Spanish

The Spanish courses of the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature are designed to give students oral and written fluency in the language and to impart a knowledge of the literatures of Spain and Latin America. It is hoped that literary appreciation and critical methods will be developed and that the students cultural and intellectual vistas will be broadened. A BA student majoring in Spanish may also declare the interdisciplinary minor in Spanish-English Translation. Students cannot use one course in both the major and the minor.

Program Learning Goals

Upon completion of a major in Spanish, students will be able to:

Knowledge of the Field

1. Read, discuss, present, and write in the language at the level appropriate for advanced students.

2. Identify phonetic, semantic, grammatical, syntactical, socio-political and/or cultural differences between Spanish and English and varieties of Spanish.

3. Understand the nature of cultural, literary and/or filmic texts within particular historical and socio-political contexts.

4. Analyze individual literary and/or filmic texts within the cultural, historical, and aesthetic traditions from which they arise.

5. Identify and situate major aesthetic movements, currents and tendencies in Hispanic literature and/or film over time.

6. Differentiate the formal conventions of major literary genres (essay, poetry, novel, short story, theater).

7. Understand and articulate the strategies and structures that constitute literary and/or filmic texts.

Critical Thinking and Research Skills

1. Master the fundamental aspects of critical analysis, including evidence substantiation through research and bibliographical references, and application of the appropriate terminology.

2. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, the results of his/her own research and the research of others.

3. Write thesis-driven and descriptive essays on sophisticated themes that are pertinent to the study of literature and/or film in the context of the cultures in which the texts are produced.

4. Demonstrate critical and close reading skills and the ability to make cross-cultural and interdisciplinary connections.

 Civic Engagement

1. Establish connections between the formal study of cultural, literary, and critical texts and social-historical and cultural issues pertinent to Hispanic communities both locally and abroad.

2. Participate in activities in the local community that complement or require implementation of the knowledge and skills gained through the course work.