Program Requirements

Major

Majors in Spanish are expected to acquire the ability to understand, speak, read, and write in Spanish and to develop a broad foundation in the relevant literatures and cultures.

Students with prior experience in Spanish, however acquired (e.g., in high school, at another institution, or via study abroad), work with department faculty members to determine an appropriate level at which to start. In general, one year of high school language instruction is the equivalent to one university-level course.  Students who have taken four years or more of one language in high school are generally eligible to take 300-level language courses at CWRU, but the department recommends starting with a course numbered under 320.

The major for a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish requires a minimum of 10 courses, equivalent to 30-35 credit hours.

Course requirements are as follows:

  • For students placed into 200-level coursework, the major requirements include: SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I, SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II, and eight 300-level courses taught in the target language from among those on the courses tab.
  • For students placed into 300-level coursework, the major requirements include ten 300-level courses taught in the target language. Please see the courses tab.

Students may replace up to two 300-level courses with related courses. Related courses are those outside the department which are closely related to Spanish culture, as well as those departmental courses cross-listed with World Literature.

Additional Information for Spanish Majors:

  • Students who start at 100 or 200-level need to take SPAN 310.
  • At least three of the 300-level courses should be numbered above 320.

Departmental Honors for Majors

The departmental honors program is for especially dedicated majors. Requirements for honors in modern languages and literatures are:

  1. a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major;
  2. an honors thesis (SPAN 397, SPAN 398) in addition to the major credit hour requirements

The thesis is devoted to a literary, linguistic, or cultural topic and must be written in the target language. It must be read and approved by two readers and will be accepted for honors only if it achieves a grade of B or better. Students who qualify receive their degree “with Honors in Modern Languages and Literatures.” A registration form for students applying for honors is available in the departmental office.

Minor

The minor in Spanish requires a minimum of 5 courses, equivalent to 15-19 credit hours.

Course requirements are as follows:

  • For students beginning Spanish at the introductory level, minor requirements include: SPAN 101, SPAN 102, SPAN 201, SPAN 202, and one additional SPAN 300-level course.
  • For students beginning Spanish at the 200-level, minor requirements include: five 200- and 300-level SPAN courses.