Requirements

Major in Spanish

The major consists of a minimum of nine courses numbered 0300 or above. The requirements are as follows:

At least six courses must be at the 0400 level or above. Or, a student must complete at least five courses at the 0400 level or above and a thesis. At least one of these 0400 level courses must be taken at Middlebury College during academic year in the student’s senior year. The other elective courses may be taken on the Middlebury College campus during the academic year or at the Middlebury Spanish School, the School in Spain, the Schools in Latin America, or, with departmental approval, at study abroad programs in Latin America sanctioned by Middlebury’s Programs Abroad Committee.
Study abroad in in a Spanish-speaking country for at least one semester is highly recommended and a course at the 300 level is required before studying abroad. Students are expected to consult with their advisor when selecting courses and making plans to study abroad.

Joint Major

The Spanish component of a joint major will consist of at least six courses from departmental offerings numbered 0300 and above, as follows:

At least five courses must be at the 0400 level or above.
At least two of these 0400 level or above courses must be taken at Middlebury College during the academic year. At least one of these 0400 level courses must be taken at Middlebury College during academic year in the student’s senior year. The other elective courses may be taken on the Middlebury College campus during the academic year or at the Middlebury Spanish School, the School in Spain, the Schools in Latin America, or, with departmental approval, at study abroad programs in Latin America sanctioned by Middlebury’s Programs Abroad Committee.
Study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country for at least one semester is highly recommended and a course at the 300 level is required before studying abroad. Students are expected to consult with their advisor when selecting courses and making plans to study abroad.

Spanish or Portuguese Courses

• Courses at the SPAN or PGSE 0100 through 0200 levels are Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Intermediate language instruction focused on developing skills in speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing.

• Courses at the SPAN or PGSE 0300 level introduce significant themes in literature, film and media, linguistics, and cultural studies. For Spanish, these courses are closed to juniors and seniors returning from study abroad.

• Courses at the SPAN or PGSE 0400 level are advanced offerings that explore in greater depth a specific line of inquiry applied to literary, cultural, film and media, or linguistic issues in the Lusophone and/or Hispanophone worlds, and satisfy the International Studies advanced language requirement in Spanish or Portuguese. (If a PGSE 400-level course is not available to a student, a 300-level one would fulfill the requirement.)

All courses taken abroad in Spanish or Portuguese are considered to be at the 400 level, regardless of their course number.

Minor in Spanish

The Spanish minor consists of at least four courses numbered 0300 or above, one of which must be at the 0400-level or above and taken at the Middlebury College campus during the academic year. Courses can be taken on campus during the academic year or at the Middlebury Spanish School, one of our Middlebury Schools Abroad Spanish-speaking sites, or, with departmental approval, at a Spanish-speaking site from study abroad programs sanctioned by Middlebury’s Programs Abroad Committee.

Minor in Portuguese

The Portuguese minor consists of at least four courses numbered 0300 or above. Courses can be taken on campus during the academic year or at the Middlebury College Portuguese Language School, the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in Brazil, or, with departmental approval, at study abroad programs sanctioned by Middlebury’s Programs Abroad Committee. At least one 0300-level or above course must be taken at the Middlebury College campus during the student’s final academic year.

Senior Work in Spanish

During the senior year, majors and joint majors must complete a 0400-level course.

International and Global Studies Major with Spanish or Portuguese Language

Language proficiency: Spanish, Portuguese, or French

Spanish students must take two semesters of either PGSE (0215 or above) or FREN (0105 or above)
Portuguese students must take two semesters of either SPAN (0201 or above) or FREN (0105 or above)
French students must take two semesters of either SPAN (0201 or above) or PGSE (0215 or above)

Advanced Placement

Middlebury College does not count examination-based pre-collegiate programs (AP, IB, etc.) toward college-wide requirements or graduation. These exams do not affect course placement, nor do they count toward the Spanish major or minor. Placement in Spanish courses is determined by an exam administered by the department.

In Portuguese, students must consult the Chair, who will arrange for a placement exam to be administered.

Programs Abroad for Juniors

The department expects that majors will spend at least one semester in residence in a Spanish-speaking country. Middlebury Schools Abroad offer both year and semester programs at the following sites:

Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Chile (Concepción, Santiago, Temuco, Valdivia, Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, and Villarrica)
Puerto Rico (San Juan, Mayaguëz)
Spain (Madrid, Córdoba, Getafe, and Logroño)
Uruguay (Montevideo)

Internship opportunities are available. For more information on these programs, please see the Schools Abroad. Students who are interested in going abroad and who are also double or joint majors or are thinking of participating in the teacher education program should consult with their advisors in both areas as early as possible to avoid any conflict in plans.

Students who are planning to study abroad in one of our Middlebury Schools Abroad Spanish-speaking sites are required to have taken at least one content course at the 0300 level or above. A content course is one that meets a requirement other than LNG.

For Portuguese, Middlebury’s School in Brazil offers both year and semester programs in Belo Horizonte, Florianópolis, or Niterói. Internship opportunities are available. For more information on these programs, please see the Schools Abroad. Students who are planning to study abroad at the Middlebury C.V. Starr School in Brazil are required to have taken at least one course at the 0215 level or above.

Honors in Spanish

The department will award honors on the basis of a student’s work in the department and performance in SPAN 0705. All students interested in receiving honors must contact their advisors at the start of their last year at Middlebury; either in September or in February. Please see complete information about the requirements in Thesis Guidelines.