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The Major in Spanish

 

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers a wide range of courses in the language, culture, and literature of Spain and Spanish America and is well known for its program in Portuguese and Brazilian studies. Two courses in Catalan are also offered. The department offers programs of concentration in both Spanish and Spanish and Portuguese. Spanish majors specialize either in language, literature and culture or in language, linguistics and culture; the latter specialty includes theoretical courses in Spanish phonology, morphology and syntax, dialectology, and history of the Spanish language. Interdisciplinary majors are available in Spanish and European Studies or in Spanish, Portuguese, and European Studies. Qualified Spanish majors may elect to take graduate courses or participate in honors work. Minors in Spanish and in Portuguese are also offered.

 

The department serves majors from the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies and the Center for European Studies. On the graduate level, the department offers both Spanish and Portuguese, a doctoral program in Spanish, and a combination doctoral degree in Spanish/Portuguese. 

 

Many students participate in the Vanderbilt in Spain program (Madrid or Palma de Mallorca) or in Vanderbilt programs in Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Brazil. Activities organized by the department include lectures, films, and symposia. The department has a chapter of the national honor society Sigma Delta Pi for students of Spanish. Students are encouraged to apply for living space in the Spanish Hall of McTyeire International House.

 

Program of Concentration in Spanish

Spanish majors choose between two programs of concentration: Program I and Program II. The basic requirement for both programs is a minimum of 30 credit hours in Spanish courses above 200. The distribution requirements are as follows:

 

Program I. Concentration in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture.

  1. Core requirements: 201, 202, and 203.
  2. Literature: Nine hours from courses numbered 230–281 or 294.
  3. Culture: Three hours from courses numbered 204, 221–226, or 296. Students may substitute a literature course numbered 230–281 or 294.
  4. Language: Three hours from courses numbered 206–213. Students may substitute another literature course numbered 230–281 or 294, or another culture course numbered 221–226 or 296.
  5. Linguistics: Three hours from courses numbered 214–220, 291, or 295.
  6. Elective: Three hours from courses numbered above 200 (except 293). Students may substitute a course in either Portuguese (102 or higher) or Catalan (102 or higher).

Program II. Concentration in Spanish Language, Linguistics, and Culture.

  1. Core requirements: 201, 202, and 203.
  2. Linguistics: Six hours from courses numbered 214–220, 291, or 295.
  3. Language: Three hours from courses numbered 206–213. Students may substitute a linguistics course numbered 214–220, 291, or 295.
  4. Culture: Three hours from courses numbered 204, 221–226, or 296. Students may substitute another linguistics course numbered 214–220, 291, or 295, or another language course numbered 206–213.
  5. Literature: Six hours from courses numbered 230–281 or 294.
  6. Elective: Three hours from courses numbered above 200 (except 293). Students may substitute a course in either Portuguese (102 or higher) or Catalan (102 or 200).
  7. A more advanced composition course may be substituted for 201. A more advanced conversation course may be substituted for 202. Spanish 203 is prerequisite for all literature courses offered by the department. Students must take Spanish 201, 202, and 203 in order to participate in Vanderbilt in Spain. Seniors are eligible to take one or two graduate-level courses (300 and above) with the approval of the instructor and the chair of the department.
Honors Program in Spanish

Candidates for honors in Spanish who meet college and departmental requirements must complete 36 hours in Spanish courses numbered above 200. Students satisfy the requirements of the 30-hour major in Spanish language, literature, and culture (Program I) or Spanish language, linguistics, and culture (Program II), in which one of the required literature courses is either the undergraduate seminar, Spanish 280, which may be taken during either the junior or senior year, or a graduate seminar (300-level course) approved by the adviser to the Honors Program, which may only be taken during the senior year. (If Spanish 280 has not been available, it may, with permission of the adviser to the Honors Program, be substituted by an “enriched” undergraduate literature course in which the instructor assigns outside research and a second or longer term paper to an honors candidate.) The remaining 6 hours of the honors major consist of a senior honors thesis, which is completed during the senior year as independent study (Spanish 299a–299b) under the direction of a faculty adviser. Candidates must submit a proposal for the thesis to their prospective faculty adviser no later than the second semester of their junior year. The completed thesis must be submitted within the second semester of the senior year (deadlines are available from the department). An oral examination on the thesis and the general area of research, administered by a committee of the department, will follow.

 

Announcement 2007

Minor in Spanish
The minor in Spanish consists of a minimum of 18 credit hours. The specific requirements are as follows:
  1. Spanish 201 (A more advanced composition course may be substituted)
  2. Spanish 202 (A more advanced conversation course may be substituted)
  3. Spanish 203
  4. One advanced Spanish literature course numbered between 230 and 281, or 294
  5. One advanced course in Spanish language or linguistics numbered between 206 and 220, or 291 or 295
  6. One additional course in civilization, literature, or language/linguistics, chosen from courses numbered between 204 and 281, or 291, 294, 295, or 296
Minor in Portuguese

The minor in Portuguese consists of a minimum of 15 credit hours. The specific requirements are as follows:

  1. Portuguese 200 (Intermediate Portuguese; a more advanced language course may, subject to approval by the department, be substituted) and Portuguese 205 (Introduction to Luso-Brazilian Literature) 6 hours
  2. One of the following two courses: Portuguese 201 (Composition) or Portuguese 203 (Portuguese through Pop Culture) 3 hours
  3. At least one of the following two courses: Portuguese 232 (Brazilian Literature through the Nineteenth Century) or Portuguese 233 (Modern Brazilian Literature)3 hours
  4. At least 3 additional hours selected from among the 200-level courses listed below; one 300-level graduate course or seminar may, with the permission of the minor adviser, be included:
  • Portuguese 225 (Brazilian Culture), 232 (Brazilian Literature through the Nineteenth Century), 233 (Modern Brazilian Literature), 294 (Special Topics), 341 (Latin American Literature in a Comparative Perspective I), 342 (Latin American Literature in a Comparative Perspective II), 351 (Comparative Methodology), 385 (Seminar) 3 hours
Program of Concentration in Spanish and Portuguese

This major focuses on the two dominant languages (Spanish and Portuguese) of Latin America and their literatures and cultures (those of Spanish America and Brazil). The basic requirement for this major is a minimum of 33 credits in Spanish and Portuguese numbered 200 or above. The distribution is as follows:

  1. Core requirements of Spanish 201, 202, and 203; Portuguese 200 and 205.
  2. At least two of the following Spanish courses: 223, 235, 236, 244, 272 and 276.
  3. At least two of the following Portuguese courses: 225, 232, 285, and 385.
  4. Two electives to be chosen from Spanish 223, 235, 236, 244, 272, 276, Spanish/Portuguese 293 and from Portuguese 225, 232, 285, 297, 298, 385. A student may also choose a Spanish or Portuguese 294, if the topic relates to Latin American literature and/or culture.
  5. Under exceptional circumstances, a student may request permission from both the director of undergraduate studies and from the chair to replace a requirement in area 2 or 4 with another advanced-level Spanish course or to replace a requirement in area 3 or 4 with another advanced level Portuguese course.
Program of Concentration in Spanish and European Studies

Students in Spanish may elect this interdisciplinary major, which requires a minimum of 42 hours of course work. A semester of study abroad in Vanderbilt in Spain is recommended. Course work for the major is distributed as follows:

Spanish

Spanish language and literature core courses (9 hours): Spanish 201, 202, and 203 (212 may be substituted for 201; 207 or 208 may be substituted for 202)

Spanish culture and civilization (6 hours): Two of the following: Spanish 204, 221, 226, 296; Art and Art History 237*, 238* (*offered in Vanderbilt in Spain)

Spanish literature (6 hours): Two Spanish courses numbered from 230–281 or 294

Elective (6 hours): Two additional Spanish courses that count towards the Spanish major. Students may substitute one course in either Portuguese (102 or higher) or Catalan (102 or higher).

Total in Spanish: 27 hours

 

European Studies

European Studies core courses (6 hours): EUS 201 and 250

Social Science (3 hours): One course in economics, political science, or sociology selected from the list of social science courses approved for European Studies

History (3 hours): One of the following: History 213, 216, 218, 220, 225, 226, 228, 230, 258, 259

Elective (3 hours): One additional course in European Studies from those listed above under Social Science and History

Total in European Studies: 15 hours

 

Program of Concentration in Spanish, Portuguese, and European Studies

Students in Spanish and Portuguese may elect this interdisciplinary major, which requires a minimum of 42 hours of course work. A semester of study abroad in Vanderbilt in Spain or in Brazil is recommended. Course work for the major is distributed as follows:

Spanish

Spanish language and literature core courses (9 hours): Spanish 201, 202, and 203 (212 may be substituted for 201; 207 or 208 may be substituted for 202)

Spanish culture and civilization (3 hours): One of the following: Spanish 204, 221, 226, 296; Art and Art History 237*, 238* (*offered in Vanderbilt in Spain)

Spanish literature (3 hours): Any Spanish course numbered from 230–281 or 294

Elective (3 hours): Any additional Spanish course that counts toward the Spanish major

Total in Spanish: 18 hours

 

Portuguese

Portuguese language and literature courses (6 hours): Portuguese 200 and 205

Brazilian culture and civilization (3 hours): Portuguese 225

Total in Portuguese: 9 hours

 

European Studies

European Studies core courses (6 hours): EUS 201 and 250

Social Science (3 hours): One course in economics, political science, or sociology selected from the list of social science courses approved for European Studies

History (3 hours): History 213, 216, 218, 220, 225, 226, 228, 230, 258, 259

Elective (3 hours): One additional course in European Studies from those listed above under Social Science and History

Total in European Studies: 15 hours

Teacher Licensure

Candidates for teacher licensure in Spanish at the secondary level should refer to the chapter on Licensure for Teaching in the Peabody College section of the Undergraduate Catalog. Arts and Science students who wish to receive licensure need to meet with Dean Fräncille Bergquist.

 

About Placement

Entering students should consult their academic advisers or the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for advice on placement. Students who have not studied Spanish in high school should begin their studies at Vanderbilt in Spanish 100 (Spanish for True Beginners), while those with some previous exposure who need to start anew should take Spanish 101 (Elementary Spanish I). Students with high school Spanish on their records who wish to go on must present a College Board Subject test score in Spanish or take the departmental placement test (Microcomputer Lab, 119 Garland Hall). Students who have received a 4 or 5 on the AP test should take Spanish 201 (Intermediate Spanish Writing).

 

 

No Spanish

 

100

 

0-400

0-317

101

 

410-510

318-364

102

Proficiency 520  365

520-620

365-410

104

 

630+(&3+yrsHS)

411-510

201W

 

 

511

See DUS

(Director Undergraduate Studies)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 


Courses in Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan

For more information, please contact Erika Alvarado.