Spanish, Latin American, and Latinx Studies Major/Minor Requirements

Spanish is spoken by more than 600 million people worldwide, including more than 60 million in the U.S., where it is a vital language for culture and communication. The Spanish program at Lawrence University equips students with advanced to superior linguistic, cultural, and academic knowledge in this area. Majors gain expertise in intercultural communication through specialized study, interdisciplinary exploration, and international experience, often alongside another major or minor.  

Faculty hailing from Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the U.S. offer a broad range of courses about Spanish-speaking cultures around the globe. On-campus classes are complemented by attractive study abroad options. The curriculum includes literature, film and media, art history, border and migration studies, narrative journalism, linguistics, translation, and business. The main goal is to foster advanced bilingual communication, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning, preparing students to explore lives of purpose and achievement beyond Lawrence. 

Learning outcomes 

The program's goals focus on the national standards for 21st century skills and the 5 Cs in World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages: communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities. Students who graduate with a major or minor in Spanish acquire the following skills and knowledge: 

• Advanced ability to communicate effectively in Spanish for academic work and in social and professional interactions. 

• Deep understanding of the cultural products, practices, and perspectives of global and domestic Spanish-speaking communities.  

• The capability to critically reflect on their own identities, cultural heritage, and traditions through the study of Spanish. 

• The ability to locate, evaluate, and incorporate trustworthy sources of knowledge to analyze and interpret primary texts and/or pertinent linguistic phenomena.  

• The capacity to articulate scholarly arguments that engage diverse cultures and disciplines in Spanish. 

Placement  

New students should take the online placement exam immediately unless they have transfer credit in Spanish.  

Students should take Spanish classes in their first term or year at Lawrence, as some SPAN 100-200 courses are only offered once a year. Waiting longer may result in losing language ability or missing out on opportunities like adding a minor or studying abroad. 

Meeting the language competency general education requirement 

Options with academic credit that only satisfy the general requirement: 

• Passing SPAN 201 (or equivalent transfer credit) for B.A. students. 

• Passing SPAN 102 or 150 (or equivalent transfer credit) for B.M.A. and B.Mus. students. 

• A score of 63 and above on the CLEP exam with writing for B.A. students.  

• A score of 52-62 on the CLEP exam with writing for B.M.A. and B.Mus. students.  

Options with academic credit that also satisfy requirements for the major, minor, or off-campus study: 

• Passing a SPAN 202, 250, or higher-level class. 

• Transferring credit equivalent to SPAN 202/250/320 classes via coursework or examination: 

• An approved class at another institution. 

• A score of 4+ on the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam. Credit equivalent to SPAN 202/250 fulfills one requirement toward the Spanish major or minor. 

• A score of 6+ on the IB Spanish exam at the advanced level. Credit equivalent to SPAN 202/250 fulfills one requirement toward the Spanish major or minor. 

• A score of 4+ on the AP Spanish Literature and Culture exam. Credit equivalent to SPAN 320 fulfills one requirement toward the Spanish major or minor. 

Options without academic credit: 

• Providing documentation (e.g., high school diploma) that Spanish was a primary language of instruction at the student’s secondary school.  

• Requesting and passing a comprehensive written and oral competency examination in Spanish. Contact the Spanish department to schedule the exam. 

More information about meeting the language competency requirement can be found under Academic Procedures & Regulations. 

The major in Spanish requires completion of at least 60 units, or ten 6-unit courses, and a Senior Experience, distributed as follows*:  

1. One of the following options, depending on placement or credit transfer:  
   1. Spanish 202 or 250  
   2. Transfer credit equivalent to SPAN 202/250/320 via coursework or required examination score (AP or IB)  
2. Two Spanish courses (12 units) numbered at the 300 level   
3. Two Spanish courses (12 units) numbered at the 400 level   
4. Two Spanish courses (12 units) numbered at the 500 level and offered on campus.  
5. Three electives (18 units) numbered at the 400 level or above. (One elective can be substituted with an internship or a pertinent course from another program, with prior advisor approval.) 
6. Senior Experience: completion of 1-unit Independent Study SPAN 699 Spanish Multimedia Portfolio with the SPAN advisor or designated instructor  

Also required:  

• At least eight courses (or 48 units) for the major must have Spanish as the primary language of instruction.  
• At least five courses (or 30 units) for the major must be completed on campus. These include the two required Spanish courses (or 12 units) at the 500-level.  

*Any course can be replaced by a course at a higher level (e.g., a 400-level course can substitute for a 300-level course). See "Off-campus Study" section for equivalence of off-campus courses. 

The Senior Experience consists of a multimedia portfolio that provides measurable evidence of the advanced academic, cultural, and communicative competence required of Spanish majors. The project is due by the end of the sixth week of a student's final term at Lawrence.  

Graduating seniors must register to take the Independent Study SPAN 699 Spanish Multimedia Portfolio (1 unit, S/U) with their advisor or assigned faculty evaluator in their final term at Lawrence. 

The minor in Spanish requires completion of at least 36 units, or six 6-unit courses, distributed as follows*: 

1. One of the following options, depending on placement: 
   1. Spanish 202 or 250 
   2. Transfer credit equivalent to SPAN 202/250/320 via coursework or required examination score (AP or IB) 
2. Two Spanish courses (12 units) numbered at the 300 level 
3. One Spanish course (6 units) numbered at the 400 level 
4. One Spanish course numbered at the 500 level and offered on campus 
5. One elective (6 units) numbered at the 400 level or above. (It can be substituted with an internship or a pertinent course from another program, with prior advisor approval.) 

Also required: 

• At least five courses (or 30 units) for the minor must have Spanish as the primary language of instruction. 
• At least three courses (or 18 units) for the major must be completed on campus. These include the required Spanish course (or 6 units) at the 500-level. 

*Any course can be replaced by a course at a higher level (e.g., a 400-level course can substitute for a 300-level course). See "Off-campus Study" section for equivalence of off-campus courses. 

Students pursuing teacher certification in Spanish at the elementary and secondary levels should consult the Education section of the catalog for requirements. 

Spanish courses at the 100 and 200 levels are proficiency-oriented language and culture classes designed to help students develop the appropriate communicative and intercultural competence by national educational standards: 

• SPAN 101 is only for novice second-language learners who did not grow up hearing Spanish at home and have never studied Spanish before. This class is followed by SPAN 102 and SPAN 201. Students will take the placement test to select the right class. 
• SPAN 150 is only for novice heritage-language learners who grew up hearing Spanish at home. This class is followed by SPAN 250. 
• Courses numbered SPAN 202 and above satisfy requirements for a major, minor, and off-campus study: 
• SPAN 202 is an intermediate-high course for second-language learners, that is, students who learned Spanish in school and did not grow up hearing the language at home.    
• SPAN 250 is an intermediate-high course for heritage speakers of Spanish, that is, students who grew up hearing Spanish at home, whether they also studied the language in school or not. 

Spanish courses at the 300, 400, and 500 levels are topic-based classes in cultural studies, linguistics, and translation studies. They are designed for second-language, heritage, and native speakers of Spanish with appropriate placement: 

• Courses numbered in the 300s offer introductory study of specific areas of knowledge (e.g., literature, film, news media, linguistics, business, etc.).  
• 400-level courses provide a more advanced exploration of socio-political, artistic, filmic, literary, and linguistic topics connected to each faculty's areas of expertise. 
• Courses at the 500 level are advanced seminars for majors and minors.  

Tutorials, direct studies and independent studies are only available at the 300-500 level and are subject to individual faculty availability. Independent study options are meant to delve intentionally into prior study topics, so students should not rely on them to satisfy urgent requirements. Internships for Spanish credit must be approved by the academic advisor or department chair.  

The Senior Experience requires registration for a one-unit independent study with the advisor or assigned evaluator: SPAN 699 Spanish Multimedia Portfolio, graded S/U. 

All Spanish students are strongly encouraged to participate in sponsored academic programs in Latin America or Spain, although off-campus study is not required to complete the major or minor.  

Students must always consult with and obtain the approval of their SPAN advisor to apply off-campus credit to the completion of requirements for the major or minor. 

Conversion of semester credits to Lawrence units: 

• 3 credit hours = 5 units 
• 4 credit hours = 7 units 

For purposes of SPAN major/minor requirement completion, 5-unit off-campus classes are considered equivalent to 6-unit classes on campus. 

Credit transfer for SPAN major/minor completion: 

• Off-campus intermediate-high language courses are equivalent to Spanish 202/250, which all students must complete before studying abroad in a Spanish-language location. Units will transfer but cannot count twice toward a major or minor. 
• Advanced Grammar courses are considered equivalent to SPAN 345 with approval from the SPAN advisor. 
• Introductory Spanish for Business courses can be considered equivalent to SPAN 360 with approval from the SPAN advisor. 
• Humanities, linguistics, translation, social sciences, art history, theater, or interdisciplinary university-level courses taught in Spanish satisfy requirements for the SPAN major or minor at the 400-level with approval from the SPAN advisor. 
• Internships abroad can satisfy one elective requirement with approval from the SPAN advisor. 
• There are no off-campus courses equivalent to Spanish classes at the 500 level. These must be completed on campus. 

IMPORTANT: Other types of off-campus classes and activities (e.g., pre-professional training, music lessons, other languages, recreational activities, etc.) might transfer credit but may not fulfill major or minor requirements in Spanish.