Academic Catalog

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.

Prerequisite
SPAN 1120Elementary 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 3050WVisions of the Hispanic World: Reading to Speak and Write4
SPAN 3160Hispanics in the United States4
SPAN 3250Introduction to Critical Cultural and Literary Analysis4
SPAN 4860WSenior Seminar: Humanities Capstone4
Select two to four courses at the 3000- or 4000-level, or an upper-division supporting course chosen in consultation with advisor: 18-16
Literature in Translation
Short Stories from Hispanic Writers
Hispanic Women Writers
Internship
Independent Study (when warranted)
Topics
Total Credits32
1

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 their advisor.

Major Requirements for Native Speakers

SPAN 3050WVisions of the Hispanic World: Reading to Speak and Write4
SPAN 3250Introduction to Critical Cultural and Literary Analysis4
SPAN 4860WSenior Seminar: Humanities Capstone4
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 from Hispanic Writers
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 Theological Perspective
Selected ACTC Latin America Area Studies courses.
Total Credits32

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: Humanities Capstone. They complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with two other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000W The Reflective Woman and CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice).

Fall Term
SPAN 1110Elementary Spanish I4
CORE 1000WThe Reflective Woman4
Spring Term
SPAN 1120Elementary Spanish II4
Fall Term
SPAN 2110Intermediate Spanish I4
Spring Term
SPAN 2120Spanish for the Professions4
SPAN Elective4
Fall Term
SPAN 3050WVisions of the Hispanic World: Reading to Speak and Write4
SPAN Elective 4
Spring Term
SPAN 3160Hispanics in the United States4
SPAN Elective 14
Fall Term
SPAN 4860WSenior Seminar: Humanities Capstone4
SPAN 3250Introduction to Critical Cultural and Literary Analysis4
Spring Term
CORE 3990WGlobal Search for Justice4
SPAN Elective 4
Total Credits56
1

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 their advisor.