Information and Policies
Introduction
The interdisciplinary major in Spanish studies is designed to offer students advanced linguistic proficiency in Spanish as well as a broad understanding of the historical and cultural developments of the Spanish-speaking world.
The Spanish studies major at UC Santa Cruz combines the strengths of language and applied linguistics with those of literary and cultural studies. The sequence of courses first exposes students to the academic registers of Spanish, a critical component for both heritage speakers and second language learners. Students then develop academic literacy in the language while gaining familiarity with the methods of analysis in different fields. The configuration of the major affords students flexibility in following their particular interests by choosing one of two tracks: (1) literature and culture or (2) language and linguistics.
These pathways within the major prepare students for a range of career possibilities that involve working with the Spanish-speaking public in a variety of professions (e.g., law, business, public service). Students may also pursue further training in teaching Spanish as a second language at the high school or university level.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates from the Spanish studies B.A. program should be able to demonstrate:
- Advanced-level oral proficiency in Spanish. Students will have the ability to use all the major timeframes (past, present, and future) in their speech and will be able to produce connected discourse of paragraph length. They will be able to satisfy the demands of work and/or school situations in Spanish with both accuracy and fluency.
- Academic language and literacy skills in Spanish. Students will be able to read and understand a wide range of authentic texts (e.g., academic articles, journalistic texts) in Spanish, including those with historical, sociological, and literary content. Students will be able to clearly explain their ideas in writing, demonstrating the ability to summarize, interpret, and substantiate an opinion or argument.
- Metalinguistic awareness. Students will be able to describe the main features of the Spanish language (e.g., the sound system, the structure of sentences) and will be able to identify the main regional varieties of Spanish. Students will be able to articulate some of the main differences between English and Spanish using precise terminology.
- Critical analysis. Students will be able to comment with critical insight on a range of topics and cultural productions (e.g., literary texts, film, music) of the U.S., Latin America, and Spain. They will be able to read closely in order to evaluate historical ideas, arguments, and points of view.
- Cultural and historical competency. Students will be able to compare and contrast multiple interpretations of the same phenomena in different cultures. Students will be able to recognize and reflect on the social, cultural, economic, and political changes that connect Latin America, Spain, and U.S. and Latina/o communities.
Academic Advising for the Program
218 Cowell College
831-459-2054
languages@ucsc.edu
The earlier you declare your major in your academic career, the better you will be able to plan your courses and the fulfillment of the requirements. If you declare your major early, you will receive more guidance, useful advice and close follow-up.
The Department of Languages and Applied Linguistics provides extensive orientation for the undergraduate major in Spanish studies. It is very important you plan the prerequisite and requisite courses in the appropriate sequence so as to complete your studies in the expected time.
Orientation is provided in two ways: quarterly large-group informational sessions, and small group or individual meetings with a faculty and/or staff advisor.
Transfer students: Please also consult the Transfer Information and Policy section.
Transfer Information and Policy
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
Students planning to apply in this major are not required to complete specific major preparation courses for consideration of admission to UC Santa Cruz.
Transfer students are strongly advised to complete courses that will satisfy the campus general education requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). In addition, transfer students are strongly encouraged to complete two years of Spanish language study at an accredited two- or four-year institution. While two years of prior Spanish language study is strongly advised, transfer students should be able to complete the Spanish studies major in normative time as long as they place into Spanish language Level 4 (Level 5 for students entering UC Santa Cruz in the winter term) upon arrival at UC Santa Cruz.
Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students
Transfer students may declare at any time after completing SPAN 4 or SPHS 4 with a grade of C or better, following the process in "How to Declare a Major." Transfer students who place into Spanish Level 5 or higher when they enter UC Santa Cruz can declare the major immediately.
Transfer students should consult an academic advisor at languages@ucsc.edu as soon as possible to learn about language placement tests and other information about the major.
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
To declare the Spanish Studies B.A, students must either: 1) complete SPAN 4 or SPHS 4 at UC Santa Cruz with a grade of C or better; 2) place into level 5 or higher via placement exam; or 3) demonstrate proficiency at this level.
Transfer students: Please also consult the Transfer Information and Policy section.
| SPAN 4 | Second-Year Spanish | 5 |
| SPHS 4 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
Appeal Process
Students notified that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the department chair within 15 working days from the date of notification. Within 15 working days of receipt of the student's appeal, the department will notify the student and their college of its decision regarding the appeal.
How to Declare a Major
Students should submit a petition to declare as soon as they complete the major qualification requirements or reach their declaration deadline quarter (whichever comes first).
Students petition when the campus declaration deadline is imminent (i.e., in their sixth quarter, for students admitted as frosh), will either be approved, denied or provided with conditions (e.g., completion of some courses with certain grades) that will be resolved within at most one more enrolled quarter, even if they have not completed major qualification courses.
Students must meet major qualification requirements prior to declaring the major.
To declare the major, students must first meet with the faculty advisor and then with the academic advisor. Please contact languages@ucsc.edu for further information.
Letter Grade Policy
Courses used to satisfy major requirements may be taken for a Pass/No Pass or letter grade, with the exception that the Level 4 Spanish course and senior comprehensive course must be taken for a letter grade.
Study Abroad
Spanish studies encourages students to take advantage of the Division of Global Engagement. Some programs do not require prior language study while others have language prerequisites. Many of these programs provide students with the language skills needed to participate in regular university courses taught in the language of the host country. Study abroad opportunities in Spanish include Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Costa Rica.
Students who participate in study abroad may petition to apply up to three courses (up to 15 upper-division credits) from study abroad toward the major.
Honors
Students who wish to be considered for honors should meet the deadline posted by the Office of the Registrar for declaring the intent to graduate. Determination of honors is based on the student’s grades for all courses relevant to the major and other factors relevant to an assessment of academic excellence, such as research papers of professional quality. Generally, honors in the major are awarded only to students with a GPA of 3.75 or higher in relevant coursework. Only those students whose performance in coursework is excellent will qualify. Highest honors are awarded only to students whose performance in relevant coursework is outstanding (GPA of 3.90 and above) and who have completed an outstanding original research paper.
Requirements and Planners
Course Requirements
There are a total of 45 upper-division credits required for the Spanish studies major. See Program Major Requirements below for a breakdown of the credit requirements.
Lower-Division Courses
Either six courses in the regular track
Or three courses in the Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SPHS) track
| SPHS 4 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
| SPHS 5 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
| SPHS 6 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
Or equivalent proficiency
Plus the following course:
| LING 50 | Introduction to Linguistics | 5 |
Plus one of the following courses:
| HIS 11A | Latin America: Colonial Period | 5 |
| HIS 11B | Latin America: National Period | 5 |
| HIS 12 | Introduction to Latino American History | 5 |
Upper-Division Courses
Four required Spanish studies core courses (20 credits total). Though some courses may be able to satisfy multiple requirements of the major, no course taken may count toward more than one requirement.
Literature: (5 credits)
Choose one of the following courses:
| LIT 189A | De la conquista a Sor Juana | 5 |
| LIT 189B | El Siglo XIX en América Latina: cultura, política y sociedad | 5 |
Spanish Studies: (5 credits)*
| LIT 189C
/SPAN 105
| Introducción a Spanish Studies | 5 |
Linguistics: (5 credits)
| SPAN 150 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics | 5 |
Spanish Language: (5 credits)
Choose one of the following courses:
| SPAN 114 | Advanced Conversation and Composition | 5 |
| SPHS 115 | El ensayo lectura, análisis y redacción | 5 |
*LIT 189C/SPAN 105 and SPAN 150 must be taken prior to enrollment in or in conjunction with concentration courses.
Choice of Concentrations
Students must choose either the Languages and Linguistics Concentration or the Literature and Culture Concentration. The choice of concentration will dictate which concentration courses are taken below, as well as which capstone courses are available.
Languages and Linguistics Concentration
Three courses from the following list that are not used as an elective or capstone:
| SPAN 140 | Sounds of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN 141 | Advanced Spanish Grammar | 5 |
| SPAN 142 | El mundo de las palabras. Spanish Morphology and Lexicon | 5 |
| SPAN 151 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Varieties of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN 152 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish in the U.S. | 5 |
| SPAN 153 | Spanish Language Teaching | 5 |
| SPAN 154 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish Pragmatics | 5 |
| SPAN 155 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Language Contact in the Spanish Speaking World | 5 |
| SPAN 156A | The Language of Latin America Cinema | 5 |
| SPAN 156E | Spanish Culture | 5 |
| SPAN 156F | El Humor en Espanol | 5 |
| SPAN 156J | Contemporary Central America | 5 |
| SPAN 156K | Spanish Discourse Analysis | 5 |
| SPAN 156L | Society and Sustainability in Latin America | 5 |
| SPAN 156M | Mexico and the Southwest | 5 |
| SPAN 157 | Spanish Sociolinguistics | 5 |
| SPAN 158 | Spanish in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands | 5 |
Other 5-credit Spanish-language courses numbered SPAN 100-SPAN 189, SPAN 199 (except SPAN 114, SPAN 150, SPHS 115, and LIT 189C/SPAN 105) may be accepted with the permission of the Spanish studies director (or faculty advisor).
Literature and Culture Concentration
Three 5-credit literature courses numbered LIT 188-LIT 189, LIT 199. Current courses within this range are listed below.
The courses LIT 189C/SPAN 105, LIT 189A, and LIT 189B may not be taken as a concentration or elective course if used as a core course.
| LIT 188A | Literatura medieval | 5 |
| LIT 188B | Literatura peninsular: de los orígenes al siglo XVIII | 5 |
| LIT 188E | Teatro del Siglo de Oro español | 5 |
| LIT 188G | Literaturay vida en Don Quijote y otros textos cervantinos | 5 |
| LIT 188H | Erotismo y Mistica | 5 |
| LIT 188I | La novela picaresca | 5 |
| LIT 188M | Literatura peninsular: siglos XIX y XX | 5 |
| LIT 189F | Literaturas Latinas en los Estados Unidos: en inglés, español y Spanglish | 5 |
| LIT 189G | Cine y Literatura | 5 |
| LIT 189H | La Globalizacion en/del Cine Latin/o Americano | 5 |
| LIT 189I | Literatura e indigeneidad | 5 |
| LIT 189L | Poesía latinoamericana | 5 |
| LIT 189M | Prosa contemporánea hispanoamericana | 5 |
| LIT 189N | Latinoamericano testimonio | 5 |
| LIT 189O | El Cuento Hispanoamericano: Variedades esteticas de la literatura breve en America Latina | 5 |
| LIT 189Q | Ficción y marginalidad | 5 |
| LIT 189S | La cultura popular en la narrativa latinoamericana | 5 |
| LIT 189T | Historia de la lectura y los lectores: Recepcion y consumo cultural en el mundo Latino Americano | 5 |
| LIT 189U | Modernidad y literatura: El Boom de la novela latinoamericana | 5 |
| LIT 189V | Andean Indigenismo | 5 |
| LIT 189X | Estudios mediaticos | 5 |
Electives
Choose one course from the list below or from the Languages and Linguistics or Literature and Culture Concentration lists above.
| ANTH 130L | Ethnographies of Latin America | 5 |
| ANTH 130M | Inside Mexico | 5 |
| ANTH 176B | Meso-American Archaeology | 5 |
| APLX 101 | Second-Language Acquisition | 5 |
| APLX 102 | Bilingualism | 5 |
| APLX 103 | Second Language Speech | 5 |
| APLX 105 | Language Loss | 5 |
| APLX 112 | Language and Gender | 5 |
| APLX 113 | Inter-Cultural Communication | 5 |
| APLX 115 | Language and Power | 5 |
| APLX 116 | Discourse Analysis: Language Use and Context | 5 |
| APLX 122 | Linguistic Diversity & Social Justice | 5 |
| APLX 124 | Second Language Variation and Sociolinguistics | 5 |
| APLX 135 | Second Language Teaching | 5 |
| APLX 138 | English Grammar for TESOL | 5 |
| FMST 115 | Gender, Sexuality, and Transnational Migration Across the Americas | 5 |
| FMST 175 | Gender and Sexualities in Latina/o America | 5 |
| HAVC 143C | Latin American Modern Architecture | 5 |
| HAVC 160A | Indigenous American Visual Culture Before 1550: Mexico | 5 |
| HAVC 160B | Indigenous American Visual Culture Before 1550: The Andes | 5 |
| HAVC 162A | Special Studies in Early Indigenous American Visual Culture: The Ancient Maya | 5 |
| HAVC 162B | Special Studies in Early Indigenous American Visual Culture: The Inka | 5 |
| HAVC 163 | The Native in Colonial Spanish America | 5 |
| HAVC 191B | The Virgin of Guadalupe: Images and Symbolism in Spain, Mexico, and the U.S | 5 |
| LALS 100 | Concepts and Theories in Latin American and Latina/o Studies | 5 |
| LALS 122 | Media and Nationalism | 5 |
| LALS 127 | Genero, Nacion Y Modernidad En El Cine | 5 |
| LALS 133 | Latina/o Art and Representation | 5 |
| LALS 144 | Mexicana/Chicana Histories | 5 |
| LALS 145 | Grassroots Social Change in Latin America | 5 |
| LALS 152 | Consumer Cultures Between the Americas | 5 |
| LALS 155 | Latin American and Latino Youth Movements | 5 |
| LALS 157 | Revoluciones Sociales | 5 |
| LALS 165 | Contemporary Peru | 5 |
| LALS 172 | Visualizing Human Rights | 5 |
| LALS 175 | Migration, Gender, and Health | 5 |
| LING 182 | Structure of Spanish | 5 |
| LIT 155E | Cinema and Social Change in Latin America | 5 |
| POLI 140C | Latin American Politics | 5 |
| SOCY 156 | U.S. Latinx Identities: Centers and Margins | 5 |
| SOCY 177A | Latinos/as and the American Global City | 5 |
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
The Disciplinary Communication requirement (DC requirement) is satisfied by successfully completing one of the following courses:
| SPAN 114 | Advanced Conversation and Composition | 5 |
| SPHS 115 | El ensayo lectura, análisis y redacción | 5 |
Comprehensive Requirement
The senior comprehensive requirement is satisfied by completing one capstone course in the student's concentration listed below. The course must be taken senior year after completion of at least three of the four core courses. Courses used for the capstone requirement cannot be used for the elective or concentration requirements.
Languages and Linguistics Capstone Courses
| SPAN 151 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Varieties of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN 152 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish in the U.S. | 5 |
| SPAN 153 | Spanish Language Teaching | 5 |
| SPAN 154 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish Pragmatics | 5 |
| SPAN 155 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Language Contact in the Spanish Speaking World | 5 |
| SPAN 157 | Spanish Sociolinguistics | 5 |
| SPAN 158 | Spanish in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands | 5 |
Literature and Culture Capstone Course
| LIT 190X
/SPAN 190A
| Temas de la literatura y cultura espanolas y latinoamericanas | 5 |
Planners
The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.
Four-Year Planner for Non-Spanish Heritage Speakers
*WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.
**Depending on the student’s choice of concentration and capstone course, the term in which the course is taught will vary.
Four-Year Planner for Spanish Heritage Speakers
* WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.
** Depending on the student’s choice of concentration and capstone course, the term in which the course is taught will vary.
Transfer Planner
This planner assumes that a student places into Level 4 or higher of the language they are studying when they enter UCSC.