Major & Certificate

Major

The Spanish major consists of nine courses above the 101-102 level. These nine courses may include 103, 104, 105, or any other course taught in Spanish at the 200 level or above. Spanish majors are required to take the  400-level Senior Seminar, our capstone course, during their senior year. At least one 200-level course must be completed at Williams. In addition, one course must be focused primarily on literature or cultural texts produced prior to 1800. A maximum of four courses taken at overseas programs may be used to satisfy the requirements of the major, with approval of the department. The Spanish faculty strongly suggests that students take 201 and 206 at some point in their studies, and especially recommends that they do so before rather than after studying abroad.

Students majoring in Spanish may replace one of their Spanish electives with a course taught in English, including courses in related fields such as Comparative Literature, Latin-American Studies, or Latina/o Studies.

For more information see the course catalogue or contact any member of the Department.

Certificate

The Certificate in Spanish Language and Culture consists of a sequence of seven courses for which the student must earn a cumulative grade average of B or higher.

For students with no prior Spanish background, the course sequence will consist of Spanish 101-102, Spanish 103 and 104, and three courses in Spanish above the 104 level, with at least one of these courses at the 200-level or higher taken at Williams. If the student starts out the sequence at Spanish 103, in addition to the three courses in Spanish beyond the 104 level (including a 200-level course or higher), two electives may be taken in other departments. One elective should be in Spanish or Latin-American cultural history (art, literature, drama, music) and the other in Spanish or Latin-American intellectual, political, or social history. Spanish 200, 201, or 208 can be counted for the elective requirement.

Electives may be considered from a variety of departments and programs. However, students should consult with the chair of Romance Languages before making any enrollment decisions.