Spanish
Major and Minor
Faculty and professional interests
Jessie D. Dixon
Afro-Hispanic and Caribbean literature
Claudia Fernández, On-Site Director, Barcelona Program (2012-2013)
Spanish language, Latin American civilization, linguistics
Timothy J. Foster
Latin American literature
Maria Barros Garcia
Spanish linguistics
Fernando Gómez, On-Site Director, Buenos Aires Program (Fall 2012)
Golden Age drama
Jerome Miner
Contemporary Latin American literature
(Director, Dorothy Johnson '39 and Richard Burkhardt '39 Language Center)
Julio Noriega
Latin American literature, migrant indigenous literature, Quechua
Antonio Prado
20th century Spanish literature and culture studies, Latin American film, the Spanish Civil War
Robin Ragan
19th & 20th century literature, Spanish film, gender studies, contemporary Spanish culture
The program in Spanish emphasizes the language as a means of expression and as the gateway to another culture. The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers a full program of courses for pursuing a major or a minor in Spanish through the in-depth study of language, literature and culture. Students may also complement other majors with coursework in Spanish. The Spanish Program offers early immersion studies through Knox College’s Quick Start courses, and long-term study abroad programs in Barcelona, Spain, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Costa Rica.
For full description of the programs in contemporary languages, see the listings for Modern Languages, Chinese, French, German, and Japanese.
The departmental curriculum contributes to the College's Key Competency Requirements as follows:
- Writing Key Competency - SPAN 302 and 399 serve as writing-intensive courses for majors
- Speaking Key Competency - SPAN 230A-E serve as speaking-intensive courses for majors
- Information Literacy and Informed Use of Technology - All 300-level courses in the Spanish program require the informed use of technology, including information retrieval, MLA and WorldCat database use, and the critical evaluation of Internet resources.
Departmental Learning Goals
Students completing a major in Spanish will:
- Demonstrate a level of proficiency in Spanish that will allow them to pursue advanced study in that language whether in the United States or in other countries
- Acquire advanced critical/analytical skills that allow them to assess, interpret and assign meaning to numerous types of cultural production including: literary texts; film; political, sociological and historical documents; rituals and folkways
- Be able to design and carry out an original research project in which Spanish is the major investigatory tool and vehicle of expression