ABOUT OUR PROGRAM: Offerings in the Spanish department include a wide range of courses in the language, cultures, and literatures of Spain, and Latin America. All readings, class discussions, and written work in courses beyond the intermediate level (Spanish 201) are in Spanish, unless specified otherwise.

At the advanced level, students examine a variety of significant language and cultural issues through intensive reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Spanish. This preparation provides the necessary background for careers in foreign language teaching, in bilingual education, in government service, and in the international marketplace, as well as for graduate study in such fields as languages, library science, or literature, to name a few.

Spanish is already the second language of business in the United States, and, in conjunction with another area of specialization, the competence gained in the Spanish major program prepares the student for careers in fields such as international business and commerce, law, and communications.

GOALS: The general goals of the Spanish department's course offerings include the development and improvement of students' ability to communicate, to know and understand different cultures, to establish connections with additional bodies of knowledge, and to be able to make comparisons between Spanish and their native language; in short, to enable the student to participate in multilingual communities.

These goals are attained through a reasonably high competency in the Spanish language and an introduction to Latin American and Peninsular literatures and cultures. From the beginning, Spanish is used extensively, if not totally, in the classroom and, except where specified, all class discussion, essays, and examinations are conducted in Spanish.

ALSO SEE: Why study Spanish? (on Dr. Fares's Web Page)