Spanish

专业详情

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese provides instruction in the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian worlds. Courses in Portuguese and the requirements of the major are described under Portuguese; the names of faculty teaching Portuguese courses are included in the faculty roster.

The major in Spanish is a liberal arts major that offers a wide range of courses in the language, literatures, and cultures of the twenty Spanish-speaking countries in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Today, Spanish is the second language of the United States, one of the three most widely spoken languages in the world, and one of the five diplomatic languages of the United Nations. The program in Spanish offers students the opportunity to acquire thorough linguistic proficiency as well as in-depth knowledge of both cultural and literary topics. The major explores literature, history, philosophy, art, and cultural studies, and provides excellent preparation for careers in law, diplomacy, medicine, business, the arts, academics, journalism, and education.

Course Numbering

Courses numbered SPAN 110–199 include beginning and intermediate language courses designed to help students develop fluency in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish. Courses numbered SPAN 200–299 seek to provide students with a broad but solid introduction to the fields of Hispanic literatures and cultures while strengthening their linguistic competence. Courses numbered 300–499 allow students to perfect their linguistic and critical skills through study of a specific problem or issue, e.g., a literary genre, a type of literary or cultural representation, or a specific writer or text. Students desiring more information about either language or literature offerings should consult the director of undergraduate studies (DUS).

Prerequisite

Prerequisite to the major is SPAN 140, 142, or 145, or the equivalent through advanced placement or study abroad. Equivalent preparation to SPAN 140, 142, or 145 may be demonstrated by the test scores indicated below under “Language Courses and Placement Procedures.”

Language courses and Placement Procedures

Students with no previous formal or informal Spanish study ordinarily enroll in SPAN 110. Students who take SPAN 110 are strongly encouraged to continue with 120 in the following term. Students wishing to take intensive beginning Spanish may, with the instructor’s permission, enroll in SPAN 125, which covers the same material as SPAN 110 and 120, but in one term. SPAN 132 and 142 are designed for heritage speakers and are available only to them. Admission to SPAN 132 and 142 is based on results of the departmental placement examination; interested students should contact the instructor.

All students, including native speakers, who have previously studied Spanish formally or informally must take the departmental placement examination in order to enroll in a Spanish course. The only exception to this rule is made for students who have demonstrated advanced ability in the language by (1) receiving a score of 5 on either of the Spanish Advanced Placement tests; (2) receiving a score of 6 or 7 on the Advanced-Level International Baccalaureate examination; or (3) attaining a proficiency level of C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. These students may enroll directly in any L5 course.

Information about the departmental placement examination and about preregistration procedures for Spanish L1–L4 language courses is available on the department website.

Requirements of the Major

Beyond the prerequisite, ten term courses numbered SPAN 200 or higher are required, five of which must be numbered SPAN 300 or higher. SPAN 491, The Senior Essay, counts as one of the ten required courses. A maximum of one course may be numbered SPAN 200–230. First-year seminars taught in Spanish count toward the major in the SPAN 231–299 range. A maximum of one course taught in English may be counted toward the major requirements. 

Intensive major Students in the intensive major fulfill the requirements for the standard major, and take an additional two courses numbered SPAN 300 or higher. 

Roadmap See visual roadmap of the requirements.

Senior Requirement

Seniors write the senior essay in SPAN 491 in the spring of their senior year under the individual direction of a faculty adviser. Students expecting to complete their degree requirements in December write the senior essay in SPAN 491 in the fall of their senior year. Seniors in SPAN 491 are expected to submit their completed essay to the DUS by 4 p.m. on December 9 in the fall term, or by 4 p.m. on April 18 in the spring term. If the essay is submitted late without an excuse from the student’s residential college dean, the penalty is one letter grade, though no essay that would otherwise pass will be failed because it is late.

Advising

Two majors Students electing Spanish as one of two majors should consult the DUS about a specialized course of study.

Courses in the Graduate School Juniors and seniors majoring in Spanish may, with permission of the instructor and the director of graduate studies, enroll in graduate literature courses in Spanish. A list of pertinent graduate courses is available at the office of the DUS.

Study Abroad

Students at the intermediate level of language study are encouraged to apply to the eight-week summer language courses offered by Yale Summer Session in New Haven and Bilbao, Spain, or in Quito, Ecuador. Advanced students may apply for the five-week Yale Summer Session courses offered in Valencia, Spain, and in Quito, Ecuador. More information about these programs is available on the Yale Summer Session website. For information about the Year or Term Abroad program, see Academic Regulations, section K, Special Academic Programs. Students who wish to count courses taken abroad toward the major should consult with the DUS before going abroad.