SPAN 119
Introduction to Literary Analysis
Description: Lecture, four hours. Requisite: course 25 or 27. Introduction to methods of analyzing literary work in Spanish, Spanish-American, and Chicana/Chicano literature. Special attention to four major genres: poetry, narrative, drama, and essay. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2025 - Taking Spanish 119 with this professor is kind of frustrating only because something my classmates and I had no idea what was going on or what was being asked out of us. I feel like she does not know how to use Canvas all that well. Homework is very light and so are the group projects but homework has to be turned in handwritten which is not too bad. We went off the syllabus so many times I stopped following it. She does not seem to be a tough grader but she is still very nice and respectful to everyone and is always available to talk after class.
Winter 2025 - Taking Spanish 119 with this professor is kind of frustrating only because something my classmates and I had no idea what was going on or what was being asked out of us. I feel like she does not know how to use Canvas all that well. Homework is very light and so are the group projects but homework has to be turned in handwritten which is not too bad. We went off the syllabus so many times I stopped following it. She does not seem to be a tough grader but she is still very nice and respectful to everyone and is always available to talk after class.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2025 - I really enjoyed taking this class with Professor Marturano, and I would definitely take it again. I would also recommend it to students who are not Spanish majors/ minors because the class is very interesting. We analyze many poems using different lenses, and I really liked that there is no single "right” or “wrong” interpretation. When we share our ideas in class, Professor Marturano is great at tying everyone’s interpretations together on the spot, which makes discussions feel meaningful and engaging. He is very knowledgeable about the content, and I appreciated that the class is taught in Spanish. We are encouraged to continue speaking Spanish, expand our vocabulary, and deepen our understanding of the language in a supportive way. Professor Marturano is also very kind and encourages participation, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for everyone. Even though this class was required for my minor, I am genuinely happy that I took it and highly recommend it to others.
Fall 2025 - I really enjoyed taking this class with Professor Marturano, and I would definitely take it again. I would also recommend it to students who are not Spanish majors/ minors because the class is very interesting. We analyze many poems using different lenses, and I really liked that there is no single "right” or “wrong” interpretation. When we share our ideas in class, Professor Marturano is great at tying everyone’s interpretations together on the spot, which makes discussions feel meaningful and engaging. He is very knowledgeable about the content, and I appreciated that the class is taught in Spanish. We are encouraged to continue speaking Spanish, expand our vocabulary, and deepen our understanding of the language in a supportive way. Professor Marturano is also very kind and encourages participation, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for everyone. Even though this class was required for my minor, I am genuinely happy that I took it and highly recommend it to others.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2017 - Profesora Rodriguez was amazing! I loved her class and looked forward to it every week. Materials There is no textbook, and she uses lecture slides and handouts. You have to read a novella by Marquez, but you can find it online. Grading Scheme 30% Exam 1 30% Exam 2 30% Comentario literario 10% Participation She uses a straight grading scale (A = 90, B = 80, etc.) Personality She is nice and easy to talk to. She is surprisingly forgiving of tardiness - students came in late every class and she would just smile without missing a beat. That said, participation composes a part of your grade, so doing that or ditching class is not in your best interests. Lecture We covered four genres of literature - prose, poetry, plays, and essays. While the coverage felt cursory, it was understandable given our time constraints. I like that she focused on a few texts and quality analysis of them rather than spreading the course thin. She created a welcoming environment in which to voice our opinions, and connected many topics to contemporary issues. Even as a non-native speaker with limited vocabulary, I had no trouble keeping up with the class. She did not post her slides or allow computers, so we had to take notes by hand. She usually let us out early. Exams Unlike other midterms where they cover too much material, her exams were focused on one genre, making them simple to study for. We had two blue book exams that were easy as long as you read over your notes the night before. I did not do that for my first one and got a 91, but studied for about two hours for my second one and got 100. She was an angel when it came to exam season; she let the class decide when we wanted to have our exams. Essay This was also easy and she gave you different prompt options from a selection of the texts that we covered in class, so we could choose a topic we were confident on. We had to review our thesis with her, so everyone felt good about the topic. Overall I was pleasantly surprised that she gave me an A+. I highly recommend her.
Winter 2017 - Profesora Rodriguez was amazing! I loved her class and looked forward to it every week. Materials There is no textbook, and she uses lecture slides and handouts. You have to read a novella by Marquez, but you can find it online. Grading Scheme 30% Exam 1 30% Exam 2 30% Comentario literario 10% Participation She uses a straight grading scale (A = 90, B = 80, etc.) Personality She is nice and easy to talk to. She is surprisingly forgiving of tardiness - students came in late every class and she would just smile without missing a beat. That said, participation composes a part of your grade, so doing that or ditching class is not in your best interests. Lecture We covered four genres of literature - prose, poetry, plays, and essays. While the coverage felt cursory, it was understandable given our time constraints. I like that she focused on a few texts and quality analysis of them rather than spreading the course thin. She created a welcoming environment in which to voice our opinions, and connected many topics to contemporary issues. Even as a non-native speaker with limited vocabulary, I had no trouble keeping up with the class. She did not post her slides or allow computers, so we had to take notes by hand. She usually let us out early. Exams Unlike other midterms where they cover too much material, her exams were focused on one genre, making them simple to study for. We had two blue book exams that were easy as long as you read over your notes the night before. I did not do that for my first one and got a 91, but studied for about two hours for my second one and got 100. She was an angel when it came to exam season; she let the class decide when we wanted to have our exams. Essay This was also easy and she gave you different prompt options from a selection of the texts that we covered in class, so we could choose a topic we were confident on. We had to review our thesis with her, so everyone felt good about the topic. Overall I was pleasantly surprised that she gave me an A+. I highly recommend her.
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