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Office of the University Registrar

2008-09 Undergraduate Catalog

Majors

Spanish
College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Hours for the Degree: 120
Minor: Yes
Combined-Degree Program: Yes
Website: web.rll.ufl.edu/spanish/

The Spanish major is excellent preparation for careers in business, journalism and communications, law, medicine, the service professions and teaching. All students are encouraged to consult with 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 guidance from the undergraduate adviser since they do not receive an audit for this major.

Requirements for the Major
  • Students must earn a grade of C or better for coursework to count toward the major.
  • The major consists of a minimum of 33 semester credits of coursework, beginning with SPN 2240, Intensive Aural and Reading Comprehension, 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.
  • An additional 27 credits of Spanish courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels, of which at least 12 must be at the 4000 level, are required.
  • Students who transfer credits toward the 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.

SPN 3301 is the prereq for SPN 4420;
SPN 3700 is the prereq for 4000-level SPN linguistics classes;
Any two of the following - SPW 3030, 3031, 3100, 3080, 3101 - constitute the prereq for 4000-level SPW courses.


Students are encouraged to take one or more SPN 3224 Applied Spanish courses, with the respective content courses.

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 speak Spanish (or French).

In addition, a Certificate in Latin American Studies is available from the Center for Latin American Studies. See the section on certificates.

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.

The undergraduate coordinator must approve each student's program of studies before departure. Up to 15 credits toward the major and up to nine credits toward the minor may be awarded for work abroad; additional credits may also be earned in satisfaction of the CLAS elective requirement (in art, history, etc.). Students who participate in approved overseas study programs can earn up to 15 credits beyond those required for the degree. Moreover, courses taken in a pre-approved UF study abroad program can be applied toward the six-hour international studies and diversity requirement, if approved by an adviser.

Applied Spanish (FLAC or Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum) Courses
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, sociology and religion, etc. These courses count toward the Spanish major and minor. A maximum of three such courses may be credited toward the major or minor. Refer to the course listing for SPN 3224.

Placement

Students who plan to continue the study of a language begun in high school or any other college must present SAT II, AP, IB or CLEP language score(s) before registering at the appropriate level. Students should consult the academic advising section of this catalog to choose the appropriate course level.

If the student has taken none of these examinations, arrangements must be made to take the SAT II on campus.

Students with three years of high school Spanish (grades 9, 10, 11 or 12) cannot enroll in SPN 1130, regardless of placement test results. The lowest level in which they can enroll is SPN 1180 (3 credits) or SPN 1131 (5 credits).

Students with four years of high school Spanish may not enroll in courses below SPN 1182, regardless of placement test results.

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 and culture course. Bilinguals not planning to take Spanish and wishing to show proficiency are encouraged to take the SAT II on campus to fulfill the Foreign Language proficiency requirement.

Please read carefully the prerequisites for all courses and consult the undergraduate coordinator to discuss placement.

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements.

Critical Tracking and Recommended Semester Plan

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 coursework

Semester 4:

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

Semester 5:

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

Recommended semester plan

Semester 1Credits
Composition (GE-C, WR)3
Humanities (GE-H) 13
Mathematics (GE-M)3
SPN 1180 Elementary Spanish: Review and Progress (3) or
SPN 1130 Beginning Spanish 1 2
3-5
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S)3
Total 15-17
Semester 2Credits
Mathematics (GE-M)3
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S)3
Biological Science (GE-B)3
SPN 1131 Beginning Spanish 2 (5) or
SPN 1182 Preparation for Intermediate Spanish 2
3-5
Elective3-1
Total 15
Semester 3Credits
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S)3
Physical Science (GE-P)3
Science laboratory (GE-P or GE-B)1
SPN 2200 Intermediate Spanish 1 23
Elective5-3
Total 15-13
Semester 4Credits
Humanities (GE-H) 13
Biological Science (GE-B)3
SPN 2201 Intermediate Spanish 2 23
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major)6
Total 15
Semester 5Credits
SPN 2240 Intensive Aural and Reading Comprehension 33
SPN 3300 Spanish Grammar and Composition 1 2 , 3 or
SPN 3350 Spanish Grammar and Composition for Bilingual Speakers 4
3
Composition (GE-C, WR)3
Elective6
Total 15
Semester 6Credits
SPN or SPW courses, 3000 level 19
Physical Science (GE-P)3
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major)3
Total 15
Semester 7Credits
SPN or SPW courses, 3000-/4000-level 1 , 49
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major)6
Total 15
Semester 8Credits
SPN or SPW courses, 4000 level 1 , 49
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major)6
Total 15

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 select an initial course on the basis of their SAT II, IB or AP 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.

Once placed in the bilingual track (e.g., SPN 2340), students may not subsequently take SPN 2240, SPN 3300, etc. for credit, and vice versa. Exceptions to this rule are subject to the approval of the undergraduate coordinator.

For a definition of bilingual speaker, refer to the course description for SPN 2340. Majors must earn a grade of B or better in SPN 2240 and SPN 3300 (or SPN 2340 and SPN 3350, for bilingual).

4 SPN 3350 and SPN 4314 also may fulfill general education requirements.