The University has been teaching Spanish to the citizens of Washington State since 1895. Changing demographics nationally and locally lend a new urgency to our mission to study the language, literatures, and cultures of Spain, Latin America, and U.S. Latinos. Our exploration recognizes cultural and historical context, with one eye to the national specificity and another to the commonality of the works being studied.
Undergraduates expand and refine their language skills while engaging in the study of literature written in Spanish, as well as Hispanic cultural studies and linguistics. The BA prepares graduates for advanced degrees in education and doctoral programs, as well as careers in business, law, and medicine. In recognition of the growing importance of Spanish, many of our students are double majors.
This program of study leads to the following credential:
Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Spanish
Recommended Preparation
Suggested First- and Second-Year College Courses: SPAN 101, SPAN 102, SPAN 103, or SPAN 121, SPAN 122, SPAN 123, or SPAN 134; SPAN 201, SPAN 202 (or SPAN 210), SPAN 203. Spanish, Latin American, and Chicano literature. Courses related to history and culture. Courses in English literature and comparative literature.
Admission Requirements
Completion of SPAN 203, with a minimum cumulative 2.70 GPA for all Spanish coursework completed and a minimum 2.5 grade in each Spanish course
Completion of at least 5 credits of English composition with a minimum 2.5 grade
Change-of-major forms, available online and outside C-104F Padelford Hall, are processed autumn, winter, and spring quarters only. Forms and unofficial transcripts must be turned in by the end of the third week of the quarter to assure registration priority for the following quarter. Paperwork turned in after the third week of the quarter is processed during the following admission cycle.
Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Spanish
Credential Overview
Undergraduates expand and refine their language skills while engaging in the study of literature written in Spanish, as well as Hispanic cultural studies and linguistics. The BA prepares graduates for advanced degrees in education and doctoral programs, as well as careers in business, law, and medicine. In recognition of the growing importance of Spanish, many of our students are double majors.
Undergraduates expand and refine their language skills while engaging in the study of literature written in Spanish, as well as Hispanic cultural studies and linguistics.
This program of study leads to the following credential:
Minor in Spanish
Minor in Spanish
Credential Overview
Undergraduates expand and refine their language skills while engaging in the study of literature written in Spanish, as well as Hispanic cultural studies and linguistics.
Completion Requirements
Minimum 27 credits above SPAN 203 level to include the following:
One of the following sequences: SPAN 301, SPAN 302, and either SPAN 303 or SPAN 330; SPAN 314, SPAN 315, and either SPAN 316 or SPAN 330; SPAN 310 and either SPAN 303, SPAN 316, or SPAN 330
Four 300- or 400-level electives
Only one course in which instructional materials are primarily in English may apply to the minor. SPAN 327 may not apply to the minor and is not open to heritage/native speakers.
Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes: The study of Spanish and Portuguese is both skills- and content-based, i.e., it has practical and cognitive elements. Students learn to communicate in Spanish or Portuguese, refining their language skills as they acquire a body of knowledge about the literary and cultural history of Spain, Latin America, and the Spanish-speaking populations of the United States. Graduates have found these skills extremely useful as they pursue careers in teaching, business, NGOs and human rights organizations, law, and politics.
Instructional and Research Facilities: Departmental facilities include a Writing Center for students registered in third-year Spanish. The Center for Spanish Studies, housed in the department, is a joint initiative of the University of Washington, the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain, and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. This center provides services that include workshops for K-12 teachers of Spanish, sponsorship of cultural events, and a lending library of books as well as audio and visual materials. A branch of the Spanish government sponsored Cervantes Institute, also housed in the department, offers linguistic and cultural resources to the university and the general community as well.
The department directs three study abroad programs. These programs are "living laboratories." Approximately 100 students participate each year.
Honors Options Available: With College Honors (Completion of Honors Core Curriculum and Departmental Honors). With Honors (Completion of Departmental Honors requirements in the major). See adviser for requirements.
Research, Internships, and Experiential Learning: Internship opportunities are posted on the department website as they become available. Also, students may participate in experiential learning (which may include service learning), in which they combine study with service to the community. Students must volunteer two-to-five hours per week (a minimum of 30 hours per quarter) in organizations that provide services primarily, although not exclusively, to Spanish speakers. Alternatively, they may volunteer in public schools as tutors of different academic themes. Some of the organizations and schools involved include CASA Latina, The Mexican Consulate, El Centro de la Raza, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Cascade People's Center, Center for Spanish Studies, John Stanford International School, Bryant Elementary School, John Hay Elementary School, Hamilton Middle School, Nathan Hale High School, the Pipeline Project, and the East Side Literacy program. Students apply and increase their knowledge of the Spanish language in a real context. They are exposed to Hispanic multiculturalism and become active agents of social change in the community.
Department Scholarships: An annual scholarship, the Susan B. Johnson Memorial Endowment Fund, is awarded to a student of Spanish for foreign study in Spain.
Student Organizations/Associations: None.
Of Special Note: 100- and 200-level Spanish courses do not count toward major/minor requirements.
Program of Study: Doctor Of Philosophy (Hispanic Studies)
Program Overview
The Ph.D. program is designed to address the needs of a new generation of doctoral students and to provide a rigorous and comprehensive education in Spanish and Latin American literary and cultural studies. Its design allows for an engagement with larger issues relating to the role of the humanities in the contemporary world. The Graduate Certificate in Public Scholarship, granted in collaboration with the Simpson Center for the Humanities, will provide theoretical training and practical experience relevant to the larger issues surrounding the public role of specialized scholarship in the humanities. The dissertation project may take the traditional form of a scholarly monograph or a more non-traditional form, which may include a portfolio of scholarly and creative work, or digital publication.
This program of study leads to the following credential:
Doctor Of Philosophy (Hispanic Studies)
Admission Requirements
Contact department for requirements.
Doctor Of Philosophy (Hispanic Studies)
Completion Requirements
117 credits
SPAN 577 or one graduate seminar in the Comp. Lit. Theory and Criticism sequence (agreed upon in consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinator) is required of all students. SPAN 510 (Methodology of Spanish Language Teaching) is required of all Teaching Assistants regardless of prior teaching experience and is to be taken during or before a student's first quarter of teaching.
Distribution requirement: A minimum of 1 course in five of the seven following areas:
Medieval Spain: SPAN 591
"Golden Age" Spain: SPAN 593
Spain of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: SPAN 594, SPAN 595
Twentieth-century Spain: SPAN 572, SPAN 596
Colonial and nineteenth-century Latin America: SPAN 597
M.A. Exam and Thesis: Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program who do not already possess an M.A. in Hispanic Studies or an equivalent field (see Special Note in number 14 below) must fulfill the exam and thesis requirements for the M.A.
Additional credit requirement (to meet overall required credit total): 500-level courses in the Division; 6 credits of the coursework required for the Graduate Certificate in Public Scholarship; those earned in courses cross-listed with another department; approved courses offered by the Division's adjunct faculty; up to ten credits of approved non-cross-listed courses; up to 30 credits if a student enters the PhD program with an MA degree. Non-cross-listed courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator at the time of registration, must be numbered 500 and above, and must be deemed relevant to the student's studies in this Division.
Dissertation (27 credits): SPAN 800
Proficiency in a language other than English and Spanish: met via one of the following:
native status;
holding a university degree in the third language;
completing a course in the target language at the 201 level with a 3.0 or better;
passing an auxiliary language reading ability test, the Graduate Foreign Language Exam (GFLE). Students may not take the PhD exam without having first met this requirement.
PhD examinations: The exam portion of the PhD program will comprise three elements: a. The composition over several quarters of an annotated bibliography. b. The composition of a 10-15 page dissertation prospectus. c. A ninety-minute oral exam to be administered in the third quarter of the third year.
Time Limit: All work for the PhD degree, including credits transferred from other institutions, must be completed within ten years. However, PhD candidates subsidized by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, graduate staff assistantships, or comparable financial support, are expected to complete their program within five years.
Program of Study: Master Of Arts (Hispanic Studies)
Program Overview
The Master of Arts degree program in Hispanic Literary and Cultural Studies was reformed and updated in 2001 to foster study of Hispanic culture, literature, and language together. The program calls attention to the rich diversity of Hispanic cultural texts and to their interdisciplinary study while also promoting broad understanding of Spanish and Latin American literature. The program gives careful attention to acquainting students with the traditions of scholarship in the field as well as a range of current textual theory, criticism, and research methods.
Study of Portuguese and other Romance literatures and cultures, comparative literature, Romance and Spanish linguistics, and other related disciplines may be included in the master's degree program. The degree is earned normally in six academic quarters.
This program of study leads to the following credential:
Master Of Arts (Hispanic Studies)
Admission Requirements
Contact department for requirements.
Master Of Arts (Hispanic Studies)
Completion Requirements
60 credits (500 level and above). To remain in good standing the student must maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. The minimum acceptable grade for any given course is 2.7.
Literary Theory: Either SPAN 577, or an alternate graduate-level literary theory course or research methods course which must be pre-approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator
SPAN 510 is required of all teaching assistants and is taken during or before a student's first quarter of teaching.
Distribution requirement (25 credits): Minimum 5 credits in five of the seven areas: Medieval Spain, "Golden Age" Spain; Spain of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; twentieth-century Spain; colonial and nineteenth-century Latin America; twentieth-century Latin America. Spanish applied linguistics
Additional Credit Requirement (as needed to reach required total): Additional 500-level coursework in the Division. A maximum of two courses may come from outside the department when pre-approved by the GPC.
MA Thesis (10 credits): SPAN 700
MA Examination
Graduate Foreign Language Exam: Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, beyond English and Spanish. Students demonstrate proficiency by passing the Graduate Foreign language Exam in the OEA office.
Financial Aid: The department awards annually a number of teaching assistantships. The assistant normally participates in teaching three classes during the academic year. Each class is limited to approximately 25 students and meets five hours a week for the ten weeks of the quarter.