2007-08 Undergraduate Catalog
Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705
 

Chairperson: Laura L. Delbrugge

Faculty: Barton, Broad, Brooks, Glisan, Hernández, Jurewiez, McDaniel, Rodríguez, Ryan-Sams, Smith-Sherwood, Thornton

Professors emeriti: Foltz, Mendizábal

Website: www.iup.edu/spanish

The Department of Spanish offers a varied curriculum designed to provide not only basic language instruction in Spanish, but also the more advanced competencies needed by language specialists and students hoping to take advantage of an international study experience. For the undergraduate Spanish major, the department has three degree programs: the B.S. in Education, the B.A. degree with a major in Spanish, and the B.A. degree with a major in Spanish for International Trade. The latter degree program provides solid undergraduate degree training preparatory to an M.B.A. in International Management.

Students majoring in Spanish will acquire proficiency in all phases of the language and enter more deeply into the history, culture, and literature of Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish majors generally find employment in government work, librarianship, journalism, foreign trade, airlines, tourism, business, criminology, and teaching. Students choosing careers as secondary school teachers will find the close supervision and advanced methodology offered by the department a distinct asset.

College Language Requirements

Students in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, who must pass an intermediate-level language course requirement for graduation, may choose any one of the four languages offered by the Foreign Language departments: French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Those choosing the Spanish option will fulfill the requirement by successfully completing SPAN 201 or 211*. The student with no previous foreign language study will take SPAN 101-102 or 111* as a prerequisite; the credits will not be applicable to any college or department requirements (except for students in Hospitality Management who may fulfill their 3-9-credit language requirement with SPAN 111* or 211* or 131-132 or with two 4-credit courses) but may be counted as general electives in the total required for graduation. Students in the other colleges may choose to take one of the languages offered (at the intermediate level) in fulfilling the requirements of Liberal Studies electives.

*Course is currently inactive.

Students with previous Spanish study in high school will be placed into the appropriate course levels by means of a written departmental exam, administered prior to the beginning of the semester. In addition, as deemed necessary, especially in the case of native or heritage speakers, students’ writing and speaking proficiency will be assessed by one or more faculty members in the Department of Spanish. Each student’s individual requirements and the judgment of the classroom instructors will also be considered in placement. No student will be allowed to register for or take a D/F repeat in SPAN 101, 102, or 201 when credit has already been received for a higher-numbered course.

Incoming students may receive course credit for their oral proficiency levels in Spanish through the American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendation Service and Language Testing International (LTI), the assessment agency for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Students who have taken an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) through LTI, received a proficiency rating by LTI, and received credit recommendation by ACE may receive the following course credits in Spanish at IUP:

Spanish for Elementary Education Majors

Elementary Education majors may earn a minor in Spanish for Elementary Teaching which will prepare them to teach in elementary programs in which content teaching in the Spanish language is the objective. To complete this minor students must: 1) attain a minimum level of Intermediate-High in Spanish on the ACTFL/ETS oral proficiency scale the semester prior to Student Teaching;* 2) successfully complete a six-week summer study abroad experience with IUP’s Mexico Summer Study Abroad Program** (usually the summer following the junior year); 3) successfully complete the student teaching experience in a bilingual or partial immersion elementary school classroom; and 4) complete the following minimum number of credits in Spanish:

 *The placement proficiency level may vary, depending on student teacher placement; see advisor.

**Other program options may be available for Elementary Education students pending consultation with advisor.

Spanish Honors Program

The honors program is open by departmental permission to Spanish and Secondary Spanish Education majors with a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA and a 3.25 GPA in Spanish courses.

To apply, students must submit two letters of reference from Spanish Department faculty members and a two-page self-statement describing the student’s academic and career goals.

Students complete two semesters of SPAN 483/H/, CHSS 489 (a multidisciplinary colloquium emphasizing problem-solving, discussion, reading, and writing on a topic or theme), and one course from SPAN 410-431. Students must earn at least a B in each course completed for the track. To determine how honors track courses will be integrated into existing requirements for the Spanish or Secondary Spanish Education major, students should consult their advisors.

Study Abroad and Internships

Study Abroad: The university has established study-abroad centers in Spain, Mexico, and Costa Rica. The program in Valladolid, Spain, is a second-semester-only program, whereas the ones in Mexico and Costa Rica are summer programs. All majors are required to participate in study abroad; nonmajors are also accepted into these programs. The 18 credits in Spain, 7 credits in Mexico, or 4 credits in Costa Rica are applicable, all or in part, to a major or a minor in Spanish. Students interested in more information should contact the Department of Spanish.

Internships: Internships in Spain, Mexico, and Costa Rica are available through the department. Internships take place during the summer and vary from six weeks to two months in duration. Internship is a credit-bearing course, SPAN 493, and all interns are enrolled in the first session of summer school. Noncredit internships cannot be considered. Students enrolled in the Spanish for International Trade program are strongly urged to do an internship in order to gain credibility in the field of international business. Internships are available in banking, government, social work, communications, education, marketing, and many other fields. Arranging an internship abroad takes considerable long-range planning, and anyone interested should contact the Spanish Department at least three months in advance.

Bachelor of Arts–Spanish

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Bachelor of Arts–Spanish for International Trade

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B.S.Ed.–Secondary Spanish Education

The following additional requirements for Spanish Education in the Admission to Teacher Education and Certification Process are required. Please see the remainder of the requirements for all B.S.Ed. majors in the “3-Step Process for Teacher Education” in the College of Education and Educational Technology section of this catalog.

Mid-Program Review

Progress is reviewed in the semester in which students complete EDUC 242 with a grade of C or better and have at least 60 credits. At that point, students must meet the following departmental requirements.

1.     Successfully complete an English essay. Students read a recent article dealing with innovations in teaching and are asked to respond to certain questions in light of their coursework and teaching experiences at IUP.

2.     Attain an intermediate-mid or higher level on an individual Oral Proficiency Interview in Spanish (ACTFL-ETS).

3.     Satisfactorily complete an interview in English with the Spanish Education coordinator, a second faculty member from the Department of Spanish, and one cooperating teacher, in order to assess ability to interact with others on a professional level.

4.     Hold at least a 3.0 GPA in Spanish.

Admission to Student Teaching

1.     Attain an advanced-low rating or higher on an individual Oral Proficiency Interview in Spanish (ACTFL-ETS).

2.     Hold at least a 3.0 GPA in Spanish.

3.     Earn a grade of C or higher in SPAN 404 and 453.

Bachelor of Science in Education–Secondary Spanish Education (*)

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