Spanish Language and Culture / Bachelor of Arts
Total Credit Hours: 128
Major Credit Hours: 36
Objectives:
The Foreign Language Program at Lewis University is unique in the area and across the nation because it is founded on intense training in speaking and listening skills in beginners’ courses, only later supplemented by the study of grammar and more traditional reading and writing and speaking courses. Lewis University also offers many opportunities to study abroad at colleges and universities, including other Lasallian institutions, frequently at the same costs as students pay in Romeoville or sometimes even lower.
Demonstrated foreign language proficiency today is a desirable skill in government, corporations, community groups, schools and school districts, food service and restaurants, churches, and neighborhood businesses. Fluency in Spanish is a particularly valuable ability. The Spanish Language and Culture major provides students with reading, writing, and oral skills; knowledge of Spanish culture in three major parts of the world: Spain, Latin America, and the U.S. Latino Community; and the opportunity to join organizations on campus which share interest in Spanish-speaking cultures. This program encourages the student to take advantage of study abroad opportunities, internship possibilities, research, and service learning opportunities.
Opportunities for those fluent in Spanish abound in every marketplace from Wall Street to Main Street, in business, education, graduate study, social work, music, ministry, international relations, health care, hospitality, culinary arts, and tourism. This major coupled with any other will give the student more choices among jobs and the promise of better salaries than another major alone.
This program is open to all students regardless of prior language experience. Students with no prior experience will need to complete 21-103 First-Year Spanish 1 and 21-104 First-Year Spanish 2 prior to beginning the major. Students who have completed 2 to 4 years of Spanish in high school should take the CLEP or AP or IB test to earn college credit. Credit will be given to students who earn a C or better in Spanish language courses at community colleges. Only students enrolled as majors (or minors) in Spanish Language and Culture may, for a modest fee, request to sit for the program’s Challenge Examination in Spanish (for initial placement and credit), which is offered through the School for Professional and Continuing Education. Credit is posted on the transcript, for which there is a small processing fee.
The Community Internship, one Capstone option among five, is meant to provide direct service to local Latino populations as well as provide the student with practical experience in the field. All students, regardless of proficiency at entry, must complete 36 hours in the major.
Spanish majors are encouraged to pursue a second major in an area pertinent to their career goals or to personal interests. Students are also encouraged to take some advanced courses in Spanish at a university abroad. A number of opportunities are available through the Lewis University Study Abroad program and the Lasallian Consortium of Colleges and Universities. See Study Aboard in this catalog.
Degree Requirements
I. Core Courses (21)
Students with no prior experience will need to complete
21-103 First Year Spanish 1 and
21-104 First Year Spanish 2 before beginning the major. Students must earn a “C” in all prerequisite courses in order to advance to the next course. All upper-division language courses require proficiency in Spanish appropriate to the course. All majors must successfully complete at Lewis University a minimum of 4 upper-division courses (12 hours) taught in Spanish.
| 21-105 | Spanish Grammar 1 | 3 |
| 21-206 | Spanish Grammar 2 | 3 |
| 21-203 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers 1 | 3 |
| - | OR | |
| 21-282 | Second-Year Spanish 1 | 3 |
| 21-204 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers 2 | 3 |
| - | OR | |
| 21-283 | Second-Year Spanish 2 | 3 |
| 21-301 | Spanish Conversation and Composition 1 | 3 |
| - | OR | |
| 21-391 | Third-Year Language in Location 1 | 3 |
| 21-303 | Spanish Conversation and Composition 2 | 3 |
| - | OR | |
| 21-392 | Third-Year Language in Location 2 | 3 |
| 21-363 | Spanish Linguistics | 3 |
| 21-380 | ePortfolio | 0 |
II. Electives In Spanish Culture (12)
Choose 4 electives in Spanish Culture, one of which must be upper-division. With consent of the advisor, up to 3 appropriate Spanish culture or Spanish language-based workshops may be substituted for 1 three-credit course.
| 06-309 | Topics in Writing | 3 |
| 06-335 | U.S.-Latino Literature | 3 |
| 06-336 | Latin American Literature | 3 |
| 06-376 | World/Ethnic Film | 3 |
| 09-211 | Latin American and Caribbean History: Ancient Times to the Present | 3 |
| 09-384 | France and Spain | 3 |
| 09-390 | Topics in History | 3 |
| 15-366 | Latin American Philosophy | 3 |
| 18-335 | Latin American Politics | 3 |
| 19-281 | Christianity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America | 3 |
| 20-315 | Sociology of Latinas/os in the United States | 3 |
| 21-299 | Intermediate Practice Language in Location | 1-4 |
| 21-361 | U.S.-Latino Literature | 3 |
| 21-362 | Latin American Literature | 3 |
| 21-372 | Spain and Its Literature | 3 |
| 26-285 | Cross-Cultural Psychology | 3 |
(Topics courses and seminars must be related to Spanish culture. For example,
06-309 Topics in Writing: Literary Translation;
06-376 World/Ethnic Film: Spanish Cinema offerings include Latin America Cinema, Spanish-Language Filmmakers, and The National Cinema of Spain;
09-390 Topics in History: Introduction to Latina/o Studies.)
III. Capstone (3)
Choose one of these courses to fulfill the Capstone requirement:
| 21-399 | Advanced Practice Language in Location | 1-4 |
| 21-405 | Community Internship for Spanish Majors | 3 |
| 21-450 | Advanced Spanish | 3 |
| 21-476 | Spanish Seminar | 3 |
| 21-498 | Independent Study in a Foreign Language | 3 |
IV. Advanced Writing Requirement
The advanced writing requirement of the General Education curriculum is fulfilled through the satisfactory completion of one of the Capstone courses, all of which require a sustained writing assignment in Spanish.
| 21-399 | Advanced Practice Language in Location | 1-4 |
| 21-405 | Community Internship for Spanish Majors | 3 |
| 21-450 | Advanced Spanish | 3 |
| 21-476 | Spanish Seminar | 3 |
| 21-498 | Independent Study in a Foreign Language | 3 |
V. The ePortfolio (0)
In consultation with their advisors in the Foreign Language Studies, majors must submit an ePortfolio of writing for review. This requirement,
21-380 ePortfolio, is a collection of representative assignments and projects completed in courses related to the major. The ePortfolio is useful for inclusion in the student’s résumé. Students should submit the ePortfolio during the semester
before the semester in which they plan to graduate. Further information can be obtained from the student’s advisor and the Director of the Foreign Language Program.