College instructors often comment that students entering advanced study of Spanish language and literature lack a basic knowledge of the geography, history and culture of the Hispanic world. Such knowledge is difficult to include in the crowded and highly structured introductory or intermediate courses. In third-year and upper division literature courses, the absence of such background becomes apparent. To cite just a few examples, how are students to grasp the meaning of a poem by Garca Lorca without knowing something about Spain and Andaluca, or how to understand Juan Rulfo's stories without knowledge of post-revolutionary Mexico? How to approach the work of Pablo Neruda or Garca Mrquez without the basics of South American history and geography?. .

Instructors often attempt to add such material in what is typically non-standardized curriculum reflecting their own interest and training.. .

HISPANIDADES is intended to serve as a resource for instructors to provide this background while preserving flexibility to shape their own courses.. .

Each chapter in these texts contains the following: . . Chronological Orientation. Introduction to the topic. Discussion questions . Transcript of the video segments. Vocabulary with exercises. Review of selected grammar. Literary selections based on chapter topic. Exercises and explanatory passages intended to assist students in understanding the reading selections and literature in general.. Web references to encourage students to do further research. In a number of chapters, the authors added a short essay with additional information to illustrate the ongoing relevance of the topic to the contemporary world.. .

The text LATINOAMERICAy LOS EE.UU. includes special attention to the growing Hispanic presence in the U.S. with its own Hispanidad. Both texts focus on the 20th century and contemporary society. It should be stressed that neither the video series nor the texts follow an exact historical chronology, nor of course is any attempt made to present a complete history of Hispanic civilization and the large variety of geographical regions it represents. The authors do believe that students who follow the HISPANIDADES course will emerge with an essential framework for continued study of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture..