GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES
SPA 380.01 TOPICS IN CULTURE AND SOCIETY
SESSIONS: TR 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM MAK B1112
Instructor: Médar Serrata
Office: MAK D-2-114
Phone: 331-3459
E-mail: serratam@gvsu.edu
Office Hours: TR 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM or by appointment
Drop Deadline – Grade W: March 8, 2013
Course description
This course examines the interaction between literature and popular music in the Hispanic Caribbean. Focusing on a selected body of works by authors from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, students will explore the multiple ways in which writers incorporate elements of popular music into their works, either to reinforce or to challenge the prevailing notions of national and cultural identity. Throughout the semester, students will listen to recordings and watch documentaries and videos of legendary performances to experience some of the most representative musical genres of the region: danza, rumba, son, bolero, salsa, merengue and bachata. The reading list includes short stories, poems and novels by some of the most prominent Hispanic Caribbean authors from 19th century to the present.
Course objectives
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
• Summarize the evolution of Spanish Caribbean literature since the 19th century
• Display general knowledge of the major traditions of Spanish Caribbean music and their relation to religious beliefs and to issues of race, gender and nation
• Identify some of the major Spanish Caribbean writers and pioneering performers
• Discuss the importance of literature and music as modes of expression and the role of artists as agents of change
• Analyze literary works and songs in the context of racial, national and/or gender identity
Texts
• Valdez, Pedro Antonio. Bachata del ángel caído. San Juan: Isla Negra Editores, 1999
• Other reading materials will be posted on Blackboard (Course Documents / Lecturas)
Documentary Films (available in eVideon)
• Salsa: Latin Pop Music in the Cities (Jeremy Marre, 1979)
• Buena Vista Social Club (Wim Wenders, 1999)
• Joan Soriano: El Duque de la bachata (Adam Taub, 2010)
Grading
Attendance / Participation = 10.0%
Reading Questionnaires (20 x 0.9 %) = 18.0%
Summaries ( 8 x 1.5 %) = 12.0%
Comunidad de lectores (10 x 1.8 %) = 18.0%
Online Journal (Blog) (14 x 0.89 %) = 12.5%
Group Presentation = 17.0%
Exams ( 2 x 6.25 %) = 12.5%
TOTAL 100.0%
Attendance / Participation
Attendance is not only extremely important to learn a foreign language: it is required by departmental policy. In accordance with the GVSU catalog, the instructor may deny a student credit in a course due to excessive absences. The Spanish section has defined “excessive” as missing 25% of classes. That is, if a student misses 7 or more classes [for a 2-day-a-week-class] during the semester, he or she will receive an F as a final grade. Beginning with the second absence, points will be deducted from the Attendance/Participation portion of your grade. The Spanish section recognizes the following as reasons to excuse absence and allow work to be made up: (a) participation in a University-sponsored activity, properly documented by the sponsoring office or department; (b) observance of a religious holiday, properly documented at least 14 days before the anticipated absence, or on the first week of the semester; (c) illness or emergency, properly documented. You will have one week to make up work missed for any of these reasons. Note that three late arrivals or early departures = one absence.
The success of this class depends on your participation—your observations and questions and willingness to explore new ideas. I realize that speaking in front of people in a foreign language can be intimidating. I also realize that some students are just shy and do not like to raise their hands even though they are prepared. But the fact is that class participation is an essential part of the learning process. Participating in discussions can only help you become more proficient in the language and get a better understanding of the materials covered in class. Consequently I wish to emphasize that you should feel free to express your views in class, that your ideas will always be treated with respect, and that I will do everything I possibly can to create an environment in which you will be comfortable speaking in Spanish.
Reading Questionnaires
The instructor will provide reading comprehension and analysis questions for each reading. Your questionnaire answers are due at the beginning of class. This will help you prepare for class discussions and will increase your chances of success in this course.
Summaries
The readings in this course include eight essays on Hispanic-Caribbean music. Your task is to summarize the main ideas of these essays using your own words. This will help you understand the material and recall it later. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Represent your source accurately and comprehensively, making sure that you are not duplicating the language of the source. Using a source's phrasing is a signal that you don't understand a passage.
2. Include important data but omit minor points.
3. Do not include your own ideas, illustrations, metaphors, or interpretations.
Comunidad de lectores
The comunidades de lectores are learning communities of five members in which students take turns with different roles in the analysis of texts (el moderador, el investigador, el especialista del género, el experto del lenguaje, el intérprete). On the assigned day, each student must present their work to their comunidad. Students will be the key facilitators of the discussion. The professor will serve as a guide, participant, and mentor. You also must upload your work to Blackboard and bring a copy to each member of your group the day of the presentation. Keep a copy of the work of your community to use for exam preparation.
Online Journal
You must create an online journal linked from the class blog. The assignment is to write at least three hundred words a week. The purpose of this activity is to help you engage with the course materials in a way that could be meaningful to you. Write informally about:
• Your first reactions to readings, lectures, films and songs
• Ways in which you can relate the course material to your experience
• New concepts you are encountering
• Comments on additional readings or multimedia content you find interesting
• Your frustrations (things you don’t like, things you don’t understand, etc.)
• Specific responses I will assign from time to time
Post your weekly entry by class time on Tuesday.
Group Presentation
Students will be assigned to one of eight groups that will be responsible for a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation. Your goal is to fully explore one of the music traditions of the Spanish Caribbean and to provide an interesting summary of your findings. The presentation should include:
• An overview of the cultural and socio-historical context in which the tradition emerged
• A profile of a pioneering artist or group highlighting their material,
contributions to the genre, major influences and musical lineage, and links to
particular regional styles, etc.
• A 3-4 minute video-clip to introduce the discussion of an trend-setting song or
historical performance
Students will also prepare activities to engage their classmates in a lively discussion, following a template provided by the instructor. You must meet with the instructor at least one week in advance to review these activities. Finally, you will complete a “peer review” form for the group project and turn it in on the day of your presentation.
Exams
You will be required to take two in-class examinations over assigned reading materials. The examinations may include multiple-choice, fill-in the blanks and short-response essay questions. In general, the short-response essays will ask you to discuss the significance of a character, action, or quotation for the text from which it is derived and in relation to issues raised in our class discussions.
Make-up Policy
There will be no make-up exam for unexcused absences. Students who are absent the day of their group presentations will receive a 0 as a grade for the activity. A 50% penalty will be applied to all late homework.
Academic Honesty
I will hold you to the following guidelines of academic honesty found in GVSU Student Code: “The principles of truth and honesty are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. Grand Valley State University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles, and in so doing, protect the validity of university grades. This means that all academic work will be done by the student to whom it is assigned, without unauthorized aid of any kind. Instructors, for their part, will exercise care in the planning and supervision of academic work so that honest effort will be positively encouraged. Cheating and plagiarism are the two most obvious violations of academic honesty. In brief, plagiarism is borrowing ideas, words, organization, etc., from another source or person and claiming them as original. Such activity may result in failure of a specific assignment, an entire course, or, if flagrant, dismissal from the University.” For more details of GVSU policies and rules regarding academic honesty see the GVSU Catalog (www.gvsu.edu/catalog) General Academic Policies and Regulations, and Student Code.
Diversity
GVSU recognizes that a range of thoughtful perspectives is necessary for open inquiry, liberal education, and a healthy community. In accordance with this value, we will actively seek ways to incorporate the voices and experiences of all into the classroom. In order to foster a healthy and diverse environment, we will act with integrity, communicate respectfully, and accept responsibility for our words and actions.
Special Needs
If you have special needs because of a learning disability or another disability, please feel free to discuss this with your instructor and contact Disability Support Services (DSS) at 331-2490. DSS has put together a number of services for persons with disabilities in order to help them achieve their potential in this educational institution. The office provides you with a range of services from Assistive Technology to extra tutoring that you can access to overcome the challenges that you could otherwise face in a traditional educational system. For more information, visit the DSS website at: http://www.gvsu.edu/dss/.
Blackboard and Email
• I post all grades and most course documents on Blackboard (Bb).
• I use Bb for announcements, so make sure that you check it for announcements and your GVSU Gmail account daily.
¡Bienvenidos al curso! At this level, please accept the challenge of taking on increasing responsibility for your learning. This means that . . .
• if you don’t understand something, you need to ask for help or more explanation
• if there is a word that you don’t know, you need to look it up in a good dictionary. The Real Academia Española has two excellent online dictionaries at http://www.rae.es/rae.html
• if you want to improve your grade on a composition, you need to make substantial changes to your work
• if you want to improve your proficiency in Spanish, you must make an effort to practice Spanish outside of class time through television, radio, movies (you can use the LRC), friends, conversation hours, etc.
