Spanish/Español
The Spanish program at The College of St. Scholastica – housed in the Department of Global, Cultural and Language Studies – combines academic and experiential learning to prepare students with the linguistic and cultural skills needed to engage in responsible living and meaningful work in Spanish-language and Hispanic cultural contexts.
Through exploration of language, history, culture, literature, service-learning and contemporary issues in the Spanish-speaking world, the program encourages communicative competency and the appropriate interpersonal/intercultural skills in both foreign and domestic settings. The Spanish major requires an internship/service-learning component so that students have first-hand contact with native speakers of Spanish even if studying abroad is not feasible.
Students may pursue either a major or a minor in Spanish. The minor requires the completion of 20 credits beyond SPN 1112 with courses that focus on grammar review, literature and civilization.
They are also able to pursue a Minnesota K-12 license to teach Spanish upon completion of the Spanish major by completing the required standard coursework offered through the Education Department.
Program Outcomes
The program prepares students with a solid background for work in or continued learning about Spanish and Hispanic cultures. Upon completion of the major, students are expected to reach the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language's (ACTFL) proficiency level of Advanced Low, which translates as the ability to function appropriately in Spanish in most conversational settings. Specifically, graduates will be able to demonstrate the following skills.
- Listening: Students will understand and respond appropriately to longer stretches of connected discourse in Spanish on a variety of topics that employ all tenses and moods.
- Speaking: Students will be able to handle most communicative tasks and social situations, and be able to initiate, sustain, and close a general conversation a wide variety of communicative tasks. Students will be able to navigate speaking tasks using diverse language strategies including circumlocutions. They can narrate and describe with paragraph-length connected discourse.
- Reading: Students will be able to read prose of several paragraphs in length, such as short stories, news items, correspondence and general technical material.
- Writing: Students will be able to write in paragraphs on familiar topics, write cohesive summaries, narratives and descriptions. Students will exhibit comfortable familiarity with frequently used structures.
Careers
The Hispanic/Latino population is the fastest-growing population in the United States, according to the most recent census. People who are fluent in Spanish are in demand for a variety of positions, particularly in fields such as healthcare where knowledge of Spanish is crucial. Graduates of this program have found work in nonprofit organizations, as teachers of Spanish in public schools, as teachers of English in Spanish-speaking countries, and in a variety of public service or healthcare providers where knowledge of Spanish is crucial. Others have gone on to pursue graduate degrees at medical schools.
Formats and Locations
The B.A. Spanish and B.A. Spanish-Education degrees are offered in a traditional, on-campus format at our main Duluth campus. First-year Spanish (SPN 1111 & 1112), which satisfies the World Language Pathway of the General Education Program, are offered online as well for Extended Studies Students.