Spanish Language & Literature

Overview

The Spanish program at New College offers courses at all levels of Spanish language, and courses and tutorials on the literatures and cultures 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. The Spanish program also offers introductory courses on language pedagogy and on the practice of translation. (See additional information for details on Language Pedagogy & Practice of Translation.)

Spanish language is taught in a six-semester sequence after which students can enroll in courses and tutorials on literary and cultural topics conducted in Spanish. In addition to specific courses in our regular offerings, tutorials, Independent Reading Projects, and Independent Study Projects (during the January Term) are designed to meet the particular needs of students who want to further their study in Spanish language, culture, and literature, or wish to combine their interest in Spanish 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. An Area of Concentration plan of study must be approved by at least two members of the Spanish faculty. (See additional information for Placement Procedures and Sequence of Courses.)

Students may concentrate their work in the area of Spanish Language and Culture or Spanish Language and Literature. Those areas are determined by the student’s interests and are defined by specific course work and the senior project topic. In both cases, supporting course work in other relevant disciplines in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences is expected. Cross-disciplinary work is a vital part of the New College program, and is strongly supported and encouraged by the faculty in Spanish. We work closely with the various interdisciplinary programs at New College.

Faculty in Spanish

Sonia Labrador-Rodríguez, Associate Professor of Spanish Language and Literature
José Alberto Portugal, Professor of Spanish Language and Literature/PepsiCo Professorship//Co-Chair of the Faculty
Mariam Manzur-Leiva, Instructor of Spanish Language and Literature

Requirements for the AOC in Spanish

A minimum of ten (10) academic units. 

A high level of proficiency in Spanish language, as demonstrated by satisfactory evaluations in all courses, tutorials, and Independent Study Projects (ISPs) conducted in Spanish, is expected from all students seeking Spanish as an Area of Concentration (AOC) or a Secondary Field. Eight (8) or more academic activities must be taken in Spanish, beginning with Intermediate Spanish II.

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May be those taught in English if approved by the Spanish program faculty.

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In some exceptional cases (for example, if the demands of a Double Area of Concentration do not allow for a full semester abroad), the Spanish program faculty may allow this requirement to be satisfied by work in the form of an Independent Study Project in a Spanish speaking country or an on-campus immersion project co-designed with and supervised by a Spanish faculty member. 

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The senior project will reflect the student's interest in the field and their capacity to work on a well-defined aspect of the Hispanic world. 

Requirements for the Joint AOC in Spanish 

A minimum of eight (8) academic units. 

Five (5) or more academic activities must be taken in Spanish, beginning with Intermediate Spanish II.

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May be those taught in English if approved by the Spanish program faculty.

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For students choosing Spanish as a joint area of concentration, one semester of study abroad, supervised and/or approved by the Spanish program faculty is highly recommended. Alternatively, if the demands of the joint AOC do not allow for a full semester abroad, the faculty may allow this requirement to be satisfied by an Independent Study Project in a Spanish speaking country or an on-campus immersion project co-designed with and supervised by a member of the Spanish program faculty.

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The senior project will reflect the student's interest in the field and their capacity to work on a well-defined aspect of the Hispanic world. In joint areas of concentration, the senior project reflects the transdisciplinary character of this concentration. In that case, at a minimum, it is expected that the topic of the joint senior project be relevant to the Hispanic world, and that a significant portion of the research be done in Spanish. When those conditions are not present, the student will work on a capstone project in Spanish during the senior year.

Requirements for a Secondary Field in Spanish

A minimum of four (4) or six (6) academic units. 

We offer secondary fields in both Spanish Language and Spanish Language and Culture. When combined with an AOC in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, or in an Interdisciplinary Program, the secondary field documents the study of Spanish language, literature, and culture.

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Also a good option for Transfer Students aiming to complete their degree in two years.

Placement Process and Course Sequence

Prior to the beginning of each semester, students who are interested in taking Spanish and are new to the program will undergo a placement process (completion of a placement exam and of a placement form) guided by the Spanish faculty to determine the appropriate level to begin their work in the language.
 
Spanish language is taught in a six-semester sequence: Elementary Spanish I & II, and Intermediate Spanish I & II 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 literatures of the Hispanic world. These courses are regularly offered, and the sequence follows the Fall-Spring alternating schedule.
    
After completing Lecturas Hispánicas (which corresponds to the sixth semester of the language sequence), students are prepared to enroll in courses and tutorials that will allow them to further develop their work in the language. Each spring and fall semester we offer one Advanced Spanish course. These courses are conducted entirely in Spanish and may be focused on a literary genre, or on a particular topic, region, or period. Also, each spring and fall semester we offer one course on the literature and/or culture of the Hispanic world taught in English. These courses allow students to further their work in the AOC as they progress in their study of the language, and may allow advanced students to do part of the work in Spanish. Advanced Spanish courses and courses taught in English change their topics in a 4- to 6-year rotation period.

Study Abroad

The Spanish program faculty work closely with the Off-Campus Study/Study Abroad office to advise and assist students with their study abroad plans. New College participates in the National Student Exchange consortium and has also vetted alternative programs to ensure we can find the best and most affordable program for our students. Courses taken abroad count towards fulfillment of the AOC and graduation requirements.

Language Pedagogy and the Practice of Translation

In addition to offering paths to develop proficiency in the language, the literatures, and the cultures of the Hispanic world, the Spanish program has developed paths for students to develop abilities and explore possible ways of applying their knowledge of the language. Although we do not offer degrees in pedagogy or translation, we offer introductory courses in language pedagogy (Second Language Acquisition and Course Design) and in the practice of translation (Translation Workshop: Spanish to English); students interested in those fields can further develop through specially designed tutorials and independent study projects.

Experiential Learning and Internships

Students who participate in the seminar of Second Language Acquisition and Course Design have the opportunity to learn about SLA theories, ACTFL Standards and Proficiency Guidelines, Instructional Design frameworks for course design, and instructional technologies for SLA. They put this knowledge into practice by developing a digital teaching portfolio that contains their teaching narrative, samples of lesson plans, and samples of activities they develop throughout the semester. This course provides opportunities for Experiential Learning by offering students the chance to become Teaching Assistants. In this role, students apply their knowledge into the field by leading weekly TA sessions for novice and intermediate NCF students. This offers an opportunity to develop specific career preparation skills for students who intend to apply for language scholarships within and outside of the U.S. and/or pursue a career in education.
 
There are some limited opportunities to participate in community service in places such as INED San Juan Chamelco, Guatemala. Coordinated by NCF faculty, students interested in the experience will take a Second Language Acquisition and Course Design seminar. In that seminar they will learn about SLA theories, ACTFL Standards and Proficiency Guidelines, Instructional Design frameworks for course design, and instructional technologies for SLA and develop weekly lesson plans for their novice classes. The culminating project is a digital teaching portfolio that contains their teaching narrative, samples of lesson plans and samples of activities they develop throughout the semester. This hands-on experience allows students to develop specific career preparation skills to pursue a career in education.

Representative Senior Theses in Spanish Language and Literature

• A Literary Anthropology of One Hundred Years of Solitude: Finding Our Feet in Macondo Representations of Mexican-American Resistance: The Bandit, the Pachuco, and the Farm worker
• Tlatelolco y su impacto en la intelectualidad mexicana: los casos de Elena Poniatowska y Octavio Paz
• Uniendo comunidades a través del Lenguaje. Un manual para docentes de inglés como lengua extranjera, basado en nuestra experiencia como docentes en San Juan Chamico, Guatemala.
• Amar y Amparar a nuestras hermanas: Sisterhood in the Subtext of Contemporary Cuban Cinema
• Imagining Decolonial Love Within and Apart from Two Worlds: Decolonizing Gendered and Racialized Identity Between the U.S. & Spanish Caribbean
• Visions for Women in Community. Selected Essays by Rosario Castellanos: Annotated Translations and Analysis
• From Learner to Teacher–and Back Again. Second Language Teaching Method and Practice
• No Room in Our Imaginations?  Small Towns, Social Crises and Spaces of Possibility in Short Stories by Arguedas and García Márquez
• A New Actitud: La lengua y la identidad latina en la cultura estadounidense desde los años ochenta
• La Chabacanería Guaracheada: A Vindication of the Puerto Rican Identity through a Linguistic and Stylistic Study of Luis Rafael Sanchez's La Guaracha del Macho Camacho
• Languages Cross Borders. The Inclusion/Intrusion of English in French and Spanish Writing in North America.