Spanish, BA

Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Spanish

Program Overview

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers courses of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Chinese, French, German, Japanese Studies, and Spanish. In addition, the department offers minors in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. All courses in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures are taught primarily in the target language, unless the course is cross-listed with the World Literature Program or other interdisciplinary programs. In addition, the department offers language courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, and Portuguese. 

Career opportunities for students majoring or minoring in these areas exist in college and university teaching, translation, and interpretation, diplomatic and other government service, business, health care, international nonprofit agencies, and the arts. A minor in a modern language and literature can enhance a student's major course of study in a variety of fields, including the natural sciences and engineering. 

Majors in Spanish are expected to acquire the ability to understand, speak, read, and write in Spanish and to develop a broad foundation in the relevant literatures and cultures.

Placement Procedure

Students with prior experience in Spanish, however acquired (e.g., in high school, at another institution, or via study abroad), work with department faculty members to determine an appropriate level at which to start. In general, one year of high school language instruction is the equivalent to one university-level course. Therefore, Spanish I in high school is the equivalent of Spanish 101 at CWRU. Students who have taken four years or more of one language in high school are generally eligible to take 300-level language courses at CWRU, but the department recommends starting with a course numbered under 320.

Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the Spanish language: listening and speaking; writing and reading; and be able to express abstract thoughts in the acquired language.
  • Students will be able to demonstrate translingual and transcultural competence, by perfecting their ability to operate between languages and global cultures.
  • Students will be able to analyze texts written in Spanish as well as in translation, such as but not limited to literature, including cinema and other types of cultural productions and non-fiction writings.
  • Students will be able to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired to conduct research in a foreign language and practice academic and professional standards.

Teacher Licensure

Students admitted to Case Western Reserve University prior to Fall 2024 can declare a secondary major in Teacher Education and prepare for licensure in Adolescent to Young Adult (grades 7-12) in any one of the following areas: Integrated Language Arts (English major), Integrated Social Studies (history major), Integrated Mathematics (mathematics major), Life Science (biology major), or Physical Science (chemistry or physics major); or 2) Multi-Age (grades preK-12) in French, Spanish, or Latin. Eligible students interested in the teacher education program should refer to the General Bulletin for the year they entered Case Western Reserve University for the specific program requirements. 

Undergraduate Policies

For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Combined Bachelor's/Master's Programs

Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Program Requirements

Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.

The major in Spanish requires a minimum of 10 courses, equivalent to 30-35 credit hours. 

Course requirements are as follows:

  • For students placed into 200-level coursework, the major requirements include: SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I, SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II, and eight 300-level courses taught in the target language from among those on the courses tab.
  • For students placed into 300-level coursework, the major requirements include ten 300-level courses taught in the target language from among those on the courses tab.

Students may replace up to two 300-level courses with related courses. Related courses are those outside the department which are closely related to Spanish culture, as well as those departmental courses cross-listed with World Literature.

Additional Information for Spanish majors:

  • Students who start at 100 or 200-level need to take SPAN 310.
  • At least three of the 300-level courses should be numbered above 320.

Departmental Honors

The departmental honors program is for especially dedicated majors. Requirements for honors in modern languages and literatures are:

  1. a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major;
  2. an honors thesis (SPAN 397, SPAN 398) in addition to the major credit hour requirements

The thesis is devoted to a literary, linguistic, or cultural topic and must be written in the target language. It must be read and approved by two readers and will be accepted for honors only if it achieves a grade of B or better. Students who qualify receive their degree "with Honors in Modern Languages and Literatures." A registration form for students applying for honors is available in the departmental office.

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