Spanish

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers an A.B. Degree in Spanish and a minor in Spanish. To declare a major in Spanish, please fill out majors declaration form and contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies. There is no form to fill out for students who wish to declare a minor.

Major in Spanish

Requirements for the A.B. in Spanish

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

  1. One course to demonstrate mastery of Advanced Spanish:
    – SPAN 104 (Advanced Spanish II)
    – SPAN 110 (Intensive Advanced Spanish)
    – SPAN 199 (Advanced Spanish for Heritage Speakers)
    – SPAN 204 (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. Any two literature and culture survey courses selected from (in any order):
    – SPAN 241 (Spain: Literature and Culture I)
    – SPAN 242 (Spain: Literature and Culture II)
    – SPAN 261 (Latin America: Literature and Culture I)
    – SPAN 262 (Latin America: Literature and Culture II)
  3. Two Spanish linguistics courses:
    – SPAN 210 (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.

    Any of the following courses: This second course satisfies the second Social Science requirement.
    – SPAN 313 (Bilingualism: The Mind and its Context)
    – SPAN 330 (Spanish Phonetics)
    – SPAN 380 (Spanish in the Community)
    – SPAN 392 (Teaching Spanish)
    – SPAN 396 (Spanish Sociolinguistics)
    – SPAN 412 (Structure of the Spanish Language)
    – SPAN 427 (History of the Spanish Language)
    – SPAN 207/407 Spanish in the US
    – SPAN 499 (World Spanishes)
  4. Senior capstone course SPAN 494 in the fall of the student’s senior year.
  5. Four electives at the level of 200 or above. Students who start past the advanced level will take five elective courses. At least one elective should be above SPAN 400. Note: SPAN 200 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 (Majors)

Study abroad offers a highly valuable opportunity for cultural and linguistic immersion. Spanish majors are required to study in Spain or Spanish America for a summer, a semester, or an entire academic year. Although Advanced Spanish II is the minimum required course, 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 as 200-level electives, provided they are taught in Spanish and deal with Spain or Spanish America. They can be from a variety of disciplines, including art history, economics, anthropology, political science, literature, etc. No credit is given for Spanish language courses or oral reviews taken abroad. Students must obtain the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies for their courses before going overseas. Upon returning, students may be required to show the syllabi and coursework of courses taken abroad to the Director of Undergraduate Studies 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.

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, including courses regularly offered in the Department and courses particular to the locale. All courses are offered in Spanish, and students sign a language pledge. All the 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 courses listed in (1)), study abroad courses (which can count as 200+ 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 will be invited to write a Senior Honor’s Thesis, for which they take SPAN 400 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. A brief description of the topic is to be submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies by December 1 of the fall of 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.

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.)

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 course (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

The minor in Spanish requires 18 credits:

Six credits of Advanced Spanish, either from option (1) or (2)

  1. Advanced Spanish sequence
    SPAN 101 and SPAN 102 (for SFS students), or
    SPAN 103 and SPAN 104 (for COL, MSB, and NHS students), or
    SPAN 199 and SPAN 204 (Advanced Spanish for Heritage Speakers I or II)
  2. SPAN 110 (Intensive Advanced Spanish; 6 credits)

Four courses (12 credits) at the 200-level or above in literature, culture, linguistics, or Spanish for the professions, at least one of which must be numbered 300 or above. Courses taken abroad can be used to fulfill 200-level elective Spanish requirements, provided they follow the guidelines below, are taught in Spanish, and are content courses that deal directly with Spain or Spanish America. Students who start past the advanced level take five elective courses. Note: SPAN 200 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 200-level elective, provided it is taught in Spanish and deals with Spain or Spanish America. It can be from a variety of disciplines, including art history, economics, anthropology, political science, literature, etc. No credit is given for Spanish language courses or oral reviews taken abroad. Students must obtain the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies for their courses before going overseas. Upon returning, students may be required to show the syllabi and coursework of courses taken abroad to the Director of Undergraduate Studies 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.

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, including courses regularly offered in the Department and courses particular to the locale. All courses are offered in Spanish, and students sign a language pledge. These courses taken in these two programs count as regular Georgetown courses. 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 200+ level electives), or transfer courses. The latter require approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Declaring a Minor in Spanish

There is no need to fill out a form.

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)