Bachelor of Arts in Spanish

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers courses of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. In addition, the department offers minors in Chinese, Hebrew, Italian, and Russian, as well as course work in Arabic and Portuguese. Except in the case of courses cross-listed with the World Literature Program and other interdisciplinary programs, all courses in modern languages and literatures are taught primarily in the target language. In addition to class meetings, work outside of class with audio materials is an integral part of all elementary and intermediate language courses taught by the department. Career opportunities exist in college and university teaching, translation and interpretation, diplomatic and other government service, business, international nonprofit agencies, and the arts, and are often enhanced by a double major. Placement Procedure Students with prior experience in Spanish, however gained (e.g., in high school, with or without AP courses, at another institution, via study abroad), must take a placement examination before the first week of the semester in which they enroll in one of those languages. Placement depends both on examination results and on consultation with individual faculty members. Majors in German expected: 1) to acquire the ability to understand, speak, read, and write the language(s) of their choice; and 2) to develop a sound understanding of the relevant cultures and literatures. The major in French, German, or Spanish consists of 30-32 hours of course work and will vary based on students’ background in the language. The major in Japanese Studies requires a minimum of 35 credit hours. Individual counseling and placement tests are provided by the department. Course requirements are as follows: For students placed into the 200 level: 201-202 and eight courses at the 300 level taught in the target language, or six 300-level courses plus two related courses. For students placed into the 300-level: ten 300-level courses taught in the target language, or eight 300-level courses plus two related courses. Related courses are those outside the department which are closely related to French, German, Japanese, and Spanish cultures, as well as those departmental courses cross-listed with World Literature.