Spanish has been taught at Queen’s since 1896, became an independent department in 1920, and expanded its program and curriculum in the late 1960s. Students can complete a Major, Medial or Minor Plan within the Spanish Language and Literature Degree Program. Each Plan consists of language acquisition, survey and seminar courses.
The Department offers Spanish acquisition classes up to the advanced level as well as culture and literature courses. You can take Spanish as electives, as core courses in a Hispanic Studies (HISP) Major, Medial or Minor or a Spanish and Latin American Studies (SLAS) Minor, towards an LLCU Major, as part of World Language Studies or toward Linguistics Plans. If you are not in a SLAS or HISP Plan but have taken Spanish courses up to 300-level and have at least a 2.9 GPA on these courses, you can request a Certificate of Competence.
Click here for the current Course Offerings.
| Course | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SPAN 111/3.0 | Beginning Spanish I | Offers a basic level of Spanish understanding, speaking, reading and writing for students who have no knowledge of Spanish whatsoever. |
| SPAN 112/3.0 | Beginning Spanish II | The continuation of SPAN 111/3.0 or SPAN P10/3.0. Also for students entering the University who have some knowledge of Spanish but have not completed 4U Spanish or equivalent. For these students an assessment exam or interview with an academic adviser is required before registration. Contact the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures for details. PREREQUISITE: A minimum grade of C in SPAN 111 or SPAN P10/3.0. |
| SPAN 204/3.0 | Español intermedio | A review of the fundamentals of Spanish, in cultural contexts, designed to develop aural, oral, reading and writing skills. RECOMMENDATION: 4U Spanish. PREREQUISITE: A minimum grade of C in SPAN 101/6.0 or SPAN 112/3.0. |
| SPAN 205/3.0 | Español avanzado | An advanced treatment of the written and spoken language, involving a study of syntax and style, written composition, translation into Spanish and oral discussions of cultural topics. PREREQUISITE: A minimum grade of C in SPAN 204/3.0. |
| SPAN 206/3.0 | Spanish Conversation and Culture |
This course is an intermediate conversation course designed to advance skills in oral communication and cultural competence, supported by grammar review and written assignments. Students will engage with different media sources, including Spanish-language film, news items, cultural readings, music and literary texts. |
| SPAN 301/3.0 | Gramática avanzada y composición I | This course provides a comprehensive review of the most difficult aspects of Spanish grammar through advanced exercises in reading, composition, and conversation. The goal of the course is to consolidate and perfect the student’s written and oral skills. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 201/6.0 or SPAN 205/3.0. |
| SPAN 302/3.0 | Gramática avanzada y composición II | This course provides a comprehensive review of the most difficult aspects of Spanish grammar through advanced exercises in reading, composition, and conversation. The goal of the course is to consolidate and perfect the student’s written and oral skills. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 301/3.0. |
| SPAN 303/3.0 | Español para contextos profesionales I | Intensive practice in advanced grammar with a focus on Spanish for business, technical, administrative and related cultural purposes. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 201/6.0 or SPAN 205/3.0. |
| SPAN 304/3.0 | Español para contextos profesionales II | Intensive practice in advanced grammar with a focus on Spanish for business, technical, administrative and related cultural purposes. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 303/3.0. |
| SPAN 306/3.0 | La narrativa hispanoamericana del siglo 20 |
A study of selected works by Spanish American writers such as Horacio Quiroga, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Juan Rulfo, Julio Cortázar and Reinaldo Arenas. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 251/6.0 or SPAN 352/3.0. |
| SPAN 310/3.0 | Artistic Representations of the Spanish Civil War | The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) culminated in the military overthrow of the Republican government and the beginning of Francisco Franco’s long dictatorship. This course examines artistic representations of the war in film (both documentary and fictional) and in other visual media (paintings, photography, posters), as well as in the written works of both Spanish and foreign authors such as Orwell, Hemingway, Neruda, Sender and Rodoreda. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 261/6.0 or SPAN 381/3.0. |
| SPAN 315/3.0 | Literatura medieval española | A study of the main works and currents of medieval Spanish literature from A.D. 1000 to 1500. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 261/6.0 or SPAN 381/3.0. |
| SPAN 330/3.0 | Cervantes I: Earlier Works | A study of Don Quijote I and a selection of his short theatrical Interludes. The course will consider the socio-economic and historical context and the literary implications of these works to provide a better understanding of 17th-century Spain and the significance Cervantes' works still hold today. NOTE: Taught in English together with LLCU 330/3.0. Students concentrating in Spanish submit written assignments, tests and examinations in Spanish. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 261/6.0 or SPAN 380/3.0. |
| SPAN 331/3.0 | Cervantes II: Later Works | A study of Don Quijote II and a selection of novellas from Cervantes' Exemplary Novels. The course will consider the socio-economic and historical context and the literary implications of the continuation of Don Quijote I to provide a better understanding of 17th-century Spain and the significance Cervantes' works hold today. NOTE: Taught in English with LLCU 331/3.0. Written work and examinations are in Spanish. Readings are in translation. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 330/3.0. |
| SPAN 332/3.0 | Spanish Baroque Short Theatre | Short theatre played an important role in the theatre of the Spanish Golden Age. In this course students will study the literary particularities of the genre and the social ramifications of the themes present in short theatre (gender, battle of the sexes, diversity, authority, amongst others) and their historical and contemporary relevance. NOTE: Taught in English with LLCU 332/3.0. Written work and examinations are in Spanish. Readings are in translation. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 380/3.0 or SPAN 381/3.0. |
| SPAN 333/3.0 | Acting Out: Sexual and Gender Subversion in Baroque Theatre | Baroque playwrights took full advantage of the actor Juan Rana's well-known queerness to subvert implicitly and explicitly the social norms of sexual and gender identity still questioned today. This course will examine Spanish Baroque short theatre in general and historically contextualize its subversion of social, sexual, gender and patriarchal norms. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |
| SPAN 335/3.0 | El teatro Siglo de Oro | An introduction to Spanish Golden Age Theatre through the study of literary, historical and political concepts and theatre as a performative genre. The student will discover the great import of theatre during the era and acquire a better socio-cultural understanding of one of the most important periods in Spanish and European history and play production. Students may produce a play as part of the evaluation. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 261/6.0 or SPAN 380/3.0. |
| SPAN 344/3.0 | La sociedad española a través del cine | A study of changes in Spanish society as reflected in film and/or literature. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 261/6.0 or SPAN 381/3.0. |
| SPAN 351/3.0 | Panorama literario latinoamericano I | A survey of the major authors and works of Latin American literature from 1492 to the end of the 19th-century. Readings will include texts from all genres and will illustrate the main cultural and historical trends and movements. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 205/3.0 |
| SPAN 352/3.0 | Panorama literario latinoamericano II | A survey of the major authors and works of Latin American literature from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Readings will include texts from all genres and will illustrate the main cultural and historical trends and movements. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 205/3.0 |
| SPAN 354/3.0 | Cultura femenina latinoamericana | A survey of women’s literary and cultural production in Latin America from the earliest writers to the present day. Texts will include poetry, essays, short stories, novels, art and film. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 251/6.0 or SPAN 351/3.0 or SPAN 352/3.0. |
| SPAN 380/3.0 | Panorama literario de España I | A survey of the major authors and works of literature of Spain from its beginnings to the Spanish Golden Age. Readings will include texts from all genres and will illustrate the main cultural and historical trends and movements. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 205/3.0. |
| SPAN 381/3.0 | Panorama literario de España II | A survey of the major authors and works of literature of Spain from the Enlightenment to the present. Readings will include texts from all genres and will illustrate the main cultural and historical trends and movements. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 205/3.0. |
| SPAN 401/3.0 | Advanced Grammar Through Translation I | This course aims to perfect the student's ability to write and speak in Spanish, with intensive practice of advanced Spanish grammatical structures through translation exercises, as well as compositions and oral work. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 302/3.0 or SPAN 304/3.0 (or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures). |
| SPAN 402/3.0 | Advanced Grammar Through Translation II | This course aims to perfect the student's ability to write and speak in Spanish, with intensive practice of advanced Spanish grammatical structures through translation exercises, as well as compositions and oral work. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 401/3.0 (or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures). |
| SPAN 406/3.0 | Introducción a la teoría y el análisis literario | An introduction to contemporary literary theories and the analysis of Hispanic texts from reader-, structural- and author-oriented perspectives. NOTE: Taught in English together with LLCU 316/3.0. Students concentrating in Spanish submit written assignments, tests, and examination in Spanish. Normally they will read Hispanic texts in the original. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 251/6.0 or SPAN 352/3.0 (or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures). |
| SPAN 408/3.0 | The Films of Pedro Almodóvar | Students will view and analyze a selection of Almodóvar’s films within the context of Spain and other countries. The study of gender, sexual, cultural and societal identity and other fundamentals of contemporary theory will be central to this course. NOTE: Taught in English together with LLCU 309/3.0. Students concentrating in Spanish submit written assignments, tests, and examination in Spanish. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 261/6.0 or SPAN 381/3.0 (or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures). |
| SPAN 410/3.0 | Spanish Syntax | This course discusses the main concepts and methods of linguistic analysis, focusing on Spanish. The course introduces concepts and techniques of sentence structure analysis (syntax), word formation (morphology), and meaning (semantics). PREREQUISITE: SPAN 302/3.0 or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |
| SPAN 428/3.0 | Gender, Development and Film in Latin America | This course will explore major themes of development in relation to gender in Latin America through its manifestation in film. Films will be chosen from all regions of Latin America, including Brazil. NOTE: Taught in English together with LLCU 328/3.0. Students concentrating in Spanish submit written assignments, tests and examinations in Spanish. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 251/6.0 or SPAN 351/3.0 or SPAN 352/3.0 or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |
| SPAN 458/3.0 | Cine latinoamericano | Explores representative works of the Latin American film industry, with a brief introduction to film analysis. Films will be examined in the context of cultural and historical issues, and their possible relation to literature. The course content may focus on one specific national cinema in a given year. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 251/6.0 or SPAN 351/3.0 or SPAN 352/3.0 (or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures). |
| SPAN 495/3.0 | Literatura de España: Estudios independientes II | Seminar courses on topics in Spanish literature. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in a HISP Major or SLAS Plan or permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |
| SPAN 496/3.0 | Literatura de Hispanoamérica: Estudios independientes II |
Seminar courses on topics in Spanish American literature. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in a HISP Major or SLAS Plan or permission of the Department of Languages Literatures, and Cultures. |
| SPAN 501/3.0 |
Literatura de España: |
Seminar courses on topics in Spanish literature. PREREQUISITE: Permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |
| SPAN 502/3.0 | Literatura de España: Estudios independientes | Reading courses in selected fields of Peninsular literature to meet the needs of advanced students for whom a seminar course is not available. PREREQUISITE: Permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |
| SPAN 503/3.0 | Literatura de Hispanoamérica: Temas específicos |
Seminar courses on topics in Spanish American literature. PREREQUISITE: Permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |
| SPAN 504/3.0 | Literatura de Hispanoamérica: Estudios independientes |
Reading courses in selected fields of Spanish American literature to meet the needs of advanced students for whom a seminar course is not available. PREREQUISITE: Permission of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. |