The Required Sequence: Spanish 110-140

Spanish 110

Course Description: Spanish 110 is a comprehensive first semester beginning Spanish course which includes instruction and practice in all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. While one of the goals of Spanish 110 is to learn the basic grammatical structures of the Spanish language, the emphasis will not be on isolated structures alone but rather on integrating grammar into proficiency oriented activities. The course is designed for students who have never studied Spanish before or who have taken the placement test and earned a score below 285. If you have studied Spanish in the past, you must take the placement test in order to earn credit for Spanish 110. Course credit will not be granted to students who do not comply with these regulations.

Spanish 120

Spanish 120 is a comprehensive second semester Spanish course for students who have taken Spanish 110 at Penn. The goal of this course is the acquisition of a foreign language with the emphasis on communicative skills.

Therefore, in this course you will be focusing on conversing or communicating in a meaningful context, and studying grammar not as an isolated structure, but rather integrating it into proficiency oriented activities.

Spanish 121

Course Description: Spanish 121 is an intensive course that reviews first semester material and continues through the second semester work. This course is for students that are new to Spanish courses at Penn and have had a small amount of previous study of Spanish (with a departmental placement score of 285-383). The goal of this course is the acquisition of a foreign language with the emphasis on communicative skills. Therefore, in this course you will be focusing on conversing or communicating a meaningful context, and studying grammar not as an isolated structure, but rather integrating it into proficiency oriented activities.

Spanish 130

Course Description: Spanish 130 is a third semester content-based language course designed to help students achieve intermediate-mid proficiency. It emphasizes the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in an academic context. Throughout the semester, students will explore the history and literature of Spanish-speakers in the U.S., Spain, Central America, and the Caribbean. This course emphasizes the linguistic skills necessary to investigate, understand, and express cultural themes in Spanish.

Pre-requisite: Completion of Spanish 120/121 or a placement score between 450-540 on the SAT II or between 384-453 on the department online placement exam.

Spanish 140

Course Description: Spanish 140 is a fourth semester content-based language course designed to help students achieve intermediate-mid proficiency. It emphasizes the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in an academic context. Throughout the semester, students will explore the history and literature of Spanish-speakers in Central and South America. This course emphasizes the linguistic skills necessary to investigate, understand, and express cultural themes in Spanish.

Proficiency: The language requirement in Spanish is satisfied by the completion of all the course requirements in Spanish 140, with a passing grade for the course. The grade for the final four-skills exam in Spanish 140 is calculated into the student’s final course grade as outlined under "Grading", p. 2. This is a change from previous years. Students must take all exams as scheduled on the syllabus, including all parts of the final exam. Absence from an exam or portion thereof will result in a zero and that zero will be computed into the student’s course grade. A student who fails Spanish 140 must repeat the entire course.

Pre-requisite: Completion of Spanish 130 or a placement score between 550 and 640 on the SAT II or between 454-546 on the department online placement exam.