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Why Study Spanish Language, Literature and Culture at New College?

The Spanish program at New College will impress you both with its flexibility and with the level of individualized attention you receive from our expert faculty. Both are key reasons that graduates in Spanish at New College go on to attend some of the nation's top master's level and Ph.D. programs and to pursue successful careers in a wide variety of fields.

Spanish Language and Literature area of concentration

The Spanish program at New College offers courses at all levels of Spanish language, and courses and tutorials on the literature and culture of Latin America and Spain. Courses on Literature and Culture are offered both in Spanish and in English translation. Offerings change each year and include the study of particular authors, a genre, a period, a region, or a special topic.

Spanish language is taught in a five-semester sequence after which students can enroll in courses and tutorials on literary and cultural topics conducted in Spanish. Elementary Spanish I & II, and Intermediate Spanish introduce students to Spanish grammar and emphasize the development of communicative skills. Spanish Oral & Written Expression and Lecturas Hispánicas offer a review of Spanish grammar and an introduction to the study of the culture and the literature of the Hispanic world. After completing Lecturas Hispánicas (which corresponds to the fifth semester of the language sequence), students are prepared to enroll in courses and tutorials that will allow them to do advanced work in the language.

Each spring and fall one advanced course is offered, which is conducted entirely in Spanish. These courses may be focused on a literary genre (“Spanish as the Fabric of Verse,” “Spanish-American Short Stories”), or on a particular topic, region, or period (“Vision of America”). Tutorials and Independent Research Projects in Spanish are discussed and designed in advanced with a faculty member. In addition to the regular courses offered in Spanish, the courses offered in translation may allow advanced students to do part of the work in Spanish.

Students may concentrate their work in the area of Spanish Language and Culture or Spanish Language and Literature, to be determined based on the thesis topic. In both cases, supporting course work in other relevant disciplines in the humanities and social sciences is expected. Cross-disciplinary work is a vital part of the New College program as we understand it, and it is strongly supported and encouraged by the faculty in the Spanish Program. In addition to specific courses in our regular offerings, Tutorials, Independent Research Projects, and Independent Study Projects are frequently designed to meet the particular needs of students who wish to combine their interest in Spanish language, culture, and literature with other fields of study. All academic work intended to satisfy requirements in this Area of Concentration will be discussed and decided in advance with a member of the Spanish faculty; and an Area of Concentration plan of study must be approved by at least two members of the Spanish faculty.

• View Spanish Language and Literature Academic Learning Compact

• View Spanish Language and Literature courses offered in last 5 years

 

Area of Concentration Requirements

While each student’s course of study will reflect her or his own interests, an Area of Concentration in Spanish Language and Culture or Spanish Language and Literature, will generally comprise the following:

When chosen as a single or a double Area of Concentration (AOC):

  • the satisfactory completion of no less than 10 semester-long academic activities (including Courses, Tutorials, Independent Research Projects) approved by the faculty of the program;
  • at least one Independent Study Project supervised or approved by the faculty of the program;
  • and a thesis with a focus on relevant aspects of the Hispanic world.

No less than eight of the academic activities must be taken in Spanish (beginning with Spanish Oral and Written Expression, that is, the fourth semester of the language sequence), and at least one of them must be undertaken during the senior year as an advanced Spanish course or tutorial.

Other requirements include:

  • One semester of study abroad, supervised and/or approved by the Spanish faculty, when chosen as an Area of Concentration. In some exceptional cases, the Spanish faculty may approve that this requirement be satisfied by work in the form of an Independent Study Project in a Spanish speaking country, supervised by a faculty member of the Spanish AOC. Courses taken abroad will be counted towards fulfillment of the AOC requirements. For students choosing Spanish as a joint area of concentration, study abroad is highly recommended, but not required.
  • A high level of proficiency in Spanish language, as demonstrated by satisfactory evaluations in all courses, tutorials, and independent research projects conducted in Spanish beginning with Spanish Oral and Written Expression. Each one of these academic activities will have specific areas of evaluation in accordance with the course level and content. A well-defined and strong performance in all areas of evaluation is expected from students seeking an AOC in Spanish.
  • The senior thesis must reflect the student’s interest in the field and her or his capacity to work on a well-defined aspect of the Hispanic world. Whenever possible, the thesis should be written in Spanish. In joint areas of concentration, it is expected that a significant portion of the research must be done in Spanish. When those conditions are not present, the student will work on a capstone project in Spanish during the senior year.
  • A satisfactory Baccalaureate Exam.

Joint Disciplinary AOC Requirements

When chosen as a joint Area of Concentration: the satisfactory completion of no less than eight academic activities (including Courses, Tutorials, Independent Research Projects) approved by the faculty of the program. No less than five of them must be taken in Spanish, (beginning with Spanish Oral and Written Expression that is, the fourth semester of the language sequence), and at least one of them must be undertaken during the senior year as an advanced Spanish course or tutorial.

Faculty

Recent Theses

  • Hate in the Time of Cholera: How the 2010 Cholera Outbreak in Haiti Threatened La Raza Dominicana
  • A Translation of Juan Carlos Onetti’s La Muerte y La Niña
  • Public Lies and Private Truths: Images of Dictatorial Power in La Fiesta del Chivo by Mario Vargas Llosa and El Otoño del Patriarca by Gabriel García Márquez
  • Maintaining Inequality: A Comparative Study of Educational Stratification in Argentina and the United States
  • El Canto: La Voz del Pueblo Como el Arma de la Reivindicación en el Misticismo Telúrico de Canto General by Palo Neruda
  • El Desarrollo de la Novela, Indigenista Ecuatoriana, 1879-1979: De Anticipación a Posmodernidad

 

SAMPLE PATHWAYS to complete AOC Requirements

These pathways show how you could complete the AOC requirements within four years at New College or within two years after earning an associate’s degree. Please consult with your academic adviser to determine the most appropriate courses for your area of concentration.

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