Spanish

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers an A.B. degree and a minor in Spanish.

Major in Spanish

Requirements for the A.B. in Spanish

To major in Spanish a student needs to complete ten Spanish courses (30 credits) consisting of the following:

  1. One course to demonstrate mastery of Advanced Spanish, choosing from the following:
    SPAN 2004 Advanced Spanish II
    SPAN 2002 Advanced Spanish Transatlantic II
    SPAN 2011 Intensive Advanced Spanish Transatlantic
    SPAN 2105 Advanced Spanish for Heritage Speakers
    SPAN 4522 Advanced Spanish for Heritage Speakers II

    Note: Students who start their studies past the advanced level take five instead of four electives (see below). Students who are not yet at the advanced level, need to take additional language courses to reach that level. These do not count toward the major.
  2. Two literature and culture courses selected from the following (in any order):
    SPAN 3241 Spain: Literature and Culture I
    SPAN 3242 Spain: Literature and Culture II
    SPAN 3261 Latin America: Literature and Culture I
    SPAN 3262 Latin America: Literature and Culture II
  3. SPAN 3210 Introduction to Spanish Linguistics This course satisfies one semester of the College core requirement in Social Science. This course should be taken as the first Spanish linguistics course.
  4. Four electives at the level of 2200 or above. At least one elective must be above SPAN 4500. Students who start past the advanced level will take five elective courses. SPAN 3000 Gateway may be taken more than once, if alternating among the linguistics, culture, and literature sections, but only one can count toward the major or minor.
  5. One additional Spanish Linguistics course, choosing from the following:

    SPAN 3314 Bilingualism: The Mind and its Context
    SPAN 3319 Spanish Phonetics
    SPAN 4180 CBL: Spanish in the Community
    SPAN 4192 Teaching Spanish
    SPAN 4522 Structure of the Spanish Language
    SPAN 4526 History of the Spanish Language
    SPAN 2205/4930 Topics: Spanish in the US
    SPAN 4965 World Spanishes

    The second Spanish linguistics course satisfies the second Social Science requirement.
  6. SPAN 4969 Senior capstone course This course is taken in the fall of the student’s senior year.

Study Abroad (Majors)

Study abroad offers an invaluable opportunity for cultural and linguistic immersion. Spanish majors are generally required to study in Spain or Spanish America for a summer, a semester, or an entire academic year. Completion of the second level of the advanced language course is required but it is highly recommended that students complete a more advanced course before enrolling in a study abroad program. A maximum of two courses taken abroad can be counted for the major (as 3000-level electives). These courses can be from a variety of disciplines, including art history, economics, anthropology, political science and literature, but must be taught in Spanish and deal with the Spanish speaking world. No credit is given for Spanish language courses or oral reviews taken abroad. Students must obtain the approval of the Study Abroad Advisor Dr. Monica Simorangkir for their courses before going overseas. Upon returning, students should be prepared to show her the syllabi and coursework of the courses they took in order to receive credit.

Note: Students unable to fulfill this requirement (e.g., health reasons, visa status, etc.) should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Alejandro Yarza.

Spanish Programs in Quito and Barcelona:

The department hosts two summer programs, one in Barcelona, Spain, and one in Quito, Ecuador. Participants take two or three 3-credit courses. These include courses regularly offered in the Department but also courses particular to the locale. All courses are offered in Spanish, and students sign a language pledge. Courses taken in these two programs count as regular Georgetown courses and at the same time count as satisfying the study abroad requirement.  The two programs satisfy the study abroad requirement.

Transfer Credit (including AP and Study Abroad)

A maximum of four courses taken at other institutions may be transferred toward the major; this can be any combination of AP courses (which can count as replacing the Advanced Spanish courses), study abroad courses (which can count as 3000 electives), and up to two transfer courses. Transfer students must have the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies in order to receive credit for courses taken at another institution.

Honors Program

Outstanding majors and minors will be invited to write a Senior Honor’s Thesis, for which they take SPAN 4500 in the spring of their senior year. Participating students work together with a faculty mentor of their choosing in developing a topic in the fall of their senior year. The Honors Program offers students the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor, to pursue original scholarly research, and to produce a thesis. Students who complete the program will receive “Honors” on their official transcripts. Students who write truly exceptional theses will be awarded “Distinction” in addition to “Honors.” The Department of Spanish and Portuguese also awards a prize annually for the best thesis.

Minor in Spanish

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese welcomes students from other majors who wish to complete a Spanish minor. The minor consists of a minimum of six courses (or 18 credits).  At least four courses must be taken on the Georgetown campus or in the Georgetown University programs in Quito, Ecuador, or Barcelona, Spain.

Requirements for the Minor

  1. The minor in Spanish requires six credits of Advanced Spanish, choosing from: SPAN 2001 Advanced Transatlantic I and SPAN 2002 Advanced Transatlantic or SPAN 2003 Advanced Spanish I and SPAN 2004 Advanced Spanish II or SPAN 2011 Intensive Advanced Spanish: Transatlantic or SPAN 2105 Advanced Spanish for Heritage Speakers I and SPAN 2204 Advanced Spanish for Heritage speakers II
  2. Four elective courses (12 credits) at the 2200-level or above. At least one elective must be at the level of 3000 or above. Students who place past the Advanced I level take five elective courses. Students who place past the Advanced II level take six elective courses. Note: SPAN 3000 may be taken more than once, if alternating among the linguistics, culture, and literature sections, but only one will be counted toward the major or minor.

Study Abroad (Minors)

Spanish minors are encouraged but not required to study in Spain or Spanish America for a summer or a semester. Although Advanced Spanish II is the minimum required course, it is recommended that students complete a more advanced course before enrolling in a study-abroad program. One course taken abroad can be counted as a 3000-level elective. This course can be from a variety of disciplines, including art history, economics, anthropology, political science, and literature, but must be taught in Spanish and deal with the Spanish speaking world. No credit is given for Spanish language courses or oral reviews taken abroad. Students must obtain the approval of the Study Abroad Advisor Dr. Monica Simorangkir for their course before going overseas. Upon returning, students should be prepared to show her the syllabi and coursework of the course they took in order to receive credit.

Summer Programs in Quito and Barcelona:

The department hosts two summer programs, one in Barcelona, Spain, and one in Quito, Ecuador. Participants take two or three 3-credit courses. These include courses regularly offered in the Department but also courses particular to the locale. All courses are offered in Spanish, and students sign a language pledge. Courses taken in these two programs count as regular Georgetown courses and at the same time count as satisfying the study abroad requirement.  The two programs satisfy the study abroad requirement.

Transfer Credit (including AP and Study Abroad)

A maximum of three courses taken outside of Georgetown can be counted toward the minor. These may consist of AP courses (which can count for Advanced Spanish), qualifying study abroad courses (which can count as 3000 level electives), or transfer courses. The latter require approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Alejandro Yarza.

Accelerated Bachelor/Master Degree Program

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers qualified undergraduate students the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree at an accelerated pace by counting up to four graduate-level courses taken in the undergraduate program toward the Master’s degree. Students with a minimum of a 3.5 in the major are eligible to apply for the program at the end of their junior year. Interested applicants should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies. Applications are available in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. (See the section on this topic in the Bulletin.)

Latin American Studies and European Studies Certificates

See the Latin American Studies Certificate and European Studies Certificate sections in the Bulletin.

(For course listings for Spanish see Schedule of Classes)