Spanish, Bachelor of Arts College of Letters & Science
The Spanish major program assures proficiency in all four language skills-speaking, understanding, reading, and writing-and acquaints students with the intellectual and cultural contributions of the Spanish-speaking world through a study of its language, literature, and cultural productions.
The Program
The department's lower division program gives students a solid foundation in the Spanish language, either through the traditional elementary and intermediate language series or through an accelerated three-course sequence of Spanish for native speakers. At the upper division level, students receive a broad introduction to basic concepts and the practice of literary and cultural criticism and to the four areas of study represented in the department's curriculum: Spanish linguistics, Spanish literature and culture, Latin-American literature and culture, and Latina/o literatures and cultures in the United States. Students are encouraged to work closely with the department's academic advisors in designing a program of studies tailored to their individual needs and interests. Many students combine the Spanish major with another major in the humanities or social sciences.
Prerequisite Credit
Credit normally will not be given for a course if that course is the prerequisite of a course already successfully completed. Exceptions can be made by the Department Chairperson only.
Advising
Given the great flexibility in the Spanish major, it is important that students design their programs in close consultation with their major advisor. This is especially important for students who intend to use their major as preparation for graduate study, for those who are planning a teaching career, and for those who wish to take advantage of our Education Abroad Program options.
Major Advisors
213 Sproul Hall.
Career Alternatives
The program, alone or in combination with other major programs, may lead to advanced study of the language or literature and culture of Spain and Spanish America, and to careers not only in teaching, but also in other professions such as library science, law, medicine, and in government, social service, business, or international relations.
Honors Program
Candidates for high or highest honors in Spanish must write a senior thesis under the direction of a faculty member. For this purpose, honors candidates must enroll in at least 6 units of SPA 194H distributed over two quarters. Normally, a student will undertake the honors project during the first two quarters of the senior year; other arrangements must be authorized by the department chair. Only students who, at the end of their junior year (135 units), have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.500 in courses required for the major will be eligible for the honors program. The requirements for earning high and highest honors in Spanish are in addition to the regular requirements for the major in Spanish.
UC Education Abroad Program Options
The department encourages its majors to consider study in a Spanish-speaking country with our UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP). It is now possible for our students to complete significant portions of the Spanish major in the UCEAP centers at both the lower (Preparatory Subject Matter) and upper division levels through newly introduced options. See the Global Learning Hub.
UC Davis Quarter Abroad
The Quarter Abroad Program offers programs in Mendoza, Argentina (fall quarter) and in Madrid, Spain (spring quarter). These programs aim at providing students with opportunities to increase their knowledge of the Spanish language and cultures by experiencing the life-learning challenges of living and studying abroad.
Students may earn 15-22 UC Davis units toward the Spanish major, minor, or foreign language requirement. Each program may offer an upper division course taught by the UC Davis Program Director focusing on history, culture and society.
For more information, see UC Davis Quarter Abroad.
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Spanish Bachelor of Arts is 41.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| Choose one: | 5 | |
| Elementary Spanish | ||
or SPA 001V | Elementary Spanish | |
or SPA 001Y | Elementary Spanish | |
or SPA 001S | Elementary Spanish | |
| Choose one: | 5 | |
| Elementary Spanish | ||
or SPA 002S | Elementary Spanish | |
or SPA 002V | Elementary Spanish | |
or SPA 002Y | Elementary Spanish | |
| Choose one: | 5 | |
| Elementary Spanish | ||
or SPA 003S | Elementary Spanish | |
or SPA 003V | Elementary Spanish | |
or SPA 003Y | Elementary Spanish | |
| Choose one: | 5 | |
| Intermediate Spanish | ||
or SPA 021S | Intermediate Spanish | |
or SPA 021V | Intermediate Spanish | |
or SPA 021Y | Intermediate Spanish | |
| Choose one: | 5 | |
| Intermediate Spanish | ||
or SPA 022S | Intermediate Spanish | |
or SPA 022V | Intermediate Spanish | |
or SPA 022Y | Intermediate Spanish | |
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| Spanish Composition I | ||
or SPA 023S | Spanish Composition I | |
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| Spanish Composition II | ||
or SPA 024S | Spanish Composition II | |
| All of the above, OR | 0-15 | |
| Spanish for Heritage Speakers I and Spanish for Heritage Speakers II and Spanish for Heritage Speakers III | ||
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 0-33 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| Choose one in each of the following five areas: | 19-20 | |
| Group 1 | ||
| Principles of Hispanic Literature & Criticism | ||
| Principles of Hispanic Literature & Criticism | ||
| Introduction to Spanish Culture | ||
| Introduction to Spanish Culture | ||
| Introduction to Latinx Culture | ||
| Introduction to Latin American Culture | ||
| Introduction to Latin American Culture | ||
| Group 2 | ||
| The Structure of Spanish: Sounds & Words | ||
| History of the Spanish Language | ||
| Applied Spanish Linguistics | ||
| Applied Spanish Linguistics | ||
| Topics in Spanish Linguistics | ||
| Group 3 | ||
| Survey of Spanish Literature to 1700 | ||
| Survey of Spanish Literature: 1700 to Present | ||
| Don Quijote I | ||
| Special Topics in Spanish Cultural & Literary Studies | ||
| Group 4 | ||
| Survey of Latin American Literature to 1900 | ||
| Survey of Latin American Literature 1900 to Present | ||
| Great Works of Latin American Literature/Culture | ||
| Special Topics in Latin American Literature & Culture | ||
or SPA 159Y | Special Topics in Latin American Literature & Culture | |
| Special Topics in Latin American Literature & Culture | ||
| Group 5 | ||
| Teaching Spanish as a Native Tongue in the U.S.: Praxis & Theory | ||
| Chicano Culture | ||
| Literature in Spanish Written in the United States | ||
| Special Topics in Chicanx/Latinx Studies | ||
| California & Latin America | ||
| Choose six electives in consultation with the student’s major advisor: | 22-24 | |
| Depth Subject Matter Subtotal | 41-44 | |
| Total Units | 41-77 | |
A maximum of 6 units of SPA 199 may be counted toward the major. SPA 199 cannot be used to replace regular departmental courses.
Electives Outside the Spanish Department
Students may, with the approval of their advisor, choose up to two electives outside the Spanish department in such programs as:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| African American & African Studies | ||
| AAS 107A | African Descent Communities & Culture in the Caribbean & Latin America | 4 |
| AAS 180 | Race & Ethnicity in Latin America | 4 |
| Anthropology | ||
| ANT 144 | Contemporary Societies & Cultures of Latin America | 4 |
| Art History | ||
| AHI 151 | Arts of the Ancient New World | 4 |
| Chicana/o Studies | ||
| CHI 154 | The Chicana/o Novel | 4 |
| CHI 155 | Chicana/o Theater | 4 |
| CHI 156 | Chicana/o Poetry | 4 |
| CHI 160 | Mexican Film & Greater Mexican Identity | 4 |
| CHI 170 | Contemporary Issues in Chicano Art | 4 |
| CHI/ART 171 | Mexican & Chicano Mural Workshop | 4 |
| Comparative Literature | ||
| COM 152 | Literature of the Americas | 4 |
| COM 165 | Caribbean Literatures | 4 |
| COM 165S | Caribbean Literatures | 4 |
| Education | ||
| EDU 151 | History & Approaches to Multilingualism in K-12 Contexts | 3 |
| EDU 152 | Academic Spanish for Bilingual Teachers | 3 |
| History | ||
| HIS 159 | Women & Gender in Latin American History | 4 |
| HIS 160 | Spain & America in the 16th Century | 4 |
| HIS 164 | History of Chile | 4 |
| HIS 165 | Latin American Social Revolutions | 4 |
| HIS 166A | History of Mexico to 1848 | 4 |
| HIS 166B | History of Mexico since 1848 | 4 |
| HIS 167 | Modern Latin American Cultural & Intellectual History | 4 |
| HIS 168 | History of Inter-American Relations | 4 |
| HIS 169A | Mexican-American History | 4 |
| HIS 169B | Mexican-American History | 4 |
| Linguistics | ||
| LIN 166 | The Spanish Language in the United States | 4 |
| Native American Studies | ||
| NAS 120 | Ethnopolitics of South American Indians | 4 |
| NAS 133A | Ethnohistory of Native Peoples of Mexico & Central America to 1500 | 4 |
| NAS 133B | Ethnohistory of Native Peoples of Mexico & Central America 1500 to 2000 | 4 |
| NAS 184 | Contemporary Indigenous Literature of Mexico | 4 |
Educational Objectives
- Linguistics. Demonstrate knowledge of the Spanish speaking world's linguistic diversity through the comprehension of Spanish in a variety of situations, discursive modes and historical, regional or social variations. Demonstrates analytic, interpretative, and critical thinking skills; SPA 111N, SPA 113, SPA 115/SPA 115S, SPA 116, SPA 117, SPA 118, SPA 180.
- Literature. Demonstrate analytic, interpretative and critical thinking skills with respect to literary texts from Latin America, Spain, the United States and other countries in which there is a literary production in Spanish; SPA 100/SPA 100S, SPA 130, SPA 131N, SPA 134A/SPA 134B, SPA 142 (Spain); SPA 150N, SPA 151, SPA 157, SPA 159/SPA 159S (Latin America); SPA 117, SPA 174, SPA 176, SPA 177 (United States).
- Culture. Demonstrate cultural awareness with respect to the diversity of cultural products and manifestations produced in the Spanish speaking world (Latin America, Spain, the United States and other countries in which there is a cultural production in Spanish; SPA 100/SPA 100S, SPA 141/SPA 141S, SPA 170/SPA 170S, SPA 174.
- Film & Art. Demonstrate analytic interpretative and critical thinking skills with respect to linguistics, literature and cultural studies.