The Spanish department provides a solid foundation in verbal, writing, and reading skills and life-long learning experiences in Spanish. We emphasize the development of a cultural understanding of the Hispanic people through study of culture, literature, foreign travel, and/or a semester abroad. Mastery in Spanish and understanding of the Hispanic culture are our goals. Students majoring in Spanish are required to have an international immersion experience. This can be accomplished through a semester abroad to a Spanish-speaking country. An international experience is also strongly recommended for students minoring in Spanish. Arrangements for academic credit and Spanish faculty approval must be made prior to the international experience.
Students are placed in the appropriate class according to their prior experience with Spanish; when there are questions on unusual circumstances, a meeting with a faculty member or a placement exam may help the placement process.
Upon recommendation of the department, advanced students who successfully complete an upper-level course with a grade of “B-” or higher may receive up to 4 credit hours free of charge for the lower-level classes for which competencies have been demonstrated. For example, a student starting at SPAN 210 typically would receive credit for SPAN 110 . In specific cases, if a student begins in SPAN 302 , then he or she would receive credit for SPAN 301 . In this case, the student will take another higher level Spanish class that will then substitute for SPAN 210 unless the instructor otherwise advises the student.