Spanish

The Spanish major is excellent preparation for careers in business, journalism and communications, law, medicine, the service professions and teaching.

Overview

The faculty of the Spanish section of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies study and teach the languages, cultures and literatures of the Spanish-speaking countries of Europe and the Americas. These dedicated scholars engage in significant research on Spanish and Spanish-American literature, linguistics and culture.

By means of scholarly exchange and publication, they increase understanding in the broader areas of the humanities, history and the social sciences. By studying the literary and linguistic heritage of Spain and Latin America, faculty engage students in the processes of critical reading and writing and help them to acquire and to refine their abilities to speak, understand, read and write the Spanish language.

All students are encouraged to consult the undergraduate adviser as soon as they begin to consider a major or minor in Spanish. Those whose second major is Spanish are especially urged to seek the guidance of the undergraduate adviser since they must use the Degree Shopping function on ISIS to view an audit for the second major.

Coursework for the Major

There are two tracks for bilingual and non-bilingual students in the Spanish major. The major requires 33 semester hours, beginning with SPN 2240 Intensive Communication Skills or SPN 2340 Introduction to Reading and Writing for Bilinguals. It also includes SPN 3300 Spanish Grammar and Composition or SPN 3350 Spanish Grammar and Composition for Bilinguals.

Foundation coursework required to prepare the student for SPN 2240 or 2340 depends on the student’s background in Spanish and an appropriate placement score. (Refer to the Placement section below.)

Students must earn minimum grades of C for coursework to count toward the major.

Required Coursework

• SPN 2240 and SPN 3300 (non-bilingual track) or
  SPN 2340 and SPN 3350 (bilingual track)
• An additional 27 credits of Spanish courses at the 3000/4000 levels
  • At least 12 of the 27 credits must be at the 4000 level (four courses total)
• Students who transfer credits toward the Spanish major will be expected to take at least four 4000-level courses in Spanish at UF.
• No more than 3 credits of SPN 4905 may count toward the major.

Recommended Coursework

Students are encouraged to take one or more SPN 3224 Applied Spanish courses, with the respective content courses. A maximum of three credits of SPN 3224 may be applied to the Spanish major. For students interested in Latin America, Portuguese is highly recommended. POR 3010 is an intensive introduction to Portuguese designed for students who have studied or who speak Spanish (or French).

• SPN 3301 is the prerequisite for SPN 4420
• SPN 3700 is the prerequisite for 4000-level SPN linguistics courses
• Any two of the following - SPW 3030, 3031, 3080, 3100, 3101 - constitute the prerequisites for 4000-level SPW courses.
• Additional course information

Concentrations/Specializations

Applied Spanish Foreign Language Courses Across the Curriculum

Students who have studied six semesters of Spanish or who have equivalent fluency may enroll in one-credit Spanish discussion sections that accompany selected Latin American studies courses in anthropology, art, business, philosophy, religion, sociology, etc. A maximum of three such courses may be credited toward the Spanish major and minor. Refer to the course description for SPN 3224.

Overseas Study

Candidates for a major or a minor in Spanish are strongly encouraged to spend a summer, a semester or an academic year in a Spanish-speaking country. UF programs are the best since they allow for easy transfer of UF credits and courses or course equivalencies. Most financial aid applies in this case as well. Interested students should contact the undergraduate coordinator and the UF International Center, 170 Hub.

Placement

Students with no previous study or experience in Spanish will need to complete the beginning language sequence (SPN 1130-1131) and the intermediate language sequence (SPN 2200-2201) to prepare for SPN 2240.

Students with previous study or experience in Spanish should enroll in SPN 1134 or use standardized Spanish examination scores (SAT II, AICE, AP, CLEP or IB) to determine their appropriate placement in a higher-level course. Such students cannot enroll in SPN 1130 or 1131.

Any student who has lived in a Spanish-speaking country for more than a year or who has significant Spanish-speaking experience at home or in a community must consult the undergraduate adviser in Spanish before enrolling in any SPN language, literature or culture course. Bilinguals not planning to take Spanish who wish to show proficiency are encouraged to take the SAT II on campus to fulfill the foreign language proficiency requirement. More information on Spanish placement.

Critical Tracking

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements. For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements — Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students

Semester 1

• 2.0 UF GPA required for semesters 1-5

Semester 2

• Maintain 2.0 UF GPA

Semester 3

• Complete SPN 1130 or higher-level Spanish course

Semester 4

• Complete SPN 1131 or maintain higher-level Spanish coursework with 2.5 critical-tracking GPA

Semester 5

• Complete SPN 2200 and 2201 or higher-level Spanish course with 2.5 critical-tracking GPA

Recommended Semester Plan

Students are expected to complete the writing and math requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are required to complete HUM 2305 The Good Life (GE-H) in semester 1 or 2. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H or S).

¹ Some Spanish courses may also fulfill the H and N general education requirements: SPW 3030, SPW 3031, SPW 3100 and SPW 3101, SPN 3510 and SPN 3520; SPN 3440 fulfills the S and N general education categories.

² Non-bilingual students with prior preparation in Spanish must enroll in SPN 1134 or select an initial course on the basis of their SAT Subject Tests, AICE, AP, CLEP or IB test scores. Bilinguals should see the coordinator of the bilingual courses for a placement test. Students are then exempted from all courses below that level.

³ SPN 3300 can be taken concurrently with SPN 2240. SPN 2240 (or SPN 2340) is the first course that earns credit toward the major or minor. For Spanish language (SPN) courses, there are two tracks: one for bilinguals and one for non-bilinguals. Students may not take courses in both tracks.