Spanish and Latin American Studies, BA

In addition to preparing students for a number of careers, the major in Spanish assists students who wish to pursue graduate education. The program of study is vibrant, flexible, challenging, and engaging. The Spanish major cultivates skills in communication, research, and analysis that are essential to a lifetime of intellectual engagement with the language, cultures and literatures of Spain and Latin America, and of Latinos in the United States. The courses required for the major fall into three broad categories: Hispanic Literary Studies, Hispanic Linguistic Studies, and Hispanic Cultural Studies.

The courses in Literary Studies offer students knowledge of the literatures and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world while achieving competency in the language. Students completing these courses will study the rich literary and cultural texts and traditions of Spain, the Americas, and the Caribbean. They will discuss major literary and intellectual movements, genres, and writers. As they do so, they will learn about history, politics, human rights, social activism, and gender roles through the lens of fictional and non-fictional characters, including the voices of writers who represent diverse class, gender, and ethnic backgrounds.

The courses in Hispanic linguistics offer students who are interested in the study of the linguistic fields of the Spanish language an increased understanding of language use and change. They provide excellent preparation for those whose career goals include graduate study in language and linguistics, and those who aspire to work in education, teaching, interpretation, and translation. They are also designed for those who wish to combine language study for the professions with another discipline (e.g., Education, Health Sciences and Psychology, Business, Justice, Community and Leadership).

The courses in Hispanic Cultural Studies are tailor-made for students interested in gaining a multidisciplinary understanding of the culture, languages and artistic artifacts of the Spanish- speaking world. From a variety of perspectives and through the use of diverse analytical tools, these courses provide students an understanding of the history, cultures, and contemporary issues of Latin America, including the presence of Latinos in the U.S., literature, film, music, politics, art, and history, among others, are featured.

Learning Outcomes for Spanish Major:

Students who complete this major will be able to:

• Demonstrate a career-ready proficiency in all language modalities (speaking, writing, listening, and reading) for a variety of purposes and a range of content and contexts.
• Develop an understanding of the linguistic nature of Spanish, including its primary fields (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics and dialectology, language acquisition, second language pedagogy, and historical linguistics).
• Demonstrate knowledge of Spanish and Latin American literary texts and traditions across time, including major literary and intellectual movements, genres, writers, and works; and discuss and analyze literary texts from a variety of sources.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Hispanic cultures and communities across time and geography, and articulate an understanding of global perspectives, practices, and products of those cultures.

Split Major with Spanish

Split majors between Spanish and other disciplines are available by arrangement. A split major with Spanish requires the same courses as a Spanish minor plus 8 units of upper division electives in Spanish. For more information please contact the Chair of World Languages and Cultures.