Students majoring in Spanish for the BA degree must complete a minimum of 36 (Track A), or 30(Track B), or 33(Teaching Licensure Track- Track C) semester hours of upper division courses (courses numbered 3000 or higher) in Spanish. For detailed explanation of these requirements please visit the page for each of the different Major Tracks available in the Department.
Student Learning Outcomes and Goals for the Bachelors in Spanish:
During their final semester, graduating seniors must participate in an Oral Proficiency Interview and a Written Outcomes Assessment with their major advisor. The written assessment may be fulfilled by submitting a previously written paper in Spanish to your advisor. Students must contact a departmental advisor to schedule their language proficiency test.
- Students should gain the linguistic proficiency to speak and understand Spanish, including the ability to engage in intellectual discussion in academic settings using correct pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
- Students should master the ability to write modern Spanish with sufficient fluency and accuracy to produce a coherent analytical essay.
Depending on the major track the following will apply to the goals and outcomes:
- Students should master the basic terms and skills needed to analyze both the themes and forms of literary works.
- Students should master at least one genre or period of Spanish Literature and of Spanish-American Literature.
- Students should gain an understanding of Spanish phonetics, including the classification of sounds and how they are affected and change according to their phonetic environment and region.
Certification to teach at the secondary level:
Students planning to seek certification for teaching Spanish at the secondary level must take SPAN 4690, Methods of Teaching Modern Languages. This course does not apply to the 30 hours required for the major. Also, before enrolling in student teaching in the School of Education, students must demonstrate oral and written proficiency as indicated above in "Outcomes Assessment."
Coursework in related fields may come from the following:
- Latin American Studies (from fields such as History, Geography, Political Science and Art History)
- Hispanic American Studies
- Linguistics (in the fields of Anthropology or English)
- Comparative Literature
- Upper division courses in another foreign language
The minimum grade that can be credited toward the major requirement in related fields is C (2.0)
Residency Requirement:
A minimum of 18 semester hours of coursework leading to a UC Denver major in Spanish must be taken from UC Denver Spanish faculty located at the Downtown Campus. Courses taken at other institutions while a student is enrolled at UC Denver may be applied to the major only with departmental approval before enrollment in those courses.
