Spanish Major, BA

Spanish Major (120  - 126 SH)

Students at WSSU may earn a degree in Spanish, or pursue a Spanish minor. Combining a Spanish minor with any degree plan makes students more marketable. 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.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a Spanish major will be able to:

1. Demonstrate oral communication in a variety of settings at the intermediate high-level of proficiency.
2. Demonstrate comprehension of spoken Spanish in real-life settings.
3. Demonstrate effective writing skills through the completion of a capstone-writing project.
4. Develop cross-cultural understanding and intercultural skills.
5. Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of Spanish to participate in diverse, multicultural settings, and to live in a global society.

Requirements for the Spanish major

1. Students must satisfy the general education course requirements.
2. Students must take 42 SH of course work beyond the elementary (SPA 1311, SPA 1312) and intermediate (SPA 2311, SPA 2312) language sequence of courses.  These include 18 SH of breadth courses, 9 SH of depth courses, 12 SH of Spanish major electives and 3 SH of senior capstone course.
3. Students must receive a grade of C- or better in all courses taken in the major.
4. Spanish majors are required to have a minor.

Major Curriculum

Foundation (6 SH)

SPA 2311 Intermediate Spanish I

*SPA 2312 Intermediate Spanish II

*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.

Breadth Courses (18 SH)

The breadth courses in Spanish are introductory in nature and build on the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and also introduce students to cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.  These include 9 SH of composition and linguistics, 6 SH of conversation and pronunciation, and 3 SH of history and culture.

SPA 3110 Spanish Composition and Grammar

SPA 3311 Hispanic Civilization

SPA 3312 Spanish Phonetics

SPA 3316 Spanish Conversation and Pronunciation

SPA 4309 Advanced Spanish Conversation

SPA 4350 Senior Composition in Spanish

Depth Courses (9 SH)

Depth courses in the major allow students to explore more detailed content in Students-American literature, and culture.  Student will select from the following courses:

SPA 3333 Survey of Spanish literature

SPA 3335 Survey of Spanish-American Literature

SPA 3339 Survey of Latino Literature

SPA 4333 Masterpiece of Hispanic Fiction

SPA 4334 Masterpiece of Hispanic Drama

SPA 4335 Masterpiece of Hispanic Poetry

SPA 4336 Independent Study

SPA 4338 Masterpiece of Afro-Hispanic Literature

SPA 4340 Cervantes

SPA 4390 Special Topics or Readings in Hispanic Culture

Capstone (3 SH)

SPA 4391 Senior Seminar in Spanish

(Prerequisites:  senior status and a 2.5 grade point average in Spanish major core courses)

Spanish Major Electives (12 SH)

Major electives allow students to pursue special interests, and benefit from internships to deepen their knowledge of Hispanic culture.  Students may choose major electives from the following courses:

*SPA 3333 Survey of Spanish Literature

*SPA 3335 Survey of Spanish American Literature

*SPA 3339 Survey of Latino Literature

SPA 4333 Masterpiece of Hispanic Fiction

SPA 4334 Masterpiece of Hispanic Drama

SPA 4335 Masterpiece of Hispanic Poetry

SPA 4336 Independent Study

SPA 4093 Spanish Internship

*Any of the survey literature courses may count as an elective if not already counted in the depth area.

Related/Suggested Electives

Students may also choose major electives from the following list of courses in consultation with their academic advisors and approval of the department.

AAS 3306 Negritude and Afrocentricity

HIS 3352 The African Presence in Mexico

HIS 3353 The African Presence in the Americas

ENG 3301 Introduction to Linguistics

ENG 3334 Literature of the African Diaspora

ENG 4355 Literary Criticism

Notes

Study Abroad for Spanish Majors

With the approval of the department, and in conjunction with the Office of International Programs, students may earn transferable credits from study abroad programs. Courses must have content related to the Spanish language or the Spanish-speaking world to transfer.  Students may include up to fifteen (15) hours of study abroad transfer credits:

SPA 3020 Study Abroad in Spanish (SH 1-6)

SPA 4020 Study Abroad in Spanish (SH 1-6)

Spanish Minor Program (18 SH)

The program of study for the minor in Spanish consists of 18 SH above the elementary level.  SPA 2311 and SPA 2312 are prerequisites for all upper level courses leading to the minor.  To satisfy the minor requirement in Spanish, all courses must be taken and completed with a grade of C- or better.

Student Learning Outcome

1. Students who complete the minor program requirements will be able to:
2. Demonstrate oral communication in a variety of settings at the intermediate-low level proficiency.
3. Demonstrate comprehension of spoken Spanish in real-life settings.
4. Demonstrate effective writing skills through the completion of term papers.
5. Develop cross-cultural understanding and intercultural skills.
6. Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of Spanish to participate in diverse, multicultural settings, and to live in a global society.

Minor Program Curriculum

SPA 2311 Intermediate Spanish I

SPA 2312 Intermediate Spanish II

SPA 3310 Spanish Composition and Grammar

SPA 3311 Hispanic Civilization

SPA 3316 Spanish Conversation and Pronunciation

Students should choose the remaining 3 SH from the following courses:

SPA 3333 Survey of Spanish Literature

SPA 3335 Survey of Spanish-American Literature

SPA 3339 Survey of Latino Literature

SPA 4338 Masterpieces of Afro-Hispanic Literature (Prerequisites:  SPA 3333 or departmental approval)

Suggested Minor Course Sequence

SPA 3310 Spanish Composition and Grammar and SPA 3316 Spanish Conversation and Pronunciation are offered in the fall and spring semesters respectively.  Students are strongly encouraged to take these courses in this order and before they take other 3000 or 4000 level courses.

Notes

Study Abroad Opportunities for Spanish Minors

With the approval of the department and in conjunction with the Office of International Programs, students may also include up to six (6) semester hours of credit from study abroad programs as long as these courses are taught in Spanish and have content related to the Spanish language or the Spanish-speaking world.