2020-2021 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Spanish Major


Language, Literature and Culture Overview


The Language, Literature and Culture Department aims to promote students’ competency in learning other languages, and to broaden and enrich their education through in-depth study of other cultures. Mastering a language includes listening, speaking, reading and writing proficiency.  Students can easily apply these skills to other disciplines at Clark and to their future professions. 

Students can study ASL, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin and Spanish at Clark, and can major in Ancient Civilization, Comparative Literature, French or Spanish. It is also possible, at the department’s discretion, to major in more than one language taught at Clark (the Combined Language major), or to self-design a major in German. Students can also apply skills in Asian languages to an Asian Studies major and skills in Hebrew to a concentration in Jewish Studies.

The Language, Literature and Culture Department is part of the Alice Coonley Higgins School of Humanities.

For more information, please visit the Language, Literature and Culture Department’s website.

Language Placement


Please use the chart on the department’s main web page to determine what course level to take, depending on how many previous years of the language you’ve had. The University reviews transcripts to ensure that students are not over-qualified for a particular course. Students with native or near-native fluency in a language should consult with the coordinator in that language to determine the appropriate level.

For more on language placement, please consult the Department’s Language Placement Guidelines page.

 

Study Abroad


Participation in a Study Abroad program gives you a chance to view the interests and issues you care about from the perspective of another culture. Students in LL&C are encouraged to study abroad in exciting cities in Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Senegal, and Spain.  The staff in Clark’s Office of Study Abroad and Study Away Programs can help you find an experience that fits your requirements.

Spanish Major Requirements


A student who wishes to major in Spanish at Clark must take a total of nine courses including:

• Eight courses in Spanish literature, cinema, or culture

SPAN 131  or SPAN 132  (mandatory)

SPAN 237   or an equivalent abroad (an advanced grammar and composition course) (mandatory)

SPAN 296   (Capstone seminar, taught only in the fall) (mandatory)

• Five extra elective courses in Spanish literature, culture, or cinema chosen from the following list: any courses above SPAN 131/132 and all the SPAN courses with a number 200 or higher.

CMLT 130  - The National Imagination (mandatory; taught only in the spring)

At least four of the eight Spanish required courses must be taken in residence at Clark. In order to fulfill the Spanish major, students must take a minimum of 2 courses in a Study Abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country. In order to count towards the Spanish major, courses taken abroad must be conducted in Spanish and be related to Hispanic cultural studies or literature. Topics accepted include: Spanish Creative writing, Hispanic culture (drama, music, art, cinema…), Hispanic history, politics or philosophy. Courses in the hard sciences (math, science) or fieldwork in the social sciences do not count towards the Spanish major. In order to make sure that the courses taken abroad count towards the major, they should be selected with the guidance of the major adviser.

Only courses with a grade of C or better may be counted towards the Spanish major.

Honors


This honors program is for language, literature and culture majors only. By November 1 of the capstone semester, faculty will identify qualified senior majors (with a minimum GPA of 3.5) and invite them to submit a proposal for a semester-long honors thesis during the spring of their senior year. Other students who wish to take honors should identify an area of interest during the capstone semester, consult with the capstone professor and/or an appropriate honors adviser, and submit a proposal (by December 1) to the professor they would like to direct the project.*

  • Proposals will be approved at the discretion of the individual professor.
  • The Department Chair must also approve the project.
  • The honors candidate and adviser will decide on a work schedule, but a preliminary draft must be completed by the first week of April.
  • The final version is due one week before the last day of classes.
  • A second faculty reader will participate in the final evaluation of the honors project.
  • An honors project counts as one unit of credit.

*Students graduating early and wishing to do an honors project should see their adviser during the fall of their junior year and get approval for the project from the thesis director and the department chair.

Language, Literature and Culture Faculty


Program


María Acosta Cruz, Ph.D.
Belén Atienza, Ph.D.
Odile Ferly, Ph.D.
Allison Fong, Ph.D.
Everett Fox, Ph.D.
Beth Gale, Ph.D.
Dolores Juan-Moreno, Ph.D.
Juan Pablo Rivera, Ph.D.
Robert D. Tobin, Ph.D.
Alice Valentine, M.A.

 

Adjunct


Diogenes Costa-Curras, Ph.D.
John Dunn
Talia Mugg
Joanne Qu, Ph.D.
Kathleen Suchenski, Ph.D.
Chris Synodinos, Ph.D.
Yanna Zhang, Ph.D.

 

Emeriti


Carol D’Lugo, Ph.D.
Marvin D’Lugo, Ph.D.
Hartmut Kaiser, Ph.D.
Dorothy Kaufmann, Ph.D.
Constance Montross, Ph.D.
Walter Schatzberg, Ph.D.
Michael Spingler, Ph.D.

Languages, Literature and Culture Courses


Courses offered within the last 2 Academic Years

Listing by Fields of Specialization


German Studies courses conducted in English


Courses