Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department

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Spanish is the third most spoken language in the world and the second in the United States (U.S.). It is the native tongue of approximately 400 million people in 21 countries, and it is widely spoken in many more countries where it is not an official language. It is also one of the official languages in the United Nations and the European Union. The 50.5 million Hispanics currently living in the U.S., account for 16 percent of the total U.S. population and 47 percent of all immigrants in the nation. By the year 2050, that number is expected to grow to over 100 million and make up approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. population. Spanish is also the most widely taught foreign language in this country.

As the importance of the Spanish language continues to grow worldwide, the Department of Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures challenges students to go beyond the basic language skills to fulfill a college requirement. Our mission is to engage students in understanding the richness and diversity of Hispanic cultures and their continuing impact on the U.S. and the world. We recognize language variations within the Spanish-speaking world as an expression of distinguishing cultural, historical, and political experiences. Our courses examine these experiences as they have manifested themselves in a complex tradition of literary production, from pre-Hispanic poetry and the origins of the modern novel to the magic realism of the Boom and the contemporary literary movements. Our curriculum is broad and diverse, with courses in a variety of topics, including: Spanish and Latin American media and press, narratives of the Spanish Civil War, queer studies, crime and punishment in Latin American cinema, Spanish-speaking cultures and language varieties, Latin American theater and performance, and the Latino presence in the U.S. We offer courses cross-listed with departments and programs such as History, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Peace Studies, Sociology, Education, and World Literature.

General Education Requirement

The study of a foreign language is an essential part of a general education requirement at any liberal arts college. At Goucher, all students are required to complete the 100-level language sequence through the last semester of the intermediate level (SP 130, SP 130C, SP 130E, SP 130G, SP 130S, or SP 130V) We offer students the opportunity to fulfill the requirement abroad through intensive programs in Quito and the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, País Vasco, Alicante and Granada, Spain. All courses are designed to develop the four language learning skills – listening, speaking, reading, and writing in addition to cultural awareness.  To fulfill their language requirement, students may enroll in different language class models depending on their learning styles. In the traditional track, students may enroll in language classes that meet four hours a week face-to-face. In the new model, students can either enroll in V-classes (Virtual classes) that meet three hours a week face-to-face and conduct one-contact hour a week on-line with native speakers living abroad, or in S-classes that meet three hours a week face-to-face and conduct one-contact hour a week of service in Goucher’s Futuro Latino Learning Center and Latino organizations in Baltimore City.

Students must complete a placement test before enrolling in a language class or taking language courses abroad. On the basis of a placement test and interview, students may be exempt, but not receive credit for certain courses and enter the language sequence at a higher level. Transfer credits are awarded pending placement test results. These results have an expiration date of one year—i.e., students need to retake their placement test after two or more semesters if they have not taken the language course in which they were placed, unless they have opted to satisfy their language requirement with the study of another language altogether.

The Language House and the Thormann International Center

Outside the classroom, opportunities to practice Spanish and attend international cultural events are provided through the Language House program. The Language House, located in Katharine and Jane Welsh Hall, is staffed by native speakers, and aims at promoting the daily practice of foreign languages outside the classroom by organizing a variety of events throughout the semester, such as plays, a weekly language table, teas, colloquia, film series, and guest speakers. To further enrich students’ awareness of the Spanish-speaking cultures, the language house and the department sponsor an annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. These events often take place throughout the campus and in particular, in the Thormann International Center, a space dedicated to the promotion of international cultural awareness. For information about the Language House, contact María Teresa Gomis-Quinto, coordinator of the Spanish programs in the Language House.

Study-Abroad Programs

To provide students an experience of immersion in the language, the department offers a variety of ICAs in different countries, such as Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Spain. Spanish majors are required to spend a semester in one of the department-approved study-abroad programs in Argentina or Spain.

Department Faculty

Associate Professor

Isabel Moreno López, chair (critical pedagogy, queer studies, literature and technology), Florencia Cortés-Conde, director of Latin American Studies, (sociolinguistics, Latin American media), Jeanie Murphy, director of Study Abroad (Latin American literature)

Assistant Professors

Viki Zavales-Eggert (Spanish peninsular literature), Alison Tatum-Davis (Spanish peninsular literature), Aida Ramos-Sellman (community-based learning, language, and culture)

Instructors

Maria Teresa Gomis-Quinto, Language House coordinator (language and culture), Citlali Miranda-Aldaco, assessment coordinator and department webmaster (language, culture and technology), Frances Ramos-Fontán, community-based learning coordinator (language and culture, community-based learning coordinator)

Study Abroad in Spain and Argentina—Program Objectives and Description

The objective of the study-abroad semester is to provide Spanish majors an opportunity to advance their knowledge of the Spanish language and to pursue their specialized fields of academic interest while developing cross-cultural competency. High-quality instruction by distinguished local professors is combined with immersion in Spanish speaking societies with the goals of improving understanding of a variety of cultures and allowing students to explore the world from more than one perspective. Students majoring in Spanish must spend at least one semester abroad in Spain or Argentina, where they will live with local families. Eligibility: Students must have completed SP 235 or its equivalent to go to Spain and Argentina. Abroad, students will take a placement exam which will determine the level of the courses they will be eligible to take.  If students wish to spend a semester in one of the department approved semester-long programs in Latin America, they should speak to Dr. Jeanie Murphy, director of Study of Abroad.

Course Load and Credits in Spain

Students will attend a Spanish university taking tailor-made courses taught entirely in Spanish by accomplished local university professors, and they will have the opportunity of taking courses alongside Spanish students if they show sufficient proficiency in the placement exam abroad. Students will have a complete immersion experience with home stays and participation in the cultural life of the region. Upon satisfactory completion of the Spanish program, students will return to Goucher having earned a minimum of 12 credits. Courses that students may take in Spain:

Introduction to Spanish Literature

Introduction to Spanish Cinema

Introduction to Spanish Art

Independent Project Research

Internship

This program also offers the opportunity to take a course with local students in psychology, sociology, anthropology, mathematics and many other areas of studies if students show sufficient proficiency in the placement exam abroad.

Course Load and Credits in Argentina

Students will take a four week Intensive Language & Culture Course (5 credits) and a Cultural Realities of Argentina Course (1 credit), after which they will take tailor-made courses taught entirely in Spanish by professors from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. This university founded by the Jesuits in 1613 attracts students from all over Argentina and South America. After the intensive period program students will chose among the courses offered by UNC to foreign students such as:

Argentine Literature
Argentine History
Latin American History
Latin American Cinema
Contemporary Argentina Art
Latina American Social and Economic Issues

Independent Project Research

Internship

This program also offers the opportunity to take course with Argentine students in psychology, sociology, anthropology, mathematics and many other areas of studies if students show sufficient proficiency in the placement exam abroad. Additionally, students will have a home stay experience, and participate in cultural excursions to Buenos Aires, among other points of interest in the region. Upon satisfactory completion of the Argentina program, students will return to Goucher having earned a minimum of 12 credits.

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