Course Offerings in Spanish

Spanish 121 and Spanish 122 are the first and second-semester courses many students take to complete their language requirement at Central College. They also provide a strong foundation for those who choose to continue their studies of Spanish. These classes meet four times a week in addition to two half-hour conversation labs.
The beginning Spanish sequence at Central is designed to provide the vocabulary and grammar students will need in order to communicate at a basic level. Students are expected to reach a level of novice-high by the end of the first semester and intermediate-low by the end of the second semester, based on the ACTFL scale. Emphasis is also placed on fostering cross-cultural understanding by giving students an awareness of the cultures in which Spanish is spoken.
For those students who participate in the Yucatan program in Merida, Mexico, an intensive beginning Spanish course, Spanish 125, is offered. Students take this course six hours per week for a semester while studying in the Yucatan and receive the equivalent of two semesters in one.

Intermediate Spanish:

	Spanish 221 and Spanish 222 continue to develop the skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing begun at the beginning level, with particular emphasis on developing oral proficiency. Classes meet four times a week in addition to two half-hour conversation labs.
Students are expected to achieve a level of intermediate-mid on the ACTFL scale by the end of Spanish 222. Students also learn more about life and culture in Spain and Latin America and are introduced to literary and non-literary readings.
Some students in Spanish 222 have engaged in service learning projects in order to meet their "x" (experiential learning) requirement and gain exposure to Spanish speaking populations.

Advanced Spanish: Grammar, Composition & Conversation:

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Spanish 321 and 322 aim to help the student prepare for upper-level coursework and reach a proficiency level of intermediate-high on the ACTFL scale. Particular attention is given to developing advanced oral and written skills needed for content classes conducted in the language and clarifying difficult grammar concepts. Classes meet four times a week in addition to two half-hour conversation labs.

Literature courses:

Spanish 323 - Introduction to Hispanic Literature is a three-credit course which serves as a basis for more advanced literature classes and is required of all majors. It can be taken at the same time as Spanish 322. Spanish 332 - Modern Spanish Literature and Spanish 342 - Modern Spanish American Literature are survey courses which give an overview of twentieth century literature in Spain and Latin America. They are offered in alternate years and require extensive reading and writing. Spanish 361 - Studies in Hispanic Literature is offered on an occasional basis to meet specific student needs and interests. Spanish 485 and 486 are seminar courses in Spanish and Spanish American literature respectively, which are offered in alternate years. Majors are required to take one of these courses during their senior year after returning from Spain. The topics vary from semester to semester. Other literature classes are available in Spain. Our literature classes aim to help the student gain skills in interpreting literature, and increase their understanding of the cultural and social context of the literature, while continuing to build language skills.

Culture and Civilization courses:

Two culture and civilization courses are offered on the Pella campus in alternate years: Spanish 343 - Civilization of Hispanic America and Spanish 350 - Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. In addition, most students take a Spanish culture and civilization course while in Spain. Spanish 490 - Topics in Spanish Culture and Civilization may also be offered occasionally for those students returning from Spain who wish to study current issues in Spanish culture. Spanish 343 gives an overview of the varied cultures that comprise Latin America and explores issues such as social class, ethnicity, family and gender, education, religion, human rights and the arts. Spanish 350 focuses on the history, politics and cultures of the major groups which make up the Hispanic/Latino population of the U.S. and explores issues such as language, identity, immigration, education, generational conflict and media representation. Both classes make extensive use of film, music, art, literature and internet resources to provide a rich vision of these cultures. Students also continue to develop their proficiency in the language through content-driven discussion and writing.

Beginning Spanish:

Intermediate Spanish:

Advanced Spanish: Grammar, Composition & Conversation:

Literature courses:

Culture and Civilization courses: