 |
 |
 A student who chooses Spanish as a major will gain valuable
knowledge, not only about the language, but also about the many
unique and fascinating cultures represented in the Spanishspeaking
world. Like all languages offered at Oglethorpe, the Spanish major
is informed by "the five C's": communication, cultures, connections,
comparisons, and communities. These areas represent the defined
goals of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning.
The journey toward a Spanish major begins with a thorough
emphasis on reading, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking.
These essential skills prepare the student with the foundations for
communicating in diverse contexts in the Spanish language. More
advanced study of Spanish will enable the student to explore the
treasures of Hispanic prose, poetry, drama and cinema, in addition
to the study of colorful and intriguing Hispanic civilizations in
Spain, Africa and Latin America. Through the course offerings in
Spanish, students become more informed about America's Latino and
Hispanic neighbors, in addition to becoming more functional global
citizens.
Once students have reached an adequate level of proficiency in
Spanish and have become familiar with Spanish-speaking populations
and societies, they will be ready to complement their classroom
studies with full-immersion study abroad opportunities. As an
invaluable component of the Spanish major, students are required to
study and live in a Spanishspeaking country for a semester during
the academic year following the completion of an initial sequence of
courses taken in the program. Most majors choose to study at one of
a number of partner institutions such as the Universidad de Belgrano
(Argentina), the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador) or
at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente
(Mexico). In addition, for the adventurous student, there are many
other creative study abroad options available, all of which can be
discussed with student advisors. Native speakers of Spanish are
invited to complete the 12-semester hour requirements of study
abroad in courses at Oglethorpe or through cross registration at one
of the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE)
institutions.
Many students who complete the Spanish major at Oglethorpe go on
to carry out graduate programs at other institutions in Spanish
language and literature, linguistics, Hispanic cultural studies, or
International Relations. Other graduates from the program become
Spanish instructors or find opportunities in corporate or non-profit
organizations, where they continue to apply their language skills
and global experiences. Students are also invited to combine a
double major in Spanish with other disciplines, a combination which
greatly enhances student marketability after graduation.
All students with previous study or experience in Spanish must
take a language placement examination. They will be placed in the
course sequence according to their competence. Under no circumstance
should students with past experience in Spanish place themselves in
courses, especially at the elementary level. Students are not
eligible to enroll in elementary and intermediate courses in their
native languages.
Major
Students who major in Spanish must first complete the following
requirements:
SPN 201 Intermediate Spanish
SPN 301 Advanced Spanish
SPN 302 Introduction to Hispanic Literature
Students will then complete a semester in an approved study
abroad program, which should include a minimum of 12 semester hours.
Returning students must complete three upper-level (300 or 400)
courses in Spanish.
Elementary French I or equivalent as determined through the
French placement test is also required. It is recommended that this
requirement be completed during the student's first two years.
The degree awarded is the Bachelor of Arts.
Minor
A minor in Spanish consists of the following requirements:
SPN 201 Intermediate Spanish
Three upper-level courses (300 or 400)
Certain of these requirements may be met through an approved
study abroad program.
The following courses are offered on Spanish:
| SPN 101, SPN 102. Elementary
Spanish I, II |
4 plus 4 hours |
These courses are an
introduction to understanding, speaking, reading, and writing
Spanish. Emphasis will be placed on acquiring a foundation in
basic grammar as well as on listening comprehension and spoken
Spanish through class activities, tapes, and videos.
Prerequisite: None for SPN 101; SPN 101 required for SPN 102, or
placement by testing.
|
| SPN 201. Intermediate Spanish |
4 hours |
This course is intended
to review basic grammar and develop more complex patterns of
written and spoken Spanish. Short compositions, readings from
Spanish and Spanish-American literature and class discussions
require active use of students' acquired knowledge of Spanish
and form the basis for the expansion of vocabulary and oral
expression. Prerequisite: SPN 102 or placement by testing.
|
| SPN 301. Advanced Spanish |
4 hours |
This course is designed
to improve students' skills to a sophisticated level at which
they are able to discuss and express opinions in both oral and
written form. Readings of essays and short-stories as well as
film viewing in Spanish are used as the basis for discussion,
introduction to cultural issues, and written expression.
Frequent writing assignments. Prerequisite: SPN 201or placement
by testing.
|
| SPN 302. Introduction to
Hispanic Literature |
4 hours |
This course offers an
introduction to literary analysis based on a rigorous program of
readings from Spanish and Spanish American literatures. It is a
skills-building course that familiarizes students with the
lexicon of literary criticism in Spanish and trains them to be
active readers of Hispanic literature. Students read and analyze
(orally and in writing) representative works of the four
fundamental genres of literature: Narrative, Poetry, Drama, and
Essay. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPN 301 or placement by
testing.
|
| SPN 305. Spanish for
International Relations and Business |
4 hours |
In this course students
will learn vocabulary appropriate to the world of international
relations and business in order to understand both oral and
written material on relevant issues. Students will read and
discuss articles and newspapers in Spanish and explore common
cross-cultural clashes and misunderstandings in order to improve
intercultural communications as a means of succeeding in the
global marketplace. When possible, there will be
Spanish-speaking guests from the diplomatic and business
communities of Atlanta. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPN 301
or placement by testing.
|
| SPN 401. Special Topics in
Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures |
4 hours |
This course provides
the opportunity to study particular aspects of the languages,
literatures and cultures of Spain, Spanish America or United
States Hispanic communities not covered in the other courses.
This course may be repeated for credit as course content
changes. Prerequisite: SPN 301.
|
| SPN 403. Political Issues in
Spanish American Literature and Film |
4 hours |
The social and
political upheavals that took place in several Spanish American
countries during the 20th century spawned the development of a
rich literary and cinematic corpus. This course will examine
part of that corpus in its historical and cultural context and
how political issues are aesthetically elaborated in fiction,
poetry, essay and film. Among the topics to be studied are
revolution, testimony, exile, and the Other as a figure of
resistance. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPN 302.
|
| SPN 404. Discourse of Golden-age
Spain |
4 hours |
In this course, students will
analyze Golden-age Spanish society through the literature
produced during the 16th and 17th centuries, the two epochs that
encompass the Spanish Siglos de Oro. Studied texts will reveal a
young Spain altogether confident about its present, at times
insecure about its future, and frequently ambivalent about its
diverse past. Prerequisite: SPN 302.
|
| SPN 405. 20th-Century Spanish
American Literature |
4 hours |
This is a study of
Spanish American literature from the 1930s to the present,
focusing on its departure from the Realist tradition and its
adoption of experimentation, self-reflection, parody, magical
realism or the fantastic. Modern and post-modern trends will be
examined. Readings include fiction by Borges, Fuentes, Cortázar,
García Márquez, and Puig. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPN
302.
|
| SPN 410. The Development of
Latin American Cultures |
4 hours |
This course introduces
students to the diverse cultural heritage of Latin America
paying special attention to the impact and consequences of the
encounter between European, Native and African cultures in art,
politics, and religion. Manifestations of cultural syncretism
and diversity from the times of the Spanish conquest and
colonization to the post-colonial polemics of cultural identity
will be examined. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPN 302.
|
|
