Stanford Root

Schedule

Stanford Root

Schedule

ILAC 136

Modern Iberian Literatures

UNITS:3-5
GRADING:Letter or Credit/No Credit
LEVEL:Undergrad
GER:WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP, WIM

This course offers an introduction to several major writers of modern Iberia from the nineteenth-century to today who, in prose, poetry, and theater, explore voice and characterization with attention to age, gender, class, race and origin. We will examine texts that present interesting or challenging uses of the Spanish and draw attention to the way language conveys meaning. During the period under consideration, Spain was concerned with its relation with "others" inside the nation and its difference from neighbors to the North and South, but pivoted from the pre-modern notions of difference encapsulated in the practices of the Inquisition and expulsion. Social identity and gender are at the root of the texts we examine in this class. The theme manifests differently across period and genre, in particular those by Spaniards of Asian and African descent as well as those addressing traditionally unlettered communities who write in non-standard Spanish. Class periods are designed to combine lecture and discussion, with active student participation based on close readings of the assigned texts and completion of a weekly portfolio entry. The ILAC 100-level core courses in ILAC build upon the solid language preparation students already attained through completion of the SPANLANG series, or at home, or by other means. Students use their advanced language skills to analyze texts from a variety of registers and strengthen their writing. By the end of the term, students will be prepared for ILAC 200-level courses in ILAC.

Syllabus for selected term:
View Winter 2027 Syllabus

Sections

1 Term
Seminar 1Open
ID: 7165
0 / 24 enrolled
DAYS:Monday, Wednesday
TIME:10:30 AM – 11:50 AM
LOCATION:TBD
INSTRUCTOR:
Surwillo, Lisa
units

ILAC 136: Modern Iberian Literatures

3-5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP, WIM

This course offers an introduction to several major writers of modern Iberia from the nineteenth-century to today who, in prose, poetry, and theater, explore voice and characterization with attention to age, gender, class, race and origin. We will examine texts that present interesting or challenging uses of the Spanish and draw attention to the way language conveys meaning. During the period under consideration, Spain was concerned with its relation with "others" inside the nation and its difference from neighbors to the North and South, but pivoted from the pre-modern notions of difference encapsulated in the practices of the Inquisition and expulsion. Social identity and gender are at the root of the texts we examine in this class. The theme manifests differently across period and genre, in particular those by Spaniards of Asian and African descent as well as those addressing traditionally unlettered communities who write in non-standard Spanish. Class periods are designed to combine lecture and discussion, with active student participation based on close readings of the assigned texts and completion of a weekly portfolio entry. The 100-level core courses in ILAC build upon the solid language preparation students already attained through completion of the SPANLANG series, or at home, or by other means. Students use their advanced language skills to analyze texts from a variety of registers and strengthen their writing. By the end of the term, students will be prepared for 200-level courses in ILAC.

Offered in Winter 2027 at Stanford University.

Winter 2027 sections

  • Seminar — Monday Wednesday 10:30 AM – 11:50 AM — Surwillo, Lisa (Undergrad)

More ILAC courses

  • ILAC 110: History of the Spanish Language
  • ILAC 112: Madrid in Spanish Cinema and Literature
  • ILAC 113Q: Borges and Translation (COMPLIT 113Q, DLCL 113Q)
  • ILAC 130: Introduction to Iberia: Cultural Perspectives
  • ILAC 131: Introduction to Latin America: Cultural Perspectives
  • ILAC 135: Reading Clarice Lispector (ILAC 335)
  • ILAC 138: Ecology Across Cultures (DLCL 138, SLAVIC 138)
  • ILAC 140: Migration in 21st Century Latin American Film (CHILATST 140)
  • ILAC 141: Fiction Workshop in Spanish (COMPLIT 141F)
  • ILAC 144: Magical Realism
  • ILAC 146W: Poetry in the Anthropocene: A Writing Workshop (COMPLIT 146W)
  • ILAC 157: Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literatures

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