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Requirements for Majors and Minors
The Undergraduate Program in Hispanic Studies
The Major in Hispanic Studies
The Dual Major in Romance Languages
Honors in Hispanic Studies
Submatriculation
The Minor in Hispanic Studies
The Certificate in Spanish Language
Transfer of Credit
Belmont Charter School Service Fellowship
Advising
The demographic, economic and political realities of the United States,
the articulation of a mainstream English culture with an always increasing
diversity of Hispanic and Latino cultures, and the ongoing forging of
strong cultural and economic ties throughout the Americas, have moved
Spanish out of the bounds of the category of "foreign" language
and culture in this country. There are many instances that point to
the fact that Spanish will become--de facto if not officially--a second
national language and culture of the United States. Furthermore, in
Europe, Spain is assuming an ever-more significant role in the affairs
of the European Union. The process of post-Franco democratization in
that country has fostered an environment of cultural, linguistic and
political diversity that serves as a fascinating model for the rest
of Europe, both east and west.
Hence, the knowledge of Spanish culture gives students much more than
the ability to communicate in the third-most-spoken language of the
world. It prepares them to account for an entirely different national,
continental and global reality in all its complexity. Since culture
is the controlling category in this field of studies, the major in Hispanic
Studies orients itself to the types of knowledge generated by new disciplines
such as cultural studies, new historicism, ethics, and postcolonial
studies.
Majors in Hispanic Studies are overwhelmingly double majors. This
means that they bring to their classes a dialogic perspective that engages
in the study of Hispanic cultures informed by interest in other fields
such as history, government, sociology, economics, medicine, and law.
The richness and depth of these interests make for lively and intellectually
rewarding classroom discussions.
The major consists of 12 courses above Spanish 200. To
declare a major students should meet with the Undergraduate Chair, who
will approve a course of studies.
Required Courses (must be taken in the department at Penn)
Spanish 212: “Advanced Spanish Syntax”
Spanish 219: “The Contexts of Hispanic Civilization”
Spanish 400: “Conference Course for Majors”
Elective Courses
Nine (9) additional courses are required for the completion of the major;
seven (7) must be taken at the 300-level. Of the seven 300-level courses,
three (3) must be completed in the department at Penn. The remaining
two (2) credits may be taken either at the 200- or 300-level. All programs
of study must be approved by the Undergraduate Chair.
Research Requirement
All Hispanic Studies majors will be required to complete a research paper of 15 pages in Spanish with bibliography and notes in Spanish 400 during the fall semester of their senior year. One copy of the paper must be submitted to the Undergraduate Chair before the major certification is approved for graduation.
Credit Abroad for the Major
Students may receive credit for up to six (6) Spanish courses taken
in a study abroad program approved by the Undergraduate Chair. Majors
are expected to complete Spanish 212 and Spanish 219 in the department
at Penn before beginning their program abroad. At least three (3) of
the Spanish 300-level courses and Spanish 400 must be taken in the department
at Penn.
The Dual Major in Romance Languages
The major consists of 18 courses above the 200 level, nine (9) courses
in Hispanic Studies and nine (9) courses in French or Italian Studies.
To declare a major, students should meet with the Undergraduate Chairs
in each of the languages elected, who will approve a course of studies.
Application to a major must be made by the second semester of the sophomore
year prior to advance registration for the first semester of the junior
year.
Required Courses in Hispanic Studies:
Spanish 212 and 219
Six (6) courses at the 300-level
Spanish 400 (see Hispanic Studies major for details)
Other Romance Language: students should consult the appropriate Undergraduate
Chair for the other nine (9) courses.
Credit Abroad for the Major in Romance Languages
Students may receive credit for up to four (4) Spanish courses taken
in a study abroad program approved by the Undergraduate Chair. Majors
are expected to complete Spanish 212 and Spanish 219 in the department
at Penn before beginning their program abroad. At least two (2) of the
Spanish 300-level courses and Spanish 400 must be taken in the department
at Penn.
Honors in Hispanic Studies
Applicants for honors majors should have during the fall term of their senior year an average of at least 3.5 in the major and at least a 3.3 overall GPA. They register for Spanish 398 (1 course) in the spring semester of their senior year and write a senior thesis in Spanish of approximately 35-40 pages in length under the supervision of a Hispanic Studies faculty member whose area of expertise coincides with the subject of the thesis. In order to qualify for honors in Hispanic Studies, students must receive at least an A- in Spanish 398. Otherwise they simply receive one course unit for their thesis, but do not graduate with honors in their major. Interested majors should confer with the Undergraduate Chair early in the fall semester of their senior year to select a thesis advisor and to discuss the requirements of the Honors Program.
Under College regulations, the department allows exceptional students
whose work is of high quality and who complete most of the major requirements
by the end of the junior year to submatriculate and begin to take courses
at the graduate level in Spanish before completing the B.A. This option
is above all for those considering pursuing a Ph.D. in Spanish subsequently.
Submatriculants must take eight (8) Spanish graduate courses, four (4)
of which may double-count towards the B.A. and the M.A. See the College
Handbook for details and consult with both the Undergraduate and Graduate
Chairs in Spanish.
The minor consists of 6 courses above Spanish 200.
Required courses (must be taken in the department at Penn)
Spanish 212: “Advanced Spanish Syntax”
Spanish 219: “The Contexts of Hispanic Civilization”
Elective courses
Three (3) courses must be taken at the 300-level; of these, two (2)
must be taken in the department at Penn. The remaining course may be
taken at the 200- or 300-level. All courses must be taught in Spanish.
Credit Abroad for the Minor
Students may receive credit for up to two (2) courses taken in a study
abroad program approved by the Undergraduate Chair. Minors are expected
to complete Spanish 212 and Spanish 219 in the department at Penn before
beginning their program abroad. At least two (2) of the Spanish 300-level
courses must be taken in the department at Penn.
The Certificate in Spanish Language
Students who have completed any three courses in the 200-300 level sequence are eligible for the Language Certificate in Spanish. At least two (2) of these courses must be taken in the department at Penn. Only courses taught in Spanish count towards the Certificate. A "B+" average is required across the three courses.To apply for the certificate, please e-mail the Undergraduate Coordinator with a list of the relevant courses.
Transfer of Credit
In order to evaluate requests for transfer credit, the following material
should be provided with a Transfer Credit Application: a catalogue course
description, an actual course syllabus, list of assigned readings and
texts used, corrected and graded tests, examinations, and/or papers
used for evaluating student's work. Credit will be awarded only for
courses taken in time frames equivalent to SAS schedules (semester and
summer sessions).
Belmont Charter School Service Fellowship
The Department of Romance Languages is pleased to offer its Hispanic Studies students an opportunity to share their love of Spanish with local elementary students through the Belmont Charter School Service Fellowship.
The Belmont Charter Elementary School is located in West Philadelphia, a short five-minute trolley ride from Penn’s campus. Because the school currently offers no language enrichment opportunities, we select four Belmont Fellows each semester to teach Spanish through Belmont’s after-school program. Belmont Fellows work in teams to instruct classes of first through third and fourth through sixth grades, twice a week. The department provides a small grant to cover transportation costs.
All applicants for the Belmont Charter School Service Fellowship must have completed Spanish 219 and an interest in teaching in an urban elementary school. Although prior teaching experience is helpful, all Belmont Fellows participate in a teacher training session at the beginning of the semester with the Director of the Spanish Language Program, Belmont staff members, past Belmont Fellows and the Undergraduate Coordinator. They also attend monthly meetings to discuss curriculum, teaching methods, and other issues as needed.
We invite you to consider this rewarding opportunity to introduce the Spanish language and Hispanic culture to West Philadelphia students as well as to learn more about public urban education and our local community!
Advising
The Department of Romance Languages maintains a web site at http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/roml.
It is a repository for all information about the Department, including
course descriptions, profiles of the faculty, requirements for major
and minor programs, etc. For advising on Spanish language courses, contact
the Language Program Director; for advising on major and minor programs,
transfer credit, and general advising on Spanish courses and programs
abroad, contact the Undergraduate Chair.
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