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May 10, 2024
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2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog
Spanish Major, BA
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 Return to: Undergraduate Programs
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Program Description
There are many reasons to study Spanish at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). A recent study by the Governor’s Office on the Hispanics/Latino presence in North Carolina shows that Hispanics/Latinos have accounted for over 25% of North Carolina’s population increase in the past 20 years, that the median age of North Carolina’s Hispanics/Latinos is 23, and that their purchasing power is in the millions of dollars. These reasons point to North Carolina as an important location for Hispanic/Latino immigration in the southern United States, making learning Spanish a good choice for careers in areas such as education, health professions, social work, business, and law.
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:
- Students will demonstrate second language proficiency in critical reading through interaction with the written language.
- Students will demonstrate speaking skills in the interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes at the advanced level proficiency (ACTFL)*.
- Students will demonstrate written communication skills through the use of appropriate language, supporting evidence, content, in the interpersonal and presentational modes at the advanced level (ACTFL)*
- Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret and evaluate foreign language content after years of language development and production through assessments and self-reflections, student language production.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of Spanish to participate in diverse, multicultural settings, and to live in a global society.
*The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
Departmental Goal
The goal of the department is to prepare world language students to succeed in professional or postgraduate careers by designing a program of study that provides the requisite skills in language learning, cross-cultural and intercultural understanding.
Departmental Objectives
Language courses in the department are designed to fundamentally develop functional, grammatical, lexical and sociolinguistic competencies in students wishing to earn the undergraduate degree in Spanish, or minor in a world language In addition to providing opportunities for improved communicative skills, students also study the historical, political, social, cultural and literary aspects of the target languages. The departmental objectives comprise:
- Offering world languages courses that lead to the development of standard-based competencies in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- Providing in-depth studies of the cultures of the target languages
- Introducing students to the literary expressions of the target language-speaking world
- Preparing students for graduate studies
- Preparing students for careers that require training in a foreign language
Pre-requisites
Students must successfully complete the foundation courses, show evidence through placement examination that they possess an equivalent level of proficiency in Spanish, or enroll in advanced courses by permission of the instructor.
Foundation Courses
Students will continue to expand their knowledge of Spanish by taking the following foundational courses. Students must take SPA 2311 - Intermediate Spanish I , and one other course from the list. Students must successfully complete the foundation courses with a “C-” or better or show evidence that they have achieved an equivalent level of proficiency in Spanish before taking advanced courses in the major.
Breadth Courses
The principal focus of the Spanish major includes the continued development of the language skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing; the understanding of the history and civilizations of the Spanish-speaking world, the multiple ethnicities/racial makeup of peoples of Spanish America; and their contributions in literature, arts and cultures. Under the breadth courses paradigm, students for the Spanish major may take courses from the following list of courses. Your Spanish language advisor must approve your enrollment in a course not listed here, or not taught in Spanish.)
Depth Courses
The depth courses for the Spanish major provide students with a foundation in the study of Spanish American literature, and the tools of criticism.
Additional Literature courses for the major
Senior Capstone Course
The senior capstone offers the advanced students in Spanish the opportunity to review, consolidate, and extend their study of the discipline. Special emphasis will be placed on the correction of weaknesses in oral expression and written communication in Spanish.
SPA 4391 - Senior Seminar in Spanish (Pre-requisite(s): Senior status and a 2.5 grade point average in Spanish language courses.
18 SCH in a Minor or Concentration
Spanish majors must choose a minor to complete the program requirements for the undergraduate degree in Spanish. A minor in another world language is strongly recommended.
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