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ABOUT THE MAJOR

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Hispanic Literatures and Cultures

 

As of January 2012 the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is offering Wesleyan students the opportunity of majoring in Hispanic Literatures & Cultures.  This program combines features of the options –Spanish or Iberian Studies— previously available.  Students enrolled at Wesleyan in the fall of 2011 may choose to major in either Hispanic Literatures & Cultures, Spanish or Iberian Studies.  As of January 2012 newly matriculated Wesleyan students will choose Hispanic Literatures & Cultures.

The major is designed for students committed to achieving fluency in Spanish and a broad and deep knowledge of the literatures and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. The major emphasizes both the historical interest and cultural diversity of a world whose geographic reach is vast and whose heritage extends from the Middle Ages to the present. The major focuses primarily on literary and related modes of representation (performance and the visual media). It recognizes coursework outside the department insofar as such courses bear on the Spanish-speaking world and contribute to a fuller understanding of the themes writers and artists routinely address or the conditions for literary, theatrical, and media production. Students majoring in Hispanic Literatures and Cultures have the flexibility to tailor the major to their intellectual interests so long as they meet our expectations for coherence.

Requirements:  

• 9 courses numbered 221 and above.
• 5 courses in SPAN taken on Wesleyan’s Middletown campus.
• Breadth requirements: at least 1 course in Early Modern (Spanish Golden Age or Colonial Latin America), Modern Spain, and Modern Latin America. Breadth requirements may be fulfilled at Wesleyan or abroad.
• Students will take at least 1 course in SPAN at Wesleyan during their senior year. (Tutorials do not apply.)

 Options:

• Students may apply up to 4 units for courses taken in Spanish on appropriate topics on selected programs abroad. (See list below.)
• Of the 9 required courses, students may take 1 course on an appropriate topic through the medium of English.
• Students who do not study abroad may, with approval from the advisor, take up to 2 courses on appropriate topics through the medium of English.
• Capstone experience: students are encouraged to present a substantial piece of work during their senior year that is comparative and transnational in nature, either within the framework of a single course (a term paper, for instance) or as their Senior essay or thesis.
• Special provision for students interested in majoring in both HLCS and LAST: Students may count no more than 4 courses toward satisfying requirements of both majors concurrently.

Sample transcripts:

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT STUDY ABROAD
SPAN (Spanish Golden Age – Colonial Latin America)	SPAN (Spanish Golden Age – Colonial Latin America)	SPAN (Spanish Golden Age – Colonial Latin America)
SPAN (Mod Spain)	SPAN (Mod Spain)	SPAN (Mod Spain)
SPAN (Mod Latin Ame)	SPAN (Mod Latin Ame)	SPAN (Mod Latin Ame)
SPAN	SPAN	SPAN
SPAN	SPAN	SPAN
SPAN	SPAN	SPAN
SPAN	SPAN	SPAN
SPAN	SPAN	Related field
SPAN	Related field	Related field

STUDENTS WHO STUDY ABROAD
SPAN (breadth req or elective)	SPAN (breadth req or elective)
SPAN (breadth req or elective)	SPAN (breadth req or elective)
SPAN (breadth req or elective)	SPAN (breadth req or elective)
SPAN	SPAN
SPAN	SPAN
Span or Related field	Span or Related field
Span or Related field	Span or Related field
Span or Related field	Span or Related field
Span or Related field	Related field (Spain or Lat Am)

 

Notes:    
Breadth requirements may be satisfied at Wesleyan or abroad
Courses in English at Wesleyan
Course abroad through the medium of Spanish 

Study abroad :

The following programs abroad are recommended for majors in Hispanic Literatures and Cultures:

• Vassar-Wesleyan Program in Madrid (Spain)
• CIEE in Buenos Aires (Argentina)
• Middlebury in Chile (Various cities)
• CIEE in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
• Duke in the Andes (Quito, Ecuador)
• IFSA Butler at the Universidad Autónoma (Mérida, Mexico)

Students may petition for ad hoc approval of other programs abroad. For more information concerning study abroad opportunities, visit the Office of International Studies, 105 Fisk Hall.

 

THE SPANISH & IBERIAN STUDIES MAJORS

(The option of majoring in either Spanish or Iberian Studies remains available to students enrolled at Wesleyan as of September 2011.)

Parallels

The Spanish and Iberian Studies majors are equivalent concerning the following:

• 9 credits in courses numbered Spanish 221 or above are required.
• 5 SPAN credits must be taken at Wesleyan, at least 1 during the senior year.
• 4 credits from study abroad may apply.
• Senior theses/essays are encouraged but do not count toward the 9 credits.
• Students qualify for these majors with a grade of B- or better in SPAN221 or the equivalent. Spanish 221 is not required but may be counted toward the major.
• Students are expected to maintain at least a B- average in the major program.
• Courses must be taken for a letter grade, unless the student is also majoring in the COL.

Distinctions: The major in Spanish

The Spanish major is distinct from IBST in the following ways:

• This major integrates the study of Spain and Latin America.
• This major emphasizes language, literature, theater, and film.
• Two related field courses (see below) may apply, one dealing with Spain.
• All courses must be taken through the medium of Spanish.

Dinstinctions: The major in Iberian Studies

The Iberian Studies major is distinct from SPAN in the following ways:

• This major emphasizes the study of Iberian cultures (Spanish, Portuguese) in Europe and overseas.
• This major emphasizes language, literature, theater, and film in conjunction with courses taken in other departments.
• Four related field courses (see below) dealing with Iberian cultures apply.
• Related field courses may be taken in either Spanish or English.

Breadth requirements for each major

In order to ensure that our students achieve historical and cultural breadth in their knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world, the department has established the following distributional requirements.  Note that these requirements pertain to literature, theater, or film courses, taken either at Wesleyan or abroad.

For SPAN

• 3 courses concerning Spain
  • At least 1 in the early modern era (prior to 1700),
  • At least 1 in the modern era (1700 – present).
  4 courses concerning Latin America

For IBST

• At least 1 course in the early modern era (prior to 1700),
• At least 1 course in the modern era (1700 – present)

As a point of reference, courses in Spanish at Wesleyan are numbered as follows:

SPAN 230 – 249: Spain / Early Modern
SPAN 223, 250 – 269: Spain / Modern
SPAN 226, 270 – 289: Latin America

Related field courses  

• Most often courses in the Humanities (Art History, Theater, Music, Literature) or Social Sciences (History, Government, Sociology, Anthropology, Economics)
• May be taken at Wesleyan or abroad
• Related field courses for SPAN
  • One must deal with Spain
  • Both must be taught in Spanish
• Related field courses for the IBST
  • They must deal with Iberian cultures in Europe (Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Basque, or Galician) or overseas
  • They may be taught in either Spanish or English, abroad or at Wesleyan (e.g., History or College of Letters)
  • One may deal with Latin America if focused on exchanges with Spain

Double Major

Students commonly major in Spanish or Iberian Studies in conjunction with majors in any of the three divisions, including the COL, the CSS, English, History, Government, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Latin American Studies, Neurosciences, Psychology, Math.

Study abroad

Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad, for either a semester or the entire academic year.  As indicated, students may count up to 4 credits toward the major for courses taken abroad, on either Wesleyan’s program in Madrid or any of the pre-approved programs in Latin America. At least 1 credit should be earned through direct enrollment in the Spanish or Latin American university’s regular curriculum. 

Students may petition Wesleyan’s Committee on International Studies to participate on other programs in Spain or Latin America.  In such cases, they must petition the department as well for credit toward the major for courses taken on these programs.

Students with advanced proficiency in Spanish may apply to study in Cataluña, the País Vasco or Galicia.  In their curriculum abroad these students are expected to concentrate on the language, literature, and culture of the region (i.e., Catalan, Basque, Galician).

As a rule, programs in Spanish-speaking countries require students to take a language course. Wesleyan students receive university credit for such courses, but they may not count them toward the Spanish or Iberian studies majors.

For more information concerning study abroad opportunities, visit the Office of International Studies, 105 Fisk Hall.

Sample course studies 

The following table provides a comparative analysis of the requirements for the Spanish and Iberian Studies majors.  Wesleyan’s numbering system is used to demonstrate how the distributional requirements apply to each of these majors.  Note, however, that students are required to complete only five (5) courses through Wesleyan’s Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.  Some distributional requirements may therefore be satisfied by equivalent courses taken abroad.