21 French, Spanish and Italian

French

For language learning resources see the French section of the Languages chapter.

Bibliothèque mobile de littérature québécoise

This collection makes available works from the Quebec literary corpus.

Let’s Read French Books

This reader contains samples of 19th-century French literature, including both simplified and original texts.

Includes: Activities, glossaries

Translating for Canada, eh?

This ebook briefly introduces the concepts of translation and localization and then presents a range of free online tools and resources, including term banks, bilingual concordancers, tools for comparing language varieties, machine translation tools, and language portals. In each case, the tools and resources that are presented have a distinctly Canadian flavour to help translators to localize texts into Canadian English and Canadian French.

Histoires d’Avenirs: Science-fiction pour le cours de français niveaux intermédiaire et avancé

This text presents nine French science fiction short stories aimed at an audience of foreign learners with intermediate to advanced language skills.

What is Québécois Literature?

This book charts the cultural history of French Canada, putting francophone writing in Canada in a postcolonial context.

Spanish

For language learning resources see the Spanish section of the Languages chapter.

La lingüística hispánica: Una introducción

This book, a work in progress, is aimed at students of Spanish in universities in the US and intends to offer a brief and simple introduction to the field of Hispanic Linguistics. It includes basic concepts in linguistics, essays that address topic of social relevance connecting linguistics to everyday life, and exercises to practice the concepts. Links to relevant material across the internet are also provided. The book is entirely created from texts and materials authored by mainly undergraduate students and it also includes the work and effort of student-editors, as part of a long-term open pedagogy project. Reviews are available.

Includes: Exercises

Para vivir con salud

This text introduces literary and textual analysis of Hispanic literature through the lens of health, illness and medicine.

Antologia Abierta de Literatura Hispana

A critical anthology of literary texts from the Spanish-speaking world. A focus on canonical authors and an attempt to include voices that have been marginalized. Each text includes an introduction and annotations.

Acceso: University of Kansas Collaborative Digital Spanish Project

This digital learning environment is designed to promote the acquisition of Spanish and the development of cultural understanding of the varied groups of people who share Spanish as a common language.

Includes: Instructor materials by request

Recorridos por la literatura hispana: Aventuras de don Quijote de la Mancha

This textbook provides historical information, narrative techniques, lists of characters, themes and keywords before they begin to read each chapter of Don Quixote. While reading, vocabulary glossed in comprehensible Spanish appears in the margin opposite challenging words. Reviews available.

Includes: Vocabulary glosses, activities

Culturas hispanas a través de la pantalla / Hispanic Cultures Through the Screen

This text discusses representation of Hispanic cultures in media. It is presented in both English and Spanish.

Includes: assignments

Leyendas y arquetipos del Romanticismo espanol

Leyendas y arquetipos del Romanticismo español is an introduction to nineteenth-century Spanish literature with a thematic focus on legends and archetypes. It presents Romanticism in the context of nineteenth-century literary and social movements.

Italian

For language learning resources see the Italian section of the Languages chapter.

Voci: Corso elementare di lingua e culture italiane

This volume includes a textbook, a workbook with answer keys, grammar explanations, and vocabulary lists. It aims to foster students’ comprehension, production, and interaction in Italian by keeping in mind different ways of learning. Given the level, these sections are gradually presented in Italian, since the main goal is not to exercise the reading and comprehension skills, instead to refine students’ intercultural competency.

Dante in Translation

This series of lecture videos provides an introduction to Dante and his cultural milieu through a critical reading of the Divine Comedy, Dante’s autobiography, and selected minor works.

Petrarch and Boccaccio

This text discusses the historical, intellectual, and literary roles of Petrarch and Boccaccio, and their impact on European identity.

The Roman Empire: Roots of Imperialism

This book analyzes Roman imperialism and its historic and modern impact.