Faculty of Arts & Science
Modern Languages
The Minor In
Spanish Interested in travelling and/or working in Latin America, Spain or the United States? Want to gain a skill that will enrich your world and open up greater job opportunities? Discover a new world—study Spanish.
Faculty of Arts & Science
Why Study Spanish? Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. There are over 400 million native speakers and millions more non-native speakers. Spanish is the de facto second language of the United States, where over 40 million people, around 14% of the population, are native speakers of Spanish. In Canada, Spanish is the fifth most spoken language. Students who pursue the Spanish minor will acquire a strong working knowledge of Spanish and learn about the historical and cultural heritage that characterizes the modern Spanish speaking world. Those who minor in Spanish may seek employment in local companies who do business with Spanish speaking clients locally and abroad. For speakers of Spanish, job opportunities also abound in media, banking, government service, foreign affairs, non-government organizations, research and ESL teaching. In our global economic environment, domestic and international companies are increasingly looking for employees with a second or third language, and who have backgrounds in multicultural studies.
What Will You Learn? In language classes you will focus on gaining speaking, listening, reading and writing proficiencies. You will also learn about how language and culture interact, so that you will be equipped to speak and act appropriately in a given situation. In culture and literature courses you will learn about the history and literature that have formed the modern Spanish speaking world. In other words, you will be become better equipped to interact with people in the Spanish speaking world because you will better understand the influences and stories that inform who they are. You may begin a Spanish minor with some knowledge of Spanish or none at all. A placement test is required for those with prior knowledge of Spanish, to help place you at the right level. The minor in Spanish is available as an adjunct in all BA, BSc and BASc majors.
What Other Programs Include Spanish? • •
Spanish is one of the disciplinary streams for a General Major in Humanities Spanish is part of the International Management minor
Spanish Courses Required for the minor: • • • •
Six courses in Spanish that must include SPAN 2300 and at least one Spanish course (3.0 credit hours) at the 3000/4000 level. Students may not count SPAN 1000 (Beginners’ Spanish I) among the six courses required for the minor. No more than one Independent Study (SPAN 2990, 3990, 4990) or Applied Studies (SPAN 2980, 3980, 4980) course may be counted towards the minor Courses taken through the Spanish Visiting Student program may be counted towards the minor.
Courses that may count towards the Spanish minor: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
SPAN 1100 – Beginner Spanish II SPAN 1500 – Intermediate Spanish I SPAN 2000 – Intermediate Spanish II SPAN 2100 – Fundamentals of Spanish Communication (Conversation) SPAN 3001 – Advanced Language SPAN 2200 – Culture and Civilization I SPAN 2250 – Spanish Immersion (semester abroad) SPAN 2300 – Introduction to Hispanic Literature and Literary Analysis SPAN 3002 – Spanish for Professional Contexts SPAN 3100 – Survey of Literature from Spain and Spanish America SPAN 3500 – Survey of Spanish and/or Spanish-American Literature (Series) SPAN 3501 – Seminar in Literature (Series) SPAN 4995 – Undergraduate Thesis
“Learning to speak Spanish by doing my minor at the U of L has allowed me to work and study as a tropical field biologist across Latin America, from the Amazon rainforest in Peru to cloud forests and coffee villages in Honduras, to the temperate mountain forests of northern Mexico. Besides opening myself up to a broad range of professional opportunities by studying a second language, speaking Spanish has also allowed me to experience the world from an entirely new perspective, and to learn about new cultures, history, customs, food and people in a way that would have otherwise been impossible.” Becky Friesen, BSc ‘15 (Co-op)
Department of Modern Languages 403 329 2560 languages@uleth.ca ulethbridge.ca/languages
Spanish Coordinator Dr. Brent DeVos 403 389 1857 brent.devos@uleth.ca
Study or Work in Spanish Study abroad & exchange opportunities
As part of your minor, you may choose to study in a Spanish speaking university. You may spend an entire semester abroad to gain a credit for SPAN 2250. You may also receive transfer credit for courses you take while there. The University of Lethbridge has exchange agreements with the following partner universities: • Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo, Ecuador • Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay • Universidad Blas Pascal, Argentina • Pontífica Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Chile • Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico • Universidad Panamericana, Mexico • Universidad de Córdoba, Spain • Universidad de Jaén, Spain
Spanish summer immersion program
You may spend 4-5 weeks in the summer semester at a Spanish speaking university with a group of University of Lethbridge students led by a member of our Spanish faculty.
Study abroad grant: •
Campus Alberta Grant for International Learning (CAGFIL)
French/Spanish major
You may wish to do a combined major in French and Spanish. For more information on the French/Spanish major go to: ulethbridge.ca/artsci/modern-languages/programs
Discover a new world—study Spanish. ulethbridge.ca/artsci/spanish