Spanish (SPAN)

Bricault, Ahlman

The objectives of the department of Spanish are incrementally increased as students’ progress in the program. Students fulfilling the General Education requirements should demonstrate a communicative proficiency in writing, reading, and speaking day- to-day Spanish. They should possess an understanding of basic grammatical structures and a general awareness of the various cultural and political identities of Spanish-speaking peoples.

Students who complete a minor in Spanish should demonstrate competence in managing the grammatical, lexical, and cultural elements of many life-based oral and written interactions with native speakers, comprehension of reading materials intended for the general Spanish speaking population, and specific knowledge of the concerns and cultural patterns of some Spanish-speaking cultures.

Students who complete a major in Spanish should demonstrate broad and accurate mastery of written and spoken Spanish as it relates to daily and academic, particularly literary topics. In addition to mastery of linguistic elements, they should demonstrate broad knowledge of the historical and intellectual heritage of the various Spanish-speaking cultures, and an in-depth analysis of issues relating to Spain Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, or South America.