Advanced Spanish topics in Language and Culture

This course explores Hispanic culture and language topics at an advanced level through a broad and comparative perspective. Topics will vary semester to semester. Depending on the topic, readings may include literary and cultural texts from the Hispanic world and research reporting on the linguistic study of the Spanish language. The content and discussion will be built around significant aspects which outline the general trajectory of the field of Hispanic literary, cultural and/or linguistic studies, with a focus on critical thinking and cross-cultural understanding. Examples of literary topics include various literary movements, genres and periods as well as the social and political construction of ethnic identities. Examples of linguistic topics include linguistic diversity and dialectal variation across the Spanish-speaking world, variation and change, and the syntax of Spanish. In this course, students will analyse relevant works through a critical lens and will be asked to focus on both form and content at a high level of proficiency (B2-C1) through written and oral evaluations. The course may be completed more than once if a different topic is studied each time.