
Topic: The positive side of globalization
Preparation for field lab
Lisbon: October 1-2
In transit: October 3
Cádiz: October 4-5 – Field lab in Cádiz, October 5
A10
Film: El próximo oriente
Travelogue entry due
Casablanca: October 8-11
A11
Song: “Diga qué le debo” (Siniestro Total – punk rock)
Topic: Feast and famine
(Recommended film: The End of Poverty?)
Travelogue entry due
El próximo oriente review due
A12
Song: “Milonga del moro judío” (Jorge Drexler), “Adio, querida” (Ofra Haza –
Sephardic song)
Topic: Religion and identity
(Recommended film: Acts of Faith: Jewish Civilization in Spain)
Dakar: October 16-19
A13
Song: “¿Dónde jugarán los niños? (Maná – Latin rock)
Topic: The environment
Travelogue entry due
A14
Song: “El niño soldado” (Ska-P – punk)
Topic: War and children soldiers
Takoradi: October 25-26
Tema: October 27-28
A15
Song: “Notas” (Gotan Project – tango nuevo)
Topic: African influences in Latin America
(Recommended film: Black in Latin America)
Travelogue entry due
A16
Song: “Mar antiguo” (El último de la fila – pop/rock)
Topic: The ocean
Study Day: November 2
A17
Song: “No te metas a mi Facebook” (Esteman – a funny song)
Topic: Social media
A18
Film: Diarios de motocicleta
Song: “Al otro lado del río” (Jorge Drexler – Latin pop)
Rio de Janeiro: November 7-9
In-transit: November 10-11
Salvador: November 12-14
A19
Song: “Guantanamera” (canción popular)
Topic: The “global war on terror”
Diarios de motocicleta review due
Travelogue entry due
A20
Song: “Yo pisaré las calles nuevamente” (Pablo Milanés – Nueva Trova)
Topic: The Cuban revolution
(Recommended film: Fidel: The Untold Story)
Study Day: November 19
A21
Film: Fresa y chocolate
Bridgetown: November 22-24
A22
Song: “La vida es un carnaval” (Celia Cruz – salsa)
Topic: What is happiness?
(Recommended film: Buena Vista Social Club)
Fresa y chocolate review due
Travelogue entry due
A23
Song: “No dudaría” (Antonio Flores – pop)
Topic: Does peace have a chance?
Havana: November 29- December 2
Study Day- December 3
A24
Final oral exam
FIELD WORK
Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Please do not book
individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of our field lab.
The field lab will begin with a walking tour that will focus on the long history of Cádiz, a city
that is reputed to be one of the oldest in the western world. We will look for vestiges of the many
cultures that have inhabited it: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Muslims, and
Christians. We will learn about the importance that its port had in the history of Spain and Latin
America. We will also seek to understand how gaditanos live today, visiting the local food
market and eating in one of the restaurants nearby. In the afternoon we will learn about flamenco
music and dance from a local instructor. And we will end the day by visiting a nature preserve
located nearby, which survives as a bird haven in spite of all the urban development that
surrounds it.
Academic Objectives:
1. Practice language skills learned in class with native speakers in an immersion environment.
2. Learn about specific aspects of Spanish culture, such as history, music and dance, food, and
contemporary everyday life.
3. Understand the connections with the other Spanish speaking port included in the Fall 2014
voyage: Havana.
Field lab date and time are subject to change.
METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC
Participation and Homework 25%
Class Leader Assignment 20%
Film Reviews (4) 20%
Field Work 20%
Final Oral Exam 15%
Participation and Homework (25%)
Your attendance, daily preparation, and active participation in class will contribute to your
learning and are also important factors in determining your grade. Students are expected to
participate in Spanish only during each class period. The instructor will monitor student
participation on a daily basis and speaking in English will result in a zero for the day’s
participation grade. A-level participation means actively participating in individual, small-group,
and large-group activities as well as respecting classmates by not speaking when they are
speaking. Points will also be deducted for using electronic devices, packing up early, etc.
Daily homework will involve readings about the music and/or the topic to be studied in class and
watching films. All homework must be completed before the class meeting. Homework that is
incomplete or late will not be accepted.
Class Leader Assignment (20%)
Each student will be in charge of leading the class discussion on different days during the
semester. With the guidance of the professor, the leader will have to prepare extra materials and
activities to promote discussion in class. Both the preparation of the material and the
performance in class will be evaluated according to the rubric included in the intranet folder.
Film Reviews (4) (20%)
Students will have to write one 300-word review of each of the films that will be discussed in
class. The reviews are due on the day following the discussion. This assignment will be graded in
terms of grammar, spelling, vocabulary, content, organization, and style. In the intranet folder
you will find the evaluation criteria and some sample film reviews you can use as models.
Field Work (20%)
The field work in this class has two different components:
1. A field lab (10%) in Cádiz on October 5. All students are required to attend and participate
actively and in Spanish in all the activities of this field lab, which will include:
a. Preparatory activities during the class period immediately preceding the field lab.
b. A walking tour of the city center, lunch in a typical restaurant, a flamenco music and
dance event, and a visit to the nearby Parque Natural Bahía de Cádiz.
c. A field lab report based on the class visit to Cádiz and each student’s individual visit to
Havana. In his song “Habaneras de Cádiz” Spanish singer Carlos Cano describes the
similarities between these two Spanish-speaking cities included in our voyage. For this
assignment, students will take this song as a starting point and will write a four-page
report, based on their experiences and what they have learned about Cádiz and Havana.
2. A travelogue (10%) in which students will record their experiences in all the other different
ports visited on the voyage. The format of the travelogue is flexible: in consultation with the
professor, students may choose to do a journal, a blog, a photo or video presentation, etc.
Regardless of the chosen format, for each port students must submit a text of at least 200 words.
Each entry must be submitted on the fist day of class following each port visit.
The different components of the field work will be evaluated according to the rubric in the class
intranet folder.
Final Oral Exam (15%)
Each student will have a final oral interview with the professor during which the following
aspects will be evaluated: oral and aural skills, grammar, vocabulary, and knowledge of the
topics discussed in class.
RESERVE LIBRARY LIST
AUTHOR: John Butt and Carmen Benjamin
TITLE: A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish
PUBLISHER: McGraw-Hill
ISBN #: 0658008730
DATE/EDITION: 3rd edition, 2000
ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS
N/A
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Students will be responsible for viewing four films, which are available in the SAS library
collection:
La niña de tus ojos
El próximo oriente
Diarios de motocicleta
Fresa y chocolate
COURSE POLICIES
Honor Code. Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the
University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University’s honor code. The code
prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager’s Handbook for
further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense.
Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: “On my honor
as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.” The pledge
must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed “[signed].”
Spanish 3030 students are expected to comply with the UVA Honor Code. All work is to be
pledged and completed by the student without assistance from classmates, advanced Spanish
students, native speakers, or online translators, unless otherwise indicated by the professor. Just
to clarify: while an online dictionary is an acceptable resource, use of any sort of online
translator such as Google Translate is a violation of the Honor Code. Any violations of the Code
in or outside class will be brought to the attention of the Honor Council for appropriate action.
Attendance and Tardiness. Attendance is obligatory for Spanish 2010. In order for students to
progress in their understanding and speaking of Spanish, they must be exposed to hearing and
speaking it on a regular basis. You are allowed two (2) unexcused absences. Beyond that, for
each additional absence, one percentage point will be deducted from your final grade. An excess
of four (4) absences, excused or unexcused, will result in a withdrawal from or failure in the
course. Students are expected to arrive to class on time. Being late to class counts as half an
absence.
Assignment Deadlines and Make-up Work. Assignments are due by the beginning of class as
indicated on the syllabus. No late work and no make-up work will be accepted. Students who
will not be in class should complete their assignments ahead of time. There are no make-ups for
exams, quizzes, compositions, or presentations.
Your responsibility: For each credit hour, it is expected that you spend an average of 2 hours on
homework and class preparation. You are expected to come to class having prepared the material
on the syllabus for that day and ready to participate actively in class. Class will be conducted
only in Spanish. It is your responsibility to let your professor know if you do not understand or to
consult her during office hours with any questions or concerns.
Electronics: No laptops, no cell phones or other electronic devices will be used in class unless
advised by the professor. Failure to comply may result in dismissal from the class period and,
consequently, an absence.