BA in Spanish (51–85 hours minimum*)
Program Requirements | View MAP
- At least 18 hours of upper-division major credit must be taken in residence at BYU.
- Meet the foreign language residency requirement.
- Complete a minor (approximately 16–21 hours), second major (approximately 30–60 hours), or supporting course work (15 hours).
Note: Latin American Studies or Spanish Studies minors: Span 321, 339, 345 or 355, and 441 or 451 meet requirements for both the Spanish major and the area studies minor. Only one of these courses may be double-counted (applied to both the major and the minor). Students wishing to complete a Spanish major and one of these area studies minors must
take an additional 6–9 hours chosen from the approved electives for either major or minor. Consult the department
and the advisement center for clarification of the choices available to you.
- Complete the following prerequisite courses (28 hours):
SPAN 101 : Foundational Spanish 1.
(4:5:2)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| DESCRIPTION: | Fundamentals of Spanish, emphasizing communication. (Acceletated sections available.) Pass/fail only. |
| NOTE: | For students with no previous Spanish. |
SPAN 102 : Foundational Spanish 2.
(4:5:2)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Span 101. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Continuation of Span 101. Fundamentals of Spanish, emphasizing communication. (Accelerated sections available.) Pass/fail only. |
SPAN 105 : University Spanish 1.
(4:5:1)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | two years of high school Spanish, Span 101/102, or placement by diagnostic test. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Continued development of grammar, cultural understanding, reading, writing, and conversation skills as introduced in foundational courses. Students are expected to attain an Intermediate-Mid proficiency level. |
SPAN 106 : University Spanish 2.
(4:5:1)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Span 105. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Expanded development of grammar, cultural understanding, reading, writing, and conversation skills as introduced in foundational and intermediate courses. Students are expected to attain an Intermediate-Mid to Intermediate-High proficiency level. |
SPAN 111R : Spanish Conversation 1.
(2:2.5:1)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Two years of high school Spanish, or Span 101/102, or equivalent. |
| RECOMMENDED: | Concurrent enrollment in Span 105. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Development of conversation skills in Spanish. |
SPAN 112R : Spanish Conversation 2.
(2:2.5:1)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Three years of high school Spanish, or Span 105, or equivalent. |
| RECOMMENDED: | Concurrent enrollment in Span 106. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Continued development of conversation skills in Spanish. |
SPAN 205 : University Spanish 3.
(4:5:1)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Four years of high school Spanish; or Span 106 or equivalent; or placement by diagnostic test. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Continued development of grammar, cultural understanding, conversation skills, writing, and reading through the study of literature. Students are expected to attain an Intermediate-High proficiency level. |
| NOTE: | Fulfills the University Core Languages of Learning requirement. |
SPAN 206 : University Spanish 4.
(4:5:1)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Span 205. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Expanded development of grammar, cultural understanding, conversation skills, writing, and reading through the study of literature. Students are expected to attain a strong Intermediate-High or Advanced-Low proficiency level. |
Note 1: Students with foreign residence experience usually begin with Span 321.
Note 2: Prerequisite courses may be waived for those having sufficient proficiency with the language.
- Complete the following (18 hours):
SPAN 321 : Third-Year Spanish Reading, Grammar, Culture, and Composition 1.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Span 206 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | First semester of a two-semester sequence. Intensive study and practice with Spanish grammar, vocabulary, and writings incorporating cultural and literary readings. |
| NOTE: | First class for returned Spanish-speaking missionaries. Fullfills the University Core Languages of Learning requirement. Required for Spanish major and minor. |
SPAN 322 : Third-Year Spanish Reading, Grammar, Culture, and Composition 2.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Span 321 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Second semester of a two-semester sequence. Intensive study and practice with Spanish grammar, vocabulary, and writings incorporating cultural and literary readings. |
| NOTE: | Some sections have readings and writing assignments focusing on the professions. Required for Spanish major and minor. |
SPAN 329 : Survey of Hispanic Linguistics.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 321 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Introduction to linguistics of Spanish: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, history of the Spanish language, philology, dialectology, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. |
SPAN 339 : Introduction to Spanish Literature.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 322 or concurrent enrollment. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Readings in modern Hispanic literatures, focusing on formal literary analysis. |
| NOTE: | Course is prerequisite to 400-level literature courses. |
- Complete one course from the following (3 hours):
- Complete 15 hours from the following:
Complete at least one linguistics course from the following:
SPAN 326 : Spanish Phonetics and Pronunciation.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 202, 302, or equivalents. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Spanish sound system; underlying concepts of Spanish speech production and applications to pronunciation. |
SPAN 423 : Border Spanish.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 321 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Mexican-American speech patterns, including language contact and bilingualism. |
| NOTE: | Previous course in linguistics strongly recommended. |
SPAN 425 : Contrastive Analysis of the Structures of Spanish and English.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 321. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Contrastive analysis of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of Spanish and English. |
SPAN 429R : Special Topics in Spanish Linguistics.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 326 or 329. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Course content varies yearly; focuses on specific area of linguistics such as dialectology or sociolinguistics. |
: Dialectology.
: Sociolinguistics.
: Language Planning.
: Bilingualism.
: Syntax.
: Semantics.
Complete at least one literature course from the following:
SPAN 446R : Nineteenth-Century Literature.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 441 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Romanticism (1770s through 1870s) and/or the novels of Benito Perez Galdos and his contemporaries. |
SPAN 448R : Twentieth-Century Spanish Literature.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 441 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Genre (twentieth-century novel, drama, or poetry) or particular school (Generation of 1898, Generation of 1927, etc.) emphasized. |
SPAN 449R : Special Topics in Spanish Literature.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 441 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Specific topics in Spanish (peninsular) literature. Course content will vary each semester to offer optimum exposure to all areas of Spanish literature. |
SPAN 450R : Early Spanish-American Literature.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 451 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Indigenous literature (Maya, Nahuatl, etc.) and other texts written in Spanish Colonial America through eighteenth century. |
SPAN 454R : The Spanish American Novel.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 451 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Selected Spanish-American novelists such as Juan Rulfo, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Alejo Carpentier, Mario Vargas-Llosa, etc. |
SPAN 458R : Hispanic-American Short Story.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 451 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Introduction and development of an important literary genre in Spanish America, including works of Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, Juan Rulfo, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, etc. |
SPAN 459R : Special Topics in Spanish American Literature.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 451 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Specific topics in Latin American literature. Course content will vary each semester to offer optimum exposure to all areas of Latin American literature. |
SPAN 461 : Spanish-Speaking American (Mexican-American) Literature.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 339 or instructor's consent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Spanish-English literature of the Mexican-American within the United States. |
Complete three additional courses (9 hours) from the linguistics or literature electives above or from the following (Span 345 and 355 will not double-count):
SPAN 365 : Mexican-American Culture.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 202, 302, or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Contemporary culture (education, popular and fine arts, worldview, attitudes, etc.) of the Mexican-American in the U.S. |
SPAN 395R : Contemporary Culture.
(.5-3:ARR:ARR)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 102 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Contemporary Spanish (or Spanish- American) culture: the people and their customs and institutions. |
| NOTE: | For Study Abroad programs only. |
SPAN 430R : Special Topics in Hispanic Culture.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| OFFERED: | F, W, Sp, Su |
| PREREQUISITE: | Span 322 or concurrent enrollment. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Regional and thematic approaches to Hispanic culture. Subject matter will vary. |
SPAN 438 : Hispanic Cinema.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 339 or equivalent. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Introduction to study of film; background in appreciating best of motion picture art in Spain and Spanish America. |
| NOTE: | Previous experience with film useful but not required. |
SPAN 439R : Hispanic Theatre Production.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | director's consent |
| DESCRIPTION: | Theory and practice of dramatic performance. Includes participation in play to be performed during semester. |
| NOTE: | No more than 3 hours of 439R credit may count toward any degree. |
SPAN 477 : Techniques of Spanish Instruction.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Span 321, 322, 326, 339; 345 or 355. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Techniques for teaching the four language skills and grammar, vocabulary, and culture; use of technology; assessing language achievement. |
| NOTE: | For students not enrolled in Spanish teaching major or minor. |
SPAN 480R : Directed Research in Spanish.
(.5-3:ARR:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Written proposal subject to department approval. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Under faculty member's direction, designing and conducting research project covering material not normally presented in regular course work. Research paper required. |
| NOTE: | Total Span 480R credit toward bachelor's degree not to exceed 3 hours. |
SPAN 490 : Senior Seminar in Spanish.
(3:3:0)
(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)| PREREQUISITE: | Senior standing. |
| DESCRIPTION: | Bibliography, research, and writing of senior thesis. |
| NOTE: | Recommended for students planning graduate studies in Spanish. |
- Complete the following:
Note: The Senior Proficiency Evaluation is taken in connection with Span 491. It is expected that Spanish majors will pass with a rating of advanced-low or higher.
*Hours include courses that may fulfill university core requirements.