Spanish Program

Professors: Jason Bartles, Maria José Cabrera, Marcos Campillo-Fenoll, Cristóbal Cardemil-Krause, Megan Corbin, Gloria Hernández, Daniela Johannes, Meg Niiler, Iliana Pagán-Teitelbaum, Ana Sánchez, Israel Sanz-Sánchez, Maria Van Liew.

The Spanish Undergraduate Program

We offer a major and minor option in our Spanish program:

  • The Spanish language concentration in the Bachelor of Arts in Languages and Cultures major consists of 10 courses in Spanish, a second language requirement of 4 courses (through the 202 level), a course in linguistics, and another course in a content area related to Spanish. The Spanish concentration starts with SPA 202. You can consult the advising sheet for Spanish here.
  • The Spanish language minor consists of 18 credits in the language (any six 3-credit courses). You can start your minor in SPA 101. Courses must taken in consultation with the Spanish minor program advisor (See minor advisors).

You can also complete the language requirement for other departmental majors with our Spanish courses. Additionally, you can transfer in up to 50% of the courses for the Spanish major and minor.

Course Offerings

In general, for Spanish majors and minors, we offer courses in Grammar and Conversation, Spanish and Latin American Cultures and Civilization, Peninsular and Latin American Literatures, Linguistics and Phonetics, and Film, among other advanced courses.

At the basic Spanish level we offer SPA 101 and SPA 102.

At the intermediate level, we offer SPA 201 and SPA 202.

Advanced courses that may be used for the major (BALC, Spanish track) and minor include:

  • SPA 301 Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition
  • SPA 302 Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition
  • SPA 303 Spanish for Heritage Speakers
  • SPA 313 Latin America on Film
  • SPA 315 Advanced Readings in Spanish
  • SPA 320 Cultures of Spain
  • SPA 321 Cultures of Spanish America
  • SPA 322 Latin America on Film (in Spanish)
  • SPA 330 Spanish Narrative
  • SPA 331 Latin American Narrative
  • SPA 332 Exile, Land, Language, and Love in Medieval and Early Modern Spain
  • SPA 340 Study of Bilingualism: An Introduction
  • SPA 353 Introduction to the Study of Language: Spanish
  • SPA 365 Spanish Phonetics
  • SPA 370 History of the Spanish Language
  • SPA 375 Spanish for Heritage Speakers

Some advanced courses do not count toward the major concentration, but they count toward the minor in Spanish, and can also be taken as electives:

  • SPA 304 Spanish Language Topics in the Community
  • SPA 310 Business Topics in Spanish

Students with a concentration in Spanish need to take advanced courses at the 400 level (seminars). You can consult the complete course catalog for descriptions. Spanish majors must take SPA 444 (Advanced Spanish Proficiency Development) and one seminar course at the 400 level, to choose from:

  • SPA 402 Spanish Comedia of the Golden Age
  • SPA 404 Cervantes
  • SPA 405 Modern Hispanic Literature (18th and 19th Centuries)
  • SPA 407 Contemporary Spain
  • SPA 415 Cinema of Spain
  • SPA 456 Senior Seminar in Hispanic Literary, Film, and Cultural Studies I 
  • SPA 457 Senior Seminar in Hispanic Literary, Film, and Cultural Studies II
  • SPA 472 Nobel Laureates in Hispanic Letters

Certification

Students can also obtain Pennsylvania K-12 teaching certification in Spanish, in conjunction with the College of Education here at West Chester University. You can consult the Certification page for further information and requirements.

Study Abroad Options and Student Activities

Students can participate in a study abroad program as part of their curriculum. Our Faculty advise or lead study abroad programs in Salamanca or Barcelona, Spain; as well as at the Universidad Nacional in Heredia, Costa Rica. Starting Fall 2016 students can also Student Teach abroad in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and a new study abroad program is being developed in Ecuador.

Check the Spanish Study Abroad site for updated information, as well as the Global Engagement Office site for other programs abroad that you can select.

The Spanish Club is a quite active on campus and off, holding weekly meetings, movie nights, fundraisers, field trips to NYC and elsewhere, to sites of interest and significant events regarding Hispanic cultures. Students play an important role in the club, generally deciding which activities are of interest and organizing events.

Graduate Program

We offer courses toward the master's degree, with or without certification, in our new Master of Arts in Languages and Cultures (MALC). Please consult the Graduate Programs site for more specific information.

Apart from courses in Spanish, we also offer courses in Second Language Acquisition at the Graduate level, such as LAN 500 (Research in 2nd Language Education) and LAN 503 (Techniques of 2nd Language Teaching).

For more information, contact Dr. Marcos Campillo-Fenoll, Spanish Coordinator.

Spanish PhotoSpanish Photo