Department: Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies

Code Name Description
LAIS 121 Intensive Elementary Spanish For students with no prior experience studying the Spanish language. Stresses development of skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in a fast-paced environment, which includes an introduction to the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world...
LAIS 151 Spanish for Advanced Beginners Advanced beginner's course is designed for students who took 1-3 years of Spanish in the past and now need a review of elementary Spanish before continuing on to Spanish 221. This need should be established by a placement exam, because many students...
LAIS 221 Intensive Intermediate Spanish Meant for students who have completed LAIS 121 or LAIS 151 and/or who have approximately 3-4 years of prior Spanish study and have placed into 221 via a placement exam. LAIS 221 stresses further development of language production and reception skills...
LAIS 231 Intensive Intermediate Portuguese Reinforcement and further development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in Portuguese; detailed survey/study of Lusophone cultures.
LAIS 301 Spanish in the Community Development of aural, oral, and written communication skills through the study of the Latin American immigrant experience. In addition to the classroom study of Hispanic immigrant literature, newspapers, and films, students will participate in an out...
LAIS 302 Spanish in Fiction Development of aural, oral, and written communication skills through literary texts of the Hispanic world. Reading of poems, short stories, plays, and short novels and interpretion through class discussions and regular writing assignments. This is no...
LAIS 303 Spanish in the Media Development of aural, oral, and written communication skills through a focus on mass media in Spanish and Latin American culture. Spanish will be taught through direct contact with newspapers, journals, TV programming, and films. Students are expecte...
LAIS 304 Spanish in the Theater Development of aural, oral, and written communication skills through the study and performance of contemporary plays from Latin America. Special attention will be given to the discussion of social, cultural, historical, and political aspects of the t...
LAIS 305 Spanish in Politics and Society Development of aural, oral, and written communication skills through the study and discussion of current events and issues in the Spanish-speaking world.
LAIS 306 Spanish in Business Development of aural, oral, and written communication skills relative to commercial documents and transactions commonly used in the Hispanic world. Practice in writing based on materials needed for conducting business in Spanish.
LAIS 307 Medical Spanish: Health and Medicine in the Community Selection of readings and conversational practices in Spanish from the medical and health care fields with a professional, historical, linguistic and cultural perspective focused on Spanish speaking communities will form the basis of this course.
LAIS 308 Let's Talk About Film Development of aural, oral, and written communication skills in Spanish through the study of representative films, fiction and documentary.
LAIS 309 Spanish Writing Workshop Analysis of grammatical structure of Spanish. Writing practice.
LAIS 310 Spanish for Heritage Speakers Spanish instruction for students with at-home Spanish-language experience (heritage speakers). Covers a variety of topics relevant to Spanish speakers in the United States, including, but not limited to, immigration, hybrid identity and Spanglish. Me...
LAIS 311 Perspectives on Peoples and Cultures of Spain Study of society, cultures, arts, history, and ideas of Spain.
LAIS 312 Introduction to Latin American Studies Study of society, cultures, arts, history, and ideas of Latin America.
LAIS 313 Building Brasilia: From Idea to Reality Through engaging with a selection of analytical, historical, archival, and fictional texts that provide context, this course is an in-depth exploration of the various processes that led to the construction of Brazil’s capital city. Readings and discu...
LAIS 314 Luso-Brazilian Studies: A Global Perspective A comprehensive overview of the many cultures that comprise the Luso-Brazilian world, with attention to texts that have played significant literary, cultural, social, and historical roles in the construction of Lusofonia. Taught in English. Students...
LAIS 321 Literary Spain: Poetry, Drama, Fiction Introduction to literary analysis within the cultural context of Spain. Critical tools for approaching specific literary genres: short story, novel, poetry, and drama. Readings are selected for their literary, cultural, and historical significance.
LAIS 322 Spain on Stage 500 years of theatre in Spain, with a framework and methodology for reading and interpreting dramatic texts and for contemplating their transference to the stage and the screen. Special attention devoted to the evolution of performance practices, as...
LAIS 329 The African Novel A selection of novels fiction from Portuguese and Spanish speaking countries in Africa. Critical and theoretical tools for engaging these literary texts, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries. Readings and discussions in English; students may o...
LAIS 331 Introduction to Latin American Literature I Introduction to Spanish-American literature and critical literary analysis. Focus on primary texts dating from the 15th through 19th centuries (331); 20th century (332).
LAIS 332 Introduction to Latin American Literature II Introduction to Spanish-American literature and critical literary analysis. Focus on primary texts dating from the 15th through 19th centuries (331); 20th century (332).
LAIS 339 Stories from Elsewhere: Africa, Asia, Brazil, Portugal An election of short fiction from Portuguese and Spanish speaking areas in Africa, Asia, America, and Europe. Critical and theoretical tools for engaging these literary texts, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries. Readings and discussions in S...
LAIS 350 Sociolinguistic approaches to Spanish This course presents the basic concepts, insights, debates, and research methodologies present in the field of sociolinguistics, which is concerned with the study of language in relation to society. Students will learn how to approach the study of so...
LAIS 357 Seville in History and Fantasy An introduction to Seville as one of the most important cities in the history and culture of Spain, from its ascendancy during the Roman Empire to its decline in the 18th century. The course focuses on Seville as [1] an ideal entry point to learn abo...
LAIS 361 Spanish Misfits Study of the character of the outsider in the short fiction of 19th and early 20th century Spain, with special emphasis on the cultural and political history of the Iberian Peninsula.
LAIS 371 Introduction to Latin American Film Study of prominent examples of Latin American film production with special attention paid to aesthetic aspects of cinematographic language and cultural questions embodied in the films examined (same as FMST 371).
LAIS 386 Community Translation and Interpretation Theory and practice of community translation and interpretation by engaging with local agencies and organizations. Practice communicative skills with sociocultural competency through Community-Based Translation Projects (CBTP) in fields as distinct a...
LAIS 388 Individual Internship Not to be counted as credit toward the major or minor. No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units.
LAIS 389 Practice Assistantship Students lead practice sessions associated with the elementary and intermediate language sequences in Spanish. The practice assistantship does not count as course credit toward the major or minor. Up to one unit can be applied toward graduation credi...
LAIS 390 Portuguese for Romance Language Speakers Accelerated introduction to Brazilian Portuguese language and culture for students already proficient in Spanish. Focus on developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through the study of grammar and selected readings.
LAIS 391 Conversations on Luso-Brazilian Film A selection of films from Portuguese-speaking areas in Africa, Asia, America, and Europe, with a focus on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In depth analysis of films to develop reading and speaking skills in Portuguese. Films, readings, and...
LAIS 397 Selected Topics Special interest topics offered at department's discretion.
LAIS 406 Summer Undergraduate Research Documentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 6 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at leas...
LAIS 411 Bilingualism in the U.S., Latin American, and Spain Examines phenomena related to societal bilingualism (e.g. language shift, policies, and education) in various communities within the US, Latin America, and Spain, as well as phenomena related to individual bilingualism (e.g. acquisition, processing,...
LAIS 412 The Sounds of Spanish Taught in Spanish. Salient differences between the sound systems of English and Spanish to improve pronunciation of Spanish. How sounds are represented in the mind and why first languages impact accent in second languages. Analysis of a variety of re...
LAIS 413 Spanglish Taught in Spanish (and “Spanglish”). Investigates the linguistic practices (e.g., code-switching, lexical borrowing) commonly known as “Spanglish,” with a particular emphasis on understanding both (a) why bilingual speakers employ these linguistic pr...
LAIS 421 Christians, Jews and Muslims from Frontier to Empire: Medieval Spanish Literature Analysis of the interaction between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Spanish Peninsula from the establishment of Al-Andalus to the consolidation of the Spanish Empire. An analysis of this cultural period in light of the attention given (or not gi...
LAIS 431 Imperial Spain: The Age of Conflict Study of literary responses to the new constitution of Spain as Empire and new definitions of Spanish identity.
LAIS 432 True Lies: Fiction and Truth in Don Quijote Study of Cervantes' successful formula for the novel. Analyzes conflict between fiction and truth as the basis for a new realist novel proposed by Cervantes.
LAIS 451 Literature of Exile Study of Spanish exile literature and multiple constructions of the exilic imagination in relation to Spanish cultural and political history.
LAIS 452 Spanish-American Poetic Texts Study of the communicative power of poetic language with special emphasis given to identification of basic tools for interpreting poetic texts in relation to individual and general contexts
LAIS 453 Romantic Spain An examination of Spanish romanticism, a cultural movement that was as artistically rich as it was intellectually contentious. Our perspective will be enhanced by the work of writers, painters, and composers from beyond Iberian borders (i.e., England...
LAIS 454 Modern Literature of Galicia An interdisciplinary approach to the study of modern Galician literature and culture (Galician traditions, visual art, film) and their relevance within a global context.
LAIS 455 Barcelona: Text and City The cultural, intellectual, and urban history of the city of Barcelona from the mid 19th century to the present, with special attention to how the city is portrayed in literature and other works of art.
LAIS 462 Visions of Contemporary Spain Study of the cultures of contemporary Spain since the transition to democracy with special attention given to literature, film, theatre, art, popular culture, and mass media.
LAIS 463 Modern Spanish Narrative Study of representative narrative texts from the 19th to the 21st century. Emphasis on the technical and thematic innovations of the novel and short story as well as the social and historical contexts that have shaped literary production.
LAIS 464 Modern Theatre in Spain Study of written dramatic texts and performance traditions from Spain. Selections may include works from the 18th century to the present.
LAIS 465 Cinema of Spain Study of significant Spanish films with special attention to their relationship to politics, culture, society, and history.
LAIS 472 Latin American Theater Study of leading contemporary theatrical movements in Spanish America with focus on universal aspects of language of the theater and uniqueness of Spanish-American themes and trends.
LAIS 474 Contemporary Writing in Latin America An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the literary movements currently taking place in Latin America. Special attention devoted to the literature published during the last decade of the 20th century as a defining period in which new trends be...
LAIS 475 Writing Sex and Gender in Latin America Question of representation and self-representation of women in selected Spanish-American texts. Attention given to recently developed theories relevant to women's writing and concerns.
LAIS 476 Literary Journalism in Latin America Explores the intersections between journalism and literature through the reading and analysis of crnicas, a very popular genre in Latin America since the end of the nineteenth century. Discussion, readings, and assignments will focus on: 1) the chron...
LAIS 477 Literature of the Spanish-Speaking Caribbean Study of texts representative of multiple ethnic and cultural influences (indigenous, European, and African) at play in the Caribbean basin.
LAIS 483 The Art of Embodiment: Space and Body in Colonial Spanish America Provides a framework for the articulation of colonial theories of space, body, and materiality through the analysis of a variety of textual and artistic traditions coming from both sides of the ocean. Themes include: indigenous and European cosmograp...
LAIS 486 U.S. Latino/a Literature Comprehensive study of Hispanic-Americans' struggle for identity in light of their historical, ethnic, economic, and cultural positions in the United States.
LAIS 487 Latin America: Encounter and Conflict Thematic study of representative Spanish-American texts, focusing on the search for identity and confrontation occurring between different societies, systems of thought, and cultures.
LAIS 495 Independent Study Special research projects pursued individually under faculty supervision. Project proposal must be fully developed in conjunction with a faculty member prior to presentation for department approval.
LAIS 496 Senior Symposium Presentation at the Latin American and Iberian Studies Spring Symposium of research project carried out within the context of an LAIS seminar. Offered in spring semester only.
LAIS 497 Selected Topics Special interest topics offered at discretion of the department.