Hispanic Studies

Professors: Kietrys, Maiz-Peña, Peña, Sánchez-Sánchez, Willis (Chair)
Associate Professors: Boyer, González
Visiting Assistant Professor: Tahmassian
Visiting Instructor: Santamaría
Language Coordinator and Visiting Lecturer: Esparragoza-Scott

Foreign Language Requirement

Completion of Spanish 201 meets the foreign language requirement for graduation.

Cultural Diversity Requirement

SPA 241, 244, 270, 340, 341, 344, 346, 352, 374, 375, and 402 fulfill 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 the new student registration material sent by the Registrar, or contact the Language Coordinator, Professor Rosalba Esparragoza.

No student who has studied Spanish in junior or senior year of high school should expect to take SPA 101 for credit without the express permission of the department. Placement will be based on online exam score and high school experience.

Major Requirements (A.B. Degree)

Ten courses above SPA 201 or 203 including: at least one SPA 401-411 Seminar on Special Topics; SPA 490; 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 (342, 344, 352, 353, 360, 361, 369, 374, 394, 395, 396);
Area IV: Literature and Culture of Latin America Prior to 1900 (340, 347, 348, 349, 358 (Spring 2016);
Area V: Literature and Culture of Latin America Since 1900 (341, 343, 346, 359 (2015-16), 375).

At least five of the courses toward the major should be taken in residence; courses taken on Davidson’s Cadiz program count as courses in residence. The course sequences in Cadiz, depending on each student’s language level, are: 203-272, 260-394, 393-394.

With specific approval of the department chair, a maximum of three transferred courses for one semester or five transferred courses for the academic year may be applied to the Hispanic Studies major or minor.

Students electing to write a senior thesis may do so as a SPA 429 independent study with a faculty member of the department. The independent study will be counted as an elective. SPA 429 does not take the place of the SPA 401-411 Seminar on Special Topics or SPA 490.

Study in a Spanish-speaking country is strongly recommended. Students are strongly encouraged to take SPA 270 before studying abroad during the academic year. The department may also recommend Advanced Spanish Grammar 302 or 303, depending on the student’s language proficiency. Also recommended is at least a minimum knowledge of a second foreign language.

Courses to be counted toward the major or minor may not be taken Pass/Fail.

Minor Requirements

Six courses conducted in Spanish above SPA 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 or above courses should be taken in residence at Davidson. The department may also require Advanced Spanish Grammar 302 or 303 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 needed for departmental honors. In addition to the major requirements, a two-semester senior honors thesis (SPA 498 and 499) is required. An oral defense of the thesis proposal is required at the end of SPA 498 and an oral defense of the thesis project is required at the end of SPA 499. See description of the courses and consult guidelines available on the department webpage. In the case of an exceptional academic record, together with a thesis of the highest quality, the department may confer high honors.

Service Learning

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

Rationale for Course Numbering

SPA 100-level courses and SPA 201 are language courses that satisfy the three-semester foreign language requirement at Davidson College. SPA 260 and SPA 270 are prerequisite courses focused on conversation, composition, grammar, introduction to Hispanic literatures and cultures, and textual analysis. 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 Hispanic language, literatures, or cultures. The 400-level seminars on special topics are open to junior and senior majors and minors, or with permission of the instructor; SPA 490 is a capstone experience open only to senior majors; SPA 429 is an elective independent thesis; SPA 498 and 499 are independent research and tutorial for the honors thesis, under the direction of a faculty member.