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Spanish Studies

2016-17 General Catalog

Languages and Applied Linguistics
218 Cowell College
(831) 459-2054
http://language.ucsc.edu

Faculty

Program Description

The interdisciplinary major in Spanish Studies is designed to offer students advanced linguistic proficiency in Spanish as well as a broad understanding of the historical and cultural developments of the Spanish-speaking world.

The Spanish Studies major at UCSC combines the strengths of language and applied linguistics with those of literary and cultural studies. The sequence of courses first exposes students to the academic registers of Spanish, a critical component for both heritage speakers and second language learners. Students then develop academic literacy in the language while gaining familiarity with the methods of analysis in different fields. The configuration of the major affords students flexibility in following their particular interests by choosing one of two tracks: (1) literature and culture or (2) language and linguistics.

These pathways within the major prepare students for a range of career possibilities that involve working with the Spanish-speaking public in a variety of professions (e.g., law, business, public service). Students may also pursue further training in teaching Spanish as a second language at the high school or university level.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates from the Spanish studies B.A. program should be able to demonstrate:

  • Advanced-level oral proficiency in Spanish. Students will have the ability to use all the major timeframes (past, present, and future) in their speech and will be able to produce connected discourse of paragraph length. They will be able to satisfy the demands of work and/or school situations in Spanish with both accuracy and fluency.

  • Academic language and literacy skills in Spanish. Students will be able to read and understand a wide range of authentic texts (e.g., academic articles, journalistic texts) in Spanish, including those with historical, sociological, and literary content. Students will be able to clearly explain their ideas in writing, demonstrating the ability to summarize, interpret, and substantiate an opinion or argument.

  • Metalinguistic awareness. Students will be able to describe the main features of the Spanish language (e.g., the sound system, the structure of sentences) and will be able to identify the main regional varieties of Spanish. Students will be able to articulate some of the main differences between English and Spanish using precise terminology.

  • Critical analysis. Students will be able to comment with critical insight on a range of topics and cultural productions (e.g., literary texts, film, music) of the U.S., Latin America, and Spain. They will be able to read closely in order to evaluate historical ideas, arguments, and points of view.

  • Cultural and historical competency. Students will be able to compare and contrast multiple interpretations of the same phenomena in different cultures. Students will be able to recognize and reflect on the social, cultural, economic, and political changes that connect Latin America, Spain, and U.S. and Latina/o communities.

Study Abroad

Spanish studies encourages students to take advantage of the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP). Some programs do not require prior language study while others have language prerequisites. Many of these programs provide students with the language skills needed to participate in regular university courses taught in the language of the host country. EAP opportunities in Spanish include Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Costa Rica.

Students who participate in the EAP may petition to apply up to 5 courses (up to 25 upper-division credits) from EAP toward the major. Petition forms are available in the Language Program Department office.

Requirements for the Major

There are a total of 45 credits required for the Spanish studies major. See Program Major Requirements below for a breakdown of the credit requirements.

Lower-Division Requirements

  • Six courses in the regular track Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; or three courses in the Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SPHS) track, SPHS 4, 5, 6; or equivalent proficiency;

  • Linguistics 50, Introduction to Linguistics;

  • History 11A, Latin America, Colonial Period; or History 11B, Latin American, National Period.

Upper-Division Requirements

Four required Spanish studies core courses (20 credits total):

  • Literature: Literature 189A (formerly Spanish Literature 102A), From the Conquest to Sor Juana; or Literature 189B (formerly Spanish Literature 102B), Romanticism to Modernism (5 credits)

  • Spanish Studies: Literature 189C (formerly Spanish Literature 105)/Spanish 105*, Introduction to Spanish Studies (cross-listed course) (5 credits)

  • Linguistics: Spanish 150*, Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics (5 credits)

  • Spanish Language: Spanish 114, Advanced Conversation and Composition or Spanish for Heritage Speakers 115, El ensayo lectura, analisis y redacción (5 credits)

*Literature 189C (formerly Spanish Literature 105)/Spanish 105 and Spanish 150 must be taken prior to enrollment in or in conjunction with concentration courses.

Choice of Concentrations (choose one concentration—3 courses, 15 credits total)

Languages and Linguistics Track (three courses): Five-credit Spanish-language courses numbered 100-189, Spanish 199 and Languages 199 (except Spanish 150, Spanish 114, and Literature 189C (formerly Spanish Literature 105)/Spanish 105) are accepted with the permission of the Spanish studies director (or faculty adviser).

  • Spanish 140, Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: The Sounds of Spanish

  • Spanish 151, Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Varieties of Spanish

  • Spanish 152, Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish in the U.S.

  • Spanish 153, Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish as a Second Language

  • Spanish 156A, The Language of Latin American Cinema

  • Spanish 156B, The New Latin American Song

  • Spanish 156C, Latin American Women’s Voices

  • Spanish 156E, Spanish Culture

  • Spanish 156F, Humor in the Spanish Speaking World

  • Spanish 156J, Contemporary Central America

  • Spanish 156M, Mexico and the Southwest

Literature and Culture Track (three courses):Any five-credit literature course numbered 188-190, except Literature 189A (formerly Spanish Literature 102A), 189B (formerly Spanish Literature 102B), or 189C (formerly Spanish Literature 105); see below for examples:

  • Literature 188B, Spanish Literature: Origins to 18th Century

  • Literature 188E, Spanish Golden Age Theater

  • Literature 188G, Literature and Life in Don Quijote and Other Cervantes Texts

  • Literature 188I, Picaresque Novel

  • Literature 188M, Spanish Literature: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

  • Literature 189E, Cuba

  • Literature 189G, Cine y Literatura

  • Literature 189H, La Globalizacion en/del Cine Latin/o Americano

  • Literature 189L, Latin American Poetry

  • Literature 189M, Spanish American Prose

  • Literature 189N, Latin American testimonio

  • Literature 189O, El cuento en Hispanoamérica: Variedades esteticas de la literatura breve in America Latina

  • Literature 189Q, Fiction and Marginality: The Marginal at the Center

  • Literature 189S, Popular Culture in Latin American Narrative

  • Literature 189T, Historia de la lectura y los lectores: recepción y consumo cultural en el mundo Latino Americano

  • Literature 189U, Modernidad y Literatura: El Boom de la novela latinoamericana

Electives (one upper-division course, 5 credits total): Choose from related 5-credit courses in Anthropology, Education, Feminist Studies, History, History of Art and Visual Culture, Latin American and Latino Studies, Linguistics, Sociology (see Elective Courses for Spanish Studies), or any upper-division Spanish Literature, Spanish, or languages concentration courses not taken for concentration credit or capstone requirement.

Capstone Requirement

In their senior year, Spanish studies majors must satisfy the senior exit requirement as described below:

Successful completion of a senior capstone course (a designated upper-division course taught in Spanish, 5 credits total). The senior capstone should be in the student's chosen concentration: language and linguistics, or literature and culture. Students must have senior standing and have completed at least three out of five core courses. The capstone course is in addition to the three upper-division concentration courses.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

The Disciplinary Communication general education requirement (DC requirement) is satisfied by successfully completing Spanish 114 or Spanish for Heritage Speakers 115.

Declaring the Major in Spanish Studies

To qualify for the major in Spanish studies, students must have completed Spanish 4 or Spanish for Heritage Speakers 4 or equivalent with a grade of C or better, or receive a Spanish placement examination result of 50.

Transfer Students

In addition to the required courses to satisfy the campus general education requirements, transfer junior students are strongly advised to complete two years of Spanish language study in accredited two- and four-year institutions. Transfer students who arrive at UCSC with two years of Spanish language preparation should be able to complete the Spanish studies major in normative time. While it is not a condition of admission, students from California community colleges may complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in preparation for transfer to UC Santa Cruz.

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Revised: 09/01/16