Department: Spanish ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
13 matches in the database.
These are records: 1 - 13.
1.
Barrile, Matthew James.
En búsqueda del “Nosotros”: la representación de la identidad gay española contemporánea.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2011, Bowling Green State University
► With the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain entered into a…
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▼ With the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain entered into a political and social transition—La Transición-toward democracy, which opened the door to freer sexual expression. Fast-forward thirty years when Spanish democracy is established, Spain became one of the first nations to extend marriage as an equal civil right to the gay and lesbian community when it legalized same-sex marriage in 2005. What this thesis explores, then, is contemporary Spanish gay identity as presented through three cultural products. Via the novel Huesos de Sodoma (2004) by Luis Antonio de Villena, the film Fuera de carta (2008; dir. Nacho Velilla) and the book of short stories Doce fábulas (2008) by Lluís Maria Todó, I explore how these cultural media portray the gay community, as marriage oftentimes takes center stage as either an institution that unifies or further excludes. Under the lens of compulsive heterosexuality, homonormativity, separation and assimilation, I find that no single archetype can represent the community as a whole, for identity is a fluid concept whose possessors approach it with individual conceptualizations. The contemporary Spanish gay identity, therefore, is an identity without concrete definition; it is still in a process of refinement as it battles with heterogeneity, homogeneity and everything queer in between.
Advisors/Committee Members: Porbén, Dr. Pedro.
Subjects: Foreign Language; Gender; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Romance Literature
Keywords: Identity; gay; Spain; Spanish; masculinity; España; identidad; homosexualidad; homosexuality; queer; queer theory; compulsive heterosexuality; homonormativity
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2.
Boswell, Bradley Kyle.
Un Estudio Cultural del Once de Marzo de 2004 a Través de la Literatura y el Cine.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2005, Bowling Green State University
► This thesis is a work written in the Spanish language with the…
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▼ This thesis is a work written in the Spanish language with the goal of coming to a better understanding of the cultural reasons behind the events surrounding the March 11, 2004 bombings in Madrid and their aftermath. In spite of the fact that the author of this work has his own opinions about the attacks, the goal of this thesis is to seek a clearer cultural understanding of the attacks and to set aside the shrill analyses coming from both the left and right extremes of the political debate in the wake of the attacks. In order to complete this analysis, I analyzed several Spanish literary and cinematic works. In the first chapter, I considered the legacy of the Franco years in Spain and how that might have influenced the actions of the Spanish people during the elections that followed the “11-M” attacks. First, I looked into how the Franco regime sharply divided Spanish society and how the bombings amplified that divide by considering Francoist propaganda, such as the movie, Raza, as well as La prima Angélica, directed by Carlos Saura. In La familia de Pascual Duarte, I consider the ideas of fatalism and societal guilt, which may have contributed to why the Spanish public did not seem motivated to remove the Partido Popular from power until the attacks occurred. I then considered the legacy of anti-Americanism in Spain as a factor, by exploring the 1950s classic, ¡Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall!, and how Spanish popular culture has traditionally viewed Americans as violent beings. Finally, I consider the element of the absurd in El tiempo de silencio. In the second chapter, I consider the possibility that postmodernism was a factor in the aftermath of the bombings. The genesis of this chapter originates from the fact that many polls before the March 14, 2004 elections indicated that while the Partido Popular was going to lose seats in the national election, the Spanish electorate was still going to return the conservative party to power in spite of widespread opposition to the war in Iraq. When considering the history of contemporary democracy in Spain, it becomes obvious that there can only be a shift in political power when there is some sort of criminal scandal committed by or linked to the party in power. In 1982, the Socialists gained power after the attempted coup d’état by members of the old Francoist regime. In 1996, the Popularists gained power after the Socialists were involved in a criminal scandal involving GAL. Finally, in 2004, the Socialists regained power as a result of the scandal in which the Popularists lied to the public by trying to blame ETA for the attacks, when Muslim terrorists were responsible. I believe this arises from the fact that the postmodernists voter is not motivated by ideological arguments, and so he must be motivated by scandals which threaten the stability of the government. I explore this in Lo real by Belén Gopegui. Finally, I explore other factors which may have contributed to the reaction of the Spanish people to the bombings. In Tesis, I return to the legacy of Franco to consider how the image in Spanish popular culture of the violent conservative may have influenced Spanish voters. In Las cartas de Alou, I consider the possibility that some voters may have empathized with the immigrants who committed the attacks. Finally, in La pelota vasca: la piel contra la piedra, I consider why the Spanish voter might have differentiated Basque terrorism from Muslim terrorism.
Advisors/Committee Members: Richardson, Nathan E.
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3.
De Pozzio, Carla Mariesol.
El TLCAN: y su representación en el femicidio de Ciudad Juárez.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2010, Bowling Green State University
► This thesis investigates the representation of NAFTA in two documentaries and two…
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▼ This thesis investigates the representation of NAFTA in two documentaries and two films about violence against women in Ciudad Juárez. Chapter I outlines Mexico's adoption of neoliberal economic policies that culminated in NAFTA, and then specifies individual clauses in the NAFTA text that illustrates the promises and expectations that accompanied the signing of the free trade agreement. These clauses are: Chapter 7 on Agriculture, Chapter 11 on Inversion, and the additional agreements on labor and the environment. The main analysis then, evaluates two documentaries and two Hollywood-type feature movies. Chapter II analyzes Lourdes Portillo's Señorita extraviada (2001), and Steev Hise's On the Edge: Femicide in Ciudad Juárez (2006). Señorita extraviada, was selected because it was the first documentary that brought to light and investigated the problem of the women's murders in Ciudad Juárez, trying to identify the real culprits. On the Edge, was chosen because director Hise's main focus was to evaluate all the different components that originated and exacerbated the problem of the femicide in Ciudad Juárez. Both documentaries represent NAFTA as an explicit or implicit factor that is associated with the femicide murders. Chapter III analyzes Bordertown (2006) from director Gregory Nava starring Jennifer López, and El traspatio/Backyard (2009) from director Carlos Carrera staring Ana de la Reguera. Bordertown is an American production, while El traspatio is a Mexican production. Both films portray women going to Ciudad Juárez, either to help solve the problems of the femicide, or to work in maquilas where they become victims of violence. They both implicate the implementation of NAFTA as having a profound impact on the Mexican agricultural sector, causing job losses, massive rural migration, particularly of women, to the border mainly to Ciudad Juárez. They also associate the work in the maquiladoras, which is implicitly related to NAFTA, as causing social changes including traditional gender role inversion, and gender antagonism because of the maquilas' preference of hiring female workers. This analysis thus focuses on how NAFTA is represented as generating political, economic and cultural conditions in which the maquila workers are prone to attacks and violence that ultimately led to femicide.
Advisors/Committee Members: Robinson, Amy.
Subjects: Economic theory; Gender; Labor economics; Latin American history; Latin American literature; Motion Pictures; Womens studies
Keywords: Señorita extraviada; On the Edge: Femicide in Ciudad Juárez; Backyard/El traspatio; Bordertown; TLCAN; femicidio; feminicidio; maquila; maquiladoras; productos agrícolas, agricultural products; inversiones; globalización
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4.
Dewey-Montefort, Jamie Arlene.
Entre la Literatura Indianista y la Narrativa Neo-Indigenista: Identidad y Modernidad.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► This study examines representations of indigenous people and cultures in Peruvian literature…
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▼ This study examines representations of indigenous people and cultures in Peruvian literature from the 1850s to the 1950s in: Lima: Apuntes históricos, descriptivos, estadísticos y de costumbres (1867) by Manuel Fuentes, Aves sin nido (1889) by Clorinda Matto de Turner, Siete ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana (1928) by José Carlos Mariátegui and Los ríos profundos (1958) by José María Arguedas, and analyzes how ideas about modernity influenced these portrayals, what the authors were likely hoping to achieve with these depictions, and the implications of these characterizations for their indigenous subjects. The first chapter discussed the theoretical base of the study and presented the concept of racial project as defined by Michael Omi and Howard Winant. The second chapter described the influence of positivism in racial projects in Latin America and the notions of mestizaje and whitening, and then analyzed Lima by Fuentes, an example of a racial project aligned with the interests of the dominant groups in Peruvian society. The third chapter contrasted Lima by Fuentes and Aves sin nido by Matto, two nineteenth- century racial projects. The final chapter contrasted Mariátegui’s essays and Arguedas’ Los ríos profundos, two twentieth-century racial projects. The study concluded that it would be problematic to focus solely on the representation of indigenous peoples and a relation with the literary currents of indianismo, indigenismo or neo-indigenismo without considering the influence of ideas about modernity and the desire for a homogenous national identity for Peru in the representations. The study indicated that while Matto, Mariátegui and Arguedas all challenged the dominant racial projects with their representations of indigenous people by exposing exploitation of this group, the projects differed significantly in that 1) while Matto defended the capacity to learn of indigenous people and their right to receive an education she did not propose a redistribution of property and 2) Mariátegui and Arguedas both proposed a redistribution of resources however Arguedas was the only author in this study who sought to vindicate contemporary indigenous culture and who did not to propose that Peru try to emulate the foreign ideas about modernity.
Advisors/Committee Members: Chalupa, Federico.
Subjects: Literature, Latin American
Keywords: indianismo; indigenismo; neo-indigenismo; mestizaje; race
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5.
Fehskens, Matthew Thomas.
José Martí: Aesthetic Discourse on Identity.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► This text approaches the life and work of José Martí through a…
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▼ This text approaches the life and work of José Martí through a specifically creative and aesthetic optic. Beginning with his deviation from mainstream positivism in nineteenth century Latin America, the text accomplishes an exploration of how Martí's work and life exemplify his suggestion of identity formed under an understanding of aesthetic humanism, with emphasis on individual autonomy and inviolable worth. By means of deconstructing the idolatry and myth surrounding Martí's image and manipulation in generations posterior to his lifespan, the study refreshes the relevance of Martí in application to contemporary problems of Latin American identity, namely globalization and the neoliberal economic system.
Advisors/Committee Members: Robinson, Amy.
Keywords: identidad; humanismo; modernismo; José Martí; latinoamérica; positivismo; modernismo; creatividad; libertad; poesía; neocolonialismo; raza; naturaleza; revolución; hombre de acción
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6.
Feuerstein, Amanda L.
La ansiedad y los aprendices de español como segunda lengua.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2012, Bowling Green State University
► This study investigates the effects of anxiety on second language acquisition within…
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▼ This study investigates the effects of anxiety on second language acquisition within the context of a university Spanish classroom. There are two types of anxiety investigated: the anxiety specifically related to the foreign language classroom and the general anxiety experienced before performing an evaluative task. The study also identifies other factors possibly related to anxiety in relation to acquisition, such as the linguistic competence of the second language, the level of the class and the gender of the participant. The participants were taking four university-level Spanish classes. They completed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale survey and anxiety-rating forms before participating in evaluative tasks in the classroom, such as quizzes, exams or compositions. The results indicate that students do experience significant amounts of anxiety in the classroom, but the effect of the anxiety on acquisition is limited depending on the type of anxiety. The anxiety related to the classroom, which represents learners’ fears in general about the context, was moderately correlated to success on tasks in the first two introductory levels, but this effect decreased in the second two year levels. The anxiety before performing an evaluative task had no effect on performance. In addition, the amount of anxiety experienced by the participants diminished over the courses, suggesting that students at more advanced levels of acquisition are more comfortable in the foreign language classroom. In reference to gender, there was a significant difference in the amount of anxiety experienced, with the females feeling more anxious than the males. However, the performances on the evaluative tasks were fairly equal. This suggests that female students, although more anxious than male students, have sufficient enough coping mechanisms in order to not allow the anxiety to affect their acquisition and success. The results of this study will help to clarify some contradicting findings within the field of Second Language Acquisition, and also provides some information on which to base new teaching methodologies in order to help alleviate anxiety of students in foreign language classrooms.
Advisors/Committee Members: Pearson, Lynn.
Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Foreign Language; Language; Linguistics; Teaching
Keywords: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety; la ansiedad de clases de lenguas extranjeras; ASL; la adquisicion de segundas lenguas; Second Language Acquisition; Spanish as a second language; el espanol como segunda lengua
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7.
Lantzy, Leah.
La influencia del sueño americano en la inmigración latina.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2012, Bowling Green State University
► The American dream can influence Latin Americans to immigrate to the United…
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▼ The American dream can influence Latin Americans to immigrate to the United States. However serious complications arise in this pursuit of success. The development of the American dream is analyzed, as are the components that form the ideology surrounding it, including American exceptionalism and the direct exchange of hard work for success. The ideology also includes the notion that American society is highly fluid in terms of economic mobility, the equal opportunity to compete and the belief that success is a fundamental virtue. Three novels by Latin American authors, including ¡Macho! by Victor Villaseñor, Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia and Let it rain coffee by Angie Cruz illustrate the Mexican, Cuban and Dominican experiences in the pursuit of the American dream. The arrival of the dream and the goals for success are explored in the investigation’s analysis of the novels. The costs incurred in the search for success are considered for both the individuals and the involved societies; each protagonist’s success is also measured. The novels portray this pursuit as dangerous, degrading, unrealistic and unhealthy, and also conclude that it can lead to the development of a false, superficial identity in the U.S. The research and literature reveal that there is a low probability of scaling the economic ladder of the Unites States for both Latinos and other citizens, and convey and shows that an equal opportunity to compete does not exist for most Latin immigrants.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cabanillas, Francisco.
Subjects: Latin American Literature; Latin American Studies
Keywords: Latin immigration; American Dream; Mexico; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Bracero; migration; Victor Villaseñor; Cristina Garcia; Angie Cruz; hispanic immigration; equal opportunity; mobility; minorities
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8.
Marcano, Nashieli.
La materialidad del texto en los cuentos de Jorge Luis Borges.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► This thesis is concerned with the material nature of the text in…
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▼ This thesis is concerned with the material nature of the text in Borges’ short stories. The context of this study stems from Borges’ gravitation towards the use of textual references, his quest for the “original,” and his view of literature and reading as exercises of re-creation. In each of Borges’ works, lies an object that encapsulates the essence of the story, and that fills it with significance; one that establishes a direct contact between reality and fiction. Part I explores the discipline of bibliography, semiotics, hermeneutics and semantics and the role they play in the creation, transmission and interpretation of the text-object. Part II describes the different transformations of the borgesian text-object, from how it is produced (or can produce), to how it establishes an intertextual, psychological and physiological relationship with the subject. Part III analyses the inscription of text in various physical spaces and surfaces such as paper, dreams and memory, fluid substances, architectural spaces and structures, as well as the body. Finally, Part IV studies the translation of the borgesian text-object in the virtual and electronic space.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cabanillas, Francisco.
Keywords: Borges; materiality; object as text; text as object; electronic text; hypertext; materialidad; objeto como texto; hipertexto; texto electronico
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9.
Melgares, Jeriel.
En nombre del voseo: Su incorporación en los estudios universitarios de español dentro del contexto estadounidense.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2012, Bowling Green State University
► Although the subject pronoun vos has captured the attention of grammarians and…
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▼ Although the subject pronoun vos has captured the attention of grammarians and linguists over the years, there are scarcely any studies that focus on the incorporation of this prominent pronoun in university level Spanish classes within the United States context. There is only one study dealing exclusively with this topic conducted by Mason and Nicely (1995), in which they examined high school level and introductory level Spanish textbooks. The study herein contributes valuable information to the field of Spanish education by determining the extent to which voseo has been included in a typical Spanish curriculum via two methodological phases: 1) the analysis of five intermediate level Spanish textbooks, and 2) the survey of the experiences that a group of Spanish instructors have had with voseo. The results of the first phase mirror those of Mason and Nicely (1995); the entirety of the textbooks presents a dialect of Spanish far removed from the sociolinguistic reality of Latin America, through laconic explanations or the overall omission of vos. The results of the second phase corroborate the exigency of including this pronoun in Spanish classes. All who participated suggest teaching vos at the intermediate-to-advanced levels, taking into account the prominence of this pronoun in Latin America and how much the students would benefit from learning it. Considering these results, this thesis addresses the need for producing sound pedagogical materials and developing well-rounded Spanish curricula that include elements of a more general dialect of Spanish. By including voseo, and likewise, other frequent elements that have been the objects of linguistic discrimination, it is ensured that those who specialize in the language will be better prepared to face the linguistic realities of today’s Spanish-speaking world.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ducar, Cynthia.
Subjects: Adult Education; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Linguistics
Keywords: voseo; vos; programas de español; Spanish programs; Spanish textbooks; Spanish education; pronombres de segunda persona; Spanish forms of address
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10.
Morrow, William Judson.
¿Qué va a pasar en el Buckeye State? Pasos hacia inglés como idioma oficial.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► The following study, through the implementation of a critical discourse analysis, examines…
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▼ The following study, through the implementation of a critical discourse analysis, examines the debate concerning English-Only legislation in the state of Ohio. The objective of this study is to explicate the way in which the language produced within the discourse surrounding English-Only legislation negatively reinforces popular attitudes, often discriminatory, and affects the groups to which this type of legislation is targeted. Through the employment of critical discourse analysis, as defined by Fairclough, Wodak and Van Dijk, this study considers the language used in Ohio newspapers in relation to two particular cases concerning English-Only legislation. The data considered comes not only from professional journalists but also includes the reflections of the general public. In this manner, the investigation offers a thorough representation of both formal and informal language. An examination of these particular cases reveals a continual association between language and the following three aspects of our modern society: immigration, patriotism and survival. Once these connections are analyzed within the historical context of language development in the United States, their marginalizing nature becomes evident. This data, combined with an understanding of how repetitive language both frames and restricts our understanding, also suggests that both sides of the debate concerning English-Only legislation are equally responsible for this breed of “new racism,” as defined by Van Dijk. By investigating these associations and their constant repetition within the popular media, we are yielded a better understanding of how language affects personal perception as well as public policy. Given that understanding, this study concludes with an explanation of the importance of ensuring linguistic rights, often infringed upon by English-Only legislation, as well as suggestions to move us toward protecting those rights.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ducar, Cynthia.
Subjects: Bilingual education; Hispanic Americans; Journalism; Language; Linguistics; Mass media; Minority and ethnic groups; Political science; Sociology
Keywords: critical discourse analysis; English-only; English Only; new racism; Ohio; Spanish; linguistic rights; immigration; patriotism; survival; latino
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11.
Steele, Clarissa R.
THE EFFECT OF STUDY ABROAD ON THE ACQUISITION OF PRAGMATICS: A COMPARISON OF REQUESTS MADE BY L2 SPANISH GRADUATE STUDENTS.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► This study investigates the effects of study abroad on the acquisition of…
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▼ This study investigates the effects of study abroad on the acquisition of the pragmatics, specifically, the speech act of requests, by advanced second language learners. The participants included seven graduate students that completed their first year of a master’s program in Spanish in Mexico or Spain and who were compared to six native Spanish speakers. The participants completed a Language Contact Profile (Freed, Dewey, Segalowitz and Halter, 2004) to gather data about their language experiences while studying abroad and a Discourse Completion Task Questionnaire containing ten situations to which the respondents wrote requests. The investigation focused on six aspects of these requests: speaker- or hearer-orientation, pronouns of address, the use of the courtesy marker por favor, verbal forms, requestive verbs, and the number of words in the speech act. The results found that although advanced learners of Spanish in general make requests in a native-like manner, errors still exist in their use of particular linguistic aspects of the language. The learners tend to underutilize the hearer orientation, the predominate orientation in Spanish, in some situations and overuse it in others. Learners who studied in Spain also tend to overuse the informal pronoun tú while the students who studied in Mexico overuse the formal pronoun usted. The advanced learners do not use the courtesy marker in most requests, although some situations led to its use when native speakers did not utilize por favor in the speech act. Those who studied in Spain tend to overuse the present tenses and those who studied in Mexico use the conditional and the present in non-native-like patterns. All learners use poder, ser posible, and tener in their requests more than natives, who use a variety of verbs such as importar, hacer el favor, and necesitar, absent in speech acts by the non-native speakers. Finally, in nearly all of the situations, the learners use significantly fewer words than the natives. These findings may help improve study abroad programs and language classes by demonstrating the need for explicit pragmatic teaching, even for advanced students. Furthermore, for the field of Second Language Acquisition, these results add to the knowledge about advanced learners and how they acquire pragmatic competence while studying abroad.
Advisors/Committee Members: Pearson, Lynn E.
Keywords: linguistics, pragmatics, second language acquisition, study abroad, advanced learner, Spanish, request
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12.
Swartley, Kate EB.
Las preposiciones a, de, en, para y por: Sugerencias para la enseñanza.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► This thesis focuses on the Spanish prepositions a, de, en, para and…
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▼ This thesis focuses on the Spanish prepositions a, de, en, para and por. The introduction presents an overview of the thesis and a complete definition of a preposition. In the second chapter, the historical development of the prepositions over time is included, starting with their origins in Latin and continuing until present day. The current uses of these prepositions are presented in Chapter 3, including variations present throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Chapter 4 reviews the acquisition of Spanish prepositions by English speakers, and the conclusion, Chapter 5, presents a critique of various pedagogical methods as well as suggestions for effective strategies to teach prepositions to learners of Spanish as a second language.
Advisors/Committee Members: Pearson, Lynn.
Subjects: Linguistics
Keywords: Preposition; Spanish; acquisition
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13.
Vaillancourt, Margaret.
Los Inmigrantes “Problemáticos”: La Discriminación Religiosa y Lingüística Dirigida a Ciertos Grupos de Inmigrantes en Francia y los Estados Unidos.
Degree: MA, Spanish, 2010, Bowling Green State University
► This paper examines the parallel development of anti-immigrant movements beginning in 1970…
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▼ This paper examines the parallel development of anti-immigrant movements beginning in 1970 that target Maghreb immigrants and Spanish-speaking immigrants in France and the United States, respectively. These movements, such as the sustained popularity of the extreme right-wing populist political party Frente Nacional and the “headscarf affair” (1989) of France and the “English only”, “Official English”, and antibilingual education legislation of the United States, are based on cultural racism.In each country, the dominant societies have established a national identity based on the formation of a national ethnic community that excludes “new ethnic minorities” such as their Maghreb and Spanish-speaking populations. Both the Islam practiced by the vast majority of people of Maghreb descent and the Spanish spoken by Latinos are perceived within the dominant ideologies as cultural “defects.” These ethnic groups are therefore subjected to an immigrant identity structured by required assimilation, the perception of immigrants as a source of manual labor, and their disposability. Beginning in the 1970s, these two ethnic groups became markedly more visible, which has resulted in the increased importance of maintaining the immigrant identity. Through the presence of Islam in French public schools and a multilingual environment in the United States, these marginalized ethnic groups have challenged one or more of the principles of the immigrant mentality, and the dominant societies have responded with an even greater oppression, demonstrated in the anti-immigrant movements mentioned above. However, in response to the anti-immigrant movements supported by the dominant cultures, both ethnic groups have in turn established resistance movements, represented in this paper by the Mouvement des Travailleurs Arabes in France and the English-Plus movement and the Puerto Rican resistance to the imposition of the American educational system. After investigating the anti-immigrant movements that gained momentum in France and the United States during the 1970s, this paper concludes that they represent racist attempts by the dominant societies of both countries to continue to exclude “new ethnic minorities,” such as the Maghreb population in France and the Spanish-speaking population in the United States, from acceptance into national ethnic communities.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cabanillas, Francisco.
Subjects: Hispanic Americans; Language; Religion
Keywords: immigration; new racism; religious discimination; linguistic discrimination; Spanish in the United States; French immigration
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