Spanish and Community and Culture BA

Capstone Major

The Spanish and Community and Culture major is a designated capstone major. Students participate in community-based experiential learning courses coupled with elective and adjunct courses. Reflective journals, final projects, and in-class presentations are required. Through their capstone work, students should have mastery of the Spanish language, ability to conduct and interpret research to determine the needs of specific communities, critical understanding and ability to apply theories within a service context, sensitivity to diversity and cultural differences, and ability to perform scholarly presentations that tie current issues to research and theory.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrated written and conversational mastery of the Spanish language

Conduct and interpret research to determine the needs of specific communities

Demonstrated critical understanding of, and ability to apply, theories within a service context

Demonstrated sensitivity to diversity and cultural differences

Performance of scholarly presentations that tie current issues to research and theory

Articulation of the value of civic engagement

Entry to the Major

Transfer Students

Major Requirements

Preparation for the Major

Complete four courses as follows:

SPAN 42 - Iberian Cultures SPAN 44 - Latin American Cultures

Spanish 25 or 27

Spanish M35 or Portuguese M35

The Major

Complete 10 courses as follows:

Spanish Grammar

Literary Analysis

Spanish Literature, Culture, Linguistics, or Media studies

Select four courses from:

SPAN 130 - Topics in Medieval Studies SPAN 135 - Topics in Early Modern Studies SPAN 140 - Topics in Modern Studies SPAN 150 - Topics in Contemporary Studies SPAN 155 - Topics in U.S. Latina/o Studies SPAN 160 - Topics in Spanish Linguistics SPAN 170 - Topics in Interdisciplinary and Transhistorical Studies SPAN 175 - Topics in Creative Writing and Translation SPAN 195 - Community Internships in Spanish

Interdisciplinary Studies

Select two courses from:

CCAS 100XP - Barrio Organization and Service Learning CCAS CM106 - Health in Chicano/Latino Population CCAS M119 - Chicano/Latino Community Formation: Critical Perspectives and Oral Histories CCAS 120 - Immigration and Chicano Community CCAS M121 - Issues in Latina/Latino Poverty: Mexican and Central American Voices from Los Angeles CCAS M122 - Planning Issues in Latina/Latino Communities: Preserving and Strengthening Community Assets in Mexican and Salvadoran Los Angeles CCAS 131 - Barrio Popular Culture CCAS M144 - Women's Movement in Latin America CCAS 149 - Gendered Politics and Chicana/Latina Political Participation CCAS 181 - History of Chicana/Chicano Los Angeles, 20th Century SOCIOL M155 - Latinos in U.S.

Capstone Community-Based and Experiential Learning Courses

Honors Program

Portuguese 198A and Spanish 198A are 4-unit courses in which students research and prepare a draft of a thesis on a selected topic; Portuguese 198B and Spanish 198B are 2-unit courses in which students complete the final thesis draft of approximately 25 to 30 pages. Approval of the honors thesis by the faculty mentor is the final requirement for departmental honors. Portuguese 198A-198B and Spanish 198A-198B may not be applied toward the majors.

PORTGSE 198A - Senior Honors Research in Portuguese I SPAN 198A - Senior Honors Research in Spanish I

Policies

Preparation for the Major Policies

The Major Policies

Honors Program

The departmental honors program is open to majors who have completed a minimum of six upper-division major courses with a 3.7 grade-point average or better in those six courses. Eligibility is verified by the departmental counselor. On the basis of their coursework and special interests, students then consult with a faculty member in that field and formulate a research project that they pursue under the faculty member’s guidance through Portuguese 198A-198B or Spanish 198A-198B.