|
|
|
PREREQUISITES Applicants must have taken course work in Spanish at any level or possess minimal knowledge of Spanish. Heritage speakers who lack formal training should contact CONEXIONES language staff. Students will be required to purchase the text listed below and read assigned selections from the text in preparation for the field study. The reading assignments from the text will be given to students no later than March 1. An essay on the readings will be required, based on questions provided to the student at the first group meeting at the end of March. The essay must be completed in satisfactory form by May 16, 2008. Reading selections will come from: The Mexico Reader: History, Culture, and Politics: Gilbert M. Joseph, ed. COURSEWORK
All students must register for the following two seminars: UHON 301 CONEXIONES: A Field Course in Mexican Culture : (3 hrs) This seminar, an in-depth examination of Mexican culture, is experientially based. It features investigative assignments to be completed in Morelia, field trips within Michoacán, and optional weekend field trips to more distant locations such as Mexico City or Guadalajara, Uruapan, and Guanajuato. All field work and trips will be accomplished by students in small groups. No student will be involved in every field trip. All students must register for this course, which should not be confused with the Spanish 301 course described below. UHON 399 Lab: Experiential Explorations of Mexican Culture Via the Conexiones Cuaderno (1 hr) A self-guided program of Mexican Culture Study. To be taken concurrently with UHON 301 as a “laboratory’ for that Seminar. Note: Students willing to do enhanced work in Spanish while examining Mexican culture via UHON 301 and 399 can petition to have these credits recognized as language credits. SPANISH STUDY
CONEXIONES uses a language institute approach in Spanish instruction. The UNM professors coordinate instruction in Morelia assisted by Mexican Spanish teachers. Students attend intensive classes (3-4 hours daily). The student-teacher ratio is no more than six to one (except in literature classes). Experiential assignments in Spanish dovetail with work in the Honors culture study course. All Students MUST Register for ONE of The Following Courses: SPAN 200 Intermediate Spanish Abroad: (3 hrs) Grammar and conversation with emphasis on Mexican Culture (for students with minimal Spanish -see pre-requisite section above). This course is taught with a communicative-based methodology and is based on two components. On one hand, the textbook Vistas emphasizes grammatical or lexical knowledge and engages students in the practice of the four language skills (listening, reading, writing, speaking). On the other hand, the rich context of the local environment within Mexico provides topics for our communicative activities and the opportunity for daily practice in the target language. Instructor: Elena Aviles is a second year Master’s student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese in Hispanic Literature. This is her fourth year teaching for the Spanish as a Heritage Language Program at UNM. She has experience teaching both Spanish 111 and Spanish 212. Her research interests are contemporary Southwest and Latin American literature with a focus on how identity is constructed for women. She holds a BA in Spanish Literature and Chicana/o Studies from UCLA. She is a native of Los Angeles , California but lived one year in Madrid , Spain . She loves to travel and believes travel is one of the best learning environments. SPAN 301 Conexiones - Cultura de Mexico: (3 hrs) Conversation, grammar review, and composition with emphasis on Mexican culture (for intermediate students). Cinema mexicano: del melodrama a lo marginal Instructor: Jeremy Lehnen is a doctoral candidate in Latin American Studies at UNM. His primary research interests are in contemporary Latin American visual culture and literature, particularly cinema. His current research concentrates on questions of representations of violence within contemporary Latin American film. He received his MA in Spanish from Vanderbilt University and has taught at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Middle Tennessee State University, and Tennessee State University. He has participated in study abroad programs to Málaga, Spain; Valencia, Spain; and Fortaleza, Brazil and has traveled extensively both in Latin America as well as in Europe. Course reading to be posted on e-reserves before departure. SPAN 439 Contemporary Mexican Literature: (3 hrs) Explores the complexities of Mexican expressive culture in its literacy dimension. Focus on poetry and short fiction for advanced students. Spanish 203: Spanish Conversation: (3 hrs) While in Spain, students are in an environment that requires continual use of the language: in the classroom, with their families, in the streets. This is an optional offering in the Conexiones Program. Students who register for this course will gain credit for their submersion in the Spanish-speaking environment after the successful completion of an oral interview conducted by the instructor at the end of the period in Spain. Instructor: Margo Chavez-Charles Graduate credit available through Independent Study. Contact the program directors for more information.
|
