Language and Cultural Studies

Faculty
Description
Major Requirements
Minor Requirements
Program Policies
Course Descriptions

Faculty

Consuelo Navarro, Assistant Professor of Spanish

Return to top

Description

The Language and Cultural Studies Program offers language courses in Spanish and Arabic to all undergraduate students at Trinity. The Program also supports a major and minor within the College of Arts and Sciences. The mission of the Languages and Cultural Studies Program is to provide students with the ability to communicate in a new language, while at the same time exploring the individual and collective values of the communities that speak it.  It encourages an appreciation and experience of the artistic expressions of the cultures addressed and requires students to contemplate the interdependent nature of the world, considering the complexity and richness of diverse cultures while developing their language skills. The Program concentrates on the contemporary as well as on the historical contributions made by the different Hispanic cultures, with special interest placed on Hispanic communities living in the United States.

Fluency in another language, and experiencing the culture of its speakers, are skills that help to cement a liberal education that is truly global in breadth and hands-on in practice.  The major in Language and Cultural Studies integrates curricular and co-curricular experiences presented in an interdisciplinary manner, zeroing in on the core linguistic and socio-cultural matters pertinent to the language. In addition to course work, students in both the major and minor programs are encouraged to participate in full immersion language experiences through study abroad programs.  The language and cultural studies major may lead to a career in scholarly research and teaching by providing the undergraduate with a well-rounded linguistic and socio-cultural background in the field.

Return to top

Major Requirements

Required Courses (39 credits)

ALL of the following courses:

SPAN 205 Cultural Perspectives of Spanish America
SPAN 211 Spanish and Spanish American Voices*
SPAN 212 Latina Voices*
SPAN 301 Reading & Writing for Advanced and Native Speakers I

ONE survey course in Hispanic literature chosen from between:

SPAN 221 Introduction to Hispanic Literature I
SPAN 222 Introduction to Hispanic Literature II

ONE course in special topics chosen from between:

SPAN 321 Literature and Art of the Mexican Revolution
SPAN 322 Storytelling for Women and by Women: Listening to our Mothers and Sisters

ALL of the following interdisciplinary courses:

INT 333 Culture and Society in Mexico*
INT 373 A Culture and Society in Latin America*
INT 373 B Culture and Society in the Caribbean*
INT 407 Human Rights in the Americas*

ONE internship:

SPAN 491 Internship

ONE Senior Seminar

SPAN 499 Senior Seminar

* Taught in English.

Return to top

Minor Requirements

The program supports a minor with a concentration in Hispanic Studies, which requires completion of 18 credit hours, with a minimum of nine credits taken at Trinity.

Return to top

Program Policies

Advanced Placement:
Credit is granted for a score of 4 or 5 on the AP examination. These credits may replace the General Education Curriculum language requirement, but do not count toward the major.

CLEP Policy:
The standard score or above on the CLEP examination satisfies the language requirement of the General Education Curriculum.

Grades in Major Courses:
Students are required to earn a grade of "C" (2.0) or better in all courses counted to fulfill requirements for the major.

Pass/No Pass:
Courses fulfilling the requirement for a major may not be taken pass/no pass (except for 491 Internship).

Senior Assessment:
Majors are required either to take written and oral comprehensive examinations, or to write a final comprehensive work (thesis) on a given topic approved by the program.

Study Abroad:
Students are encouraged to spend one or two semesters or a summer in approved programs abroad.

TELL Policy:
Students applying for experiential learning credit should consult with the program faculty.

Transfer Credits:
Students may apply transfer credits toward the major in Languages and Cultural Studies, provided that the accepted courses parallel those required for the major at Trinity. In all, transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours in Language and Cultural studies courses at Trinity, to be distributed as follows:

• A minimum of six credit hours must be in seminars.
• A minimum of nine credit hours must be in upper-level courses in Spanish.

Return to top

Course Descriptions

ARBC 101 Introductory Arabic I
Focuses on developing proficiency in standard modern Arabic. The main goal is attaining early proficiency in the fundamentals of listening, speaking, reading, and writing the language. The course begins with learning of script and pronunciation, and develops into the use of situation-based texts and topics that build vocabulary, grammar and general communicative competence.
4 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area I

ARBC 102 Introductory Arabic II
Serves as a continuation of Introductory Arabic I.  Extends skills in spoken and written standard modern Arabic.  Emphasis will be placed on building vocabulary, pronunciation, conversation, grammar, reading, and composition abilities within the context of real-life situations and contemporary Arab culture and civilization. 
4 credits
Prerequisite: ARBC 101
FLC Area I

ARBC 201 Intermediate Arabic I
Enables students to further develop their skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Modern Standard Arabic. The course will focus on improving oral comprehension, expanding vocabulary, and strengthening composition and reading skills through discussions, writing exercises, and extensive readings.  Emphasis will be placed on the cultural contexts of language.  
4 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
Prerequisite: ARBC 102

ARBC 202 Introductory Arabic II
A continuation of ARBC 201, this course enhances students' proficiency in  Modern Standard Arabic through the further development of speaking, reading, writing and listening skills.  Emphasis will be placed on correct use of syntax and grammar, and students will engage in increasingly complex oral and written communication.  Students will also work with more varied, challenging readings on a variety of cultural topics.
4 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
Prerequisite: ARBC 201

SPAN 101 Elementary Spanish I 
Introduces language skills that enable students to speak and write about specific learned contexts, to express them in present and future tense, and to comprehend and discuss simple texts related to vocabulary studied. Visual aids and special materials will be used in class to help students achieve basic competency.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area I

SPAN 102 Elementary Spanish II
Serves as a continuation of Elementary Spanish I. Students learn to speak and write about past events, and further develop their capacity to interact in spontaneous situations and comprehend and discuss simple texts related to vocabulary studied. Visual aids and special materials will be used in class to help students achieve basic competency.
3 credits
FLC Area I
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
Prerequisites: First semester of college Spanish, one year of HS Spanish or equivalent

SPAN 103 Spanish for the Workplace
Facilitates basic communication in workplace settings with speakers of Spanish. Emphasis is placed on oral communication and career-specific vocabulary and grammar that targets health, business, and public service professions. Upon completion, students will be able to communicate at a functional level with Spanish speakers and demonstrate cultural sensitivity.
3 credits
Prerequisites: One semester of college Spanish or one year of high school Spanish

SPAN 109 Intensive Elementary Spanish
Introduces language skills to students who desire an intensive presentation to the Spanish language. Equivalent to SPAN 101 and SPAN 102 but taught in a single semester.
6 credits
FLC Area I

SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish for Communication I
Develops and builds increasing confidence and competency among non-native learners of Spanish. Special materials will be used to develop speaking and listening comprehension abilities without neglecting the writing and reading skills necessary to achieve higher levels of proficiency.
3 credits
Prerequisites: SPAN 102, SPAN 109, two years of HS Spanish or equivalent

SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish for Communication II
Develops increasing fluency among non-native learners of Spanish. Class materials build listening and oral comprehension through simple and clear linguistic structures. Generates a useful communication style grounded in cross cultural understanding to be acquired from readings and class discussions.
3 credits
Prerequisites: SPAN 201, three years of HS Spanish or equivalent

SPAN 204 Conversation and Composition
Develops effective oral and written communication to communicate with Spanish speakers both here and abroad through an activity-based approach focusing on useful vocabulary and cross-cultural analysis, while working to expand and refine students’ functional grammar using a wide variety of communicative exercises and activities.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Two semesters of college Spanish (at least one of which must be at the 200 level), four years of HS or equivalent

SPAN 205 Cultural Perspectives of Spanish America
Provides the student with continued practice in language skills, while addressing a synoptic though comprehensive study of the history and culture of Spanish America. This course is designed for the non-native speaker of Spanish. 
3 credits
Prerequisites: SPAN 204 or equivalent or instructor's permission

SPAN 211 Spanish & Spanish-American Voices
Introduces the student to selected major works within the Spanish and Spanish American literary tradition. Besides learning to identify basic characteristics of different genre, students will be challenged to recognize and respond to the profoundly human concerns that inhere in all great literature of every time and place. Class discussions will suggest ways to interpret literature and students will receive direction in expressing their insights in speech and writing. Readings and discussions will be in English. Native speakers of Spanish may choose to do written assignments in Spanish.
3 credits
FLC Area II, Literature Cluster

SPAN 213 Latina Voices
Fosters awareness and understanding among women of the Americas, their different cultures and traditions as told through their own stories. Students will also reach a better understanding of the ethnic and racial diversity that characterizes the whole American continent including the United States, thus becoming more able to participate in a multicultural environment, both in the labor force and in their personal lives. Readings and discussions will be in English. Native speakers of Spanish may choose to do written assignments in Spanish.
3 credits
FLC Area II, Literature Cluster

SPAN 221 Introduction to Hispanic Literature I
Provides students with a foundation in liberal arts through further developing their Spanish language proficiency and improving their reading and writing skills. This course uses both a socio-cultural and a critical literary approach to a variety of texts from Spain (12th - 19th centuries) and Spanish America (19th century). Native or near-native speakers of Spanish are encouraged to register in this class.
3 credits
Prerequisites: SPAN 205 or equivalent

SPAN 222 Introduction to Hispanic Literature II
Follows same approach as Spanish 221 but in relationship to 20th century literature. Uses a variety of texts from both Spain and Spanish America through the four basic modern genres: poetry, theater, narrative, and essay. Native or near-native speakers of Spanish are encouraged to register in this class.
3 credits
Prerequisites: SPAN 221 or permission of instructor

SPAN 301 Reading and Writing for Advanced or Heritage Speakers I
Draws from the students’ linguistic background in Spanish and English in order to teach them to write effectively in Spanish. Activities include news reporting, book reviews, essays, and business and formal letters. Students may suggest their own topics of interest to be used in three out of the six papers required. Grammar explanations including accentuation, orthography, verb tenses and uses of the subjunctive mood will be used in relation with vocabulary and idiomatic expressions to enhance language development. Readings based on the cultural life and experience of Spanish-speaking people in the U.S.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Native or near-native proficiency in Spanish

SPAN 302 Reading and Writing for Advanced or Heritage Speakers II
Serves as a continuation of SPAN 301, expanding and refining many of the grammar explanations and raising the writing activities to a higher level of proficiency and sophistication. Students may suggest their own topics of interest to be used in three out of the six papers required.
Prerequisites: SPAN 301 or permission of instructor
3 credits

SPAN 321 Literature and Art of the Mexican Revolution
In addition to further developing the student's skills in reading, speaking, understanding and writing in Spanish, this course will help her to perceive the study of literature as vehicle of human expression within a larger cultural and social context of the 1910 Mexican Revolution and its continuous influence in the development of Mexican culture. Native or near-native speakers of Spanish are encouraged to register in this class.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Native or near-native fluency in Spanish

SPAN 322 Storytelling for Women and by Women: Listening to our Mothers and Sisters
Through a varied range of stories told by some of Latin American best writers, students would enrich their understanding of their own culture, in addition to further developing their reading, speaking, understanding and writing skills in the Spanish language. The texts to be read are rooted in passions and politics, from the earthy sensuality and magical realism of the Latin American world to the dramatic and violent Spanish sense of honor. Students will be encouraged to work on the cultural background of their own family roots, or else to choose an area with which they can identify the best.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Native or near-native fluency in Spanish

SPAN 491 Internship
Provides students with the opportunity to perform an internship to apply the academic knowledge they have learned in the classroom.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor
3 credits

SPAN 498 Independent Study
Allows students to study independently under the supervision of a faculty member.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor
3 credits

SPAN 499 Senior Capstone
Provides majors with a capstone to synthesize their course of study.
Prerequisites: Senior status in major
3 credits

Seminars

The Language & Cultural Studies Program offers the following interdisciplinary seminars in English:

INT 333 Culture and Society in Mexico
INT 373A Culture and Society in Latin America 
INT 373B Culture and Society in the Caribbean
INT 407 Human Rights in the Americas

Descriptions for these courses appear in the Interdisciplinary Courses section of this catalog.

Return to top