2025-2026 Course Descriptions
PORTUGUESE 101-1: Elementary Portuguese (Summer Quarter)
Introduction to grammar and development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as the history and culture of Portuguese-speaking countries.
PORTUGUESE 101-2: Elementary Portuguese (Summer Quarter)
Introduction to grammar and development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as the history and culture of Portuguese-speaking countries. Prerequisite: PORT 101-1 or sufficient score on placement test.
PORTUGUESE 101-3: Elementary Portuguese (Summer Quarter)
Introduction to grammar and development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as the history and culture of Portuguese-speaking countries. Prerequisite: PORT 101-2 or sufficient score on placement test.
PORTUGUESE 105-8: First Year Writing Seminar: Topic TBD (Winter Quarter - Taught in English)
Course description to be determined.
PORTUGUESE 115-1: Portuguese for Speakers of Spanish and other Romance Languages (Fall and Winter Quarters)
For students proficient in Spanish, French or Italian. Comparative sociolinguistic and interactive approach to communicative competence emphasizing pronunciation, intonation, sentence structure, and patterns of spoken and written Portuguese. Prerequisite: AP of 4 in Spanish or other Romance Language, or equivalent on the Spanish Language Placement Exam, or Instuctor Permission.
PORTUGUESE 115-2: Portuguese for Speakers of Spanish and other Romance Languages (Winter and Spring Quarters)
For students proficient in Spanish, French or Italian. Comparative sociolinguistic and interactive approach to communicative competence emphasizing pronunciation, intonation, sentence structure, and patterns of spoken and written Portuguese. Prerequisite: PORT 115-1.
PORTUGUESE 201-0: Reading and Speaking Portuguese (Spring Quarter)
This intermediate course is designed to expand mastery in reading and speaking Brazilian Portuguese through select cultural videos, readings of literary cronicas, periodicals, and the Internet. Prerequisite: PORT 115-2, PORT 121-3, or sufficient score on placement examination.
PORTUGUESE 202-0: Reading and Writing Portuguese (Fall Quarter)
Instruction in reading and writing expository and narrative prose. Emphasis on vocabulary, linguistic skills, and syntax appropriate to formal written Portuguese. Analysis and development of written skills in different types of discourse genres. This course counts toward the Minor in Portuguese. Prerequisite: PORT 115-2, PORT 121-3, or sufficient score on placement examination.
PORTUGUESE 210-0: Icons, Legends, and Myths in Brazil (Lecture Taught in English)
Representations in graphic materials, documentaries, film, theater, folklore, narrative fiction, and popular music of historical, literary, and popular figures in the national imagination. Includes English or Portuguese discussion sections. Prerequisite for Portuguese discussion section: PORT 201-0, PORT 202-0, or sufficient score on placement exam. Prerequisite for English discussion section: none.
PORTUGUESE 396-0: Topics in Lusophone Cultures: Topic TBD (Spring Quarter)
Aspects of the literatures and cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and Lusophone Africa (Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Principe, Guinea-Bissau). Possible topics include Brazilian modernism, Lusophone African literature and film, race and sexuality in Brazilian literature, travel narrative, literature and ethnography, the Portuguese novel, nation and nationalism. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
SPANISH 101-1: Elementary Spanish (Fall Quarter)
First course of a three-quarter sequence in introductory Spanish, designed for students who have never studied Spanish or studied Spanish less than two years in high school. Students will learn Spanish in order to use it beyond the classroom in meaningful and authentic ways at the Novice level of proficiency.
SPANISH 101-2: Elementary Spanish (Winter Quarter)
Second course of a three-quarter sequence in introductory Spanish. Students will learn Spanish in order to use it beyond the classroom in meaningful and authentic ways at the Novice High-Intermediate Low level of proficiency. Prerequisite: SPANISH 101-1.
SPANISH 101-3: Elementary Spanish (Spring Quarter)
Third course of a three-quarter sequence in introductory Spanish. Students will learn Spanish in order to use it beyond the classroom in meaningful and authentic ways at the Intermediate Low level of proficiency. Prerequisite: SPANISH 101-2.
SPANISH 105-7: College Seminar: Don Quixote's World (Fall Quarter - Taught in English)
What do we do about a world that doesn't conform to our expectations? Do we set out to mold reality to our vision or accept it as it is? How do we forge ahead with our dreams if others do not share our values or goals? Cervantes' Don Quixote tackles these big questions in ways that are both moving and funny as it narrates the adventures of the bedraggled hero--a man driven mad by reading too many fantasy novels--and his earthy sidekick Sancho Panza. The novel contains themes that resonate with our lives today, exploring not only what it means to write--and read--fiction but also asking us to evaluate what kind of person we want to be in the world. In our class, we'll read the novel closely and debate how its essential questions can shape our personal choices moving forward. We will read the novel in English; no prior knowledge of Spanish or Spanish literature is needed.
SPANISH 105-8: First Year Writing Seminar: Topic TBD (Winter Quarter - Taught in English)
Course description to be determined.
SPANISH 105-8: First Year Writing Seminar: Topic TBD (Spring Quarter - Taught in English)
Course description to be determined.
SPANISH 115-1: Accelerated Elementary Spanish (Winter Quarter)
First course of a two-quarter sequence in introductory Spanish designed for students with previous experience in Spanish. Students will learn Spanish in order to use it beyond the classroom in meaningful and authentic ways at the Novice High-Intermediate Low level of proficiency. Offered in winter. Prerequisite: Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 115-2: Accelerated Elementary Spanish (Spring Quarter)
Second course of a two-quarter sequence in introductory Spanish designed for students with previous experience in Spanish. Students will learn Spanish in order to use it beyond the classroom in meaningful and authentic ways at the Intermediate Low level of proficiency. Offered in spring. Prerequisite: SPANISH 115-1.
SPANISH 121-1: Intermediate Spanish (Fall Quarter)
First course in a three-quarter sequence in Intermediate Spanish. Further development of communicative proficiency with an emphasis on the functional use of Spanish and cultural content and reflection. Prerequisite: SPANISH 101-3, 115-2, or Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 121-2: Intermediate Spanish (Winter Quarter)
Second course in a three-quarter sequence in Intermediate Spanish. Further development of communicative proficiency with an emphasis on the functional use of Spanish and cultural content and reflection. Prerequisite: SPANISH 121-1.
SPANISH 121-3: Intermediate Spanish (Spring Quarter)
Third course in a three-quarter sequence in Intermediate Spanish. Further development of communicative proficiency with an emphasis on the functional use of Spanish and cultural content and reflection at the Intermediate Mid proficienty level. Prerequisite: SPANISH 121-2.
SPANISH 125-0: Accelerated Intermediate Spanish (Fall Quarter)
Further development of communicative proficiency at the intermediate high level with an emphasis on the Hispanic world and the development of cultural competence. This means that students will be able to communicate familiar and some researched topics, often across various time frames. Offered in fall only. Prerequisite: Second langauge learners with an AP score of 3 or sufficient score on Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 127-0: Accelerated Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Language Learners (Fall Quarter)
SPANISH 200-0: Advanced Spanish for Heritage Language Learners (Fall and Winter Quarters)
his course readies heritage Spanish learners for advanced studies in the target language by exploring contemporary topics in the Spanish-speaking world. It provides insights into how historical events have influenced the present in Latin America, Spain, and the U.S. Latino/a/x communities. Students develop a critical awareness of their language skills, with a focus on reading and writing. It is designed for students who grew up with Spanish as their main language at home and/or in their communities. Prerequisite: Spanish heritage learners enrolled in or who have taken and passed SPANISH 127-0, OR have an AP of 4, OR sufficient score on the Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 201-0: Advanced Spanish I: Contemporary Latin America
This course is designed to develop all modes of communication in Spanish as students progress towards the advanced-low level of proficiency, through the interpretation and analysis of sociopolitical topics in Latin America. In addition, the critical examination of authentic materials will help students explore how the recent history of Latin America has shaped its present. Prerequisite: Second language learners currently enrolled in or who have passed SPANISH 121-3, 125-0, OR have AP score of 4, OR sufficient score on the Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 204-0: Advanced Spanish II: Artivism in the Spanish-Speaking World
This course is designed to develop all communication modes in Spanish at the advanced-low level of proficiency, through the exploration, interpretation and analysis of multimodal texts centered around socially engaged art. The course will explore the role that the creative arts played in 20th-century Spain and Latin America while connecting these movements to current times. Prerequisite: Students must currently be enrolled in or have taken and passed SPAN 201-0, OR have an AP score of 5 on the Spanish & Culture exam, OR sufficient score on the Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 206-0: Spanish for Professions: Business (Spring Quarter)
Advanced course to develop communication skills in Spanish for business purposes. Emphasis on language skills for the global marketplace, specialized terminology, comprehension of cultural nuances, analytical writing skills and project-bases assignments.Prerequisite: Students must currently be enrolled in or have taken and passed SPAN 200-0 or 201-0, OR have an AP score of 5, OR sufficient score on the Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 208-0: Spanish and the Community (Spring Quarter)
The main objective of this course is the development of advanced Spanish communication skills, as well as through and personal cultural knowledge of the Hispanic communities in the Chicagoland, through readings, discussions, writing, and interviews. Prerequisite: Students must currently be enrolled in or have taken and passed SPAN 200-0 or 201-0, OR have an AP score of 5, OR sufficient score on the Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 250-0: Literature in Spain before 1700
Survey of the origins of the Spanish language and the development of Spanish literature from the Middle Ages to the end of the Spanish Golden Age. Study of representative figures and major literary developments in conjunction with religious and cultural history. Prerequisite (may be taken concurrently): SPANISH 200-0 or 204-0.
SPANISH 251-0: Literature in Spain since 1700
Survey of literature in Spain from the 18th to the 20th century. Study of representative figures and major literary developments in conjunction with political and cultural history. Prerequisite (may be taken concurrently): SPANISH 200-0 or 204-0.
SPANISH 260-0: Literature in Colonial Latin America
Survey of pre-Hispanic, colonial, and romantic traditions in Latin America. Focus on authors and texts such as Popul Vuh, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Martín Fierro. Prerequisite (may be taken concurrently): SPANISH 200-0 or 204-0.
SPANISH 261-0: Literature in Modern Latin America
Survey of the modern period, including modernismo, the historical avant-garde, the "Boom," and recent literary trends. Authors such as Delmira Agustini, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Pablo Neruda, and Cristina Peri Rossi. Prerequisite (may be taken concurrently): SPANISH 200-0 or 204-0.
SPANISH 277-0: Introduction to Latinx Literature (Fall Quarter - Taught in English)
In the United States, we often talk about Latinx people using blurry labels. We discuss the Latino vote and the Hispanic population, we move from Latino/a to Latinx to Latine and finally reject the very possibility of a category that can encompass a continuously expanding number of national identities, ethnicities, and languages. Our course readings and discussions will interrogate terms like Latinx, Chicano, and Nuyorican by tracing their emergence in the 1960s and following their evolution since then.
SPANISH 280-0: Introduction to Spanish Linguistics (Winter Quarter)
An introductory course designed to present students with an overview of the phonology, phonetics, morphology, syntax, and sociolinguistic and pragmatic elements specific to Spanish language. Prerequisite: Students must currently be enrolled in or have passed SPAN 200-0 or 204-0, OR have an AP score of 5 for heritage students, or an AP of 5 in both Spanish Language and Literature exams for non-heritage students, or sufficient score on the Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 281-0: Spanish Phonetics & Phonology (Spring Quarter)
Introduction to the theory and practice of Spanish sounds and phonology. Articulation and production, classification and description, combination and syllabification, sonority sequencing, and prevalent dialects. Introduction to basic principles of ethnographic research, data collection, and analysis. Prerequisite: Students must currently be enrolled in or have passed SPAN 200-0 or 204-0, OR have an AP score of 5 for heritage students, or an AP of 5 in both Spanish Language and Literature exams for non-heritage students, or sufficient score on the Spanish Language Placement Exam.
SPANISH 340-0: Colonial Latin American Literature: Rewriting the New World (Fall Quarter)
This course focuses on colonial Latin America in the late 16th and early 17th century. Within this period, we will examine narrative and poetic works by Indigenous and European authors in which the nature and implications of the recent history of the “New World” (in particular, the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese) is contested, rewritten, and reimagined. We will be especially interested in the different ways that these works engage with both local and transatlantic influences. Key terms and questions to be explored include polemics, prophecy, hybridity, plurality, extirpation, preservation, and translation. While the primary language of the class will be Spanish, sources will include texts originally written in multiple Indigenous and European languages (provided in translation in Spanish or English). Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0.
SPANISH 342-0: Race and Representation in Latin American: Representaciones del Indio y de la Indigeneidad en América Latina (Fall Quarter)
This course explores the forms and development of representations of indigenous peoples and of indigeneity in a wide array of modern Latin American literature. We will read mostly narrative and criticism, but also attend to visual and popular cultural production, such as photography, painting, and video. In particular, we will be attentive to the ways in which these representations significantly structure and are structured by conceptualizations of race, gender, nature, and place. Primarily, we will delve into the prominent literary and cultural movement of indigenismo, which sought to vindicate indigenous peoples’ cultural, social and political standing. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0.
SPANISH 344-0: Borges (Winter Quarter)
The poetry, essays, and short fiction of Jorge Luis Borges. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0.
SPANISH 345-0: Reading the 'Boom' (Fall Quarter)
In this class, we will examine how “Boom” writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa, and others incorporated into their works different accounts of Latin American popular culture (radionovels, boxing matches, music, nightlife…). In the process, we will examine some of the Boom’s characteristic literary traits, the political and social landscapes in which they were producing their work, and some key aspects of modern Latin American rural and urban cultures. Critical accounts of the Boom generation by critics such as Ángel Rama, Jean Franco, and Pascale Casanova will complement our readings and allow us to question some of the Boom politics related to questions of gender, race, sexual identity, and governmentality. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0.
SPANISH 347-0: Literature and Revolution in Latin America (Winter Quarter)
Revolutionary practices in Latin American literatures as well as literary representations of revolution. Authors such as Mariano Azuela, Nellie Campobello, Roque Dalton, and Rodolfo Usigli. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0 OR by permission of the instructor.
SPANISH 361: Latin America: Studies in Culture and Society (Winter & Spring Quarters)
Analysis of the history of culture in Latin America with an emphasis on the intersection of politics, society, and literature and on the relationship between literary and visual culture. May be repeated for credit with different topic.. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, 251-0, 260-0, or 261-0.
SPANISH 395-0: Topics in Latin American, Latina and Latino, and Iberian Cultures: Topic TBD (Winter & Spring Quarters)
Advanced study of topics in the literary traditions of either Latin America or Spain. Possible topics include intellectual history, transatlantic exchanges, literature of the fantastic, feminist traditions, hybrid cultures, and history and fiction. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, 251-0, 260-0, or 261-0.
SPANISH 397-0: Topics in Latin American, Latina and Latino, and Iberian Literatures and Cultures: Topic TBD (Fall & Winter Quarters - Taught in English)
Aspects of the literatures and cultures of Latin America and Spain. Possible topics include postcolonial criticism and its reception in Hispanic cultures, notions of translation, theories of poetics, orality and oral culture, the memoir, and travel writing. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
SPANISH 397-0: Topics in Latin American, Latina and Latino, and Iberian Literatures and Cultures: Topic TBD (Winter Quarter - Taught in English)
Aspects of the literatures and cultures of Latin America and Spain. Possible topics include postcolonial criticism and its reception in Hispanic cultures, notions of translation, theories of poetics, orality and oral culture, the memoir, and travel writing. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
SPANPORT 401-0: Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory: Latin American Literature in the Anthropocene: Criticism and Theory (Fall Quarter)
What place has the colossal epistemic shift that we call the Anthropocene had in Latin American lettered practices? More than simply a look at the literary representations of nature, ecological transformation, and climate-driven catastrophes in the region, this course proposes to explore the significance of thinking beyond the Enlightenment notions of the human and its impact for conceptualizing the region in the world. In considering this issue, we will draw on eco-criticism, animal studies, indigeneity studies, thing theory, as well as critiques of the so-called new extractivisms and local and global capital. We will pay careful attention to notions of nature, animality, non-humanity, and geology in order to consider what the stakes are of thinking the region’s history, society and culture outside of anthropocentric models and assumptions. We will be especially interested in the question of Latin Americanism in this context. A broad selection of authors from a variety of national literatures will be considered and may include Andrés Bello, José Eustasio Rivera, Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, Gamaliel Churata, Gabriela Mistral, Mário de Andrade, José Marín Cañas, Óscar Cerruto, Alejo Carpentier, Clarice Lispector, José María Arguedas, Giaconda Belli, Samanta Schweblin, Manuel Cornejo Chapparo, and Rigoberta Menchú.
SPANPORT 410-0: Topics in Early Modern Literatures and Cultures (Spring Quarter)
Course description to be determined.
SPANPORT 420-0: Studies in 20th Century Literatures and Cultures (Winter Quarter)
Course description to be determined.
SPANPORT 425-0: Studies Contemporary Literature and Cultures: The Racial Anxieties of Contemporary Spain (Fall Quarter)
In this course we will study Spain’s development into a multicultural and multiracial nation as a result of mass immigration since the 80s. Through an exploration of political documents, cultural studies, film and literature, we will analyze and discuss the questions of immigration and multiculturalism in Spain from 1985 to the present. Throughout the course we will consider the following questions: How has Spain changed in cultural terms and how have those changes affected conceptualizations of race and migration?
SPANPORT 455-0: Comparative Studies in Latin America and/or Iberian Literature and Cultures (Winter Quarter)
Course description to be determined.
SPANPORT 480-0: Topics in Latin American Literature and/or Iberian Literatures and Cultures: (Winter Quarter)
Course description to be determined.
SPANPORT 496-0: Dissertation Prospectus Writing Workshop (Fall Quarter)
This course seeks to impart to students the knowledge necessary to answer the questions: what is a dissertation, and how do I write one? In the spirit of a workshop, we will work as a group to foster and cultivate the skill sets necessary to formulate and articulate an organizing question adequate to the charge of a significant, independent, multi-year research project. We will call this first stage the prospectus, and we will figure out what it is and how best to write it. We will try to distill multiple and often conflicting statements, expectations, and/or fears about what the dissertation is so we can effectively undertake its preparation and writing.
SPANPORT 560-0: World Language Teaching: Theory and Practice (Winter Quarter)
Current approaches to the teaching of World Languages. This course is designed for students in the graduate program in Spanish and Portuguese who will be teaching Spanish/Portuguese at Northwestern University, and undergraduate students who are planning to become Spanish-Portuguese instructors