Location: Bowdoin / Spanish / Curriculum

Spanish

Cartagena, Colombia - photo by Prof. Nadia Celis '05
Cartagena, Colombia – photo by Prof. Nadia Celis

The curriculum in Spanish is designed to deepen and broaden students’ knowledge of the language and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. As students progress through the course sequence, they are encouraged to pursue their own intellectual interests with increasing complexity and independence.

The Spanish Program offers the following types of courses, all of them conducted in Spanish:


Course Type Course Number Maximum Students
Language Sequence
Designed to achieve mastery of the Spanish language and become conversant with Hispanic cultural history.		 101-204 18
Advanced Spanish
Introduces the methods and scope of the discipline, and provides in-depth grammar review in comparative perspective.
Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or placement.		 205 18
Introduction to Hispanic Studies
Survey Hispanic cultural history from the 1200s to the present, while fostering familiarity with major currents of literary and artistic production.
Prerequisite: Spanish 205 or placement.		 209-210 18
Topics in Hispanic Cultures
Provide an understanding of cultural developments and debates in specific regions of the Spanish-speaking world.
Prerequisite: Spanish 209 or 210.		 300-309 16
Topics in Hispanic Literature and Cultural Studies
Deepen the study of specific aspects of the cultural production from the Spanish-speaking world with particular emphasis on literary or film analysis, often directly linked to the instructor’s research work.
Prerequisites: Spanish 209 and 210.		 310-349 16
Independent Study and Honors
Available to advanced students who wish to work more closely on a particular topic on which they have conducted research.
Prerequisites: Application and project proposal approved by the Department, and at least one Spanish course above 309.		 401-404 1

Useful References

Requirements for the Major and Minor in Spanish

The Major consists of nine courses above Spanish 204*, including:

  • Spanish 205, 209 and 210.
  • Three courses at the 300-level, at least two of which must be taken at Bowdoin.
  • Students are strongly encouraged to include courses dealing with all periods and several Spanish-speaking contexts.

* or eight courses above 204 for students beginning in 101, 102, or 203.

The Minor requires at least three Bowdoin courses in Spanish above 204, including one 300-level course.