Spanish

Professor Susan Schneibel, Chair, Division of Languages and Literature

The Major in Spanish consists of 46 credit hours beyond elementary Spanish (110-120). Required courses include 201, 202, 225, 262, 351, 352, Humanities 201, 347, and History 334. Spanish 301, 302, 311, and 312 are also required. In addition to completing the courses above, Spanish majors spend the second semester of their junior year abroad in an approved program in a Spanish-speaking country. During this semester abroad, 12 hours of approved Spanish courses are completed. Arrangements for study at foreign institutions are described under Study Abroad in this catalog.

A second track in the major, Spanish for Teacher Licensure, consists of 43 credit hours beyond elementary Spanish (110-120). Required courses include 201, 202, 225, 262, 351, 352, Humanities 347, and History 334. Three courses chosen from Spanish 301, 302, 311 and 312 are also required. In addition to completing the courses above, Spanish majors for Teacher Licensure must spend the second semester of their junior year abroad in an approved program in a Spanish-speaking country. During this semester abroad, 15 hours of approved Spanish courses are completed. Arrangements for study at foreign institutions are described under Study Abroad in this catalog. Additional liberal studies requirements are Psychology 101 and Sociology 271. Students pursuing this track must complete 29 credit hours of professional courses in teacher education. The professional courses are listed under Education in this catalog.

The Minor in Spanish consists of at least 15 credit hours in Spanish in courses above the 100-level. Spanish 201, 202, 225 and 262 are required.

Course Descriptions

110. Elementary Spanish I
4 credit hours
An introduction to Spanish designed to give students the linguistic, cultural, and geographical background necessary to provide for their basic needs when they travel to a Spanish-speaking country. Emphasis is also given to conversing in basic Spanish within well-defined contexts, to reading short passages, and to writing simple sentences in Spanish. Cultural concepts, grammatical structures, and vocabulary introduced in class are reinforced in small-group language practice sessions.
120. Elementary Spanish II
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: Placement into the course or Spanish 110
A sequel to Spanish 110, designed to increase knowledge of the basic language, culture, and geography of the Hispanic world. Emphasis is also given to increasing students’ capacity to converse, read, and write in Spanish. Cultural concepts, grammatical structures, and vocabulary introduced in class are reinforced in small-group language practice sessions.
201. Intermediate Spanish I
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Placement into the course or Spanish 120
A review and expansion of the grammar, culture, and vocabulary studied in elementary Spanish. Linguistic tasks studied include describing, narrating, and giving opinions and information on a variety of topics. Emphasis is also given to strengthening reading and writing skills through a study of authentic Hispanic literature, including both prose and poetry. Students learn to speak and write sentences of greater structural sophistication that are logically connected in paragraph-length discourse.
202. Intermediate Spanish II
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Placement into the course or Spanish 201
A sequel to Spanish 201, designed to increase students’ mastery of advanced grammatical concepts and idioms. Through the study of authentic Hispanic literature including prose, poetry, and drama, students will be able to expand their active vocabulary and further develop reading and writing skills. Increased emphasis is placed on communicating in past, future, and hypothetical situations.
225. Intermediate Conversation and Composition
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Spanish 201 or the equivalent
A course designed to help students improve their oral and written proficiency in Spanish, building on grammar and idioms studied in previous courses. Basic conversational skills are stressed in order to prepare those students planning to study abroad during the junior year. Required for all students who plan to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country.
262. Introduction to Literature in Spanish
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Spanish 202 and 225 or permission of the instructor
Introduces students to literary terminology, genres and problems encountered in reading/translation, while systematically reviewing and refining language skills as encountered in Spanish literature.
301. Spanish Peninsular Literature to 1700
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Spanish 262
An introduction to masterpieces of early Spanish peninsular literature from the epic poem of the Cid through the literature of the Baroque. Students will examine works and literary trends such as the picaresque novel, mysticism, Golden Age poetry, the work of Cervantes, and the early Spanish theatre.
302. Spanish Peninsular Literature from 1800 to Present
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Spanish 262
This course will be divided into two segments. The first will focus on the 19th century literature, including literary movements such as Romanticism, Realism, Costumbrismo, and Naturalism. The second segment will be an introduction to the literature of the 20th century, beginning with the Generation of 1898 and ending with writers of the contemporary period.
311. Colonial and 19th Century Latin American Literature
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Spanish 262
A survey of the literature and culture of Latin America from the Pre-Columbian era and period of the Spanish Conquest through Modernism. Students will be introduced to texts of the Pre-Colombian and colonial periods, the foundational texts following Independence, and the works of the Modernist writers.
312. Latin American Literature of the 20th Century
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Spanish 262
The course examines major literary movements of Latin America after Modernism through the contemporary period. Special attention will be given to Realism, Naturalism, Criollismo, the experimental literature of the Vanguard period, the “Boom” period of the 1960s and 70s (including Magical Realism), and trends of contemporary writers.
343. Practicum
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Spanish 202
On- or off-campus experience that provides a linguistic and cultural opportunity for students who wish to acquire practical knowledge of Spanish beyond the intermediate level.
349. Selected Topics in Spanish
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Spanish 202
Concentrated study on a selected topic in Spanish literature, language, culture, or civilization. The topics may include the Spanish short story, business Spanish, Spanish phonetics and diction, or Latin American culture.
351-352. Senior Thesis
6 credit hours
Prerequisites: FRS 140, English Proficiency Exam, junior standing and Spanish 262
The Senior Study requirement is fulfilled with this two-course sequence. The courses involve individual study with the guidance of a faculty supervisor. Ordinarily taken in the spring term of the junior year and the fall term of the senior year.