Spanish

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Professors: Maiz-Peña, (Chair), Peña, Vásquez
Associate Professors: Kietrys, Willis, Sánchez-Sánchez
Assistant Professor: González
Visiting Mellon Fellow: Barros
Visiting Instructor: Santamaria
Adjunct Instructor: Scott

Distribution Requirements

Any one of the following courses meets the literature distribution requirement: Spanish 241, 244, 270, 320, 321, 322, 330, 331, 340, 341, 343, 344, 346, 347, 349, 350, 374, 375.

Foreign Language Requirement

Completion of Spanish 201 meets the foreign language proficiency distribution requirement.

Cultural Diversity Requirement

Spanish 241, 244, 270, 340, 341, 344, 346, 352, 374, and 375 are options for fulfilling the cultural diversity requirement.

Placement in Spanish Courses

Students who have taken Spanish previously and who want to take Spanish courses at Davidson must take a placement test before the beginning of the academic year. Please consult materials regarding registration for new students, or contact the Chair of the Spanish Department at Davidson.

No student who has studied Spanish in junior or senior year in high school should expect to take Spanish 101 for credit without the express permission of the department. In some exceptional cases the department will recommend that a student who has studied Spanish in high school begin in Spanish 101.

Major Requirements

Ten courses above Spanish 201, conducted in Spanish, including Spanish 490 and 491 and a minimum of one course from each of the following areas:

Area I: Literature and Culture of Spain prior to 1700 (320, 321, 322, 329, 354);
Area II: Literature and Culture of Spain since 1700 (330, 331, 339, 350);
Area III: Hispanic Cultures (344, 347, 352, 353, 361, 369, 374, 394);
Area IV: Literature and Culture of Latin America Prior to 1900 (340, 349);
Area V: Literature and Culture of Latin America Since 1900 (341, 343, 346, 375).

At least five of the courses toward the major should be taken at Davidson; SPA 394, in the Cadiz program, may count as one of those five. The course sequences of the Davidson College program in Cadiz, depending on each student’s background in Spanish, are the following: 203-272, 260-394, 393-394.

With specific approval of the department chair, up to three transferred courses for one semester or five transferred courses for the academic year may be applied to the Spanish major or minor. No more than three such courses may apply toward the minor in Spanish, no more than five toward the major in Spanish.

A Senior Thesis (Tesina) with an oral defense is required in the last semester of the senior year. Study in a Spanish-speaking country is strongly recommended but not required. Also recommended is at least a minimum knowledge of a second foreign language.

Courses to be counted toward the major may not be taken pass/fail.

Minor Requirements

Six courses conducted in Spanish above Spanish 201 or 203. Two courses may be at the 200-level. At least four courses must be at the 300-level or above. Two of the four 300 level courses should be taken at Davidson. The department may also require Spanish 302–Advanced Grammar or Spanish 303 Advanced Grammar, Translation and Composition as one of the four upper-level courses, depending on the student’s language proficiency. Courses to be counted toward the minor may not be taken pass/fail.

Honors Requirements

Twelve courses are required for departmental honors. In addition to the major requirements, two other courses (Spanish 498, 499) are devoted to research and writing of the Honors Thesis. An oral examination is administered at the completion of the thesis and covers the Honor Thesis, its period, and/or the genre of its subject. See description of the courses, and consult departmental guidelines.

Service Learning

Several departmental courses offer the opportunity for service learning. Some may require this component.

Rationale for Course Numbering

Spanish 100-level courses and SPA 201 are language courses that satisfy the three semester foreign language requirement at Davidson College. SPA 260 and 270 are prerequisite courses focused in conversation, composition, grammar, and the introduction to Hispanic literatures and cultures. The 300-level courses are designed for majors and minors, as well as for juniors, and seniors with the desire to further their knowledge in the Hispanic language, literatures, or cultures. The 400-level courses are seminars which represent a capstone experience open only to Senior Spanish Majors concluding with the writing of a Senior Thesis (tesina), or an Honor Thesis.