RMST341

Coming soon!

Required texts:

There are no required books to buy. Required texts are available online, or will be made available via Canvas.

Selections from the following Primary Texts (either excerpts in PDF or available online):
— Dante, Vita nuova +The Divine Comedy.
— Boccaccio, Decameron.
— Petrarca, Canzoniere and other works.
— Pico della Mirandola, On the Dignity of Man.
— Machiavelli, The Prince.
— Castiglione, The Courtier.

Recommended texts:

Kaborycha, Lisa. A Short History of the Italian Renaissance. Routledge 2024 (online access via UBC library).

Schneider Adams, Laurie. Italian Renaissance Art. Taylor and Francis, 2014 (online access via UBC library).

RMST454

Cross-listed with ITAL 404

Eros Unbound: The Ecology of Love at the Edge of Modernity

Orpheus and Eurydice, © Emily Balivet 2012

Is there such a thing as an “ecology of love”? The short answer is: “yes”; the long answer is: “we may have forgotten almost all about it.” Can we retrieve the memory of that ecology, and thus free love from its fetters, so as to reclaim truer bonds: bonds that make us free, rather than imprison us?

The stories of Eros and Psyche; Echo and Narcissus; Orpheus and Eurydice; Persephone, Demeter and Hades are myths that have guided the Western mind through the millennia in its renewed attempts to grapple with the mysteries of love, life, death. These stories informed the poetics of countless verbal and visual expressions of union and separation, particularly at the time when European societies were transitioning into “modernity” – ‘modernity’ being perhaps the most separative experiment ever undertaken by humanity in its yearning for freedom from ‘the environment,’ and from all bonds. How do these myths address the bonding of relationship and its severing? How did these myths get inflected over time, in order to warn, or disguise, or negate that tragic severing of the erotic, nurturing bond between feminine and masculine, the living earth and its human inhabitants, between psyche (soul)-body, and mind?

This course will retrace both the endorsed and the rejected reading of these myths, which have been central to the formation (and loss) of an “ecology of love” in the ancient, pre-modern and modern worlds. We will explore how these primordial images of eros have contributed to shaping our understanding of the relationship between the human psyche and its environment. We will take an especially close look at the poetics of desire and the dynamics of power in the cultures of the pre-modern Mediterranean and Romance cultures, and of Renaissance Italy.

These narratives that teach us of the cosmic power of eros are as alive, and worthy of attention, today, as they were in past ages, hence we will complement our rediscovery of their ancient, medieval and early modern re-creations with contemporary literature that probes their meaning for our times, at the intersection of psychology, ecology, and the arts.

Required readings:

Bedier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseut. Hackett 2013. 978-1603849005
The Romance of the Rose (excerpts in pdf)
Dante Alighieri, The New Life, tr. S. Applebaum. Dover 2006. 978-0486453491
Other texts will be provided in pdf via Canvas.

Language of instruction: English

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of RMST 454, ITST 414 or ITAL 404.

Course Registration

RMST324

Indigenous Literatures and Cinema of Quebec

In a province where debates on the status of the French language and Quebec sovereignty often take center stage, where do Indigenous people’s rights, languages and voices stand? How do Indigenous writers and filmmakers of Quebec contend with the lines drawn around language, territory and race? In this course, we will examine the specificity of Indigenous literary arts in Quebec, with a focus on Indigenous literature and cinema of the 20th and 21st centuries. We will study the socio-historical and political context of the production of the works and attempt to better understand the epistemologies that underlie them. In particular, we will reflect on the themes of language, sovereignty, territory, kinship and the body. Based on a selection of texts from a variety of literary (oral history, autobiography, essay, poetry, short story) and cinematographic genres (visual archives, documentary, short film) and from creators belonging to First Nations (Innu, Wendat, Cree, Mohawk, Abenaki) and Inuit and Métis communities, we will consider the great diversity of Indigenous literary arts in Quebec.

Language of Instruction: English

Instructor: Dr. Isabella Huberman

Prerequisite: No prerequisites

Expand all

Collapse all

Close Reading Tests – 30% (2 x 15%)
Co-facilitation of a workshop – 15%
Podcast – 10%
Outline of Final Project – 10%
Final Project – 25%
Active Participation – 10%

* this information is subject to change

Required texts:

An Antane Kapesh, Eukuan nin matshimanitu innu-ishkueu / I Am a Damn Savage and What Have You Done to My Country?
Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, Blue bear woman
Naomi Fontaine, Kuessipan
Additional required texts and supplementary materials will be provided in digital format and made available to students on Canvas.

Recommended texts:

Younging, Gregory, Elements of Indigenous Style A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples
Vowel, Chelsea, Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis and Inuit Issues in Canada

(Available online via UBC Libraries)

SPAN405A

Topics in Hispanic Literature and Culture

Del texto al paladar: Literatura, comida y sociedad en España y Latinoamérica (From Text to Palate: Literature, Food, and Society in Spain and Latin America)

The ancient link between food and books is particularly significant in the Hispanic World where eating has always been essential in defining individuals, groups, cultures, societies, and nations. Through an interdisciplinary approach to Hispanic short texts from a wide range of authors (Abu Hamid, Don Juan Manuel, Cervantes, Josep Plá, Manuel Vicent, Ricardo Palma, Juan José Saer, Pablo Neruda, Rosario Castellanos, Laura Esquivel, Zoe Valdés, Martín Caparrós), this course studies food (everything ingested) as a cultural product concocted by forces such as ritualization, technology, colonization, travelling, (de)globalization, or climate change. We will pay particular attention to the intersections of food with economy (i.e., production and consumption, ethical eating), social class (i.e., abundance vs. hunger, etiquette), religion (i.e., fasting and feasting, gluttony), gender (i.e., kitchen as gendered space), migration (i.e., fusion food), language (i.e., alimentary metaphors), and health (i.e., dietary prescriptions, disorders). Course materials and content will be divided into four modules that represent a four-course menu: Appetizer, First Plate, Second Plate, and Desert.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Instructor: Dr. Raúl Álvarez Moreno

Prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed SPAN_V 221, SPAN_V 302, SPAN_V 303 or successful completion of the language placement test.

Expand all

Collapse all

Final Project 30%
Abstract and Bibliography Final Project 5%
Midterm Exam 20%
Preparation and Participation 15%
Article Presentation 10%
Report 10%
Quiz or Mini-homeworks (4 x 2.5) 10%

This course prioritizes student accessibility, voice, language proficiency, and autonomy. All course materials will be freely accessible to students via Canvas, either as PDFs within weekly modules or through direct links to resources in the UBC library.

RMST260

Introduction to the Analysis of Portuguese and Brazilian Cultures

Cross-listed with PORT222

Welcome to the study of Lusophone Cultures! Lusophone cultures are the cultures of places where Portuguese is spoken. In this course, we will focus on the cultures of Portugal, the cradle of Lusophone Culture, and Brazil, the country with the largest Lusophone population. You will do a critical analysis of different cultural genres, including music, film and visual art through the study of selected Portuguese and Brazilian texts. You will also learn about the origins of Portugal, the influences on the country and the Portuguese language, and the main cultural aspects of Brazilian culture. You will go beyond fado, soccer/futebol and samba, and get to know other cultural expressions, such as the Portuguese cuisine and the Brazilian capoeira and telenovelas. The course is organized in thematic units with texts, videos, and specific critical perspectives, and will emphasize questions pertaining to the culture of everyday life, both rural and urban, including folklore, popular fiction, ritual, arts and crafts, music, television, film, and sports.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to identify, analyse and understand the basic layers and the most relevant aspects of Lusophone cultures present in Portugal and Brazil.

Language of Instruction: English

Prerequisites: No prerequisites.
Credit will be granted for only one of PORT 222 or RMST 260.

Expand all

Collapse all

The assessment for this course is gently distributed and in a balanced way, with diverse activities throughout the term. There are no scary, long, stressing, and tedious midterms or final exams for you in this course.

Assignments and Evaluations Breakdown:
Active Participation, attendance, homework, and preparation 15%
Short response paper 15%
Two short presentations (15% each) 30%
Reflection assignment (at home) 15%
Written end-of-term assessment 25%
Total = 100%

All needed materials will be provided via Canvas by the instructor.

CTLN101

Beginners’ Catalan

This course introduces students to Catalan language and culture. It seeks to foster students’ linguistic, communicative and cultural competence in Catalan while exposing them to the main sociocultural aspects of the Catalan-speaking regions of Spain.

Aligned with CEFR level A1 objectives.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of CTLN 101 or CTLN 301.

Language of instruction: English & Catalan

Course Registration

SPAN303

Conversational Spanish for Advanced Speakers

Expands the comprehension and communicative skills of upper-level students and heritage speakers through topics drawn from Hispanic culture and current events. Aligned with CEFR level B1 objectives.

Prerequisite: One of SPAN 207, SPAN 302. Or placement test for heritage speakers.

Language of Instruction: Spanish

Course Registration

SPAN203

Intensive Elementary Spanish

SPAN 203 is a 3-credit Intensive Elementary Course that combines learning objectives of two existing courses, SPAN 201 and 202. This course is designed for highly motivated learners with previous experience in Spanish or other Romance languages, and offers the opportunity to review the linguistic, cultural and communicative topics at the elementary level of the language (CEFR A2) at a more appropriate pace.

Throughout the semester, students will demonstrate an ability to listen to, discuss, read and write about personal and society-related topics in the past, present, and future by using simple and complex verb tenses, as well as engage with complex modes of expression in real and hypothetical situations.

Topics covered (science and technology, work and the economy, popular culture and mass and new media, literature and art, and more!) will expose students to ways of thinking and understanding the world that promote intercultural knowledge, and build toward competencies required for upper-level courses in our program through exposure to literature, culture, and media related to the Spanish-speaking world.

The design and structure of the course is founded on adaptive and inclusive principles of teaching and learning that consider the interests and needs of all learners and strive toward greater personalization of learning, flexibility and accessibility for all students, including students with disabilities.

Language of Instruction: Spanish

Instructor: Iris Escuer Riera

Recommended prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed one of SPAN_V 102, SPAN_V 103, or placement test for native or near-native speakers of other Romance Languages.

Expand all

Collapse all

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

SPAN103

Intensive Beginners’ Spanish

SPAN 103 is the first of a six-credit sequence of Intensive Spanish offered by the FHIS Department. The course, which is designed for highly motivated learners with previous experience in Spanish (i.e., BC Grade 11 or 12 Spanish) or other Romance languages, reviews the fundamentals of the Spanish language and expands on students’ existing language skills, (inter)cultural knowledge, and communicative capacity through a project-based approach. Throughout the semester, students will demonstrate an ability to listen to, discuss, read and write about everyday activities and plans in the present, past, and future, as well as explore different modes of speech (the imperative, the subjunctive) within the context of common tasks and situations and daily routines.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Recommended prerequisites: This course is recommended for students who have completed Grade 12 Spanish or for native or near-native speakers of other Romance languages.

Expand all

Collapse all

Student Engagement:
• In-class participation (15%)

Mis enfoques written and oral assignments:
• Listening + Dictation Exercise (10%)
• Proyectos (2 @ 7.5% each) (15%)
• Pair/Small-group Oral Interview (10%)

Course Evaluations:
• Supersite Weekly Assignments (10%)
• Lesson Quizzes (2 @ 7.5% each) (15%)
• Final Exam (in-person) (25%)

Total = 100%

Enfoques Digital eTextbook (6th Edition) and Supersite Plus, José A. Blanco (Vista Higher Learning, 2024).

Please note your Enfoques eTextbook + Supersite Plus code are valid for both SPAN 103 and SPAN 203. It is recommended that students who plan to enroll in both 103 and 203 buy the 12-month access.

Where do you purchase it? The Enfoques eTextbook and Supersite Plus code are available for purchase through the UBC Bookstore’s website.

Determine your entry level

Find out which course level to start at given your previous experience with Spanish.

RMST280

Love and Revolution

Love is a central virtue of human kind that frames some of the most significant relationships and roles we will experience in our lifetime, particularly during times of change. From guerrilla movements and political upheaval to intimate acts of resistance and desire, we will examine how love in its various enactments—patriotic, romantic, familial, erotic—serves as metaphor and material force in accounts of revolution in Latin American literary and cultural production of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Beginning with Pedro Páramo (1955), Juan Rulfo’s haunting representation of (post)revolutionary Mexico and ending with Cantoras, Caro de Robertis’s unapologetic imagining of five women’s fight for freedom in Uruguay’s military dictatorship, RMST 280 traverses countries (Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay), rebel movements, and genres to evaluate how some of the most influential voices and works-in-translation from both fiction and non-fiction traditions frame the powerful interplay between love and revolution in a Latin American context: Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s Cuban campaign diary, Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War and Gioconda Belli’s autobiographical memoir on love and revolution in Nicaragua, The Country Under My Skin, as well as Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and Manuel Puig’s seductive exploration of intimacy and resistance from within the prison cell in The Kiss of the Spider Woman, among segments from other representative texts. We will also consider the intersections of the works studied with music, film and documentary, and artistic production, as well as other themes that shape perceptions of love during times of revolution.

Accessibility—in terms of topics addressed and types of works studied, affordability and easy access to materials, and student interests and levels—is a major priority for the instructor.

Language of instruction: English

Instructor: Dr. Brianne Orr-Álvarez

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Expand all

Collapse all

Participation [15%]
Midterm Exam [20%]
Assignments [40%]
Final Project [25%]

Required texts, films, and supplementary materials will be provided in digital format when possible and made available to students through Canvas and UBC Library Reserves.

Pedro Páramo (Juan Rulfo)
Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War (Ernesto “Che” Guevara)
The Country Under My Skin (Gioconda Belli)
100 Years of Solitude (Gabriel García Márquez)
The Kiss of the Spider Woman (Manuel Puig)
Cantoras (Caro de Robertis)

Films and documentaries

Strawberry and Chocolate (Tomás Gutiérrez-Alea)
Las Sandinistas (Jennifer Murray)
Clandestine Childhood (Benjamín Ávila)

*List is subject to change.