Spanish Major, BA

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B.A. in Spanish

Number of Semester Hours Required for the Major

123 – 126 semester hours are required for the major in Spanish.

Program Description

There are many reasons to study Spanish at Winston-Salem State University. The university’s location in North Carolina, a state that has become an important location for Latino immigration in the southern United States, makes learning Spanish a good choice for careers in education, health professions, and law. Students at WSSU may earn the degree in Spanish, or pursue a Spanish minor. Combining a Spanish minor with any degree plan will make students more marketable in the job market. Students who successfully complete the Spanish major or minor programs will possess knowledge of the historical, literary, and sociopolitical components of the Spanish-speaking world as well as develop functional language, sociolinguistic, and intercultural skills to make them more competitive in the globally interconnected twenty-first century workforce.

Program Objectives

The Spanish Program objectives include the following:

To develop standard-based competencies in foreign language learning in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
To provide an in-depth study in the language, literature, culture, and civilization of Spanish-speaking peoples.
To prepare majors to do research, and study at the graduate level.
To prepare majors for careers that require knowledge of, and fluency in Spanish.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, the student will:

Demonstrate advanced level proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Demonstrate the ability to apply Spanish language use in real-life situations.
Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between language learning and culture.
Demonstrate understanding of the connections between Spanish and other disciplines after an extensive capstone research project.
Develop cross-cultural understanding and intercultural skills.
Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of Spanish to participate in diverse, multicultural settings, and live in a global society.

General Major Requirements

Students majoring in Spanish must satisfy the general education course requirements, complete SPA 2311 and SPA 2312*, complete the required major courses outlined, and take electives for a minimum total of 120 semester hours in order to graduate. Upon completion of all major requirements students must pass a standardized oral proficiency test (Exit Interview.) A grade of C or better is required in each major course.

* Before taking courses in the major, students must have completed SPA 2312, or show evidence that they have achieved an equivalent level of proficiency in Spanish.

Major Curriculum

Spanish Major Core (24 Semester Hours)

The core courses for the Spanish major include nine (9) hours of composition and linguistics, six (6) hours of advanced conversation, six (6) hours of literature and culture, and three (3) hours of the senior capstone course.

SPA 3310 - Spanish Composition and Grammar (3SH)

(Pre-requisite: SPA 2312 – Intermediate Spanish II (3SH), or departmental approval)

SPA 3311 - Hispanic Civilization (3SH)