McKnight Hall
Room 046
300 North Washington St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1400
Education
PhD The Pennsylvania State University
MA New York University in Madrid
Academic Focus
Golden Age Spanish Literature
Christopher C. Oechler, Associate Professor of Spanish at Gettysburg College, holds a Ph.D. in Golden Age Spanish Literature from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in Spanish Literatures and Cultures from New York University in Madrid. Professor Oechler’s research and teaching interests include Golden Age culture, history, and literature, especially theater (on the page and in performance) as well as the continuing appeal of Golden Age texts and plays in the 20th and 21st centuries. Professor Oechler has been working with a team of Gettysburg College students to create a virtual-reality model of a seventeenth-century Spanish playhouse, the Corral del Príncipe. He supports the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in his classes and has worked on several OER projects with students and faculty colleagues.
Courses Taught
Fundamentals of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish.
For students who have completed Spanish 101 or its equivalent, or based on Spanish placement test results.
Overview of Hispanic cultures through readings and films, with emphasis on written and oral expression in Spanish. Through community-based education and cultural activities students gain a deeper understanding of the vast diversity of the Hispanic world. Prerequisite: Spanish 102 or consent of department. For students who have completed Spanish 102 or its equivalent, or based on Spanish placement test results.
Continuation of an overview of Hispanic cultures through readings and films, with more emphasis on written and oral expression in Spanish. Through community-based education and cultural activities students gain a deeper understanding of the vast diversity of the Hispanic world. For students who have completed Spanish 201, or based on Spanish placement test results.
Exercises in directed and free composition; extensive interaction with Spanish language and Hispanic cultures through readings, films and other media; group discussion and presentation of individual oral work; review of grammar and syntax at an advanced level. Organized around a central topic of importance in the Hispanic world. Prerequisite: Spanish 202, consent of department, or based on Spanish placement test results. Required for the major or minor (must achieve a “C” or better), and for the combined Spanish/LACLS major.
Introduction to basic critical approaches to the reading of literary and cultural texts. Through the careful study of works in different genres, students acquire a knowledge of analytical skills and critical terminology in Spanish. Prerequisite: Grade of C or higher in Spanish 301/302, or consent of department. Required for the Spanish major and counts toward the minor; or towards the combined Spanish/LACLS major, and as MI-Humanities.
Texts include some of Spain’s greatest literary and artistic masterpieces. These works, which address issues of honor, gender relations, social class, ethics, national identity, and empire, remain as relevant and engaging in the 21st century as they were 400 years ago. Prerequisite: Spanish 305 or consent of the department. Counts toward the Spanish major or minor.
Study of literature written by women during Spain’s Golden Age. This course analyzes plays, poems, autobiographies, and novellas of women writers to understand how the authors respond to and challenge gender roles in their patriarchal society. Additionally, the course explores topics in the literature related to sexuality, misogyny, identity, agency, and empowerment within the history and culture of Golden Age Spain (15th through 17th centuries). Prerequisite: SPAN 305 or consent of the department. SPAN 365 and WGS 365 are cross-listed.
Study of Miguel de Cervantes’ timeless masterpiece, Don Quixote de la Mancha, considered the first modern novel, Don Quixote de la Mancha, remains one of the funniest stories ever told. Besides the complete novel, readings include essays about the European political, social, and religious/philosophical climate from which this great novel arose. Prerequisite: Spanish 305 or consent of the department. Counts toward the Spanish major or minor, and as MI-Humanities.
Directed and specialized studies in Spanish. Course is taken by seniors during the final semester in order to complete their undergraduate work. Offered every spring. Prerequisite: Limited to seniors, except with permission of the department. Required for Spanish majors.