AP Spanish Literature Syllabus: 2018-19
Instructor: Dr. Maximilian Maier
Office: Zinnamon 8107
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 713-448-8432
Course Website: Google Classroom
Office Hours: By Appointment (usually during Community Time)
Course Description:
The goals of this advanced, college-level Spanish literature course are numerous. First, the course endeavors to provide students of St. Agnes Academy and Strake Jesuit College Preparatory with a solid foundation in the literature, history, and culture of the Spanish speaking countries. Through engagement with a wide array of novels, poems, essays, and short fiction, you will develop critical thinking faculties and sensitivity to the richness of language and literary expression—skills that you have been building already in your other courses for the past several years. You will likewise continue building your verbal skills and arrive at increased confidence in written and spoken expression and greatly enrich your vocabulary in Spanish, even if you consider yourself fluent. As you will soon find out, literary Spanish can be very different than what you have encountered through conversations, music, or mass media. To get an idea of the wide gulf separating modern conversational Spanish from the Spanish of Cervantes or Tirso de Molina, simply think of the difference between Shakespeare’s English and the language you speak on a daily basis.
The course will follow the official AP curriculum and prepare you to do your best on the AP exam in May. To this end, the course will be organized around units that encompass the major periods of literature in Spanish. These include the following:
The first three units above will be covered in the first semester and the remaining five will be covered in the spring (note that the longest and most challenging units occur towards the beginning of the course).
Of course, the ultimate aim of an advanced Spanish course like this one is to teach you how to be a more competent reader, writer, and critical thinker, and to foster these skills while honing linguistic proficiency at the highest levels.
By the end of AP Spanish Literature, you should be able to perform the following tasks (and hopefully many others):
Required Texts:
Azulejo: Anthology and Guide to the AP Spanish Literature and Culture Course (Maria Colbert). Second Edition. (Wayside Publishing 2012)
Any good Spanish/English Dictionary (you will need to look up a LOT of words, as literature in Spanish is very rich in vocabulary and not all words are in the textbook glossary).
Homework: Although the bulk of Homework assignments will involve reading, there will be occasional homework assignments. You will be required to complete these on time in order to earn proper credit. Please take these assignments seriously and prepare them with care, respecting the guidelines of academic integrity at our two schools.
Participation: This is a critical component of the class and is not to be neglected. Woody Allen once remarked that “eighty percent of success is showing up.” This is not the case in this class, however. The course will largely depend upon class discussion, and ALL students will in some form contribute to class discussions, often working in small groups. Behavioral distractions and unlicensed use of iPads or phones will negatively impact this critical component of the overall grade.
We will work in small groups a great deal in this class. In groups, you are expected to do the following:
Meetings: As part of your participation grade, it is required that each student meet with me outside of class at least once each quarter during the first semester. Appointments must be made by the student. This is a great opportunity to get personalized feedback on your work and set goals for improvement.
Grading:
Essays and Major Projects/Assessments: 60%
Participation, Homework, Discussions and Group Work: 20%
Quizzes 20%
Note: This breakdown will be 100% of your progress report and Quarter 1 grades. However, it will account for 80% of your semester grade.
The Final Exam will constitute the remaining 20% of your semester grade.
Daily Work:
Readings will be completed before every class and students must be ready to discuss them immediately when class starts (be settled and ready to begin when the bell rings).We will frequently work in small groups to tackle discussion questions. Your active participation in these groups is critical and you will be graded on your contributions to these endeavors.
Writing Assignments: Writing is the most important work you will turn in to AP Spanish. Because this is an AP class, a higher standard will be expected of you. Only your best work should be submitted. You are strongly encouraged to meet with your teacher to go over your writing and understand how you can improve in this critical area.
Quizzes: Frequent reading quizzes will be given throughout the year. These quizzes gauge something very important--namely if you have done your assigned reading. The only way to consistently do well on these quizzes is to read what is assigned.
Tardy Policy: It is important for ALL students to arrive on time and have their materials ready. If you are tardy or unprepared, you are considered tardy and will be marked as tardy. Now that we have a full 10 minutes to move around our campuses, tardiness should no longer be an issue.
iPads and Cellphones:
iPads are used on a regular basis but ONLY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSTRUCTOR. Unless asked to have iPads (or equivalent devices) on your desk, keep them put away.
Cellphones are NOT permitted at any point in the classroom. Simply having your phone on your desk or visible at any point (even before the bell has rung) will get you a PH.
Food and gum are NOT permitted in the classroom at any time.
Late Work Policy: SAA and SJ are college prep schools. As such, we emphasize the importance of submitting work on time. Substantial grade reductions will occur if work is submitted late. Special and extenuating circumstances should be explained to the teacher in advance of the due date.
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism, cheating, and academic dishonesty of any kind are serious offenses with serious disciplinary consequences at St. Agnes or Strake Jesuit. The ideas you use in any work for class must be your own. You are NOT to consult any outside sources (printed or online) other than the texts we read in class when preparing your homework and essays.
The turnitin.com software is very good. Any cases of academic dishonesty will in disciplinary consequences with the Dean.
Instructor: Dr. Maximilian Maier
Office: Zinnamon 8107
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 713-448-8432
Course Website: Google Classroom
Office Hours: By Appointment (usually during Community Time)
Course Description:
The goals of this advanced, college-level Spanish literature course are numerous. First, the course endeavors to provide students of St. Agnes Academy and Strake Jesuit College Preparatory with a solid foundation in the literature, history, and culture of the Spanish speaking countries. Through engagement with a wide array of novels, poems, essays, and short fiction, you will develop critical thinking faculties and sensitivity to the richness of language and literary expression—skills that you have been building already in your other courses for the past several years. You will likewise continue building your verbal skills and arrive at increased confidence in written and spoken expression and greatly enrich your vocabulary in Spanish, even if you consider yourself fluent. As you will soon find out, literary Spanish can be very different than what you have encountered through conversations, music, or mass media. To get an idea of the wide gulf separating modern conversational Spanish from the Spanish of Cervantes or Tirso de Molina, simply think of the difference between Shakespeare’s English and the language you speak on a daily basis.
The course will follow the official AP curriculum and prepare you to do your best on the AP exam in May. To this end, the course will be organized around units that encompass the major periods of literature in Spanish. These include the following:
- La Edad Media
- El Siglo de Oro: El Renacimiento y el Barroco
- El Siglo XIX: El Romanticismo
- El Siglo XIX: El Realismo y el Naturalismo
- El Siglo XX: El Modernismo y la Generación del 98
- El Siglo XX: El Postmodernismo y Vanguardismo
- El “Boom”: La Literatura Fantástica y el Realismo Mágico
- El Siglo XX: La Literatura Feminina y los Hispano-Americanos
The first three units above will be covered in the first semester and the remaining five will be covered in the spring (note that the longest and most challenging units occur towards the beginning of the course).
Of course, the ultimate aim of an advanced Spanish course like this one is to teach you how to be a more competent reader, writer, and critical thinker, and to foster these skills while honing linguistic proficiency at the highest levels.
By the end of AP Spanish Literature, you should be able to perform the following tasks (and hopefully many others):
- Compose insightful argumentative essays on some of the most provocative and interesting texts in the rich literary history of the Spanish speaking world
- Understand the nature of picaresque literature through rich analysis of Lazarillo de Tormes
- Appreciate the rich cultural legacy of Spain and understand some of the key plot points in Spanish history (the Moorish Invasion, the Reconquista, the Colonization of the New World, etc.)
- Fully recite a poem by Góngora, Quevedo, or Neruda as part of a creative video project
- Use higher level vocabulary with confidence and ease in your writing and speech
- Celebrate the richness of literature in Spanish and understand the major concerns of the Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, and Twentieth Century periods.
- Appreciate the rich verbal skill and humor of Cervantes
- Analyze the ideology behind Spanish Imperialism and situate it within its proper cultural context
- Survey the cultural variety of Latin America and learn about the fascinating contrasts in history, culture, and literature that occur throughout the Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America
- Learn how to see God in works of literature and better understand how literature can highlight the same moral issues that we confront in our faith.
- Appreciate how reading and thinking about literature can not only make us better with language, but also how we can learn how to better empathize with fellow human beings through reading.
Required Texts:
Azulejo: Anthology and Guide to the AP Spanish Literature and Culture Course (Maria Colbert). Second Edition. (Wayside Publishing 2012)
Any good Spanish/English Dictionary (you will need to look up a LOT of words, as literature in Spanish is very rich in vocabulary and not all words are in the textbook glossary).
Homework: Although the bulk of Homework assignments will involve reading, there will be occasional homework assignments. You will be required to complete these on time in order to earn proper credit. Please take these assignments seriously and prepare them with care, respecting the guidelines of academic integrity at our two schools.
Participation: This is a critical component of the class and is not to be neglected. Woody Allen once remarked that “eighty percent of success is showing up.” This is not the case in this class, however. The course will largely depend upon class discussion, and ALL students will in some form contribute to class discussions, often working in small groups. Behavioral distractions and unlicensed use of iPads or phones will negatively impact this critical component of the overall grade.
We will work in small groups a great deal in this class. In groups, you are expected to do the following:
- Stay on task
- Show visible signs of engagement
- Speak Spanish (unless otherwise instructed)
Nearly all class discussion will be conducted in Spanish. Occasional exceptions will be made when discussing specific aspects of the curriculum.
Meetings: As part of your participation grade, it is required that each student meet with me outside of class at least once each quarter during the first semester. Appointments must be made by the student. This is a great opportunity to get personalized feedback on your work and set goals for improvement.
Grading:
Essays and Major Projects/Assessments: 60%
Participation, Homework, Discussions and Group Work: 20%
Quizzes 20%
Note: This breakdown will be 100% of your progress report and Quarter 1 grades. However, it will account for 80% of your semester grade.
The Final Exam will constitute the remaining 20% of your semester grade.
Daily Work:
Readings will be completed before every class and students must be ready to discuss them immediately when class starts (be settled and ready to begin when the bell rings).We will frequently work in small groups to tackle discussion questions. Your active participation in these groups is critical and you will be graded on your contributions to these endeavors.
Writing Assignments: Writing is the most important work you will turn in to AP Spanish. Because this is an AP class, a higher standard will be expected of you. Only your best work should be submitted. You are strongly encouraged to meet with your teacher to go over your writing and understand how you can improve in this critical area.
Quizzes: Frequent reading quizzes will be given throughout the year. These quizzes gauge something very important--namely if you have done your assigned reading. The only way to consistently do well on these quizzes is to read what is assigned.
Tardy Policy: It is important for ALL students to arrive on time and have their materials ready. If you are tardy or unprepared, you are considered tardy and will be marked as tardy. Now that we have a full 10 minutes to move around our campuses, tardiness should no longer be an issue.
iPads and Cellphones:
iPads are used on a regular basis but ONLY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSTRUCTOR. Unless asked to have iPads (or equivalent devices) on your desk, keep them put away.
Cellphones are NOT permitted at any point in the classroom. Simply having your phone on your desk or visible at any point (even before the bell has rung) will get you a PH.
Food and gum are NOT permitted in the classroom at any time.
Late Work Policy: SAA and SJ are college prep schools. As such, we emphasize the importance of submitting work on time. Substantial grade reductions will occur if work is submitted late. Special and extenuating circumstances should be explained to the teacher in advance of the due date.
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism, cheating, and academic dishonesty of any kind are serious offenses with serious disciplinary consequences at St. Agnes or Strake Jesuit. The ideas you use in any work for class must be your own. You are NOT to consult any outside sources (printed or online) other than the texts we read in class when preparing your homework and essays.
The turnitin.com software is very good. Any cases of academic dishonesty will in disciplinary consequences with the Dean.