Major and Minor

Requirements for the Major

Students must earn a minimum of 36 credits, including the following courses:

• 212, Preparation for Advanced Studies
• Two of the following introductory literature courses taken in any order:
• 235, Introduction to Latin American Literature I
• 237, Introduction to Latin American Literature II
• 244, Foundations of Spanish Literature
• 246 , Modern Spanish Studies
• A minimum of four 300-level courses are required for the major (390 may not be counted as one of these four courses). At least two of them must be taken within the department. At least one of the 300-level Spanish courses must be taken in the senior year at Mount Holyoke.
• One 4-credit elective course at a level above 212.

Other considerations

• Courses lower than 209, Composition and Culture, cannot be counted toward the major.
• Independent Study (Spanish 395) may not be used as part of the minimum major requirements.
• Only one course taught in English can be counted toward the major.
• A student spending a semester or a year in a Spanish-speaking place with a program approved by the department and the college will normally meet some of the requirements of her major off campus. Spanish majors should take all their courses abroad in Spanish.
The Department of Spanish will give a maximum of 8 credits total at the 200 or 300 levels towards its major for students who spend one semester abroad and up to 20 credits will be given towards their major or minor for students who spend two semesters abroad.
The Department of Spanish will accept no more than 8 credits taken abroad at the 300 level.
Decisions will be based on academic criteria. It is required for the student to present the department with syllabi and all relevant materials. Courses on a variety of subjects (literature, history, art, film, but also political science, economics, sociology…) may count towards the major, but only after the study abroad advisor should approve of the course contents and objectives.

Requirements for the Minor

Minors must earn a minimum of 20 credits, including the following courses:

• 212, Preparation for Advanced Studies
• Two 200-level survey courses
• At least one 300-level course

Other

• Courses lower than 209, Composition and Culture, cannot be counted toward the minor.
• Independent Study (Spanish 395) may not be used as part of the minor.
• No course in English can be counted toward the minor.
• No more than 8 credits toward the minor can be completed abroad. Spanish minors should take all their courses abroad in Spanish.

Teacher Licensure
Students interested in pursuing licensure in the field of Spanish can combine their course work in Spanish with a minor in education. In some instances course work in the major coincides with course work required for licensure. In other cases, it does not. For specific course requirements for licensure within the major of Spanish, please consult your adviser or the chair of the Department of Spanish. For information about the requirements for the minor in education, please consult “Teacher Licensure” in the Other Degree and Certificate Programs chapter and contact Professor Sandra Lawrence in the Department of Psychology and Education. Licensure also requires a formal application as well as passing scores on the Massachusetts Test of Educator Licensure (MTEL) in both the literacy component and the subject matter component. Copies of the test objectives for the MTEL are available in the Department of Spansih and in the Department of Psychology and Education. Licensure application information and materials are available in the Department of Psychology and Education.

Notes

Students are strongly encouraged to take their language courses in close succession, without lapses between one level and the next.
Students who have previously taken Spanish courses at Mount Holyoke and who wish to continue their study of Spanish must have the prerequisites stipulated for specific courses.
All courses satisfy distribution requirements unless otherwise indicated.
All courses are conducted in Spanish unless indicated otherwise.
Students contemplating study abroad in Spain or Latin America are encouraged to elect a Spanish course in the first semester of their first year.