Spanish (SPAN)

The Department of Spanish offers a variety of courses intended not only to facilitate proficiency in the language but also to contextualize and analyze issues relevant to Spanish-speakers abroad and in the U.S., such as terrorism, migration, and imperialism, among others. To that end, intermediate and advanced-level courses adopt a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, including literary studies, film and media studies, social history, and politics. The Department of Spanish also collaborates closely with a number of other departments and programs on campus, frequently cross-listing courses with Latin American Studies, Film Studies, Gender Studies, and Romance Languages and Literatures. Regular extracurricular activities organized by the department (film series, lectures, the mesa de español, etc.) also engage the larger college community in the interests of our students and faculty. In addition to providing opportunities for learning on campus, the department also strongly recommends that students study off campus in a Spanish-speaking context in order to enhance their language skills and to forge their own connections to place through language.

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States today and one of the three most spoken languages in the world. It is therefore not a “foreign” language but rather an integral part of civic engagement and global citizenship both abroad and in the U.S. The Spanish language has also been an important part of graduating students’ careers in government, law, business, international affairs, education, journalism, medicine, and the performing arts, among others.

• Fill out the language questionnaire.
• Take a placement test.

Please read the Spanish department course information careully.  You may contact Esther Castro Cuenca (ecuenca@mtholyoke.edu) if you have any questions.

The results of your test will be sent automatically to the Spanish department and be made available to you immediately if you provide your personal email. Your score will guide you in preselecting the appropriate course in which to enroll. The Spanish department, upon reviewing both placement test results and the language questionnaire, may require a level change.

The placement test must be taken within two months of registration.

Students are strongly encouraged to take their language courses in close succession, without lapses between one level and the next.

First-year students may consider enrolling in:

SPAN-219f	U.S. Latino/a Literature
SPAN-221f	Intro Spanish & Latin American Literature
SPAN-235f	Intro Latin American Lit I
SPAN-237s	Introduction to Latin American Literature II
SPAN-244f	Foundations of Spanish Lit
SPAN-246s	Modern Spanish Literature