Mission Statement for the Spanish BA Program
The mission of the BA Spanish Program is to enable our undergraduate majors to communicate in real-life
tasks and interactions with other Spanish speakers and develop a greater sensitivity, tolerance and
appreciation of diversity (both domestic and international) through an interdisciplinary approach to the
study of the Spanish language and of Peninsular and Latin American cultures and literatures. The program
prepares students in various career directions: educational, international, political, social and other careeroriented fields.
Learning Goals
The program aims to develop the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills necessary for using Spanish
as a medium for communication in real-life tasks and interactions with other speakers of Spanish. At the
same time, a successful program will ensure that students have a firm understanding of the diverse nature
of Peninsular and Latin American cultures and literature throughout the ages. Students will be familiar
with academic conventions for discussing Peninsular and Latin American literature and culture through the
analysis of historical periods, literary trends, gender and ethnic groups.
Specific Objectives
A. Language knowledge.
Using the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines as a
basis for our own goals, the Spanish Program aims to graduate majors who can perform tasks at
Intermediate High and Advanced Low levels of proficiency in socio-culturally appropriate ways.
Proficiency in ACTFL terms is understood to describe a range of qualities rather than an absolute norm and
will vary according to task type, language function, topic, skill (listening, speaking, reading, writing), and
so forth. Nevertheless, we have identified the following types of tasks, topics and functions we expect our
graduates to be able to do with a fair degree of consistency, fluency and accuracy:
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Graduates will be able to contribute to most informal and some formal conversations with
sufficient accuracy, clarity, and precision to convey their intended message without
misrepresentation or confusion. They will for the most part be understood by native speakers
unaccustomed to dealing with non-native speakers.
Graduates will have some knowledge of how to vary the register (formality level) of their speech
and writing.
Graduates will be able to talk about personal interests, Peninsular and Latin American literature
and culture, topics of general interest and so forth in the target language
Graduates will be able to understand main ideas and most details of connected discourse on a
variety of topics. This requires processing of different tenses, knowledge of discourse structure,
cohesive devices, and pronoun systems. Graduates will be able to listen to connected discourse on
a variety of topics and understand main ideas and most details.
Graduates will be able to read somewhat longer and more complex prose of several paragraphs in
length, particularly if presented with a clear underlying structure. They will be able to read a wide
variety of text types such as poems, plays, novels, magazine articles, newspaper articles,
brochures, pamphlets, menus, letters, and so forth that have been written for native speakers and
not edited or adapted for students. Some texts they will understand completely; for others they will
be able to grasp the main idea and some or most details.
Graduates will be able to compose routine social correspondence, take notes, write cohesive
summaries and resumes, as well as narratives and descriptions of a factual nature.
Graduates will be able to complete course-related writing tasks such as composing outlines,
essays, term papers, and essay exams in the target language. They will be able to defend a thesis
statement and make stylistic decisions based on the needs of specific audiences and on specific
writing purposes.
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Graduates will have the knowledge necessary to continue to develop their language skills
independently outside of the classroom context.
B. Cultural literacy and appreciation for diversity
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To have a historical knowledge of history and culture in Spain, Latin America and Hispanic
communities in the U.S.
Students are expected to have an understanding of the diverse nature of Spanish cultures
throughout the ages in all countries and regions.
Students will be able to strengthen their critical analysis of cultural differences, beyond the scope
of stereotyping, and be able to distinguish between fact and opinion.
Through the study of the Spanish language, our majors and minors learn to recognize and esteem
diversity, both domestic and external, as they gain the skills necessary for sensitive, effective
interpersonal and intercultural interaction.
Students can strengthen their cultural literacy and appreciation for diversity through appropriate
uses of technology, such as telecommunication tools and technology research tools.
Students will be encouraged, although not required, to study abroad and to live with Spanishspeaking families. Faculty will make every effort to find suitable programs and to create new ones
for students and to help them procure funding for going abroad.
A successful program will lead to a life-time goal of continuing to learn Spanish and about
Spanish cultures and a commitment to understanding cross-cultural communication and
relationships.
Additionally, in learning to recognize and accept cultural differences, our graduates will be able to
maintain an ongoing assessment of their own cultural values and behaviors.
A successful program will motivate students to participate in university and community events and
community services related to Hispanic cultures (e.g., joining S.A.L.S.A, conversation
partnerships, Amigos de las Américas program).
C. Appreciation for Peninsular and Latin American literature
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Graduates will be familiar with conventions for interpreting literature.
Graduates will be able to place literary works within a social and historical context.
Graduates will develop a sense for thematic and rhetorical structure.
Graduates will be able to employ a variety of theoretical approaches to interpret Peninsular and
Latin American literature in context
Students will be familiar with a broad variety of genres
A successful program will instill in students the desire to continue reading Peninsular and Latin
American literature