2023-2024 Catalogue
Spanish (SPA) Course Descriptions
SPA 100: Beginning Spanish Review.
Goal: This course provides the opportunity for students who have a sufficient background in Spanish based on their Spanish Placement test score to review in preparation for SPA 102.
Content: Class time will emphasize listening and speaking activities to review vocabulary and pronunciation along with pointed grammar review of material taught in SPA 101 as class preparation.
Prerequisite: Placement in SPA 102 or permission of the instructor.
Credit: 1 hour, CR/NC.
SPA 101, 102: Elementary Spanish I, II.
Goal: To teach students to speak, understand, read, and write basic Spanish.
Content: Subjects used in learning the four basic skills include everyday situations relevant to Hispanic culture.
Prerequisite: A student must earn a grade of C or better in the 101-level course in order to continue into the next course. A grade of D or higher in the 102-level course will satisfy proficiency credit.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 111: Spanish for Professionals I.
Goal: To understand the people and cultures where Spanish is spoken and to learn basic language skills to enhance interpersonal relationships with Spanish speakers.
Content: Basic vocabulary for business and travel including greetings, introductions, numbers, key questions, food and professions. Geography of the places where people speak Spanish and diversity of the people who speak it. Social conventions of greetings, leavetaking, gift giving, time, meals, workplace interactions. Name pronunciation, meanings, common nicknames. Key figures in areas such as the arts and history.
Prerequisite: None.
Credit: 3 hours. SPA 111 and SPA 112 meets modern foreign language profieciency requirement only for students admitted to the Online Program.
SPA 112: Spanish for Professionals II.
Goal: To understand the people and cultures where Spanish is spoken and to learn basic language skills to enhance interpersonal relationships with Spanish speakers.
Content: Building on the skills from SPA 111, students will learn the basics of letter writing, filling out forms, and skills in using dictionaries and translations programs. Students will continue learning about the geography of the places where people speak Spanish and the diversity of the people who speak it with a focus on current events.
Prerequisite: SPA 111 or SPA 101 or placement.
Credit: 3 hours. SPA 111 and SPA 112 meets modern foreign language profieciency requirement only for students admitted to the Online Program.
SPA 211 Intermediate Spanish.
Goal: To improve and development speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish through dialogues, magazine articles, and literary selections.
Content: Emphasis on grammar, comprehension of advanced conversation and reading, and development of correct sentence structure.
Prerequisites: SPA 102, or placement.
Gen. Ed. Category: Exploring; Historical Events & Phenomena; (HUM).
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 212: Intermediate Spanish.
Goal: To improve and develop speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish through dialogs, magazine articles, and literary selections.
Content: Emphasis on grammar, comprehension of advanced conversation and reading, and development of correct sentence structure.
Prerequisites: SPA 211 or equivalent.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 220: Intermediate Medical Spanish.
Goal: To elicit and to understand necessary medical information from an exclusively Spanish-speaking patient.
Content: Emphasis on vocabulary and grammatical structures necessary for communication in a medical environment and standard medical interviews. Secondary emphasis on providing information that will enhance the student's knowledge of Hispanic cultural attitudes toward health issues. Class conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisites: SPA 102, or placement.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 250: Spanish Phonetics.
Goal: To improve Spanish pronunciation through study of pronunciation rules and practice in and out of class.
Content: Students will study sounds, phrasing, intonation, as well as common pronunciation errors of English speakers learning Spanish and will practice corrections of these mistakes.
Prerequisite: SPA 211 and 212 or equivalents, or concurrent enrollment in SPA 212.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 281: Tertulia.
Goal: In Spanish, a tertulia is a social gathering often with an intellectual purpose. The goals of this course are to improve the level of student comfort interacting in Spanish, to reinforce material learned in previous study, and to add new vocabulary, especially idiomatic and slang expressions.
Content: Students will meet weekly in an informal setting to use Spanish in engaging activities using the target language such as games, skits, role-playing, interviews, or debates. Activities may be prompted by short videos, music, artwork or written texts. Students will be given tasks based on their level of language.
Prerequisites: SPA 102 or equivalent.
Credit: 1 hour. Credit/No credit (repeatable up to 3 hours total).
SPA 300: Seminar in Latin American Studies.
Goal: Students analyze texts in order to identify issues in the Latin American world arising from increasingly complex global connections based in the culture and history of a Spanish colonial past and interventions by other countries. They will strengthen communication skills in an intercultural context.
Content: This course will allow students to explore the dynamic of Latin America, focusing on key themes such as culture, race, politics, women's issues, the drug trade, immigration, Latin American identity and language, and history. Students will read excerpts from textbooks and scholarly articles, view films and documentaries, view artwork, and listen to music. Topics and regional focus will vary. Taught in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Gen. Ed. Category: Synthesizing Perspectives; Diverse & Interdependent World; (HUM).
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 305: Spanish Culture and Civilization.
Goal: To provide a geographical, historical, and cultural overview of Spain.
Content: Geographical, historical, ethnic, and religious influences. Focus on historic highlights that have contributed to present-day Spanish society.
Prerequisite: SPA 212 or equivalent.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 306: Latin American Culture and Civilization.
Goal: To provide a geographical, historical, and cultural overview of Latin America (which includes for the purpose of this course, all countries in the Western Hemisphere in which Spanish is spoken).
Content: Geographical, historical, ethnic, and religious influences. Focus on how the blend of indigenous civilizations, with the addition of both African and European influences, has produced the multitude of societies in this region.
Prerequisite: SPA 212 or equivalent.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 307: Advanced Spanish Conversation.
Goal: To improve Spanish speaking and listening skills.
Content: The goal of this course is to offer students as much time speaking Spanish as possible. This goal may be met through activities such as debates, discussions of films, news and cultural articles, student presentations, role play, drama.
Prerequisites: SPA 212 or equivalents.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 318: Advanced Composition.
Goal: To refine writing skills, enrich vocabulary, and emphasize grammar.
Content: Weekly writing assignments, translation, and advanced reading.
Prerequisite: SPA 212 or equivalent.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 320: Advanced Medical Spanish.
Goal: To elicit and to understand necessary medical information from an exclusively Spanish-speaking patient.
Content: This course is designed for those who are currently taking advanced 300-level Spanish courses and who specifically need to practice communication in a health-related profession. It will emphasize role-play exercises for the standard medical interview. Secondary emphasis is placed on providing information that will enhance the student's knowledge of Hispanic cultural attitudes toward health issues. Class conducted in Spanish. A student cannot receive credit for this course if she already has credit for SPA 220.
Prerequisites: SPA 318.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 327: Business Spanish.
Goal: To provide students with the vocabulary needed to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, and to transact daily business operations in Spanish. To help students become better prepared for the ever-increasing demands of the growing international market.
Content: The course combines practical language with the study of Spanish business terminology. Emphasis is on conversation and business transactions such as preparing commercial correspondence, as well as reading, writing and translating contracts and other related documents in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPA 318 or equivalent or permission of instructor..
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 352: Early Spanish Peninsular Literature.
Goal: To introduce major writers of Spain from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque periods with emphasis on historical conditions and literary genres.
Content: Poetry, drama, prose and essay. Selections from major authors such as Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderón, Santa Teresa, San Juan de la Cruz.
Prerequisite: SPA 318 or equivalent. SPA 305 recommended.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 354: Spanish Literature: 19th Century to the Present.
Goal: To introduce major writers of Spain from the 19th and 20th Centuries (Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Modernism, etc.) as well as the most recently published authors, with emphasis on historical conditions and literary genres.
Content: Poetry, drama, prose and essay. Selections from major authors such as Benito Barca, Pérez Galdós, Unamuno Carmen, Manuel Laforet.
Prerequisite: SPA 318 or equivalent. SPA 305 recommended.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 358: Survey of Latin American Literature.
Goal: To acquaint students with the literature from colonial Spanish America to the present. To study literary movements that influenced Latin American thought: naturalism, realism, modernism, surrealism, and magical realism.
Content: Selections from major authors such as Federico Juana García, Lorca Rivas de Sor, Julio Inés, and Isabel Rubén.
Prerequisite: SPA 318 or equivalent. SPA 306 recommended.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 396: Special Topics in Spanish.
Goal: To allow students to concentrate on a particular area of language or literature.
Content: Varied.
Prerequisites: SPA 352, 354, 358 or permission of instructor.
Credit: 3 hours. A student may take a maximum of six to eight semester hours (two courses) of special topics in any one field.
SPA 399: Teaching Assistant in Spanish.
Goal: To allow advanced students to learn about second language acquisition and to try out different methods of teaching as well as to offer students the opportunity to consider teaching Spanish as a career option.
Content: Students who serve as Teaching Assistants for Spanish will have short weekly readings about language teaching methodology and pedagogy, will attend SPA 100, 101, 102 or 281 one day a week where they will lead activities, and will spend one hour per week leading tutoring sessions.
Prerequisites: Permission of Department Chair.
Credit: 1 hour (repeatable up to 3 hours).
SPA 401: Senior Seminar.
Goal: To enable Seniors in Spanish to undertake a major research project in Spanish which will connect with their other interests and goals, as well as past course materials and experiences such as study abroad or internships.
Content: Each student will select and carry out a significant research project on a topic chosen in conjunction with the instructor. Students will present their research at a formal defense at the end of the semester. Students will also explore career options in the major.
Prerequisites: Senior status and completion of SPA 318 and at least two courses in section two of the major requirements (except SPA 300) or Permission of Department Chair.
Credit: 3 hours.
SPA 451: Directed Independent Study.
Goal: To provide additional advanced work in Spanish language or literature.
Content: Varied, according to course taught.
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and the program director. Open to advanced students only.
Credit: 1-6 hours.
SPA 452/199: Field Study.
Goal: To provide practical experience to allow the student to apply what she has learned.
Content: Generally dealing with communicative, administrative, or instructional assistance; student will perform support services such as limited translation or interpretation, or use language skills to perform other duties under professional supervision.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and program director.
Credit: 1-12 hours.
SPA 499: Honors Thesis. (Fee required).
