Spanish - Major/Minor

For information, contact Professor Marianella Omana, momana@cedarcrest.edu, 610-606-4666 ext. 3406.

Program Mission Statement

The Spanish program provides excellent instruction in Spanish language acquisition, as well as the study of Hispanic cultures and literatures. It also provides a variety of learning opportunities in the classroom and in extracurricular activities, including study abroad. Students in the program will develop language proficiency in Spanish in the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The program encourages its students to think critically, to question their cultural assumptions about the Hispanic world and to immerse themselves as much as possible in a Spanish speaking community to improve the practical competence required for specific career purposes.

Program Outcomes

1. Students will be able to speak Spanish with grammatical correctness and fluency. 
2. Students will be able to understand Spanish spoken with a variety of accents and dialects from around the Spanish-speaking world.
3. Students will be able to write in Spanish, in a variety of genres, with grammatical correctness and fluency.
4. Students will be able to comprehend written Spanish, in a variety of genres.
5. Students will be able to identify and write about the major figures and eras of Hispanic literature.
6. Students will be able to identify and articulate the major features of different Hispanic cultures.

Spanish Major

Program Requirements for the Spanish Major

Courses taken for the Spanish major begin after SPA 202: students with prior Spanish language background may place out of the elementary or intermediate language acquisition courses. All courses taken for the major must be completed with a grade of C or higher. At least 18 credits must be completed at Cedar Crest College. In the senior year, students are required to take an Oral Proficiency Evaluation. To graduate, students must achieve a minimum level of Advanced-Low on this evaluation. For initial placement in Spanish courses, students should review the placement guidelines stated in the catalog or request a placement evaluation.

Course Requirements for the Spanish Major: 30 credits
Students must take the following courses:
SPA 301 Spanish Grammar and Composition  3 credits
SPA 302 Spanish Conversation  3 credits

Students must choose ONE of the following:
SPA 203 Spanish for the Workplace  3 credits
SPA 205 Spanish for Health Professionals  3 credits
SPA 210  Spanish for Law Professionals   3 credits

Students must choose THREE of the following:
SPA 303 / 304 Survey of Spanish Literature and Culture  3 credits
SPA 305 Survey of Latin-American Literature and Culture  3 credits
SPA 311 Hispanic Culture and Civilization  3 credits
SPA 312 Hispanic Popular Culture in the US  3 credits
SPA 315 Topics in Hispanic Literature and Culture  3 credits
Students must choose FOUR additional SPA courses from among those offered at Cedar Crest or via LVAIC. All elective courses chosen must be above SPA 202.

Program Requirements for the Spanish language concentration / major with Secondary Education Certification:
All courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher. At least 18 credits must be completed at Cedar Crest College. Spanish certification candidates who are scheduled to student teach must be formally evaluated in oral proficiency before their student teaching semester. Students must achieve a minimum level of Advanced Low on this evaluation.

Course Requirements for the Spanish language concentration: 30 credits
Students must take all of the following:
SPA 301 Spanish Grammar and Composition 3 credits
SPA 302 Spanish Conversation  3 credits
ENG 303: Linguistics and the Development of the English Language or a SPA linguistics equivalent  3 credits
SPA 203 Spanish for the Workplace  3 credits
SPA 303 OR SPA 304 Survey of Spanish Literature and Culture  3 credits
SPA 305 Survey of Latin-American Literature and Culture  3 credits
SPA 311 Hispanic Culture and Civilization  3 credits
OR
SPA 312 Hispanic Popular Culture in the US  3 credits
SPA 315 Topics in Hispanic Literature and Culture  3 credits

Plus two additional 200- or 300-level SPA electives above SPA 202. Consult with program faculty for appropriate LVAIC substitutions.

Liberal Arts Curriculum Requirements

Oral Presentation: Fulfilled by SPA 302.
Information Literacy: Fulfilled by SPA 301.
Technology: Fulfilled by SPA 302.
Global Studies: Fulfilled by most SPA courses.
Math: Students may take any two math courses fulfilling the Math and Logic requirement.

Spanish Minor

Program Requirements for the Spanish Minor

Students must complete 18 credits of Spanish at any level. At least 12 credits must be completed at Cedar Crest College with a grade of C or higher. Students will be placed at a level appropriate to their previous experience with Spanish in consultation with program faculty. Students should review the placement guidelines in the catalog or request a placement evaluation for initial placement in SPA courses.

Placement Guidelines

Students are placed in Spanish courses based on the years of language taken in high school, AP Spanish exam scores, SAT-II scores, or the department’s placement exam (taken in consultation with program faculty). Students may change class levels during the first two weeks of class. Students who consider themselves capable of higher–level performance may apply to the instructor during the first two weeks of the semester for more advanced placement. They may also be allowed by the department chair to be admitted for credit to a lower level language course after consultation with the instructor. Students who have had three years or more of a language in high school and drop to first–semester level will not receive credit for the course unless approval is obtained from the chair of the department.

All students taking Spanish classes for the first time at Cedar Crest College are encouraged to take the departmental placement exam to determine their appropriate placement in Spanish language courses. Contact the department to schedule this online exam.

Students unable to take the exam should follow this placement policy for high school coursework completed in the language. See below for placement on the basis of AP or SAT-II scores.

1. Students with 4+ years of successful Spanish study in high school should be placed in SPA 202 or SPA 301.
2. Students who have had three to four years of successful Spanish study in high school should be placed in SPA 201 or SPA 202.
3. Students who have had three years of successful Spanish study in high school, or two years in grades 11 and 12, should be placed in SPA 102 or SPA 201.
4. Students with 0-2 years of experience with Spanish before grades 11 and 12 should begin with SPA 101 or SPA 102.

Advanced Placement credit

Credit based on Advanced Placement or SAT-II exam scores is only awarded for courses at the intermediate level, i.e., SPA 201 or 202. Credit is not awarded for elementary level courses (SPA 101 or 102). AP Spanish exams do not satisfy the Global Studies requirement.

 

 

CLEP Credit

No more than six credits will be awarded for CLEP exams. The minimum score for the transferring credits is 50. Three credits will be awarded at the elementary level for a score of 50-62 and six credits at the elementary level for a score of 63 and above. CLEP exams do not satisfy the Global Studies requirement. ONLY three credits may count toward the major or minor.

Course exemptions

Students in the Masters of Education program seeking secondary certification in Spanish are ordinarily required to take SPA 301 and 302, as required by PDE. If they have taken the equivalent of these courses as part of their undergraduate major, or feel they have satisfied that requirement through coursework at a university abroad, they are welcome to submit those transcripts for evaluation. They may also request to take a placement exam to determine if they have achieved low-advanced level written language competency. Successful completion of that placement exam will exempt them from taking SPA 301, but they will still be required to take SPA 302. No credits will be awarded as the result of the placement exam.