Go to Wesleyan Homepage Go to Navigation Menu Go to Directories Go to Events Calendar Go to Search Wesleyan Go to Portfolio Sign-in
Home French Studies Italian Studies Spanish Studies Iberian Studies Romance Studies
 

Spanish

The Spanish section seeks to teach such essential skills as textual analysis, critical thinking, and writing. To illuminate our reading of the texts and our understanding of Spanish-language cultures, we often draw on other fields within the humanities such as the visual and performing arts as well as the social sciences. These skills and kinds of knowledge are the basis of a liberal arts education and keys to success in graduate study and the professions. A skill developed uniquely in these majors is fluency in Spanish, the first language of a linguistic community that is one of the largest, most diverse, and complex in the world, with more than 400 million Spanish speakers worldwide and 40 million in the United States. Students in the Spanish section have the option of majoring in either Spanish (SPAN) or Iberian studies (IBST). Both majors require nine courses, at least five of which must be taken in the Wesleyan Spanish section at the SPAN221 level or higher. 

The two Spanish-section majors are organized as follows:

1.  Spanish (SPAN)

The Spanish major is designed to provide students with a broad knowledge of the Spanish-language literatures (and related arts, such as film) of Spain and Latin America. It also enables them to develop a command of Spanish sufficient to pursue further study or work in a Spanish-speaking country. All course work in the major is taken in Spanish. The major recognizes some related course work that contributes substantially to the students' interest in mastering the language and in exploring the inherently interdisciplinary range of reference that characterizes literary (and other artistic) works. Students qualify for the major with a grade of B- or better in SPAN221 or the equivalent. SPAN221 is not required but may be counted toward the major. Students will be expected to maintain at least a B- average in the major program. The major consists of a minimum of nine courses distributed as follows:

  1. At least four courses primarily on Latin American literature.

  2. At least three courses primarily on "peninsular" Spanish literature.

  3. At least one course on early modern literature (to 1700, normally SPAN230-249 or the equivalent), one on modern Spanish literature (from 1700, normally SPAN250-269 or the equivalent), and one on modern Latin American literature (from 1800, normally SPAN270-299 or the equivalent).  Students are also strongly encouraged to take a course on Cervantes (e.g., SPAN236 or the equivalent).

  4. At least five credits must be SPAN courses numbered 221 or above taken with the Wesleyan Spanish faculty, one during the senior year.

  5. Students are highly encouraged to study abroad and may receive up to four credits toward the major for literature courses taken in Spanish on approved programs in Spain, Latin America, and other Spanish-speaking countries.

  6. Although language courses taken on study abroad programs receive University credit, they do not count toward the major. However, a course taken in Spanish on the history of the Spanish language or Spanish linguistics can be counted toward the major.

  7. With their advisors' approval, students may apply literature courses taken in Spanish on Hispanophone writers from countries outside of Iberia or Latin America, such as Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, the Philippines, the United States, etc.

  8. To encourage students to explore the kinds of interdisciplinary connections to literary texts promoted in different ways within our courses, students may apply one course taken in Spanish in a field other than literature with their advisors' approval. 

  9. Students may―-with the major advisors' approval―-apply a second course taught in Spanish in a field other than literature as long as it bears primarily on Spain. This additional condition is meant to avoid overlap with the Latin American studies major. Students who declared the major in or before the spring of 2006 may count two courses on Latin America in a field other than literature.

  10. Tutorials (for theses, essays, and independent projects) do not count toward the major but may be taken in addition to the nine courses.

  11. All courses applied toward the Spanish major must be taken for a letter grade (i.e., not credit/unsatisfactory)

2.  Iberian Studies (IBST)

The Iberian Studies major offers Wesleyan students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the literature and culture of the Iberian peninsula through a flexible, interdisciplinary program of study. Students qualify for the major with a grade of B- or better in SPAN221 or the equivalent. SPAN221 is not required but may be counted toward the major. Students will be expected to maintain at least a B- average in the major program. The major consists of a minimum of nine courses distributed as follows:

  1. A minimum of five (and up to nine) SPAN courses primarily devoted to Spain must be taken from the Wesleyan Spanish faculty (normally, SPAN223 and 230-269), at least one of them in the senior year. These courses should include at least one course in early modern literature (to 1700, normally SPAN230-249 or the equivalent) and one in modern Spanish literature (from 1700, normally SPAN223 and 250-269 or the equivalent). Students are also strongly encouraged to take a course on Cervantes (e.g., SPAN236). SPAN221 may be counted toward this major.

  2. Up to four other courses whose content is devoted substantially to the study of Iberian literature, history, art history, culture, or society. Courses for the major may be taken here on campus (for instance, from the Spanish section's normal curricular offerings), on approved study-abroad programs in the Iberian peninsula (including programs in the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, and Portugal), on approved study-abroad programs in Latin America, or on approved study-abroad programs elsewhere if the courses bear substantially on Iberia. They may include FIST (French, Italian, Spanish in Translation) courses, courses cross-listed with IBST (Iberian studies), or other on-campus courses that are focused substantially on Iberian literature, history, art history, culture, or society.

    These courses may be taken in any of the languages of the Iberian peninsula or in English. We expect that students will mainly take their courses for the major in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, since they are languages of instruction at Wesleyan. In regularly offered Spanish-section courses, Basque, Catalan, and Galician authors and topics are addressed. We also encourage students with interests related specifically to the Basque Country, Catalonia, or Galicia to take courses on Basque, Catalan, and Galician language, literature, culture, and society here or on approved study-abroad programs. We recognize these languages and cultures not only owing to their intrinsic interest (and renewed political and cultural vitality), but also because of their fundamental contribution to the development of Spanish-language literatures and cultures on the peninsula and elsewhere. It should be remembered, however, that―as is true for Spanish (i.e.,Castillian) in the Spanish major―university credit will be granted for approved-program language work in any of the peninsular languages, but major credit will only be granted for courses pitched at the fifth-semester level or higher (the equivalent of SPAN221). Students interested in the co-official languages of Spain other than Spanish (i.e.,Castillian) will normally need to study them by direct enrollment in universities through approved Spanish-language programs in Spain.

  3. Students are highly encouraged to study abroad and may receive up to four credits toward the major for courses on Iberian literature, history, art history, culture, or society taken on approved programs.

  4. Although language courses taken on study-abroad programs receive University credit, they do not count toward the major. However, a history or linguistics course taken on any one (or more) of the Iberian languages can be counted toward the major.

  5. In recognition of Latin America's crucial (historical and on-going) role in the shaping of modern Spain and Portugal, one course on Latin America may be applied to the major, especially if it bears in some direct way on Iberia (e.g., courses on the colonial period, modern immigration in either direction, and other forms of social, economic, or cultural exchange between Latin America and Iberia): for example, courses from SPAN's Latin American offerings (normally, SPAN226 and 270-299) and the Latin American Studies Program's (LAST) regular curriculum.

  6. To encourage students to explore the deep historical and intense on-going relations among Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries and other former Iberian colonies in Europe, Africa, and Asia, majors may apply one course on Hispanophone Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, or the Western Sahara), Lusophone Africa (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, or Sao Tome e Principe), other former Spanish colonies (such as the Philippines), or other former Portuguese colonies (such as Goa, Macao, and Timor) if the course is approved by the students' major advisor.

  7. One course offered by other departments and programs on campus that does not bear primarily on Iberian culture, society, or history but that clearly pertains to the student's specific (disciplinary, period, or thematic) interests in Iberia may be applied if approved by the student's major advisor.

  8. Tutorials (for theses, essays, and independent projects) do not count toward the major but may be taken in addition to the nine courses.

  9. All courses applied toward the Iberian studies major must be taken for a letter grade (i.e., not credit/unsatisfactory).

Students in both Spanish-section majors are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester studying abroad. As a rule, study-abroad programs require students to take a language course selected according to the program's evaluation of the student's proficiency. Students receive University credit for such courses, but they do not count toward the Spanish or Iberian studies majors. Students studying abroad are also expected to take at least one course through direct enrollment. Majors should consult in advance with their Spanish-section advisors and advisors in other majors (if pertinent) about the courses they will take while studying abroad, especially if they have any doubts about which courses will count toward their major(s). For more information on study abroad and the Spanish-section majors, see the study abroad links for Spanish and Iberian Studies on the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures web site. Wesleyan runs programs in Madrid, Spain (the Vassar-Wesleyan Program). For more information on study-abroad programs run or approved by Wesleyan, consult the Office of International Studies (OIS) web site at www.wesleyan.edu/ois or visit the OIS at Fisk Hall 105. You may also call the OIS at 860-685-2550 or write gwinter@wesleyan.edu. A detailed web site on the Vassar-Wesleyan Madrid program can be found at www.wesleyan.edu/madrid.

Portuguese @ Wesleyan

 

Students who wish to enroll in Portuguese for Romance Language Speakers (Lang 155/6) must successfully complete the prerequisite of a minimum of Italian/French/Spanish 112 (or equivalent). Other Romance languages (Romanian, Galician, Catalan,  etc.) may fulfill the prerequisite with permission of the instructor, Elizabeth Jackson ejackson@wesleyan.edu.

 

Portuguese for Romance Language Speakers (Lang 155/156) is an ampersand course requiring completion of both semesters to receive credit. The course is taught entirely in Portuguese and will focus on Brazil with references to Portuguese language and culture in Asia, Africa, Europe and the US.

 

The course meets MWF plus an additional weekly session with the Course Assistant. Oral and written assignments are due daily.

 

Students will apply their knowledge of one (or more) Romance Languages in order to learn Portuguese in an intensive setting. Music, poetry, folklore, oral tradition, films and the internet will supplement the textbooks.

 

For a complete description of Portuguese for Romance Languages LANG 155/6 see:

http://www.wesleyan.edu/lctls/courses.html

 

A second year Portuguese course may be offered. Contact Elizabeth Jackson for further information.

_____________

 

Successful completion of Lang 155/6 is required for study abroad in Portugal or Brazil. For more information contact the Office of International Studies http://www.wesleyan.edu/ois/

 

The following departments and programs offer courses with a significant Luso-Brazilian component:

 

Theater / Latin American Studies / Music / History / Biology

Sociology / African American Studies / Dance / American Studies

 

 

Portuguese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and is the official language of nine countries on four continents. The Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) countries are: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor. In addition, Portuguese is also one of the languages of Macao, China and Goa, India. There are 230 million Portuguese speakers, the majority of them in Brazil (185 million) and Portugal (11 million). Portuguese is the majority language of South America and is also spoken in many areas of the United States—in Rhode Island and Massachusetts it is the second language after English. Portuguese is one of the official languages of the African Union, the European Union, the Organization of American States and Mercosul.