Apr 16, 2024  
2015-2016 CSU East Bay Catalog 
    
2015-2016 CSU East Bay Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Spanish, B.A.


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs of Study

Program Description


The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Cal State East Bay offers courses of study leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in French and Spanish. Academic Minors are offered in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Sign Language, Spanish and Chinese Language and Cultural Studies. Elementary courses are offered also in Filipino and Japanese. All programs have been designed to provide students with the cultural understanding and the academic knowledge necessary for future pursuits in the teaching of foreign languages and literatures or for graduate work in the same fields. Students may utilize other languages and literatures offered in the department as part of a Special Major in various area studies.

An International Studies, B.A. is administered through the Department of Political Science (Undergraduate). The International Studies major consists of an integrated group of courses reflecting international aspects of various disciplines and requires intermediate level competency in a modern language. It is designed to provide the student with a broad base of understanding of the interrelationship of the world community, while at the same time providing the opportunity to specialize in an area of interest. An International Studies Minor is also offered. See the listing under International Studies for further details.

With the growing involvement of the United States in international business and the increasingly multicultural character of American society itself, the importance of foreign languages in nearly every kind of occupation is considerable. The majors in foreign languages and literatures, therefore, may lead to teaching careers and represent direct, practical assets in other fields such as business, industry and commerce, civil service, law, library science, media, science, health services, social work, travel, and tourism.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a French, B.A. or a Spanish, B.A. from Cal State East Bay will be able to:

  1. express themselves with sufficient accuracy and clarity to carry on conversations in French or Spanish with native speakers and to give oral presentations appropriate to the Undergraduate level;
  2. express themselves in the written language with a fair amount of sophistication, integrate research information into written assignments, giving adequate credit to the sources of information used, demonstrate critical and creative thinking while applying analytical and qualitative reasoning to address complex challenges and everyday problems
  3. be familiar with the major writers, periods, and genres of French literature (France and other French speaking regions throughout the world: Africa, The Caribbean, Canada, Belgium and Switzerland) or, Spanish and/or Spanish American literature (Spain, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and other Spanish speaking regions throughout the world). Students should be able to relate the works and genres to the socio-historical context in which they developed; and
  4. demonstrate that they have acquired knowledge of the cultural diversity of literatures in the French or Spanish-speaking world while developing an appreciation of the French or Spanish (and/or Spanish American) cultural contributions to the body of universal culture such as literature, art, music, cinema, and history.

Career Opportunities

  • Teaching
  • Business
  • Industry and Commerce
  • Law and Law Enforcement
  • Library Science
  • Mass Communication
  • Health and Social Services
  • Travel and Tourism
  • Translation and Interpretation
  • Government Service

Features

The department faculty come from a wide variety of national and academic backgrounds and have traveled extensively in the countries whose languages they are teaching. Slides, films, dramatic performances, potluck dinners and other activities provide the opportunity for students to interact with one another and with their professors. For those who wish to further their interest in a foreign culture and language, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers clubs. Foreign Language Clubs include the French Club, the German Club, the Tomodachi Club (Japanese Cultural Club), and the Spanish Language Club.

For those who wish to accelerate their learning of another language, the department offers a Summer quarter intensive program in Spanish which covers one year’s work in one quarter and yields twelve units of credit. The language laboratory is another useful feature of the department. In the laboratory students can listen to tapes which help improve their pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension. In addition, students are encouraged to take advantage of the California State University International Programs. They can take courses in a variety of universities abroad and apply them towards a degree at Cal State East Bay.

Preparation

For students to enroll at the proper level of language instruction, the department recommends the following guideline: one year of high school foreign language instruction equals one quarter of Cal State East Bay instruction. Students are expected not to repeat credit already earned in high school unless significant time has passed since the initial instruction. The department offers placement exams to facilitate student placement. Students should contact the department before enrolling in a lower division language class.

Students in foreign language majors, minors, and options may have lower division language requirements waived for those courses below the level at which they enroll.

Advanced Placement

A student who has successfully completed the advanced placement course in a foreign language or literature in high school and has a score of 3 or better on the Advanced Placement Examination will receive 8-12 units of credit equivalent to two or three courses of a foreign language as listed below.

If you have completed the French Language examination with a score of 3 or better, you will receive 12 units of credit equivalent to MLL 2101 , MLL 2102 , and MLL 2103  . If you have completed the German Language examination with a score of 3 or better, you will receive 12 units of credit equivalent to intermediate German coursework. If you have completed the Spanish Language examination with a score of 3 or better, you will receive 12 units of credit equivalent to MLL 2401 , MLL 2402 , and MLL 2403 . If you have completed the Spanish Literature examination with a score of 3 or better, you will receive 8 units of credit equivalent to MLL 3400  and MLL 4455 .

Major Requirements (B.A.)


Please consult an advisor in your major department for clarification and interpretation of your major requirements.

Spanish


The Spanish major consists of 44-72 units; the B.A. degree requires a total of 180 units. Students are expected to consult with Spanish division advisors in order to assure a well balanced program of upper division courses. Proficiency in another foreign language is strongly recommended.

B. Upper Division (44 units)


3. Eight (8) units of Spanish Peninsular Literature from among the following courses:


4. Twelve (12) additional units should be selected from among all upper division Spanish courses.


(Note: Courses numbered MLL 4455 , MLL 4460 , and MLL 4495  may be repeated as content changes. If repeated, the courses may be applied to more than one category of requirements: Groups 2 and 4 or Groups 3 and 4)

Other Degree Requirements


In addition to major requirements, every student must also complete the University requirements for graduation which are described in the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements chapter in the front of this catalog. These include the General Education-Breadth requirements; the second composition (ENGL 1002 ) requirement; the cultural groups/women requirement; the performing arts/activities requirement; the U.S. history, U.S. Constitution, and California state and local government requirement; the University Writing Skills Requirement; and the residence, unit, and grade point average requirements.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs of Study