Spanish Major

Major Requirements

The major in Spanish requires 9 courses beyond SPAN 033 CM , distributed as follows:

1. Spanish Literature (2 courses)

One of the following pairs of courses:

2. Literature and Culture Concentration (2 courses)

Two courses in Peninsular Literature and Culture or Latin American Literature and Culture.

3. Electives (5 courses)

Five elective courses in Spanish.

Senior Thesis in Spanish

The senior thesis is a general education requirement and the capstone experience to a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception.

Students interested in doing a 2-semester thesis project complete a one-half (0.5) credit or full (1.0) credit thesis research course in the first semester and the senior thesis in the second semester. The senior thesis and the thesis research course may not be counted as courses in the major.

Special Options for Majors

Dual Major

The dual major in Spanish requires a minimum of 7 courses above SPAN 033 CM , distributed as follows:

1. Spanish Literature (2 courses)

One of the following pairs of courses:

3. Electives (5 courses)

Spanish courses, including courses taken abroad for major credit, should be selected in consultation with the CMC Spanish faculty member in charge of advising students.

Note:

Students with a dual major including Spanish are encouraged to write their senior thesis on a topic in Spanish. For further information, see Senior Thesis in Spanish above.
Note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in Spanish below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Honors in Spanish

To be eligible for departmental honors in Spanish, a student must:

Submit a petition for honors candidacy to the chair of the Modern Languages and Literatures department at the beginning of the senior year,
Achieve an A- (11.00) average in the major, and
Achieve at least an A- (11.00) for an honors thesis in Spanish.

Study Abroad

A semester or year of study abroad in either Spain or Latin America is highly recommended. Two of the 9 required courses may be completed abroad for each semester spent studying in a Spanish speaking country. For details, see Foreign Language Study Abroad .

Sigma Delta Pi

Claremont McKenna College is a member of The Claremont Colleges chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national Spanish honor society. Juniors and seniors are elected to membership on the basis of academic standing and regulations for eligibility established by the chapter and the national society. Information may be obtained from Professor Velazco.

General Education Requirements for Humanities Majors

For the general education requirement in the social sciences and the humanities, CMC students majoring in a field of the humanities must take designated courses in 3 of the 4 fields of the social sciences (economics, government, history, and psychology), and in 3 of the 4 fields of the humanities (literature, philosophy, religious studies, and literature in a foreign language). Majors with a dual or double major in either the humanities or the social sciences will be required to take an additional course in those categories.

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes of the Modern Languages and Literatures Program

Learning Goals

The learning goals of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures encompass the mission of the College and promote respect and appreciation of different languages, cultures, and societies.

To enable students to communicate effectively in one (or more) language(s);
To enable students to acquire a deep knowledge of literatures and cultures represented by the language(s) chosen;
To foster appreciation of the richness and complexities of other societies and cultures;
To enable students to do research in the target language with a sophistication commensurate with their level of language study.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students completing the major in French or Spanish should be able:

To speak and understand the target language(s) at the Advanced level, as detailed in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines;
To read and write the target language at the Advanced level (ACTFL);
To demonstrate an understanding of the important issues in one or more national traditions represented by the target language(s);
To use the target language(s) to discuss, orally and in writing, literary and visual texts of the target culture(s) critically and analytically, with appropriate vocabulary;
To identify and incorporate appropriate sources in the target language in their research papers and presentations;
To write an advanced research paper/senior thesis that articulates a sophisticated argument about a text or series of texts from the target culture(s).