¡Bienvenidos al Departamento de Español!
The curriculum of the Department of Spanish is designed to develop a critical understanding of cultural difference in a variety of contexts that correspond to the three general areas in the study of Hispanic languages, literatures and cultures: Peninsular Spanish Literatures and Cultures, Latin American Literatures and Cultures (including the Caribbean and U.S. Latino); and Hispanic Linguistics. Aware of students' needs in the everyday, practical world, as well as in their intellectual lives, the Department of Spanish offers various options aimed at responding to these needs. The growing importance of Spanish, spoken as a first language by over thirty million North Americans, has made it essential for many professionals to be fluent in Spanish. For this reason, the spoken language of daily communication lies at the very base of our curriculum. Consequently, our students find that they have a competitive edge in the job market. The Department offers both a major and a minor. Prospective majors should consult the Spanish Majors Handbook.
The Department of Spanish offers a curriculum that is tailored to improve the students' knowledge of language and culture and enhance their linguistic and literary analytical skills. Courses are organized such that students continuously see the cultural contrasts between Hispanic culture and their own. Language and literature are taught as a reflection of culture, a particular way of thinking and a special world view. The literature and culture courses are geared toward understanding the traditions of all Hispanic cultures, including those that are increasingly becoming a living part of the United States.
Courses in Peninsular Spanish and Latin American Culture often lead students to take the challenging upper-level literature courses, including Cervantes: Don Quixote and the Contemporary Latin American Novel.
Other courses add to the variety of departmental offerings. The linguistics classes including Spanish Phonology and The Structure of Modern Spanish, give students a deeper understanding of the workings of the language and of variations in the spoken Spanish between countries.
Students interested in preparing for issues in international business or finance in the Hispanic world may consider the International Business and Commercial Language curriculum. The major may emphasize either business or language skills, and a business internship in a Spanish-speaking country is a recommended part of this program under either option. Also available is a minor in International Business Economics. Students interested in teaching may consider teacher licensure.
Eligible students may be elected to Sigma Delta Pi, the National Spanish Honor Society.
With the support of the faculty, students in Spanish have done research in such wide-ranging fields as theater and dance, bilingual education, social and economic issues, political developments in Spain and Latin America, language-teaching methodology, literature, and intercultural communication. The I.S. program is exciting for both faculty and students because our students are encouraged to explore new fields where they can feel comfortable and committed. Spanish majors must complete a Junior Seminar before Senior Independent Study by completing Spanish 310, if not already taken to fulfill the department’s requirements for the major, or an additional 300-level literature course. The Department’s 300-level courses are the first step in preparing students for Senior Independent Study by providing the research methods for the study of Hispanic language, linguistics, literature, and culture in preparation and presenting a variety of viable topics. See the Senior I. S. Handbook.
Each year, the College also offers sophomores a unique research experience. Some students, for example, have worked on the field investigation of the Puerto Rican community in Cleveland, as well as on the writing of research papers that resulted from the field research. As co-authors, these students also had the honor of participating in the presentation of the papers at international conferences. Occasionally, such student research may even result in publication.
Classes, of course, are not the only way to learn about Spanish. The more festive and light character of the Hispanic peoples comes through in various other activities, such as film series, meals, parties, lectures, and language tables where students and instructors exchange views in a very informal atmosphere. A student from Spain or Latin America comes to Wooster every year to help with conversation in the language classes and with the organization of a number of activities. The Student Assistant resides at the Spanish House with a diverse group of students, majors and non-majors, who speak only Spanish.
For those wishing to experience first-hand the life of a student in Spain or Latin America, the Department has direct connections with foreign study programs in Córdoba, Madrid, Salamanca, and Barcelona, Spain; Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic; Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile; and the Border Studies Program in El Paso, Texas/Juárez, México. Many students have also had successful semesters on other programs in Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico. We have semester or full-year programs, allowing for flexibility in the student's curriculum, personal preference and degree of language proficiency. For a complete list of Wooster-endorsed programs in Spanish-speaking countries, see the International Programs Office Home Page.
Whatever
their preference, students are encouraged to consider participation in our
study abroad programs during their second or third years at Wooster, so that
the international dimension offered by these programs can enrich their studies
at the upper level. Students find the overseas programs very exciting, and
their enthusiasm becomes a major component in their successful Independent
Study theses.
In order to receive transfer credit toward satisfying The College of Wooster's language requirement for graduation for taking the equivalent of Spanish 101 (Beginning Spanish Level I) and Spanish 102 (Beginning Spanish Level II), please access Requirements for Transfer Credit.
The Department of Spanish consists of the following faculty members, each with a specific research interest. All members of the faculty teach beginning and intermediate language courses, intermediate and advanced language and literature courses, and advise Senior Independent Study.
Mary Addis, Associate Professor of Spanish. B.A. St. Mary's 1971; M.A., Ph.D. California (San Diego), 1977, 1984. Her research is in the area of twentieth century Spanish American narrative, with an emphasis on the Central American novel and short story, as well as Caribbean literature. She teaches courses in Latin American literature and culture, including a course on the Hispanic Caribbean. Professor Addis is active in professional conferences on Latin American literature here and abroad. She is currently completing a study of narratives of nationalism in the modern Nicaraguan novel.
Brian Cope, Assistant Professor of Spanish. B.A. Washington-St. Louis 1995; M.A. California-Irvine 1998; Ph.D. California-Irvine 2004. He teaches intermediate and advanced courses in Spanish peninsular culture and literature. His research interests center on nineteenth and twentieth-century Spanish narrative and film, transatlantic and postcolonial studies, and cultural thought.
John P. Gabriele, Raymond and Carolyn Dix Professor of Spanish. B.A. M.A. Connecticut 1975, 1977; Ph.D. North Carolina 198l. Diploma de Filología Superior. Salamanca, Spain. 1983. He teaches language courses and courses on the literature and culture of Spain and coordinates Wooster's program in Córdoba, Spain. Professor Gabriele has read numerous papers at professional conferences in the USA and abroad, is the Associate Editor of Estreno, and serves on the editorial boards of several scholarly journals. He has published widely on XIX, XX, and XXI century Spanish Peninsular literature, particularly Spanish Romanticism, avant-garde theater, Spanish feminist theater, exilic literature, and the postmodern theater of Democratic Spain.
Cynthia Palmer, Assistant Professor of Spanish. B.S. Northern Arizona University 1987; M.A., Ph.D. Arizona 1993, 2000. Professor Palmer teaches courses on Latin American and US Latino literatures and cultures. Her research interests are in the areas of XIX and XX century Spanish and Spanish American Literature and critical theory with a particular focus on narrative by Argentine Women Novelists. She has read papers at several conferences.
Carmen Patricia Tovar, Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish. B.A. Cal State University Northridge 2000; M.A. UC Irvine, 2003; Ph.D. UC Irvine, 2008. She teaches language and Latin American literature and culture courses. Her research interests are Mexican cultural production, South American poetry under totalitarian regimes, and contemporary Latin American narrative.
Diane Ringer Uber, Professor of Spanish. B.A. Wooster 1974; M.A. Pennsylvania State 1977; Ph.D. Wisconsin 1981. She teaches advanced courses dealing with various aspects of Spanish language and linguistics, teaching methodology, and commercial Spanish. The focus of her research is sociolinguistics and dialectology, and she has read papers and published on a wide range of linguistic topics.
Last Updated: May 2008