Website: http://spanish.sewanee.edu/
Professor Spaccarelli
Professor Sánchez Imizcoz, Chair
Professor Raulston
Associate Professor Sandlin
Assistant Professor Chinchilla
Assistant Professor Kroll
Visiting Associate Professor Fort
Visiting Instructor Jordan
(applies only to the Class of 2016 and earlier:) Only Spanish literature and culture courses taken at the University of the South may be used to complete the college language and literature requirement for graduation. Unless otherwise indicated by the placement exam or approved by the department, Spanish 300 is the designated course to fulfill the requirement.
(applies to all students:) Prerequisite for all 400-level courses is a semester at the 300 level, departmental permission, or placement. Students who have taken a course numbered above Spanish 300 may not take Spanish 300 for credit.
Students wishing to take Spanish to fulfill their foreign language requirement must take the departmental placement examination. Those students who have never taken Spanish should consult with the department chair in order to register for Spanish 103. Students who have taken at least two years of Spanish in high school will be placed no lower than Spanish 113. Students may not enroll at a course level beneath that indicated by the placement examination without written permission of the Spanish department chair.
Major in Spanish: The minimum requirement for a Spanish major is ten full courses starting at the 300-level. As the major requires a mastery of Spanish language, literature, and culture, the student is expected to select courses from all of these areas. At least one of these courses must be at the 400-level, though the department strongly recommends several. Students who have taken a course at the level above Spanish 300 may not take Spanish 300 for credit.
The program for majors divides the area of literature into three sections, and eight classes need to be taken in this area:
⇒ Spanish literature before 1700
⇒ Spanish literature after 1700
⇒ Latin-American literature
The area of culture is divided in two sections; one class is required in each section:
⇒ Culture of Spain
⇒ Culture of Latin America
The area of language is applied in the two broad areas as above as well as in the advanced languages classes offered within the department.
Each student should have at least one course at the 300- or 400-level in each of these sections within the areas. The written and oral comprehensive examination in Spanish, which is taken in the final semester of the senior year, covers the three above-mentioned areas. The oral comprehensive examination consists of a presentation on a selected topic approved by the department.
Majors are required to spend one semester or the equivalent studying in a Spanish-speaking country. Justifiable exceptions will be considered by written petition.
All majors are encouraged to take a year or more of another foreign language.
Sewanee Summer in Spain is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Medieval Spain and the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Classes meet in Sewanee, in Madrid, and on the pilgrimage road in northern Spain. The program offers credit for two full courses: Spanish 314 and Art History 214, plus Physical Education 214.
Sewanee Semester in Spain focuses on Muslim Spain and its legacy in contemporary Spain. Classes meet in Madrid with professors and tutors from Madrid's Complutense University. The program offers four full courses — Spanish 330: Advanced Spanish language; Spanish 310: Contemporary Spanish Culture and Civilization; History 369: Muslim Spain: Glory, Decline, and lasting influence in contemporary Spain; Art History 316: Islamic Spain and Spanish Art. A two-week field trip to Andalusia and Morocco forms an integral part of the program.
Honors in Spanish: Toward the end of the penultimate semester of study, Spanish majors with a minimum of 3.5 in Spanish courses may apply for permission to present themselves for departmental honors, select a topic for a research essay, be assigned a director, and prepare an outline of the proposed paper. In the last semester of study, the student enrolls for a full course of Independent Study (Span 444) dedicated to preparing a paper of at least twenty-five pages in length. Students so enrolled who demonstrate excellence in their honors paper, in the written comprehensive examination, and in the oral presentation of their work, upon the approval of the department, earn departmental honors.
Minor in Spanish: The minor in Spanish consists of a minimum of six courses starting at the 300 level. These normally include one course on the culture of Spain, one on the culture of Latin America, and one dedicated to some advanced aspect of language study. A minimum of one literature course numbered 305 or above must be taken. Students who have taken a course above the level of Spanish 300 may not take Spanish 300 for credit. For students studying abroad, only two classes per semester may count toward the Spanish minor. There is no comprehensive examination.
The department also participates in the International and Global Studies Program.
The Spanish House: The Spanish department maintains a Spanish House where six or seven undergraduate residents live in a communal setting and, overseen by a graduate native speaker, use only Spanish. The house sponsors various cultural and social activities. Application forms are kept in the offices of the Spanish department.
