Declaring a Spanish Major: PreRequisites and Processes

Requirements for the Spanish Major

• General Major in Spanish
• Major in Literature and Culture
• Major in Spanish Linguistics and Philology

A Spanish Major in a department of national standing offers a rich and challenging experience as the central component in a liberal arts education. A degree in Spanish, with a broad background in Hispanic culture, literature and language, leads towards various opportunities in employment, graduate or professional schools. Recent Spanish graduates have found employment in teaching, business, and government. Many Spanish Majors have been admitted to schools of law, medicine, and business, and to graduate school in Spanish, linguistics, comparative literature, and library science. Students are encouraged to seek advice on these matters from Departmental advisors, and to take advantage of the resources offered by OCCP.

There are currently about 350 students majoring in Spanish; for two thirds of them Spanish is their first major. More than half of these are double majors. The most popular combinations with the Spanish major include Latin American studies, Government and Foreign Affairs, or other languages such as French or Italian. Many Spanish majors go on to graduate or professional school to become lawyers, doctors and educators. Others go directly into the working world, finding their Spanish major useful for careers in business, the government, and international agencies.

In order to major in Spanish, a student must have completed SPAN 202,or the equivalent, with a grade of C or better. Native speakers of Spanish are encouraged to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies before taking any Spanish courses in order to determine how best to proceed.

Process:

If you are interested in majoring in Spanish, please begin by reviewing the requirements for the major described below, including the outlines of the three available concentrations. After familiarizing yourself with the requirements, go to the Spanish Department Office in Wilson Hall. There you may request to be assigned to a Spanish major advisor who will help you complete the necessary paperwork. Please don't forget to pickup your Declaration of Majors form from Garrett Hall before seeing your assigned advisor.

Major advisors will not be assigned during the first three weeks of each semester, during the summer term or during advising weeks.

The major consists of a total of thirty graded credits taken at the 300level and above. No course in which a student receives a grade below C counts toward the Major. Native and bilingual speakers may not take conversation courses. In order to provide the basic skills and knowledge necessary for the three concentrations, certain core courses are required (311 and330). We recommend that all students take these core courses before attempting higher level courses in their chosen concentration. Note, in particular, that SPAN 330, or the Instructor's permission, is required to receive credit for any literature course with a number higher than 330.

Courses beyond this initial core are chosen according to one of three concentrations from which students may choose: General; Literature and Culture; and Spanish Linguistics and Philology. The requirements for each are listed below. Please review these requirements BEFORE meeting with an advisor to declare a major.

Questions about these requirements should be directed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

A. GENERAL SPANISH MAJOR

SPAN 311, Grammar Review.

SPAN 330, Literary Analysis.

One survey of Spanish literature:

EITHER SPAN 340, Survey of Spanish Literature I: Medieval to 1700

OR SPAN 341, Survey of Spanish Literature II: 1700 to present

One survey of Latin American literature:

EITHER SPAN 342, Survey of Latin American Literature I: Colonial to 1900

OR SPAN 343, Survey of Latin American Literature II: 1900 to present

One Culture and Civilization Course from following options:

SPAN 423, 1492 and the Aftermath

SPAN 425, The Inquisition in Spain and Latin America

SPAN 426, Spanish-Arabic Civilization

SPAN 427, Spanish Culture and Civilization

SPAN 428, Latin American Culture and Civilization

Two language courses with a number higher than 300.

Three courses at the 400 level or above in either language, literature, or culture and civilization.

B. MAJOR IN LITERATURE AND CULTURE

SPAN 311, Grammar Review.

SPAN 330, Literary Analysis.

One survey of Spanish literature:

EITHER SPAN 340, Survey of Spanish Literature I: Medieval to 1700

OR SPAN 341, Survey of Spanish Literature II: 1700 to present

One survey of Latin American literature:

EITHER SPAN 342, Survey of Latin American Literature I: Colonial to 1900

OR SPAN 343, Survey of Latin American Literature II: 1900 to present

One Culture and Civilization Course from following options:

SPAN 423, 1492 and the Aftermath

SPAN 425, The Inquisition in Spain and Latin America

SPAN 426, Spanish-Arabic Civilization

SPAN 427, Spanish Culture and Civilization

SPAN 428, Latin American Culture and Civilization

Five literature and culture courses from SPAN 423 or above

C. SPANISH LINGUISTICS AND PHILOLOGY

SPAN 309, Introduction to Spanish Linguistics

SPAN 310, Phonetics

SPAN 311, Grammar Review

SPAN 330, Literary Analysis

SPAN 340, Survey of Spanish Literature I: Medieval to 1700

SPAN 411, Advanced Conversation and Grammar

SPAN 420, History of the Spanish Language

SPAN 421, Spanish Philology

SPAN 431, Sociolinguistics

One seminar (SPAN 492, SPAN 493), whose topics can include:

• Peninsular Spanish Dialectology
• Latin American Spanish Dialectology
• Spanish in the United States
• Modern Spanish Syntax
• Sociolinguistics II
• Comparative Oral Discourse
• Contrastive Analysis
• Second Language Acquisition
• External History of Spanish
• Semantic Change
• Problems in Historial Phonology
• Problems in Historical Morphology
• Problems in Historical Syntax
• Problems in Spanish Etymology