What if you could learn Spanish from Venezuelan Nancy Noguera, one of many native Spanish speakers on the faculty...
Spanish majors explore the language and rich cultures of the Spanish-speaking world
A LANGUAGE WITHOUT LIMITS?
We have a very diverse student body, which helps a great deal with language practice and cultural learning. Some have had no Spanish, others had a bit in high school and some are heritage speakers who grew up with the language. We make everyone feel at home.
Immerse yourself in the language and culture while interacting with host families and other Spanish speakers. Many students participate in Drew’s four-week Intensive Language and Culture summer program in Barcelona.
Others go on short-term faculty-lead travel seminars to places like Puerto Rico and Ecuador. Or study for a full semester in a Spanish-speaking country where you can customize your experience: study race issues in the Dominican Republic, environmental science in Costa Rica or music in Argentina.
Supporting each student’s personal interests is a major objective for us. What do you care about in addition to Spanish? We’ve had (and encourage) double majors in many different departments, from sciences to humanities to arts.
In most studies Spanish is virtually tied with English for the position of
second most-spoken language on earth.
Careers Made easy
growth sector
An understanding of Spanish is essential not only to maintain and improve our cultural and economic ties with the 20 countries where Spanish is the official language, but also to learn about and appreciate the culture of approximately 50 million Hispanics living in the U.S.
Occupations that serve broad U.S. populations—from health care to education to business and marketing—need Spanish speakers with strong, broad liberal arts skills.
We help you get internships where you can use your language skills, working with Spanish speakers in schools, hospitals or other organizations, here in the States or overseas. Employers like to see these kinds of practical experiences on résumés.
Full-Impact Students
Taylor Fichtman
I now know that I want my future profession to be multilingual. I studied abroad twice in Spain, and it’s helped me respect other societies’ ways.
Full-Impact Students
Gustavo Gonzalez
I am a native Spanish speaker, and I never thought of Spanish as a major. After taking a couple of classes, I fell in love with the language again. I took grammar and literature courses, and loved it.
Passionate Faculty
Mónica Cantero-Exojo
Professor & chair
I direct the Barcelona Summer Language and Culture intensive program. My great passions are Spanish film and linguistic theories.
Ph.D., University of Barcelona
Passionate Faculty
Elise DuBord
Assistant professor
I teach a community-based learning course where students put their Spanish to work tutoring at a nonprofit serving new immigrants. I’m also working on a book manuscript stemming from my research with immigrant day laborers In Arizona.
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Passionate Faculty
Raúl Rosales Herrera
Associate professor
In addition to autobiography and self-representation, my research examines popular culture and melodramatic modalities in the Spanish-speaking world. I am also a proud Drew alumnus.
Ph.D., Columbia University
Passionate Faculty
Nancy Noguera
Associate professor
I’m working on a research project about the impact of the social policies of the Bolivarian Revolution on the women of Venezuela. I also write and publish short stories here and in Latin America.
Ph.D., New York University
Passionate Faculty
Ada Ortúzar-Young
Professor
I study migrations and diasporas in contemporary Hispanic literature and film in the context of globalization. Off-campus, I enjoy spending time with the sweetest and cutest kids in the world (my grandchildren).
Ph.D., New York University
Successful Alumni
ESL teacher
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, Asbury Park, N.J.
Graduate student, social psychology
University of Michigan
Travel consultant
Kintetsu International, New York City
pan con tomate tomato-rubbed bread, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt,a regional specialty you’ll come to know well on Drew’ssummer Spanish Language & Culture program in Barcelona.
My Favorite Course
“I helped teach English to day laborers at the Neighborhood House in Morristown, N.J. It was amazing. For a year I was able to practice my Spanish skills outside the class setting.”
Gustavo Gonzalez on Service Learning and Translation
Students majoring in Spanish must choose from two concentrations:
Second-Language Learners: students who have learned Spanish as a second language in classroom settings or through study abroad.
Heritage Learners: students who were raised in a Spanish-speaking environment and would like to improve their Spanish in an academic setting.
I. Core (9 credits)
A. Gateway (4 credits)
SPAN 310 - Gateway to Hispanic Literature and Cultural Studies (4)
This course introduces students to the basic critical skills for literary and cultural analysis, develops reading fluency across genres (such as poetry, prose, and theatre) and literary periods, and examines interdisciplinary cultural discourses as connected to a topic or topics related to the Hispanic world. Representative works and products studied are placed within their historical, cultural and theoretical contexts. The course pays particular attention to the development of oral and written argumentation across cultural frameworks and perspectives. Emphasis is placed on oral interpretations and presentations, critical oral and written responses, as well as on the original application of critical methodologies in written work. Students will develop writing and research skills pertinent to future coursework in the discipline. Topics may rotate among the following: Gender and Representation in Hispanic Literatures and Film; Spain, Latin America, the U.S.: An Odyssey of Cultures; Short Fictions in the Spanish Speaking World; The Hispanic Imagination: Poetry and Narrative; Identity, Performance and Self-Representation in Spanish-Speaking Cultures; The Hispanic Novella Tradition from Cervantes to Garcia Marquez.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: Completion of the advanced intermediate sequence, placement, or special permission.
B. Hispanic Studies Seminar (4 credits)
SPAN 394 - Hispanic Studies Seminar (4)
An advanced seminar on a topic relating to the linguistics, culture, and/or literature of the Hispanic world. Emphasis on research and critical thinking. Required of all majors not completing an Honors thesis. Seminars may rotate among the following topics: Diaspora and Space in Hispanic Fiction and Film; Transatlantic Exchanges - A Cultural Food History from 1492 to the Present; Exclusions, Exiles and Displacements in the Spanish-Speaking World; The Filmic Discourse of Contemporary Spain; Language and Nationalism.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: SPAN 310 and at least one advanced elective taught in Spanish or special permission.
SPAN 410 - Specialized Honors I (0 - 8)
SPAN 411 - Specialized Honors II (0-8)
Note
Preferably taken in the junior or senior year. With departmental permission, advanced students may take a Hispanic Studies Seminar more than once in place of an elective at the advanced level.
C. Hispanic Studies Senior Capstone (1 credit)
SPAN 400 - Hispanic Studies Senior Capstone (1)
The Capstone is the culmination of a student’s work in the Spanish major. Required of all majors during their senior year. It is a summative experience of the skills and approaches acquired by an undergraduate student throughout the major in correspondence with National Standards. It will consist of three components: • An oral defense of an Honors Thesis or a revised research paper drawing on the work, content and methodologies from one of the Hispanic Studies Seminars regularly offered by the Spanish department, or from the work of an undefended Honors Thesis in Spanish. In consultation with Spanish Department faculty, students will complete revisions and any further research/expansion of the paper, and also prepare to present that research to peers and faculty members at the Spanish Department’s Hispanic Studies Colloquium – a public forum showcasing the research of graduating Spanish majors • Completion of an oral proficiency exam.• Completion of a writing proficiency exam.
Prerequisite: SPAN 394, or concurrent registration with SPAN 394.
II. Concentrations (28 credits)
A. Second Language Learners
Advanced Intermediate Language Sequence (12 credits)
SPAN 301 - Spanish Grammar (4)
This course is designed to improve the student's accuracy and control of advanced grammatical modes in Spanish resulting in more precise articulation of ideas and opinions and other forms of self-expression. Class will emphasize proportionately the four skills of speaking, writing, reading and listening while using the most contemporary source materials such as magazines, reports, and films in Spanish. In addition, class will use internet sources and other technologies. Activities may include debates, speeches, interviews, reports, conversations, and dramatic skits.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: SPAN 201 or placement.
SPAN 306 - Spanish Conversation (4)
The course focuses on developing students' conversational skills in Spanish through an emphasis on the use of spoken language within the contexts of Hispanic media and theater. Text-, audio-, and visual-based authentic materials as well as selected dramatic pieces in Spanish will provide the basis for oral discussion and exercises centered on improving pronunciation, developing an active vocabulary for use across different communicative contexts, and increasing the integration of all the language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: SPAN 301, placement or special permission.
SPAN 308 - Spanish Composition (4)
This course provides a grammar review with special attention to the development of accurate oral and written expression. The objective of this course is to improve written proficiency. Emphasis on acquiring expressive vocabulary and knowing the rhetorical norms of different writing styles: academic writing, formal and informal correspondence, creative, argumentative, etc. Through daily written assignments, including exercises in translation, students should increase control of writing across various contexts.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: SPAN 301 or SPAN 303, placement, or special permission.
Notes
It is recommended that students take SPAN 306before SPAN 308.
Students may take their final course in the Advanced Intermediate Language Sequence concurrently with SPAN 310.
Students who placed out of one or more of the above courses through the Spanish placement exam, or whom the department determines have met the respective Spanish proficiency, should substitute the credits of the course(s) with advanced electives offered by the department.
Upper Level (16 credits)
Advanced Literature or Cultural Studies (8-12 credits)
Advanced Language or Linguistics or Community-Based Learning (4-8 credits)
Note
Four credits offered in English by the department may be applied to this requirement; eight credits with permission of the department.
B. Heritage Learners
Advanced Intermediate Language Sequence (8 credits)
SPAN 303 - Spanish Grammar & Conversation for Heritage Learners (4)
This course is designed to further develop reading and writing skills and improve linguistic proficiency of heritage learnerse who learned Spanish at home or in their community. Stress on grammar control and expository writing, as well as implications of bicultural identity and recognition of regional linguistic variations. Students will become familiarized with grammatical terminology and also learn how to use writing conventions in Spanish. Students develop oral and written Spanish for academic and professional contexts.
Offered: every fall semester.
Prerequisite: SPAN 202, placement or special permission.
SPAN 308 - Spanish Composition (4)
This course provides a grammar review with special attention to the development of accurate oral and written expression. The objective of this course is to improve written proficiency. Emphasis on acquiring expressive vocabulary and knowing the rhetorical norms of different writing styles: academic writing, formal and informal correspondence, creative, argumentative, etc. Through daily written assignments, including exercises in translation, students should increase control of writing across various contexts.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: SPAN 301 or SPAN 303, placement, or special permission.
Notes
Students may take SPAN 308concurrently with SPAN 310.
Heritage learners who placed out of one or more of the above courses through the Spanish placement exam, or whom the department determines have met the respective Spanish proficiency, should substitute the credits of the course(s) with advanced electives offered by the department.
Upper Level (20 credits)
Advanced Literature or Cultural Studies (8-16 credits)
Advanced Language or Linguistics or Community-Based Learning (4-12 credits)
Note
Four credits offered in English by the department may be applied to this requirement; eight credits with permission of the department.
Notes
It is highly recommended that all majors complete one of the following that relates to Spanish or a Spanish-speaking country: study abroad, short-term program, community-based learning course, or internship. Spanish majors are highly encouraged to spend a semester abroad in a Spanish-speaking country.
An internship in Spanish may count for 2-4 credits towards the major with departmental permission.
Students wishing to receive official certification of their proficiency may do so by contacting ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages), for a fee, and the department will accept their score.
Areas
I. Advanced Literature
II. Advanced Language
III. Linguistics
IV. Community-Based Learning
SPAN 375 - Community Based Learning: The U.S. Latino/a Experience (4)
This course explores the experiences of the Latino/a community in the U.S. by examining regional and national trends in topics such as immigration, labor, family, community, cultural adaption, education and language. Students engage in critical, reflexive thinking and civic responsibility through their participation in a community-based learning project. Students will learn about Latinos/as in various social settings and the impact they have on communities where they live. This course will be complemented by an off-campus component in collaboration with a community partner. Students will partner with organizations that serve the local Latino/a community, and will examine their role and responsibility in relation to issues of citizenship, social and economic justice, and social change.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: SPAN 310, or concurrent registration with SPAN 310, or special permission.
V. Cultural Studies
VI. Courses Taught in English
Any courses with numbers in the 250s or 350s.
Deleted descriptive text
An understanding of Spanish is essential in this country today, not only to maintain and improve our cultural and economic ties with the 20 countries in which Spanish is the official language, but also to learn about and appreciate the culture of approximately 44 million Hispanics living in the United States. The Spanish/Hispanic Studies department offers a broad and diverse experience in the language, literature, and culture of Spanish-speaking peoples. Students may elect courses that explore various linguistic, social, political, literary, and cultural topics. Our proficiency-oriented approach is supported by multimedia/technology to provide opportunities for original language practice in context. This is often enhanced through experiential learning activities. A period of study in a Spanish-speaking country is highly encouraged.
Many courses in the department of Spanish/Hispanic Studies are applicable to the following programs: European Studies, Latin American Studies, Linguistics Studies, Pan-African Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies.
The department of Spanish/Hispanic Studies offers courses to meet the needs of students with different language backgrounds:
Second Language Learners: students who have learned Spanish as a second language in classroom settings or through study abroad.
Heritage Learners: students who were raised in a Spanish-speaking environment and would like to improve their Spanish in an academic setting.
Spanish Placement exams taken at Drew will determine at which level a student begins his/her course of studies in the department, and which courses are appropriate and necessary for each student’s level of proficiency.
Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
A student receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Spanish examination is exempt fromSPAN 201 - Intermediate Spanishand is considered to have fulfilled the College’s general education requirement.
The College language requirement may also be met by achieving a score of 680 on the CEEB/SAT II Spanish Test, or a satisfactory placement score on the Drew Spanish placement examination.
Minor
Requirements for the Minor (20 credits)
I. Gateway (4 credits)
Must be taken before advanced courses in literature and cultural studies, and may be taken concurrently with advanced electives in language, linguistics, and community-based learning.
SPAN 310 - Gateway to Hispanic Literature and Cultural Studies (4)
This course introduces students to the basic critical skills for literary and cultural analysis, develops reading fluency across genres (such as poetry, prose, and theatre) and literary periods, and examines interdisciplinary cultural discourses as connected to a topic or topics related to the Hispanic world. Representative works and products studied are placed within their historical, cultural and theoretical contexts. The course pays particular attention to the development of oral and written argumentation across cultural frameworks and perspectives. Emphasis is placed on oral interpretations and presentations, critical oral and written responses, as well as on the original application of critical methodologies in written work. Students will develop writing and research skills pertinent to future coursework in the discipline. Topics may rotate among the following: Gender and Representation in Hispanic Literatures and Film; Spain, Latin America, the U.S.: An Odyssey of Cultures; Short Fictions in the Spanish Speaking World; The Hispanic Imagination: Poetry and Narrative; Identity, Performance and Self-Representation in Spanish-Speaking Cultures; The Hispanic Novella Tradition from Cervantes to Garcia Marquez.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: Completion of the advanced intermediate sequence, placement, or special permission.
II. Additional (16 credits)
A. Second-Language Learners
I. Advanced-Intermediate Language Sequence (12 credits)
SPAN 301 - Spanish Grammar (4)
This course is designed to improve the student's accuracy and control of advanced grammatical modes in Spanish resulting in more precise articulation of ideas and opinions and other forms of self-expression. Class will emphasize proportionately the four skills of speaking, writing, reading and listening while using the most contemporary source materials such as magazines, reports, and films in Spanish. In addition, class will use internet sources and other technologies. Activities may include debates, speeches, interviews, reports, conversations, and dramatic skits.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: SPAN 201 or placement.
SPAN 306 - Spanish Conversation (4)
The course focuses on developing students' conversational skills in Spanish through an emphasis on the use of spoken language within the contexts of Hispanic media and theater. Text-, audio-, and visual-based authentic materials as well as selected dramatic pieces in Spanish will provide the basis for oral discussion and exercises centered on improving pronunciation, developing an active vocabulary for use across different communicative contexts, and increasing the integration of all the language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: SPAN 301, placement or special permission.
SPAN 308 - Spanish Composition (4)
This course provides a grammar review with special attention to the development of accurate oral and written expression. The objective of this course is to improve written proficiency. Emphasis on acquiring expressive vocabulary and knowing the rhetorical norms of different writing styles: academic writing, formal and informal correspondence, creative, argumentative, etc. Through daily written assignments, including exercises in translation, students should increase control of writing across various contexts.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: SPAN 301 or SPAN 303, placement, or special permission.
Note
It is recommended that students takeSpanish ConversationbeforeSpanish Composition.Students may take their final course in the Advanced Intermediate Language Sequence concurrently withSPAN 310.
Students who place out of one or more of the above courses through the Spanish placement exam, or whom the department determines have met the respective Spanish proficiency, should substitute the credits of the course(s) with upper-level electives offered by the department.
II. Upper Level (4 credits)
4 upper-level credits taught in Spanish. With departmental permission, advanced students may substitute an Hispanic Studies Seminar.Student who take 0-8 credits in the Advanced-Intermediate Language Sequence (through placement or departmental permission), may apply four credits offered in English by the department.
B. Heritage Learners
I. Advanced-Intermediate Language Sequence (8 credits)
SPAN 303 - Spanish Grammar & Conversation for Heritage Learners (4)
This course is designed to further develop reading and writing skills and improve linguistic proficiency of heritage learnerse who learned Spanish at home or in their community. Stress on grammar control and expository writing, as well as implications of bicultural identity and recognition of regional linguistic variations. Students will become familiarized with grammatical terminology and also learn how to use writing conventions in Spanish. Students develop oral and written Spanish for academic and professional contexts.
Offered: every fall semester.
Prerequisite: SPAN 202, placement or special permission.
SPAN 308 - Spanish Composition (4)
This course provides a grammar review with special attention to the development of accurate oral and written expression. The objective of this course is to improve written proficiency. Emphasis on acquiring expressive vocabulary and knowing the rhetorical norms of different writing styles: academic writing, formal and informal correspondence, creative, argumentative, etc. Through daily written assignments, including exercises in translation, students should increase control of writing across various contexts.
Offered: every semester.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: SPAN 301 or SPAN 303, placement, or special permission.
Note
Students may takeSpanish Compositionconcurrently withSPAN 310.
Heritage learners who placed out of one or more of the above courses through the Spanish placement exam, or whom the department determines have met the respective Spanish proficiency, should substitute the credits of the course(s) with advanced electives offered by the department.
II. Electives (8 credits)
Eight upper-level credits, four of which must be taught in Spanish. With departmental permission, advanced students may substitute an Hispanic Studies Seminar.
Note
It is highly recommended that all minors complete at least one of the following related to Spanish or a Spanish-speaking country: semester abroad, summer abroad, short-term program, community-based learning course, or internship.
