Main Content
Students in the Spanish Language and Cultures major develop language skills and the cultural competence needed to compete in an increasingly diverse world.
Developed using the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guidelines, our program offers practical skills-based language classes and a strong emphasis on contemporary Latin American culture.
- TSPAN 301 Spanish Grammar and Lexicon
- TSPAN 302 Spanish Conversation
- TSPAN 303 Spanish Stylistics and Composition
- TSPAN 351 Intro to Hispanic Literary Studies
- TSPAN 352 Intro to Hispanic Cultural Studies
- TSPAN 299, 393 or 496 foreign study/experiential learning or internship (10 credits)
NOTES ON CORE COURSES
We recommend that students take TSPAN 301, 302 and 303 in sequence, but it's not required. A student can begin 300-level coursework in 302 or 303, as long as they have reached that level of proficiency via placement exam or coursework prerequisites.
TSPAN 302 is not open to NATIVE speakers or HERITAGE speakers of Spanish. See definitions provided below. Native and heritage speakers can substitute any other Spanish class at the 300–400 level in place of 302.
We define native speaker of Spanish as a person who learned Spanish at home as his or her first language, and who lived in a Spanish-speaking home for the first six years of childhood. In addition, a native speaker has some formal instruction (at least through 7th grade) in schools where Spanish was the primary language. (Example: A person who was born in Mexico to Mexican parents, who lived in Mexico until age 14, and completed 7th grade there, is a native speaker of Spanish.)
We define a heritage speaker of Spanish as a person who was raised in a home where Spanish was spoken at least 50 percent of the time during that person's childhood and adolescence. Heritage speakers may not have had formal instruction in Spanish, but they are to some degree bilingual in both Spanish and English.
The foreign study credits must be in a program that offers at least 50 percent of the instruction in Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country. Students may combine credits from two programs, if desired. The experiential learning must be in a Spanish-speaking community, where at least 50 percent of the work the student does is in Spanish.
List A: Spanish Language (10 credits: 5 credits at the 300-level and 5 credits at the 400-level required.)
- TSPAN 335 Spanish Linguistics
- TSPAN 345 Spanish for Community Engagement
- TSPAN 348 Writing and the Research Process
- TSPAN 420 Advanced Spanish Grammar
- TSPAN 425 Advanced Communication Skills
- TSPAN 430 Translation Techniques and Practices
List B: Literature, Film or Culture in Spanish (15 credits: 5 credits at the 300-level and 5 credits at the 400-level required.)
CAREER OPTIONS
- Banking
- Business
- Communication and Media
- Community Services
- Education
- Government
- Insurance
- Law
- Public Health
- Social Work
- Translation / Interpretation
- Travel Industry
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
To declare the Spanish Language and Cultures major, you much demonstrate, through a placement exam or coursework, proficiency at the 300-level in the Spanish language. Students interested in pursuing the major are strongly encouraged to take a variety of interdisciplinary courses dealing with Spanish and Latin American culture in preparation for the major.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
For a BA in Spanish Language and Cultures, you need to complete 60 upper division (300–400 level) credits, as well as the UWT general education and graduation requirements totaling a minimum of 180 credits.
