Special Topics Courses
Each semester, our department offers a wide range of "Special Topics Courses"—in both Spanish and Portuguese. These courses hone in on specific, key aspects of Spanish and Portuguese cultures, literatures, and linguistics. These courses are imbued with a level of passion, love, and care for the given subject as the topics are often chosen by the professors themselves.
Take a look at some of the courses that will be offered this Spring/Summer and Fall semesters:
Spanish
Portuguese
Myths, Martyrs, and Mothers: Latin American Narratives of Womanhood (SPAN 457R)
What does it mean to be a "good mother"? How are cultural ideals of motherhood formed, sustained, and sometimes reshaped?
This course explores powerful Latin American narratives of womanhood, from La Virgen de Gudalupe and La Llorona to contemporary portrayals of activism, migration, and care work. We will examine how social expectations are represented and reimagined in a variety of Latin American literature and film. Students will analyze how these narratives influence cultural standards of family life and how they shape the expectations placed on both women and men.
Spring MWF | 10:00-11:50am
Taught by: Dr. Faith Blackhurst
This course explores powerful Latin American narratives of womanhood, from La Virgen de Gudalupe and La Llorona to contemporary portrayals of activism, migration, and care work. We will examine how social expectations are represented and reimagined in a variety of Latin American literature and film. Students will analyze how these narratives influence cultural standards of family life and how they shape the expectations placed on both women and men.
Spring MWF | 10:00-11:50am
Taught by: Dr. Faith Blackhurst
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Hispanic Cinema (SPAN 438)
This course, taught in Spanish, offers an introduction to the study of Hispanic film. Students will learn how to analyze various elements of film art (e.g., photography, sound, movement, mise en scène, editing, etc.) while discovering a variety of national film industries from the Spanish-speaking world (e.g., Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, etc.).
Summer MWF | 10:00-11:50am
Taught by: Dr. Doug Weatherford
Summer MWF | 10:00-11:50am
Taught by: Dr. Doug Weatherford
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Rebels, Royalty, and Cross Dressers: The Brilliance of Early Modern Iberian Theater (SPAN 443/643)
In this course, we will explore—and experience—one of the most prolific and dynamic periods of theatrical production in world history, engaging works by Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Ana Caro, María de Zayas, and Pedro Calderón de la Barca, among others.
Fall MWF | 1:00-1:50pm
Taught by: Dr. Jonathan Wade
Fall MWF | 1:00-1:50pm
Taught by: Dr. Jonathan Wade
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Borges in/and/on Philosophy (SPAN 459R/659R, PHIL 414R)
The Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges is widely regarded as having created some of the most conceptually rich works of any twentieth-century writer. His short stories memorably illustrate an array of problems in such diverse fields as metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mind. In this course we shall not only study Borges’s oeuvre in its broader philosophical contexts but also the ways in which his short stories raise significant questions about the limitations and affordances of the different discursive mediums in which philosophical problems may be framed.
Fall TTh | 2:00–3:15p
Taught by: Dr. David Laraway
Fall TTh | 2:00–3:15p
Taught by: Dr. David Laraway
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Portuguese Women Writers: Editing & Expanding the Canon (PORT 437R/659R)
Discover the Women Who Shaped Portuguese Literature!
Dive into powerful, groundbreaking works by Portuguese‑speaking women authors whose voices transformed literature. In this hands-on course, you won’t just study their writing—you’ll help bring it back into the spotlight.
Create real editorial content and become a published editor on the international platform More Than Muses (morethanmuses.byu.edu). Develop your voice, amplify forgotten ones, and make a meaningful impact in the literary world.
If you’re excited about storytelling, women’s voices, global perspectives, or publishing experience that looks amazing on a résumé—this class is for you.
Ready to help rewrite literary history?
Fall TTh | 12:30-1:45pm
Taught by: Dr. Anna-Lisa Halling
Dive into powerful, groundbreaking works by Portuguese‑speaking women authors whose voices transformed literature. In this hands-on course, you won’t just study their writing—you’ll help bring it back into the spotlight.
Create real editorial content and become a published editor on the international platform More Than Muses (morethanmuses.byu.edu). Develop your voice, amplify forgotten ones, and make a meaningful impact in the literary world.
If you’re excited about storytelling, women’s voices, global perspectives, or publishing experience that looks amazing on a résumé—this class is for you.
Ready to help rewrite literary history?
Fall TTh | 12:30-1:45pm
Taught by: Dr. Anna-Lisa Halling