 Program in Spanish
The Spanish section on the Camden campus of Rutgers, the State Universty
of New Jersey, features a distinguished faculty offering a wide range of
courses and programs covering all aspects of Spanish language and Hispanic
literature and culture.
Why Study Spanish?
Major Requirements
Teacher Certification in Spanish
Why Study Spanish?
Spanish is the everyday language of almost 400 million people worldwide,
35 million of whom live in the United States. North Americans of Hispanic
descent, or Latinos, are now the largest minority in the United States,
and Spanish is accorded official status in New Mexico, which is legally
a bilingual state. It is the official language of twenty Latin American
nations and is widely used in the Philippines and in Spain's former African
colonies. Spain is a member of the European Union and of NATO and thus
plays a major role on the world economic and political scene. Spanish is
one of the four official languages of the United Nations.
The occupations in which Spanish can be useful are varied. Former students
of Spanish at Rutgers-Camden are making direct use of their studies in
various governmental services, including diplomacy, as well as social work,
medicine and public health, journalism, business and commerce, international
law, professional interpreting and translating, teaching at all levels,
librarianship, and travel and tourism. A number of our graduates have settled
and taken up employment in Spain and Spanish America. In short, Spanish
naturally leads to all the openings commonly available to liberal arts
graduates, with the little extra advantage of a practical specialized skill.
General Description
The Spanish section of the Department of Foreign Languages at Rutgers-Camden
offers courses in the language and culture of Spain and Spanish America.
Some of the courses are designed to satisfy the needs of students planning
to major in Spanish literature. Others are aimed at those students who
would like to develop a working knowledge of the Spanish language and culture
for use in their profession. Still others are aimed at those students who
do not desire to develop a working knowledge of the Spanish language, but
who would like to become familiar with some aspects of Hispanic or Latino
culture. The listing for each course gives the aims.
Prerequisites for courses are specified in the course listing. Unless
otherwise stated, courses are given in the Spanish language, and students
are encouraged to speak with the faculty teaching the course in order to
ascertain its usefulness for the student and the necessary level of proficiency
in the language.
Spanish-speaking students may not receive credit for elementary Spanish.Students
with two years of high school Spanish who have been away from the language
ten years or more may take Spanish 1 for credit. Three or more years of
high school Spanish requires enrollment in a course no lower than Spanish
121. Students must earn a grade of C or better in the courses required
for their major or their minor in Spanish.
The Spanish section offers a major and a minor. Students with a Spanish
major may obtain teacher certification in Spanish through the Teacher Preparation
Program. The Spanish faculty strongly encourages joint majors, either with
other languages, other liberal arts departments or with a business program.
Qualified students may enroll in the Spanish honors program.
Major Requirements
Students planning to major in Spanish must include in their program
36 credits in Spanish courses beyond the elementary level. In addition,
they also must complete the following courses: 50:350:238 or 239 World
Masterpieces and 50:510:101 and 102 Western Civilization I and II.
Students planing on graduate study are advised to elect another foreign
language and should attain in it a level of advanced intermediate proficiency.
Minor Requirements
Students planning to minor in Spanish must complete 18 credits in Spanish
courses, 12 of which must be above the 100 level.
Minor in Latin American Studies
The Department of Spanish offers a minor in Latin American Studies as
part of its curriculum. Students deciding to minor in this program should
consult the Chair of the Department and refer to the Latin American Studies
listing in the College Catalogue.
Honors Program
Students may qualify for graduating with honors in Spanish by fulfilling
the regular requirements for the Spanish major and the following requirements:
-
Write a senior honors thesis of twenty-five to thirty-five pages. The topic
for the thesis is worked out with an individual faculty member and written
as an independent study project during two terms of the honors program
while the student is enrolled in course 50:940:396, 495, or 496 (depending
upon the year and term during which the student is undertaking the study).
-
Maintain a 3.5 grade-point average in the Spanish major and a 3.0 cumulative
grade-point average in the overall undergraduate program.
Students normally inform the Department of their intention of entering
the Honors Program in the spring of the junior year. In recognition of
satisfactory completion of the Honors Program, the registrar will note
on the student’s permanent academic record Distinction in Spanish.
Independent Study
A student must have a grade-point average in Spanish of 3.3 or better
to pursue independent study and may enroll in only one independent study
course per term. Students must secure the permission of the Department
Chair and the instructor under whom the student wishes to work prior to
enrollment.
Teacher Certification in Spanish
Students seeking teacher certification in Spanish must complete the
requirements for the major in the Spanish section as well as satisfy other
requirements for certification. For details regarding admission to the
Teacher Preparation Program and its requirements, students should consult
the Director of that program.
Study Abroad
Rutgers sponsors a summer program in Spain and a junior year in Mexico.
Applicants need not be Spanish majors, although some previous study of
the language is required. Interested students should consult the Department
Chairperson and the Study
Abroad Office.
The Spanish section organizes study trips to Spain and Latin America
in conjunction with the Center for International Studies.
|
