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World Languages and Cultures
B.A. in Interdisciplinary Spanish
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A Bachelors of Arts in Interdisciplinary Spanish consists of:
15 credits of core foundational Spanish courses, including a capstone course, in addition to 24-25 credits from an interdisciplinary core of courses fitting one of several tracks.
Spanish with Communication and Media Track
For this track, the interdisciplinary core consists of 15 courses in the areas of Communication Studies, English, Art, and ASL. Additionally, there are 9-10 program elective credits to be chosen from a set of courses in WLC, Art, ASL, Communication Studies, and English.
Summary of Requirements
Required pre-major courses 8 credits
This is the first part of a two-semester course sequence. This course combines an intensive study of the principles of grammar and usage of the language with basic vocabulary building, reading, composition, and translation of elementary texts. A contrastive grammar approach will be incorporated, drawing upon elements of English and ASL. Students will also be exposed to aspects of the target culture(s), including information on Deaf communities abroad. When offered face to face, the course has four hours of classroom instruction plus an additional, required weekly hour in the department's Learning Laboratory. When offered on-line or as hybrid, the lab hour is part of the on-line component.
This is the second part of a two-semester course sequence. This course builds on the basic communicative skills developed in Spanish 111. It combines an intensive study of the principles of grammar and usage of the language, vocabulary building, reading, composition, and translation at the novice-mid/novice-high level. A contrastive grammar approach will be incorporated, drawing upon elements of English and ASL. Students will also be exposed to aspects of the target culture(s), including information on Deaf communities abroad. When offered face to face, the course has four hours of classroom instruction plus an additional, required weekly hour in the department's Learning Laboratory. When offered on-line or as hybrid, the lab hour is part of the online component.
SPA111 and permission of the department after passing the placement test for Spanish 111. Permission of the department is also needed if more than two semesters have elapsed since enrollment in SPA111.
Required Spanish courses 15 credits
SPA 499 will serve as the capstone course.
This is one of two courses in the second year Spanish sequence. The main focus of this course is reading. The students will build on their knowledge of Spanish grammar, vocabulary, and culture through the reading of Spanish literary and non-literary texts of graded difficulty. A contrastive grammar approach will be incorporated, drawing upon elements of English and ASL.
SPA 112
Students will apply the knowledge of vocabulary and syntax acquired in Basic Spanish to a variety of printed, Web-based texts, or captioned films. Readings and films will be chosen for their cultural value, interest, and accessibility. Grammar and composition will be practiced within the context of the selected reading and film materials.
Composition and readings.
SPA 211 and 212; or the equivalent
This is an advanced Spanish grammar and composition course. The students will acquire knowledge of advanced grammatical structures through the analysis of original contemporary Spanish and Latin American literary short fiction. A contrastive grammar approach will be incorporated, drawing upon elements of English and ASL.
SPA 311
Intensive supervised study and research on topics of the student's selection.
Permission of the department
Communications and Media Track Core courses: 15 credits
An examination of the role played by communication in the bridging and separating of cultures. How norms, values, and expectations concerning the communication act itself differ from culture to culture, and how these differences affect intercultural encounters.
COM 380 or permission of the instructor
Surveys genres and modalities of professional writing, including social media and writing for the web. Provides an overview of areas such as digital publishing, new media journalism, business and technical writing, and editing. Develops a rhetorical understanding of professional writing as the ability to write in response to elements including audience, purpose, medium, and design.
ENG 102 and permission of the instructor.
Study of media literacy, including techniques and strategies used to analyze the use of diverse media to inform, entertain, and sell. Examines diverse media messages in advertisements, television, film, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet.
An introduction to how we see and what we see including visual communication, perception, and literacy. While reviewing theories of visual communication, this course develops a first approach to the production of visual media. Examples will be drawn from graphics, photography, television, film, and multimedia.
Visual media has changed the way we work with American Sign Language. With the advent of new tools and platforms, possibilities of publishing have proliferated, allowing a wider discourse of ideas to be shared with a vast audience of people who work with ASL and ASL learners. This course explores these opportunities through a hands-on approach and introduces students to the tools and skills necessary to produce digital video, websites, interactive presentations and social media and integrate those with the field of ASL.
LIN 101 and ASL 125
WLC electives 3-4 credits
This junior-level course provides an effective way for students to integrate theory with practice. Students will apply knowledge, foreign language and cross-cultural skills gained in the classroom by interning at international organizations and agencies in the United States and/or abroad for at least 10 weeks. Students will be required to work for a minimum of 150 hours and will fulfill the duties outlined in a learning contract developed with their on-site supervisor, their sponsoring organization and their faculty sponsor. Placements will be made based on the concentration area and career objectives of each student. Student performance will be assessed via various products (e.g. weekly journals, reflective paper, learning agreements), which will include samples of products or reports completed during the internship in both English and in the foreign language used at the internship site.
Special topics in the discipline, designed primarily for sophomores. Students may enroll in 295 Special Topics multiple times, as long as the topics differ.
Special topics in the discipline, designed primarily for juniors. Students may enroll in 395 Special Topics multiple times, as long as the topics differ.
A survey of Spanish literature from the 12th century through the Golden Age.
SPA 312 or the equivalent
This course covers a survey of contemporary Spanish and Latin American Literature in the target language.
This advanced Spanish course provides a forum for Latinx heritage students to explore, analyze, and compare aspects of their own intersectionalities and experiences through the production of the students' own narratives and media and through the analysis of Spanish and bilingual Spanish-English literature and media by Latinx authors/film makers.
SPA 312 or permission of the instructor
A survey of important aspects of Latin American society today, dealing with the major political, economic, and social structures of the various countries and areas and their impact on the everyday life of the people.
An introduction to the history, geography, art, and literature of Spain.
This course offers an introduction to the general trends of Mexican civilization and culture. The course surveys historical, economic, political and artistic developments of Mexico from pre-Columbian times to the present.
Special topics in the discipline, designed primarily for seniors who are majors or minors. Students may enroll in 495 Special Topics multiple times, as long as the topics differ.
Study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. The study abroad component will focus on the study of the sign language of the host country through formal class instruction and immersion in the culture of its Deaf community. Classroom instruction will be complemented with guided visits to relevant museums, monuments, and other points of interest.
Special Topics in the discipline, designed primarily for sophomores. Students may enroll in 295 Special Topics multiple times, as long as the topics differ.
This course provides an introduction to the diversity of human language and the role of language in society. Students will apply basic lexicostatistic methodology to learn about the origins, the interrelationships, and the characteristics of some of the world's languages.
This junior-level course provides an effective way for students to integrate theory and practice. Students will apply knowledge, foreign language and cross-cultural skills gained in the classroom by interning at international organizations, agencies or schools in the U.S. or abroad for at least 10 weeks. Depending on the number of credit hours, students will be required to work a minimum total number of hours, and will fulfill the duties outlined in a learning contract developed with their on-site supervisor, their sponsoring organization and their faculty sponsor. Student performance will be assessed via various products (e.g. weekly journals, reflective paper, learning agreements), which will include samples of products or reports completed during the internship in both English and in the foreign language used at the internship site.
Comparative study of three of the largest Latino communities in the United States: Chicanos, Cuban-Americans, and Puerto Ricans. Topics will include an exploration of the cultural identities of each of these communities, focusing notions of ethnicity, race, religion, as well as economic and social class distinctions. Taught in English.
This course covers readings from the Medieval and Renaissance periods to Spain's Golden Age plays, Cervantes' Don Quixote, and exemplary novels of the 17th century. This course satisfies the humanities literature requirement.
ENG 204 or the equivalent, or permission of the department
This course covers readings from the 18th century to the modern works of the 20th century by Pardo Bazan, Perez Galdos, Blasco Ibanez, and Garcia Lorca. The course satisfies the humanities literature requirement.
This course is an introduction to the writings of U.S. Latino authors writing in English and/or in Spanglish. Through a close analysis of various genres (poetry, fiction, comic strips, interviews, art exhibits, and films), students will explore the contemporary experiences of U.S. Latinos of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban descent, and how they are represented in American literature. Topics to be discussed include the construction of identities in terms of race, gender, class and sexuality, bilingualism and code-switching, the experiences of migration and exile, and the longing for a place to call home. As part of their learning experience, students will work in teams to develop a lesson plan to educate the community about U.S. Latino author.
GSR 150 or permission of the department
Students will learn foreign language teaching and learning techniques and research methods for classroom application. In addition to acquiring knowledge of past language learning theories and principle methodologies, comparisons and discussions of those theories will be applied to current best practices in foreign language teaching and research as guided by the discipline's National Standards for Foreign Language. Learning developed by the national professional organization, the American Council on Foreign Languages. Learning outcomes include evaluation and assessment criteria, student review and the development of student-centered written class work through mentoring and collaboration with department faculty in the students' target language area.
Open to students majoring/minoring in Spanish; permission of the department
Independent Study
This section is designed for Undergraduate students.
Communications and Media electives 6 credits
Choose at least 6 credits
This course introduces the elements and principles of digital media in a variety of forms. Basic knowledge and skills using video camera equipment, digital editing applications such as Final Cut Pro and After Effects, script-writing and storyboarding are discussed within a framework of examples from the past and the present.
In this hands-on course, students will develop a range of advanced techniques in digital and electronic media art and film. Students will improve their editing skills obtained from introductory courses and focus on concept development and production techniques in the creation of digital video projects. This course also allows students to both develop and refine techniques they have used in earlier courses, while experimenting with new emergent technologies relevant to their interests and the field. Digital media and film theory and history are integral to course content.
ART 135, 140, 150, and 160
This course provides an overview of various genres in American Sign Language Narratives ranging from visual vernacular to fictional narratives. Students will analyze contents, themes and stylistic techniques of works done by various ASL literary artists. This course emphasizes practices in planning, developing, performing and critiquing various narrative genres.
ASL 270 and 290
This course provides an overview of various genres in American Sign Language Poetics ranging from ABC Stories to Poetry. Students will analyze contents, themes and stylistic techniques of works done by various ASL literary artists. This course emphasizes practices in planning, developing, performing and critiquing various works in the poetics genres.
This course prepares students to be effective communicators in the workplace and includes interviewing, professional presentations at staff meetings, business writing, and interaction with a variety of professionals.
COM 280 and 290; or permission of the instructor
This course involves a critical study of the development, scope, influence, and theories of mass communication in America.
COM 280 and COM 290; or permission of the instructor
Reviews a broad range of critical and theoretical approaches in contemporary visual practices. Students will learn how to find meaning and value in the images and texts that hold power in their world. Employs lectures, field trips and other experiential modes of learning.
COM 350 or permission of the instructor.
Study and intensive practice of writing in digital environments, with a focus on journalistic contexts. Examines technical and rhetorical features of online environments, including interactivity, hyperlinking, spatial orientation, and non-linear storytelling. Focuses on the writing conventions and standards of digital media, as well as editing techniques and competencies.
ENG 250 or permission of the instructor.
Study and intensive practice of composition in social media genres. Examines rhetorical conventions for digital communication and the dissemination of information through social media for professional purposes, including developing a social media content strategy and analytics. Integrates editing techniques and competencies. May also cover theoretical issues such as copyright and authorship, visual literacy, and moderation of collaborative online environments.
Elective related courses 6-8 credits
Two general elective courses must be satisfied in another foreign language of the student’s choice, written or signed.
This course is the first part of a two-semester course sequence. This course combines an intensive study of the principles of grammar and usage of the language with exposure to various aspects of Francophone [French-speaking] culture(s), including the cultures of Deaf communities abroad. The course focuses on basic vocabulary building, reading, translation, and composition. A contrastive grammar approach will be incorporated, drawing upon elements of English and ASL, and French signs (LSF), as appropriate. When offered face to face, the course has four hours of classroom instruction plus an additional, required weekly hour in the department's Learning Laboratory. When offered on-line or as hybrid, the lab hour is part of the on-line component.
This is the second part of a two-semester course sequence. This course builds on the basic communicative skills developed in French 111. It combines an intensive study of the principles of grammar and usage of the language, vocabulary building, reading, composition, and translation at the novice-mid/novice-high level. A contrastive grammar approach will be incorporated, drawing upon elements of English and ASL and LSF, as appropriate. Students will also be exposed to aspects of the target culture(s), including information on Deaf communities abroad. When offered face to face, the course has four hours of classroom instruction plus an additional, required weekly hour in the department's Learning Laboratory. When offered on-line or as hybrid, the lab hour is part of the on-line component.
FRE111 and permission of the department upon passing the placement test for French 111. Permission from the department is also needed if more than two semesters have elapsed since enrollment in FRE111.
This course is designed to build basic knowledge and skills of Lengua de Senas Mexicana (LSM) and Mexican Deaf culture. Students are expected to develop basic expressive and receptive skills, through signs and grammar lessons and interactive activities. The visual and spatial language, LSM will be taught with cultural context and brief Mexican Deaf history, as well. This course is designed to teach students the fundamentals needed to initiate and partake in, and understand basic LSM conversations with LSM users.
This course designs to continue the development of Lengua de Senas Mexicana (LSM) and emphasize development and refinement of comprehension, production, and interpersonal skills as well as deepening understanding of Mexican Deaf Culture. The visual and spatial language, LSM II will be taught with cultural context and brief Mexican Deaf history, as well. This course is designed to teach students the fundamentals needed to initiate and partake in, and understand intermediate LSM conversations with LSM users.
WLC 101 with a grade of B or better or equivalent, and permission of department chair.
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