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 UCSC 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.
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 adviser.
Transfer students: please also consult the Transfer Information and Policy section.
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.
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
To declare the major in Spanish studies, students must have completed SPAN 4 or SPHS 4 at UC Santa Cruz with a grade of C or better or demonstration of proficiency at this level, or place into Level 5 or higher via placement exam.
Transfer students: please also consult the Transfer Information and Policy section.
| SPAN4 | Second-Year Spanish | 5 |
| SPHS4 | 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 must meet major qualification requirements prior to declaring the major.
To declare the major, students must first meet with the faculty adviser and then with the academic adviser. Please contact languages@ucsc.edu for further information.
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 UCSC.
Getting Started at UCSC as a Transfer Student
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 UCSC can declare the major immediately.
Transfer students should consult an academic adviser at languages@ucsc.edu as soon as possible to learn about language placement tests and other information about the major.
Letter Grade Policy
All courses used to satisfy any of the major requirements may be taken for a Pass/No Pass or letter grade.
Study Abroad
Spanish studies encourages students to take advantage of the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP). 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. UCEAP opportunities in Spanish include Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Costa Rica.
Students who participate in UCEAP may petition to apply up to five courses (up to 25 upper-division credits) from UCEAP toward the major.
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
| SPAN1 | First-Year Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN2 | First-Year Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN3 | First-Year Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN4 | Second-Year Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN5 | Second-Year Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN6 | Second-Year Spanish | 5 |
Or three courses in the Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SPHS) track
| SPHS4 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
| SPHS5 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
| SPHS6 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
Or equivalent proficiency
Plus the following course:
| LING50 | Introduction to Linguistics | 5 |
Plus one of the following courses:
| HIS11A | Latin America: Colonial Period | 5 |
| HIS11B | Latin America: National Period | 5 |
| HIS12 | Introduction to Latino American History | 5 |
Upper-Division Courses
Four required Spanish studies core courses (20 credits total):
Literature: (5 credits)
Choose one of the following courses:
| LIT189A | De la conquista a Sor Juana | 5 |
| LIT189B | El Siglo XIX en America Latina: cultura, política y sociedad | 5 |
Spanish Studies: (5 credits)
| LIT189C
/SPAN 105
| Introducción a Spanish Studies | 5 |
Linguistics: (5 credits)
| SPAN150 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics | 5 |
Spanish Language: (5 credits)
Choose one of the following courses:
| SPAN114 | Advanced Conversation and Composition | 5 |
| SPHS115 | El ensayo lectura, analisis y redaccion | 5 |
*LIT 189C (formerly Spanish Literature 105)/SPAN 105 and SPAN 150 must be taken prior to enrollment in or in conjunction with concentration courses.
Choice of Concentrations
Languages and Linguistics Track
Three courses from the following list that are not used as an elective or capstone:
| SPAN140 | Sounds of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN151 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Varieties of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN152 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish in the U.S. | 5 |
| SPAN153 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish as a Second Language | 5 |
| SPAN154 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish Pragmatics | 5 |
| SPAN156A | The Language of Latin America Cinema | 5 |
| SPAN156E | Spanish Culture | 5 |
| SPAN156F | El Humor en Espanol | 5 |
| SPAN156J | Contemporary Central America | 5 |
| SPAN156K | Spanish Discourse Analysis | 5 |
| SPAN156M | Mexico and the Southwest | 5 |
Literature and Culture Track
Any three 5-credit literature courses numbered LIT 188-LIT 189, LIT 199. The courses LIT 189C (formerly Spanish Literature 105), LIT 189A (formerly Spanish Literature 102A), and LIT 189B (formerly Spanish Literature 102B) may not be taken as a concentration or elective course if used as a core course.
| LIT188B | Literatura peninsular: de los orígenes al siglo XVIII | 5 |
| LIT188E | Teatro del Siglo de Oro español | 5 |
| LIT188G | Literaturay vida en Don Quijote y otros textos cervantinos | 5 |
| LIT188H | Erotismo y Mistica | 5 |
| LIT188I | La novela picaresca | 5 |
| LIT188M | Literatura peninsular: siglos XIX y XX | 5 |
| LIT189F | Literaturas Latinas en los Estados Unidos: en inglés, español y Spanglish | 5 |
| LIT189G | Cine y Literatura | 5 |
| LIT189H | La Globalizacion en/del Cine Latin/o Americano | 5 |
| LIT189L | Poesía latinoamericana | 5 |
| LIT189M | Prosa contemporánea hispanoamericana | 5 |
| LIT189N | Latinoamericano testimonio | 5 |
| LIT189O | El Cuento Hispanoamericano: Variedades esteticas de la literatura breve en America Latina | 5 |
| LIT189Q | Ficción y marginalidad | 5 |
| LIT189S | La cultura popular en la narrativa latinoamericana | 5 |
| LIT189T | Historia de la lectura y los lectores: Recepcion y consumo cultural en el mundo Latino Americano | 5 |
| LIT189U | Modernidad y literatura: El Boom de la novela latinoamericana | 5 |
| LIT189V | Andean Indigenismo | 5 |
| LIT189X | Estudios mediaticos | 5 |
Electives
Electives (one upper-division course, 5 credits total): Choose from related 5-credit courses in Anthropology, Education, Feminist Studies, History, History of Art and Visual Culture, Latin American and Latino Studies, Linguistics, Sociology (see Elective Courses below), or any upper-division Spanish Literature and Culture or Spanish Language and Linguistics concentration courses not taken for concentration credit or capstone requirement.
| ANTH130L | Ethnographies of Latin America | 5 |
| ANTH130M | Inside Mexico | 5 |
| ANTH176B | Meso-American Archaeology | 5 |
| FMST115 | Gender, Sexuality, and Transnational Migration Across the Americas | 5 |
| FMST175 | Gender and Sexualities in Latina/o America | 5 |
| HAVC143C | Latin American Modern Architecture | 5 |
| HAVC160A | Indigenous American Visual Culture Before 1550: Mexico | 5 |
| HAVC160B | Indigenous American Visual Culture Before 1550: The Andes | 5 |
| HAVC162A | Advanced Studies in Early Indigenous American Visual Culture: The Ancient Maya | 5 |
| HAVC163 | The Native in Colonial Spanish America | 5 |
| HAVC162B | Advanced Studies in Early Indigenous American Visual Culture: The Inka | 5 |
| HAVC191B | The Virgin of Guadalupe: Images and Symbolism in Spain, Mexico, and the U.S | 5 |
| LALS100 | Concepts and Theories in Latin American and Latina/o Studies | 5 |
| LALS100B | Cultural Theory in the Americas | 5 |
| LALS115 | Mexico-United States Migration | 5 |
| LALS122 | Media and Nationalism | 5 |
| LALS127 | Genero, Nacion Y Modernidad En El Cine | 5 |
| LALS130 | Expresiones cuirs de Género y Sexualidad en el cine Latinoamericano | 5 |
| LALS144 | Mexicana/Chicana Histories | 5 |
| LALS145 | Grassroots Social Change in Latin America | 5 |
| LALS152 | Consumer Cultures Between the Americas | 5 |
| LALS155 | Latin American and Latino Youth Movements | 5 |
| LALS157 | Revoluciones Sociales | 5 |
| LALS155 | Latin American and Latino Youth Movements | 5 |
| LALS165 | Contemporary Peru | 5 |
| LALS172 | Visualizing Human Rights | 5 |
| LALS175 | Migration, Gender, and Health | 5 |
| LING182 | Structure of Spanish | 5 |
| LIT155E | Cinema and Social Change in Latin America | 5 |
| POLI140C | Latin American Politics | 5 |
| SOCY156 | U.S. Latinx Identities: Centers and Margins | 5 |
| SOCY177A | 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:
| SPAN114 | Advanced Conversation and Composition | 5 |
| SPHS115 | El ensayo lectura, analisis y redaccion | 5 |
Comprehensive Requirement
In their senior year, Spanish studies majors must satisfy the senior exit requirement as described below:
Successful completion of a senior capstone course (a designated upper-division course taught in Spanish, 5 credits total). The senior capstone should be in the student's chosen concentration: language and linguistics, or literature and culture. Students must have senior standing and have completed at least three out of four core courses. The capstone requirement is in addition to the three upper-division concentration courses; the same course cannot be used for both.
Languages and Linguistics Capstone Courses
| SPAN151 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Varieties of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN152 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish in the U.S. | 5 |
| SPAN153 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish as a Second Language | 5 |
| SPAN154 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish Pragmatics | 5 |
Literature and Culture Capstone Course
| LIT190X
/SPAN 190A
| Temas de la literatura y cultura espanolas y latinoamericanas | 5 |
Planners
Four-Year Planner for Non-Spanish Heritage Speakers
*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
*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 has completed most general education requirements before coming to UCSC, and places into Level 4 or higher of the language they are studying when they enter UCSC.