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Spain and Islam

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Spanish 407, Spring 2010

CRN 35446
MW 10:00-11:20 am in 125 Chiles
Prof. David Wacks (wacks@uoregon.edu; 6-4029)
Office Hours: M 12-1 and T 2-3 in Friendly 418

Description:
Spain’s relationship with Islam is extremely important to the development of Spanish and
Hispanic culture. Much of we think of as typically “Spanish” has its roots in Islam and in the
tension between Christianity and Islam that came to define Spain. For centuries, the Iberian
Peninsula (today Spain and Portugal) was a Muslim country, called al-Andalus, where a uniquely
sophisticated and luxurious culture flourished when the rest of Europe was living in relative
poverty and ignorance. Although the Muslim political presence in Spain came to an end in 1492
with the defeat of the Kingdom of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, the
last Muslims did not leave Spain until 1614.

Today, massive immigration from North Africa has reintroduced Islam to Spain, and the future
of the country will be determined in part by how modern Spaniards choose to deal with the
challenges of religious and ethnic plurality this time around. In this course we will learn about
the development of Islamic culture in Spain, the transition to Christian political dominance and
eventual elimination of Islam, and the current debate in Spain over North African immigration.
Texts will include selections from the aljamiado literature of the Moriscos, the last Spanish
Muslims (1500-1600s), a scholarly essay on the history of Arabic studies in Spain, contemporary
Spanish fiction on the theme of African immigration, and contemporary essays on both historical
and current questions of the integration of Islam and Muslims in Spanish society.

Texts: All readings are in a course packet available at the Copy Shop 539 E 13th Ave between
Patterson and Ferry, phone (541) 485-6253. Call ahead to check for availability.
Spanish Dictionary: http://buscon.rae.es/diccionario/drae.htm
This is the dictionary of the Real Academia Española de la Lengua (Dicc. RAE). It contains
many definitions for words found in the readings, especially usages from the medieval and early
modern periods (1200-1700) that do not appear in most student dictionaries.
Requirements:
15% Attendance is mandatory (there are 18 class sessions). Three absences (for any reason)
will be dropped, after which students will be discounted 5 points per additional absence
 Last Update 4 March 2010 2

to a maximum of fifteen. Instructor will take attendance in class.

10% Reportaje (class blog entry): The purpose of this assignment is to establish a running
written narrative of the intellectual process that takes place in class. Two students
collaborate on reporting (in narrative form) on the class discussion, adding their own
commentary and posing followup questions to the class. During class both students take
careful notes (you may choose to video or audio record the class if you like) on class
discussion, including professor and student comments and questions. They then write up
their report in narrative form and post to class blog before the next class. Both students
are assigned the same grade for the entry (10 point scale). Option to rewrite for up to 2
point improvement. Please see professor during office hours if you would like specific
feedback.
30% Bitácora: “Cuaderno de bitácora” (Blackboard calls it ‘Journal’) means a ship’s log kept
by a captain or navigator. Each of you is piloting your own intellectual ship through this
course, and the bitácora is the running record of your encounters with each of the texts
we read. Students must complete 10/13 entries on the 13 class readings, plus 2
mandatory entries on developing your idea for your critical essay. Your bitácora grade
will be the best 12 of these 15 (with the final two being mandatory).
I recommend keeping a word document saved in RTF format (so that it will not translate
to rubbish when you paste into Blackboard) with all of your entries in the bitácora. This
way you can keep a running record of your thoughts on each reading, all in one place.
Title each entry as it appears in the syllabus (i.e., ‘Flesler,’ ‘Chejne, cap. 1’, etc.). In each
entry students include a brief summary of the text (including bits of textual example), a
definition and explanation of one key concept or term (1-2 paragraphs), and a sustained
explanation and commentary of one key quotation from the text (2-5 paragraphs). Entries
must be written in gramatically correct, comprehensible Spanish with all appropriate
accents. Entries not meeting these criteria may be rewritten for full credit. Please see
professor during office hours if you would like specific feedback.
10% Presentación de texto (en blog del curso). Because your presentación is likely the first
thing your classmates will read about the text, it is an opportuntity to show some
intellectual leadership. You get to set the pace and shape the discussion of the text in
question.
In teams of two, presentadores will give the class an overview of the text, describing and
sumarizing it briefly. They will then introduce and explain key concepts and terms,
always giving properly cited textual examples. Presenters should make an effort to
include links to relevant quality web resources, including text, audio, photos, and video.
Presentaciones must be posted by the beginning of the class meeting previous to the
reading in question.
Presentadores have the option to rewrite their presentaciones for an upgrade of up to 2
points (10 point scale). Please see professor during office hours if you would like specific
feedback.
In class, the pair of presenters will communicate their findings and respond to any
comments registered in the two days since their post. Classmates are expected to have
read the presentación and registered a comment or question on it before coming to class.
 Last Update 4 March 2010 3

35% Critical Essay. Argumentative research essay of 8-12 pages documented with a
minimum of 5 secondary sources, whether books (University or Academic presses only,
must consult the actual book), and /or peer-reviewed academic journal articles. Essays
must comply with MLA format (see below), double spaced with 1” margins all around.
Pages numbered. See sample essay in Blackboard/Course Documents.

Grading Rubric:
100- 97- 92- 89- 86- 82- 79- 76- 72- 69- 66- 62- 59-
98 93 90 87 83 80 77 73 70 67 63 60
A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F

A note on grading:
Students will receive a grade that reflects the quality of their work, according to the guidelines in
this syllabus. Grades will not be negotiated. If for some reason you believe your final grade
deserves to be reviewed, you must bring two copies of a one-page typed petition in person to
your instructor’s office hours. No inquiries regarding grade changes will be entertained via email
or telephone.
Written work:
Writing assignments and Essays must conform to the formatting, style, and bibliographic citation
norms of the MLA (Modern Language Association). An abbreviated guide is available at:
http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/citing/mla.html. We will review formatting in class.
Plagiarism:
Students who commit any form of plagiarism, whether intentional or otherwise, will be held
responsible to the fullest extent of UO regulations. Students are responsible for familiarizing
themselves with these regulations, which are published at:
http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students/

Syllabus:
We Date Text Presentación Reportaje (2)
ek (2)
1 M No hay clase
3/29
1 W Intro
3/31
2 M 4/5 Intro –
writing/blogging,
etc
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2 W 4/7 Goytisolo (and

watch Cities of
Light)
3 M Flesler
4/12
3 W Ortiz
4/14
4 M Prado
4/19
4 W Rivière Gómez
4/21
5 M Chejne, cap. 1
4/26
5 W García Arenal,
4/28 “Capitulaciones” y
“Los moriscos de
Granada”
6 M 5/3 García Arenal,
“Proceso contra
don Sancho de
Cardona”
6 W 5/5 Chejne, cap. 2
7 M García Arenal, ed.
5/10 “Memorial de Don
Francisco Núñez
Muley”
7 W García Arenal, ed.
5/12 “Instrucción de los
Moriscos
Valencianos”
8 M Chejne 3, Mason,
5/17 trans. “Relato”
(see biblio.)
8 W Guillén Robles, ed.
5/19 “Relato del
nacimiento de
Jesús”
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9 M 5 minute n/a
5/24 presentation of
final paper idea
9 W 5 minute n/a
5/26 presentation of
final paper idea
10 M 6/2 Síntesis – what n/a
have we learned –
reflección on the
bitácora: what of
your thinking has
changed?
Final R Ensayo crítico due
s 6/10 by 12pm in 102
Friendly HW Box
 Last Update 4 March 2010 6

Bibliografía

Chejne, Anwar G. Islam and the West: The Moriscos. Albany: SUNY, 1983. Print.
Flesler, Daniela. The Return of the Moor: Spanish Responses to Contemporary Moroccan
Immigration. West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press, 2008. Print. 17-54.
García Arenal, Mercedes, ed. Los Moriscos. Granada: Universidad de Granada, 1996. Print.
Goytisolo, Juan. “El legado andalusí: una perspectiva occidental.”
http://www.cnice.mecd.es/tematicas/juangoytisolo/1997_12/1997_12_andalus.html.
Accesado 6 Febrero 2008.
Guillén Robles, Francisco. Leyendas moriscas, sacadas de varios manuscritos existentes en las
bibliotecas Nacional, Real y de D.P. de Gayangos, Madrid: Impr. de M. Tello, 1885.
Print.
Mason, Katelyn Sarah. “Relato del nacimiento de Jesus. English.” Undergraduate Thesis.
University of Oregon Clark Honors College, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/9962.
Ortiz, Lourdes. Fátima de los naufragios. Barcelona, España: Planeta, 1998. Print.
Prado, Abdennur. El islam en democracia. Almodóvar del Río (Córdoba): Junta Islámica, 2006.
Print.
Rivière Gómez, Aurora. Orientalismo y nacionalismo español: Estudios árabes y hebreos en la
Universidad de Madrid (1843-1868). Madrid: Instituto Antonio de Nebrija de estudios
sobre la universidad, 2000.