Spanish 3053: Introduction to Hispanic Literary Studies

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Languages and Literatures

FALL 2018
Schedule: 10:30-11:20 (Engineering South 211A)

Emmanuel Velayos, Ph.D. (NYU)

Assistant Professor of Spanish

Office: Gundersen Building 309B

Office hours: T & Th. 11-12:00; by appointement
E-mail: evelayo@okstate.edu

________________________________________________________________________

SEMESTER’S TOPIC:
Gender and Genre: Canon Formation in Hispanic Literatures

COURSE PREREQUISITES:
Spanish 2232 and Spanish 2233 or equivalent

DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:

This course offers an introduction to Hispanic literature and discusses its canon formation
by exploring the relationship between gender and literary genres. Students will analyze
Spanish texts in the four traditional literary genres of narrative, poetry, theater (including
film), and essay. We will reflect on how these canonical genres related to gender in different
time periods and geographies of the Hispanic cultures.
The course is designed to acquaint students with conceptual tools to analyze texts and
conduct research in Spanish. This course is intended to prepare students for all other
advanced literature courses in Spanish.
It is expected that students in this course will:
1. Acquire knowledge and understanding of conceptual and theoretical terms to discuss
literature with an emphasis in such topics as cannon formation, gender, and literary genres.
2. Develop the ability to apply the above knowledge to the critical reading and analysis of
Hispanic literature from different times and places.
3. Deliver presentations and write academic papers in Spanish.
4. Improve their Spanish skills and proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

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TEXTS:
Virgillo, Carmelo, et al. Aproximaciones al estudio de la literatura hispánica, 7th ed. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Recommended: An unabridged, college-level English-Spanish, Spanish-English dictionary,
either in book or app form. During exams phones/tablets must be in airplane mode, so apps
must work without internet access.
The Diccionario de la lengua española and the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas of the Real
Academia Española are available online for consultation: http://www.rae.es/rae.html
Other readings will be available either through D2L, or at the library.

EVALUATION:
Your final grade will be determined according to the following formula:
Responses 35% 90% - 100% = A
Essay 1 10% 80% - 89% = B
Essay 2 15% 70% - 79% = C
Essay 3 20% 60% - 69% = D
Oral Presentation 10% < 60% = F
Final Reflection 10%
100%

RESPONSES:
After doing the assigned reading, pick one question from the Cuestionario and write your
response in one page (no more than two paragraphs.) It is your responsibility to send your
response to your professor’s email the night before the assigned class by 8 pm. You
should also bring your responses to class (either printed out or accessible on your tablet,
laptop, etc.) to refer to during class discussion. Responses handed in late without a valid,
verifiable excuse will not be accepted.

ESSAYS:
Each essay must present, develop, and support an original thesis. It must consist of an
argument using evidence to reach a conclusion. The first paragraph of the essay should present
the topic, thesis, and the main ideas that will be developed in the following paragraphs. Each
of the following paragraphs should develop a main idea and support it with textual analysis.
Finally, it is expected that the last paragraph sums up the main ideas and reframes the thesis
of the essay as a conclusion, that is, as the outcome of the textual evidence provided
throughout the essay.
There should be no plot summary. This is not an eighth-grade book report. This paper
must incorporate at least one secondary research source into the analysis. The paper should
include citations from the novel and other source(s) following the style of the MLA Handbook
for Writers of Research Papers, and must include a bibliography for the reading in the book and
the secondary sources cited in the paper.
Each student will have to write a total of three essays in this course. All essays will be
evaluated on both content and language use. Each essay will have two versions.
The first version will be written in class; it consists of the outline of the essay (including
title, topic, thesis, main ideas, some evidence), and the introductory paragraph of the essay.
The final version will be the written essay; it must be typed and double spaced with no extra
space between paragraphs, using either Times New Roman or Garamond in the 12-point
size, and 1” margins all around. Please set your margins properly.All essays must meet the
minimum word counts (excluding any lengthy quotations). They are to be written in Spanish

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and must include a word-count at the end (most word processing programs have this
feature).
All papers must consist only of work written specifically for this class: you may not hand in work previously
done for other courses, or “double-dip” by handing in the same paper for credit in more than one course during
the same semester. Late papers may be penalized 3% for each day late without a valid excuse, including
Saturdays and Sundays.

Essay #1 – Narrativa: (10% of total grade) Students will write a 1000-word paper about
either one of the short stories or the short novel we will read in class. It must include at least
one secondary source. First and final versions are due in class.

Essay #2 - Poesía: (15% of total grade) Students will write a 1000-word paper over one of
the plays or the film we will study in class. All guidelines for Essay #1 apply, with one
exception: this paper must include at least two secondary research sources. First and final
versions are due in class.

Essay #3 (20% of total grade): Students will write a 1500-word research paper analyzing a
work not studied in class and chosen in consultation with the professor, either taken from
Aproximaciones or from elsewhere. All guidelines for Essays #1 and #2 apply, with one
exception: this paper must include at least three secondary research sources. Students will
read their papers in a Panel discussion after receiving the professor’s feedback on their
papers. The evaluation of this assignment will not only include the first and final versions of
the essay but also the participation in the panel discussion. First and final versions and
paper readings are due in class.

ORAL PRESENTATION:
During the first week of classes, the professor will circulate a list of readings and authors,
from which the student should select one text. On the assigned days, the student will present
some relevant information of the author, the genre, and the historical context of the reading
we will discuss. Students will also select a question from the Custionario and will answer it
orally. In addition to the oral presentation, students will prepare an outline that sums up that
information, and print copies for the professor and all the students. The outline can be
projected on a screen while he student elaborates orally on the information presented. The
professor will give an example of this presentation and the outline.

ATTENDANCE:
Attendance can also be a factor in your final grade; you may be penalized up to three (3)
points off your final average for each unexcused absence beyond your third absence (either
excused or unexcused.) Any absence for which you do not take the initiative to provide a
written/emailed explanation and/or (if applicable) documentation will be considered
unexcused. (With the exception of university-sponsored activities requiring students to miss
class, the final decision as to which absences can be excused rests with the professor.) If you
accumulate ten (10) or more unexcused absences (more than 3 weeks!), you will
automatically receive an F for the course.

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 CALENDAR
Every assigned literary reading is to be done keeping in mind and applying the guidelines
supplied in class and presented in the book (Guía general para el lector) for that particular genre.
That is, students are expected to look for and identify the key elements of each text as part
of the reading process. Unless otherwise announced, the written homework to be handed in
consists of the Cuestionario and Identificaciones questions following each story; those must be
uploaded the first day a text is due.

L: Leer
R: Response
D: Due to

Date Oral Presentations Topics Homework for next Class

Introducción al curso L: “La literatura como arte y

Lectura del syllabus y explicación de
las tareas y la evaluación
Presentaciones
8/20
¿Cómo se escribe un comentario?
Distribución de Presentaciones
Orales
fenómeno estético” (2-5); “El
autor y su obra frente al público”
(5-8)
R # 0: ¿Qué es la literatura? ¿Qué
es un texto literario? D: 8/21, 8
pm

¿Qué es la literatura? ¿Qué es un L:; “Elementos principales del

Wk 1
texto literario? texto literario” (13-19); “El mono
8/22
que quiso ser escritor satírico”
(77-78)

Introducción a la Narrativa L: J.L. Borges-“El etnógrafo” (59-

Modelo de Presentación
Lectura de “El cuento: Guía
8/24
general para el lector” (5).
61); Tesis sobre el cuento de R.
Piglia (material extra)
R # 1: Sobre “El etnógrafo” D:
8/26, 8 pm

Presentación 1: Discusión de Tesis sobre el cuento L: J. Cortázar-“La noche boca

J. L. Borges-“El Análisis de “El etnógrafo” arriba” (61-68)
8/27 etnógrafo”
______________ R # 2: Sobre “La noche boca
arriba” D: 8/28, 8 pm
Wk 2
Presentación 2: J. Análisis de “La noche boca arriba” L: E. Pardo Bazán-“Las medias
Cortázar-“La rojas” (50-53)
8/29 noche boca arriba”
______________ R # 3: Sobre “Las medias rojas”
D: 8/30, 8 pm

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 Presentación 3: Análisis de “Las medias rojas” L: E. Pardo Bazán-“El encaje
E. Pardo Bazán- roto” (material extra)
8/31 “Las medias rojas”
______________ R # 4: Sobre “El encaje roto” D:
9/4, 8 pm

9/3 No class

Análisis de “El encaje roto” L: T. de la Parra- “Blanca Nieves y

Compañía”
9/5
R # 5: Sobre “Blanca Nieves y
Wk 3 Compañía” D: 9/4

Presentación 4: T. Análisis de “Blanca Nieves y L: G. García Márquez- “La mujer

de la Parra- Compañía” que llegaba a las seis”
9/7 “Blanca Nieves y
Compañía” R # 6: Sobre “La mujer que
llegaba a las seis” D: 9/6

Presentación 5: Análisis de “La mujer que llegaba L: I. Allende- “La mujer del juez”
García Márquez- a las seis”
9/10 “La mujer que R # 7: Sobre “La mujer del juez”
llegaba a las seis” D: 9/11
______________

Wk 4 Presentación 6: Análisis de “La mujer del juez” Completar Guía del Ensayo-
I. Allende- “La Narrativa (material extra)
9/12
mujer del juez”
_______________

Workshop de Ensayo-Narrativa L: Unamuno-“San Manuel Bueno,

9/14
First versión (in class) mártir” (110-119)

Análisis “San Manuel Bueno, L: Unamuno-“San Manuel Bueno,

9/17
mártir” (110-119) mártir” (119-127)

Wk 5 Análisis de “San Manuel Bueno, L: Unamuno-“San Manuel Bueno,

mártir” (119-127) mártir” (127-135)
9/19
R # 8: Sobre “San Manuel
Bueno, mártir” D: 9/20, 8 pm

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 Análisis de “San Manuel Bueno, L: “Introducción al Ensayo” (374-
mártir” (127-135) 380)
9/21
Final Version: Ensayo
Narrativa

Entrega de Final Version: L: E. Perón-“Los obreros y yo”

Ensayo Narrativa (422-426)
9/24 Introducción al Ensayo
R # 9: Sobre “Los obreros y yo”
D: 9/25, 8 pm

Análisis de “Los obreros y yo” L: R. Castellanos- “Y las madres,

Wk 6 9/26
¿qué opinan?” (426-430)

Análisis de “Y las madres, ¿qué L: R. Ferré- “La autenticidad de la

opinan?” mujer en el arte” (430-436)
9/28
R # 10: Sobre “La autenticidad de
la mujer en el arte” D: 9/30, 8 pm

Presentación 7: Análisis de “La autenticidad de la L: “La poesía” (138-139), “El

R. Ferré- “La mujer en el arte” lenguaje literario” (152-158)
10/1 autenticidad de la
mujer en el arte” R # 11: Responder a la pregunta
________________ ¿Qué es la poesía? D: 10/2, 8 pm

¿Qué es la poesía? L: “Los grandes místicos y el

Comentario de algunos ejemplos cristianismo humanístico” (162-
Wk 7 10/3
163), San Juan de la Cruz (181-
182), “Noche oscura” (183)

Presentación 9: Análisis de “Noche oscura” L: Rosella di Paolo “La noche

San Juan de la oscura” (material extra)
10/5 Cruz (181-182)-
“Noche oscura”
(183)

Análisis de “La noche oscura” L: Garcilaso de la Vega (176-177),

10/8
Soneto XXIII (178)
Wk 8
L: Luis de Góngora (184), Soneto
10/10 Análisis de Soneto XXIII CLXVI (185)

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 Análisis de Soneto CLXVI L: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (190),
“A su retrato” (191)
10/12
R # 12: Sobre “A su retrato” D:
10/9

Presentación 10: Análisis de “A su retrato” Completar Guía del Ensayo –

Sor Juana Inés de la Poesía (material extra)
10/15 Cruz (190), “A su
retrato” (191)

Wk 9
Workshop del Ensayo-Poesía L: Rubén Darío (206-207), “El
10/17 First Version (in class) cisne” (207), “Yo persigo una
forma” (materiales extra)

10/19 Fall Break

Presentación 11: Análisis de “El cisne” y “Yo persigo L: Delmira Agustini, “El cisne”
Rubén Darío, “El una forma” (material extra)
10/22
cisne” R # 13: Sobre los “cisnes”
(comparación) D: 10/23, 8 pm

Análisis de “El cisne” (comparación) L: Luis Palés Matos (226), “Danza

10/24 negra” (227), Nicolás Guillén
Wk 10 (229), “Sensemayá” (230)

Presentación 12: Análisis de poemas de Palés Matos y L: Nancy Morejón-

Palés Matos- Guillén “Renacimiento”- “Mujer negra”
10/26 “Danza negra” (246-249)

Presentación 13: Análisis de poemas de Morejón L: Victoria Santa Cruz, “Me

Nancy Morejón, gritaron negra” (material extra)
10/29
poemas
______________ Final Version: Ensayo Poesía

Wk 11
Análisis de “Me gritaron negra” L: Introducción al drama (252-
253)
10/31 Entrega Final Versión: Ensayo
Poesía R # 14: ¿Qué es el teatro? D:
11/1, 8 pm

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 Introducción al drama L: Casa de Bernarda Alba Act 1
11/2
¿Qué es el teatro? (335-347)

Análisis de Casa de Bernarda Alba L: Casa de Bernarda Alba Act 2

11/5
Act 1 (348-360)

Análisis de Casa de Bernarda Alba L: Casa de Bernarda Alba Act 3

Wk 12 11/7
Act 2 (360-371)

Análisis de Casa de Bernarda Alba L: Paloma Pedrero, “Resguardo

11/9
Act 3 Personal” (327-335)

Presentación 14: Análisis de “Resguardo Personal” Ver: Todo sobre mi madre

Paloma Pedrero,
11/12 “Resguardo
Personal”
_____________

Wk 13 Presentación 15: Análisis de “Todo sobre mi madre” R # 15: Sobre “Todo sobre mi
Pedro Almodóvar, madre” D: 11/15, 8 pm
11/14 “Todo sobre mi
madre”
_______________

11/16 Análisis de “Todo sobre mi madre” Completar Guía Ensayo Final

Workshop Ensayo Final

11/19 First Version del Ensayo Final
(in class)

Wk 14
11/21 Thanksgiving Break

11/23 Thanksgiving Break

Devolución de primera versión del

11/26 ensayo final y comentarios
generales
Wk 15
11/28 Citas con el grupo 1

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 11/30 Citas con el grupo 2

12/3 Panel del grupo 1

12/5 Panel del grupo 2

Wk 16

12/7 Reflexiones finales

Finals 12/10-
Week 12/14