Spanish - BA
St. Kate's Spanish majors hone their skills and share their appreciation for Spanish language and culture in the classroom and in the co-curriculum. In their coursework, faculty and students explore diverse aesthetic, linguistic and cultural traditions in global contexts of social justice. The Spanish Club and Sigma Delta Pi, the National Spanish Honor Society, offer further opportunities to interact in a Spanish-speaking environment.
Spanish students are encouraged to engage in experiential or service learning. Together with the Career Development Office, the department enthusiastically encourages earning credit towards the major through internships. In recent years students have interned at the Resource Center of the Américas, Neighborhood House, La Clínica, Casa de Esperanza, Children's Hospital, C.L.U.E.S., Adams Spanish Immersion, and The Jane Addams School for Democracy.
Students are also strongly encouraged to study, travel or live abroad. More than 50 semester- and year-long programs, January options and summer programs are available around the world. These programs are academically sound and provide strong support services and opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the culture of the country they visit. Students often choose to live with host families or in international residence halls on foreign campuses. St. Kate's Global Studies staff will help students learn about the many foreign study opportunities and pick the best option for their needs.
St. Kate's Spanish alumnae work in a variety of fields, including as a U.S. ambassador to Ecuador, as a VP of international marketing and advertising, as a bilingual occupational therapist, and as teachers, social workers and nurses.
This major is offered in the College for Women only.
Curriculum
The major consists of eight courses (32 credits)
NOTE: Students who transfer Spanish courses worth fewer than four credits may need to take more than eight Spanish courses to reach the 32 credit minimum.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite | ||
| SPAN 1120 | Elementary Spanish II (with a grade of B or higher) | 4 |
| Required Courses | ||
| Select one, two or zero courses, based on placement: | 0-8 | |
| Intermediate Spanish I | ||
| Spanish for the Professions | ||
| SPAN 3050W | Visions of the Hispanic World: Reading to Speak and Write | 4 |
| SPAN 3160 | Hispanics in the United States | 4 |
| SPAN 3250 | Introduction to Critical Cultural and Literary Analysis | 4 |
| SPAN 4860W | Senior Seminar | 4 |
| Select two to four courses at the 3000- or 4000-level, or an upper-division supporting course chosen in consultation with advisor: If SPAN 2110 and/or SPAN 2120 are counted towards the major, students will need to choose additional upper-division supporting courses in consultation with advisor. | 8-16 | |
| Literature in Translation | ||
| Short Stories in Spanish | ||
| Hispanic Women Writers | ||
| Internship | ||
| Independent Study (when warranted) | ||
| Topics | ||
| Total Credits | 32 | |
Major Requirements for Native Speakers
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SPAN 3050W | Visions of the Hispanic World: Reading to Speak and Write | 4 |
| SPAN 3250 | Introduction to Critical Cultural and Literary Analysis | 4 |
| SPAN 4860W | Senior Seminar | 4 |
| Select three of the following courses selected in consultation with a Spanish departmental advisor: | 12 | |
| Literature in Translation | ||
| Hispanics in the United States | ||
| Short Stories in Spanish | ||
| Hispanic Women Writers | ||
| Internship | ||
| Topics | ||
| Plus two courses relating to the Hispanic world, selected in consultation with a Spanish departmental advisor. Examples are: | 8 | |
| Women and Literature | ||
| Social Justice: A Christian Perspective | ||
Selected ACTC Latin America Area Studies courses. | ||
| Total Credits | 32 | |
Applied Foreign Language Component
Students at the post-intermediate level may have the possibility of applying a foreign language in the study of another discipline. For further information, consult the language departments.
Spanish majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors and the fourth writing requirement by completing SPAN 3050W Visions of the Hispanic World: Reading to Speak and Write and SPAN 4860W Senior Seminar. They complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with two other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000W The Reflective Woman or CORE 2000W The Reflective Woman, and CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice).