College of Letters & Science
Spanish and Portuguese
Major in Spanish
Honors in the Major in Spanish
Major in Portuguese
Honors in the Major in Portuguese
Additional Information about Course Work
Special Opportunities
Portuguese Courses
Spanish Courses
1018 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608-262-2093; fax 608-262-9671; spanpor@mhub.spanish.wisc.edu; spanport.lss.wisc.edu
Professors Albuquerque, Bilbija, Corfis, Hildner, Hutchinson, Madureira, Medina, Podestá, Risley, Sapega, Zamora; Associate Professors Beilin, Close, De Ferrari, Egea, Frantzen, Sánchez; Assistant Professors Ancos, Goldgel-Carballo, Hernández, Pellegrini, Rao, Stafford; Lecturer Alcalá-Galán, Pujol; Faculty Associates Cudlipp, Gemrich; Associate Faculty Associates Egon, Harrington, Kaaikiola Strohbusch
Undergraduate advisor in the major: Karen Thompson, 702 Van Hise Hall, 608-265-3183, klthompson3@wisc.edu; see also Advising on the department Web site
Faculty diversity liaison: Juan Egea, jfegea@wisc.edu
Major in Spanish
Requirements
Students declaring the Spanish major on or after September 2, 1999, must choose between two major tracks.
All Spanish majors who are requested to do so in writing must participate in an oral proficiency exercise. No minimum achievement on this exercise is required, but the student must participate when requested to do so.
Details on the oral proficiency exercise can be found on the supplementary information sheet which each student signs upon declaring the major.
All students must fulfill the L&S requirement of at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major completed in residence. All Spanish courses numbered 300 or above count toward this requirement.
Prerequisites for Both Major Tracks
Concurrent enrollment is permitted. All three prerequisites must be completed before studying more advanced levels of literature or civilization and culture.
Spanish 223 (Introduction to Hispanic Cultures)
Spanish 224 (Introduction to Hispanic Literature)
Spanish 226 (Intermediate Language Practice with Emphasis on Writing and Grammar)
TRACK A: Language and Hispanic Studies
Requirements
- Language and Linguistics: 311 (Introduction to Advanced Language Practice); plus 320 (Spanish Phonetics); plus 3 credits in a Spanish linguistics course; plus 3 additional credits in another Spanish language practice course. (12 credits)
- Culture/Civilization: one 3-credit course beyond 223. (3 credits)
- Literature: One 300-level survey of literature (322 Survey of Early Hispanic Literature, 324 Survey of Modern Spanish Literature, or 326 Survey of Spanish American Literature); plus another literature course at or above the 300-level (Spanish 322 is recommended for those interested in historical linguistics). (6 Credits)
- Elective Credits in Spanish: 6 additional credits in courses at or above the 300 level to be selected from language practice, linguistics, culture/civilization, and literature courses in Spanish, or from "fourth" credits for those courses. Students may also choose to take up to 6 credits in another Romance language by taking intensive courses such as Portuguese 301, Italian 201, Honors French and/or more advanced offerings. (6 credits)
Total: 27 credits
TRACK B: Literature and Hispanic Studies
Requirements
- Literature: 3 credits in the survey Spanish 322 and 3 credits in one other 300-level survey; plus 6 credits in literature courses at the 400 level. (12 credits)
- Culture/Civilization: At least 3 credits in a civilization/culture course beyond Spanish 223. (3 credits)
- Language and Linguistics: 311 and at least one other language practice course at the 300 level. Students may select 320 (Spanish Phonetics) as language practice and as a linguistics prerequisite. (6 credits)
- Elective Credits in Spanish: Same as for Track A (6 credits)
Total: 27 credits
Honors in the Major in Spanish
Students wishing to enroll in Honors in the Major in Spanish must consult with the honors advisor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese to declare an Honors Major. Honors candidates in Spanish are expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 for all Spanish courses at or above the 300 level and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 in all courses taken at UW-Madison at the time of graduation. Honors candidates in Spanish are required to take the prerequisite 223 and 224 courses for honors credit, or 6 substitute credits as approved by the honors advisor. In addition, to fulfill Honors in the Major in Spanish, candidates are required to take a minimum of 18 honors credits in courses at or above the 300 level. Undergraduate courses in which Honors candidates can enroll for honors credits are indicated by "%," "!," and "H" in the Course Guide.
Honors candidates should consult with the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester regarding the honors work to be done in each particular undergraduate course. Of the 18 credits, 6 must be in the Senior Honors Thesis (681/682) or two graduate courses or seminars (totaling 6 credits) taken with special permission of the department honors advisor. Honors candidates are sometimes encouraged to attend a graduate seminar while in the early stages of developing their senior thesis research. The faculty advisor for the Senior Honors Thesis should be consulted about the project as early as possible (and no later than the beginning of the student's junior year) to formulate a topic and to allow the student the potential to take part in the funding cycle for their senior year.
Students should be aware that Honors in the Major is still under development, and thus should not assume that the requirements specified in this catalog are complete or fully described. Students should check with the department honors advisor at least once a year to make sure that requirements have not been modified, as well as to seek guidance about planning the best possible Honors in the Major curriculum that reflects their special interests.
Major in Portuguese
Requirements
[Note: Requirements for the Portuguese major were revised effective fall 2010; catalog updates 7/19/11, 10/26/11]
26 credits beyond Portuguese 201 (may not include Portuguese 301, which is the equivalent of 101 and 102). Must include:
- Literature: One 400-level survey of literature course (411, 412, 467, or 468) and another literature course at the 400 level or above. (6 credits)
- Culture/Civilization: At least one civilization/culture course at the 300 level or above. (4 credits)
- Composition and Conversation: Two composition courses (225, 226, 311, or 312). (6 credits)
- Elective Credits in Portuguese: Two additional courses at the 300 level or above to be selected from literature, culture/civilization, composition, or linguistics in Portuguese, or from "fourth" credits for those courses. (6 credits)
- Equivalent of two university semesters of another Romance language (Spanish, French, Italian), preferably Spanish, taken either in high school or in college.
All Portuguese majors are required to submit to the department, before graduation, a portfolio consisting of four pieces of writing from Portuguese courses of the 300 level and above. Each must be at least 300 words and must be distributed as follows:
1 sample from a literature course
1 sample from a language practice course
1 sample from a culture/civilization course
1 sample from another Portuguese course (300 and above) of the student's choosing
Details on submission of the portfolio can be found on the supplementary information sheet which each student signs upon declaring the major.
All students must fulfill the L&S requirement of at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major completed in residence. All Portuguese courses designated "advanced" (A) level count toward this requirement.
Honors in the Major in Portuguese
Students wishing to enroll in Honors in the Major in Portuguese must consult with the honors advisor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese to declare an Honors Major. Honors candidates in Portuguese are expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 for all Portuguese courses at or above the 300 level and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 in all courses taken at UW-Madison at the time of graduation. Honors candidates in Portuguese are required, like all Portuguese majors, to take 24 credits in Portuguese courses beyond 102, and 8 credits of another Romance language. Honors candidates must take a minimum of 16 of these credits as honors courses. Undergraduate courses in which honors candidates can enroll for honors credits are indicated by "%," "!, and "H" in the Course Guide.
Honors candidates should consult with the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester regarding the honors work to be done in each particular undergraduate course. Of the 16 credits, 6 must be in the Senior Honors Thesis (681/682) or two graduate courses or seminars (totaling 6 credits) taken with special permission of the department honors advisor. The faculty advisor for the Senior Honors Thesis should be consulted about the project as early as possible (and not later than the beginning of the student's junior year) to formulate a topic and to allow the student the potential to take part in the funding cycle for their senior year.
Students should be aware that Honors in the Major is still under development, and thus should not assume that the requirements specified in this catalog are complete or fully described. Students should check with the department honors advisor at least once a year to make sure that requirements have not been modified, as well as to seek guidance about planning the best possible Honors in the Major curriculum that reflects their special interests.
Additional Information about Course Work
The following courses are classified as Spanish language practice courses: 101, 102, 203, 204, 206, 207, 226, 311, 319, 320, 323, 325, 329, 359, 473.
Spanish linguistics courses are: 320, 327, 429, 474.
Portuguese language courses are: 101, 102, 201, 202, 207, 225, 226, 301, 302, 311, 312, 326, 330, 333, 335, 337, 340, 429.
Spanish literature courses are: 322, 324, 326, 414, 417, 435, 456, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 475.
Portuguese literature courses are: 221, 411, 412, 413, 414, 443, 446, 450, 451, 465, 467, 468, 469, 472, 640, 641.
Spanish culture/civilization courses are: 361, 363, 468, 469, 476.
Portuguese civilization courses are: 361, 362.
Lower-division courses have been planned for students who take Spanish for the first time at the university, as well as for those who began study in high school. The beginning Spanish courses are 101 and 102, which meet five hours per week for 4 credits. The second-year courses, 203 and 204, build on the language skills introduced in the elementary courses.
The third-year courses are Spanish 223, a general introduction to Hispanic cultures, Spanish 224, a general introduction to literary analysis, genres, and movements in Hispanic literature, and Spanish 226, a language practice course which emphasizes composition and grammar review. All three of these courses must be completed before students enroll in higher-level literature and culture/civilization courses.
The advanced language courses are Spanish 311, 319, 320, 323, 325, 329, and 359. These courses concentrate on such areas as translation, writing of compositions and creative pieces, phonetics, and Spanish for non-humanities professionals and fields of study.
Several of the advanced courses in literature and civilization are given in Spanish in regular rotation to enable students specializing in literature to be exposed to the different literary genres and periods. Courses in Spanish philology/linguistics open to undergraduates are 320, 327, and 429.
Courses in elementary, intermediate, and advanced Portuguese are also offered (the course sequence is similar to that of Spanish). Portuguese is important in a comparative study of Romance languages and as the language of Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, anto Tomé and Príncipe, and parts of Asia.
Special Opportunities
Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (LACIS) as a major. See section on LACIS in this catalog.
La mesa de conversación. Interested students and instructors meet once a week for informal conversation in Spanish.
Bate-papo. Interested students and instructors meet once a week for informal conversation in Portuguese.
Study Abroad. Students may receive resident credit for study abroad through programs sponsored by the UW-Madison: the Oaxaca, México, summer and winter-break programs; the CIC summer and fall program in the Dominican Republic; the CIC summer program in Guanajuato, México; programs in Madrid, Granada, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Cuba, and Portugal; and the CIEE programs in Brazil, Seville, and Alcalá de Henares.
For a list of graduate courses and programs, see the Graduate School Catalog.