December 11 (Sunday):
FINAL EXAM: 3:30-5:30PM. At 3:15pm, Dr. D will e-mail you the final exam in MS Word format. You are to write your answers on this same document, save and submit via e-mail (delmastromp@cofc.edu) to Dr. D NO LATER than 5:35PM. This is a 2-hour, CUMULATIVE final exam. Late submissions will earn a grade of "0."

For December 8 (Thursday):
Critical Essay #2 (must be sent via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by MIDNIGHT on 12/8/16)
Compare a common theme that you identify between The South and The Sleeping Voice. Essay must be a minimum of 5 complete pages typed, excluding endnotes and bibliography. Your essay topic MUST be approved by Dr. Del Mastro by December 1 (please request via e-mail), and your final essay must be typed, double-spaced, with 1" margins, 12-point Times Roman font, and follow the most recently published MLA style. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.  A grade of 0 will be earned for late or unsubmitted work. Dr. D will evaluate your essay on the following criteria:
1) Title: your essay's title must be creative, attract the reader's attention, and reflect the content of your paper.
2) Organization: your essay must contain the 3 fundamental components discussed repeatedly in class: Introduction, Body and Conclusion. Ideas must be well outlined and easy to follow in your paper.
3) Content: the thesis presented in your introduction must be well developed throughout your paper; essay must be focused, devoid of broad generalities, and evidence/justification must be provided for all assertions. Ideas should NOT be simply recycled from prior class discussions, but should reflect careful thought and convincing critical thinking.

Presentations: You are free to choose your topic on The Sleeping Voice, BUT IT MUST BE FOCUSED; presentation should last between 3-5 minutes, BUT no more than 10 minutes maximum! Do not hijack topics already discussed in class unless you present your new/original ideas on the selected topic. Dr. D will evaluate your presentation on the following criteria:
1) Presentation (maximum of 3 pts): execution (e.g., memorized presentation, entertaining, with audio visual assistance such as PowerPoint, etc.), professional dress/appearance of the presenter, duration of the presentation.
2) Organization (max of 3 pts): organization of ideas, coherence of presentation.
3) Content (max of 4 pts): ideas, analysis, justifications, etc. NO VAGUE GENERALIZATIONS.

Presentations for December 6 (Tuesday):
Williams
Delph
Bilsback
Astor

Presentations for December 1 (Thursday):
Doscher
Zambrano
Miles
Foster

For November 29 (Tuesday):
Finish the entire novel The Sleeping Voice by Dulce Chacón. Type your interpretation of the novel's conclusion and send via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by 9:20am on November 29. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.

For November 22 (Tuesday):
Read chapters 1-30 of The Sleeping Voice by Dulce Chacón. Research the author's biography and the characteristics of her literature, and type a brief summary of both and send via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by 11:00am on November 22. Late submissions will NOT be accepted. Quiz on the content of chapters 1-30 on Tuesday.

For November 17 (Thursday):
Read the Preface and the entire short novel The South by Adelaida García Morales. Type your interpretation of the novel's conclusion, and send via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by 11:00am on November 17.

For November 15 (Tuesday):
Read the Preface and the entire short novel The South by Adelaida García Morales. Type your interpretation of the protagonist's relationship with her father and how it evolves through this book; send via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by 11:00am on November 15.

For November 10 (Thursday):
Finish Carmen Martín Gaite's The Back Room. Type a one-page interpretation of the novel's conclusion (within the broader context of the entire novel) and send via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by 11:00am on November 10.

For November 3 (Thursday):
Read chapter 4 "Red Light" of Carmen Martín Gaite's The Back Room. Type a one-page reflection on time and memory in this chapter to be sent via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by 11:00am on November 3.

For November 1 (Tuesday):
Study/prepare for Exam #2: everything covered in class since September 22: Spanish history, Ana María Matute's School of the Sun (Primera Memoria), and the first 3 chapters of Carmen Martín Gaite's The Back Room.

For October 27 (Thursday):
Review chapters 1-3 of Carmen Martín Gaite's The Back Room.

For October 25 (Tuesday):
Read chapters 2 & 3 "The Black Hat" and "Come to Cúnigan Soon" of Carmen Martín Gaite's The Back Room, and identify and explain one related theme to be handed in at the beginning of class on October 25.

For October 20 (Thursday):
Read chapter 1 "The Barefoot Man" of Carmen Martín Gaite's The Back Room, and type a one-page summary to be handed in at the beginning of class on October 20.

For October 18 (Tuesday):
Complete Ana María Matute's School of the Sun (Primera Memoria).

Presentations: You are free to choose your topic on School of the Sun, BUT IT MUST BE FOCUSED; presentation must last between 3-5 minutes, BUT no more than 5 minutes maximum! Do not hijack topics already discussed in class. You may discuss a topic addressed in class, but it is necessary to present your new/original ideas on the selected topic. Dr. D will evaluate your presentation on the following criteria:
1) Presentation (maximum of 3 pts): execution (e.g., memorized presentation, entertaining, with audio visual assistance such as PowerPoint, etc.), professional dress/appearance of the presenter, duration of the presentation.
2) Organization (max of 3 pts): organization of ideas, coherence of presentation.
3) Content (max of 4 pts): ideas, analysis, justifications, etc. NO VAGUE GENERALIZATIONS.

Presentations for October 18 (Tuesday):
Doscher
Miles
Slavin
Sloane
Williams
Zambrano

For October 13 (Thursday): Critical Essay #1 (must be sent via e-mail to delmastromp@cofc.edu by MIDNIGHT)
Compare a common theme that you identify between Laforet's Nada and Matute's School of the Sun. Essay must be a minimum of 3 full pages typed, not including endnotes and bibliography. Your essay topic MUST be approved by Dr. Del Mastro (please request via e-mail), and it must be typed, double-spaced, with 1" margins, 12-point Times Roman font, and follow the most recently published MLA style. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.  A grade of 0 will be earned for late or unsubmitted work.

For October 4 (Tuesday):
Complete the first three sections ("The Descent," "The School of the Sun" and "The Bonfires" of Ana María Matute's School of the Sun (Primera Memoria).

Presentations: You are free to choose your topic on School of the Sun, BUT IT MUST BE FOCUSED; presentation must last between 3-5 minutes, BUT no more than 5 minutes maximum! Do not hijack topics already discussed in class. You may discuss a topic addressed in class, but it is necessary to present your new/original ideas on the selected topic. Dr. D will evaluate your presentation on the following criteria:
1) Presentation (maximum of 3 pts): execution (e.g., memorized presentation, entertaining, with audio visual assistance such as PowerPoint, etc.), professional dress/appearance of the presenter, duration of the presentation.
2) Organization (max of 3 pts): organization of ideas, coherence of presentation.
3) Content (max of 4 pts): ideas, analysis, justifications, etc. NO VAGUE GENERALIZATIONS.

Presentations for October 4 (Tuesday):
Astor
Bilsback
Delph
Foster

For September 27 (Tuesday):
Finish "The Descent" and Chapter 1 of "The School of the Sun" of Ana María Matute's School of the Sun (Primera Memoria). Type an analytical summary of chapters to hand in at the beginning of class on Tuesday, September 27.

For September 22 (Thursday):
Read chapters 1 and 2 of Ana María Matute's School of the Sun (Primera Memoria), and be prepared to discuss in class the plot, and the parallels you notice between this book and Nada. Research the life of Matute, the author, and type a one-page summary of her life emphasizing those elements that are especially pertinent to the novel School of the Sun and the social and political circumstances of the period (post Civil-War-Spain of the 1940s and 1950s). You will need to hand in this summary at the beginning of class on September 22.

For September 20 (Tuesday):
Study/prepare for Exam #1: everything reviewed in class since August 23: Spanish history of 19th and early 20th centuries, Spanish gender roles and women's rights during the Second Republic and during Franco; Carmen Laforet and her novel Nada.

For September 15 (Thursday):
Be prepared to discuss/explain whom in your opinion is the most pivotal character for Andrea's formation.

For September 13 (Tuesday):
Finish Laforet's Nada. Write your interpretation of the book's conclusion, typed. Has Andrea's journey concluded? Have pending issues been resolved? Address the protagonist's growth, if any, at the end of the novel. Organize your ideas.

For September 8 (Thursday):
Read through Chapter 19 of Laforet's Nada. Write a critical summary of chapters 15-19, typed, while focusing on what you determine are key parts of the protagonist's journey. Is she progressing? Is she responsible for her progress? Or is she a victim of fate? Organize your ideas.

For September 6 (Tuesday):
Read chapters 15-18 of Laforet's Nada. Write a summary of chapters 5-14 while focusing specifically on the protagonist's identity search and how it is impacted by specific episodes/encounters. Summary should be typed, with no specific length other than adequately responding to the assignment.

For September 1 (Thursday):
Read chapters 1-14 of Carmen Laforet's Nada, and be prepared to discuss in class the plot, and the parallels between the protagonist's circumstances and those of Spanish women of the period, including social mores during the dictatorship. Typed to be handed in during class: from the 14 chapters read, describe the progress of Andrea's quest and how her quest/search is aided and/or thwarted by her relationships in the novel.

For August 30 (Tuesday):
Read chapters 1-14 of Carmen Laforet's Nada, and be prepared to discuss in class the plot, and the parallels between the protagonist's circumstances and those of Spanish women of the period, including social mores during the dictatorship. Research the life of Carmen Laforet and type a one-page summary of her life emphasizing those elements that are especially pertinent to the novel Nada and the social and political circumstances of the period (1940s Spain). You will need to hand in this summary at the beginning of class on August 30.

For August 25 (Thursday):
Review your notes carefully from Tuesday's class, and be sure you are familiar with both the course syllabus and calendar. You are HIGHLY encouraged to begin reading Carmen Laforet's Nada. And if you haven't yet purchased books for the class, you are falling behind...

For August 23 (Tuesday):
Bring a copy of the syllabus, calendar, a notebook and a functioning writing instrument to class (and to EVERY class during the semester).