Spanish Studies

Programs

Courses

SPA 1111: Introductory Spanish I

Program
Credits 4

Groundwork Spanish, including oral proficiency, aural comprehension, and reading; for students with no prior knowledge of Spanish. Supplementary language laboratory work and oral drills.

Last Offered
Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Effective Term
202230

SPA 1112: Introductory Spanish II

Program
Credits 4

SPA 1112 is the continuation of Introductory Spanish and as such, students needs to know that some knowledge of Spanish is necessary in order to start at the SPA 1112 level. Groundwork Spanish, including oral proficiency, aural comprehension, and reading; for students with no prior knowlege of Spanish. Supplementary language laboratory work and oral drills.

Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Effective Term
202230

SPA 1119: Foundations in Spanish l

Program
Credits 3

A beginner's journey into the Spanish language emphasizing read and writing. This course cultivates basic communication abilities, setting the stage for ongoing Spanish education.

Effective Term
202510

SPA 1120: Foundations in Spanish II

Program
Credits 3

Progressing from Foundations in Spanish I, this course enhances linguistic expertise in reading and writing. Students amplify conversational capacities and delve into complex grammar. Aimed to fortify foundational skills, propelling students toward intermediate coursework.

Effective Term
202510

SPA 1121: Intermediate Spanish I

Program
Credits 3

Review of grammar, composition, reading and conversation. Students should have completed SPA 1111 and 1112 or the equivalent.

Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Effective Term
202230

SPA 1122: Intermediate Spanish II

Program
Credits 3

Review of grammar, composition, reading and conversation. Students should have completed SPA 1121 or the equivalent.

Last Offered
Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024
Effective Term
202230

SPA 1125: Exp Lrn in Spanish Spk Phila

Program
Credits 1

This one-credit course allows students to work with local organizations to further develop their linguistic and cultural competencies through community engagement opportunities. The course will be comprised of a structural blend of experiential learning, readings, discussions, and reflections. Pre-requisites: SPA 1121 or approval of instructor.

Prerequisites

SPA 1121

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Effective Term
202320

SPA 1130: Span. for Heritage Speakers

Program
Credits 3

Combination of reading and writing in addition to speaking. Work is individualized for needs of students. Objective is to prepare students for a more advanced course. Restricted to students with Hispanic background who have been exposed to Spanish at home.

Last Offered
Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Effective Term
202230

SPA 1131: Conversation & Composition I

Program
Credits 3

Regular practice in conversation and composition with review of grammar and continuing work on language skills in Spanish. Students should have completed SPA 1122 or the equivalent.

Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Effective Term
202230

SPA 1132: Conversation & Composition II

Program
Credits 3

Spanish 1132 is a continuation of 1131 with more intensive practice in conversation and composition in Spanish, through literary and cultural analysis of texts, as well as a review of difficult grammatical points. As a result, students will develop their vocabulary and improve their proficiency and skills for analyzing literary works of representative Hispanic texts, while also developing essential critical thinking skills in preparation for taking upper-level courses in Spanish. Students should have completed Spanish 1131 or the equivalent.

Last Offered
Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024
Effective Term
202230

SPA 2010: Adv. Spanish for Health Prof.

Program
Credits 3

Beyond improving the linguistic competence of students, this course aims to expose the challenges of the medical profession within the United States and how it addresses problems of power, oppression, deprivation, marginalization, and/or social privilege.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2025
Effective Term
202420

SPA 2011: Adv. Spanish for Global Bus.

Program
Credits 3

This course prepares students for successful communication in the Spanish speaking business world. It introduces business vocabulary and concepts, exposes students to financial documents, provides practice with oral and written correspondence, and promotes cross-cultural literacy in the context of international business. PRE-REQ: Spa 1132 or authorization from the chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025

SPA 2012: Special Topics Abroad

Program
Credits 3

The course will serve to transfer study abroad courses at the 2000 level whose description is relevant to the program but do not have an exact equivalent in our curriculum. Pre-requisite SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Summer 2025, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Summer 2023
Effective Term
202230

SPA 2013: Adv. Spanish for Law & Policy

Program
Credits 3

This course focuses on communication in Spanish within legal and political contexts. It introduces essential terminology, familiarizes students with juridical documents, and develops communication skills necessary for careers in law, public policy, international organizations, and NGOs serving Spanish-speaking communities. Pre-Reqs: SPA-1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses

SPA 2044: Latin American Novel

Program
Credits 3

Reading and interpretation of Spanish-American novels from the modernist period to the present. Students should have completed 1132 or the equivalent. Pre-requisite SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2014
Effective Term
202230

SPA 2124: Sounds of Spanish

Program
Credits 3

Overview of major features of Spanish phonetics and phonology with a secondary focus on regional and social variations found in the Spanish-speaking world. Applications to measurement and analysis of acoustic features of speech and improvement of Spanish pronunciation.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2015
Effective Term
202230

SPA 2138: Advanced Spanish

Program
Credits 3

Intensive grammar review with special attention to accuracy. Students should have completed 1132 or the equivalent.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2025
Effective Term
202530

SPA 2220: Literature & Culture of Spain

Program
Credits 3

The foremost works of Spanish literature from the beginnings to present day. A required course for majors. Students should have completed 1132 or the equivalent. Pre-requisite SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
Effective Term
202230

SPA 2221: Lit. & Cult. of Latin America

Program
Credits 3

Spanish-American literature from colonial times to the present. A required course for majors. Students should have completed 1132 or the equivalent. Pre-requisite SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
Effective Term
202230

SPA 2310: Intro to Spanish Linguistics

Program
Credits 3

Methods, findings, and theory of linguistic research on the sound system and the structures of present-day Spanish. The basics of abstract linguistic analysis. Hands-on introduction to the major subdisciplines of linguistics: morphology, phonetics, phonology, semantics, and syntax. Pre-reqs: SPA 1138 or SPA 1140 or authorization from the chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1138 or SPA 1140

Last Offered
Fall 2024
Effective Term
202510

SPA 2700: Resrch Exp in Hispanic Linguis

Program
Credits 1

Supervised research experience focused on Hispanic linguistics. Students may register for the course more than once but no more than once per semester. Instructor approval required.

Prerequisites

SPA 1138

Effective Term
202420

SPA 3025: Faces of Modernity

Program
Credits 3

Study of artistic trends in twentieth century Spain. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from the chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2017, Summer 2015
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3044: Spanish Postmodern Fiction

Program
Credits 3

Representative trends in 20th and 21st Centuries Spanish novels. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2022, Spring 2020, Fall 2018, Fall 2017
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3045: Spanish Dystopian Fiction

Program
Credits 3

This popular course analyzes several kinds of Spanish dystopian fiction. The analysis of these texts will allow students to understand how renowned Spanish authors see the future of our planet and civilization. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2021, Summer 2019, Summer 2018, Summer 2017
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3046: Latin America Now

Program
Credits 3

This course examines the most contemporary cultural movements happening in Latin America: environmentalism, feminism, indigenism, populism, etc. To do so we will analyze literary, journalistic, and sociological texts as well as visual sources. Prerequisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3054: Hispanic Poetry

Program
Credits 3

A study of Spanish and Spanish-American foremost male and female poets from Spain's vanguard movement to present day jointly from Latin America's colonial times to present day against Europe's socio-political and aesthetic backdrop. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Summer 2017, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3062: Medieval Gardens

Program
Credits 3

This course explores garden imagery in Medieval Spain following the Christian victory over Islam. It examines how garden spaces reflected cultural memory, religious identity, and mechanical engineering, while addressing visual modes that emerged from social reorganization between different religious communities. Pre-Req: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025

SPA 3064: Spanish Theatre of 20 & 21 c.

Program
Credits 3

A critical analysis of representative dramatic works of Spain from Jacinto Benavente to present day, with special emphasis on women dramatists and gender issues of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries within the historical and socio-cultural evolution of contemporary Spain. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2020
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3074: Hispanic Cinema

Program
Credits 3

Spanish films based on literary works as a medium will be used to better understand contemporary Spanish culture and civilization. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2025, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2018
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3080: Bible in Spain

Program
Credits 3

This course will study the evolution of the idea of sainthood between the 8th and 13th centuries. Drawing on Arabic, Latin and Spanish texts, we will study issues like shared saint veneration, social norms and collective memory in Medieval Spain. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 OR authorization from a chairperson

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses

SPA 3085: Artivism in the Americas

Program
Credits 3

The course explores the work of performers, artists, musicians, and cultural agents through the intersection between arts and activism (artivism). The course discusses a selection of iconic case studies in the Americas addressing social justice issues creatively and artistically. Prerequisite: SPA-1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025

SPA 3130: Sustainability in Lat. America

Program
Credits 3

This course analyzes diverse visual and literary sources to explore sustainability issues in contemporary Latin America. Students engage with novels, essays, documentaries, and art projects, offering an introduction to current ecocritical debates and cultural trends in the region.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses

SPA 3134: Sounds of Spanish

Program
Credits 3

Overview of major features of Spanish phonetics and phonology with a secondary focus on regional and social variations found in the Spanish-speaking world. Applications to measurement and analysis of acoustic features of speech and improvement of Spanish pronunciation.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses

SPA 3200: Intro to Spanish Translation

Program
Credits 3

Hands-on introduction to written Spanish-English translation. The emphasis is on Spanish to English translation of a variety of different texts from the fields of business, law, literature, tourism, and science. Basic theory principles and translation procedures considered a vital component in the formal training of a translator.

Prerequisites

SPA 1138

Last Offered
Spring 2025, Summer 2024, Spring 2022, Fall 2014
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3254: Spanish Lyric Tradition

Program
Credits 3

Examines the major themes and evolution of Spanish lyrical verse through the political and socio-cultural experiences of Spain's most representative male and female poets from its beginnings to present day. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2024, Spring 2021
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3412: Special Topics

Program
Credits 3

Advanced study of topics of special interest in Spanish literary and/or cultural studies. May be repeated for credit if topic changes. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3484: Medieval Cultures

Program
Credits 3

The Cid and other major works of the Spanish Middle Ages: early lyric, epic, ballad, prose. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2016
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3485: Nature in the Middle Ages

Program
Credits 3

Nature in Medieval Culture explores issues of sustainability, race gender and intersectionality in Medieval literature. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from the chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3654: Early Modern Poetry

Program
Credits 3

Traces the political and socio-cultural milieu of Spain's Early Modern era as reflected in the works of representative poets of Spain's renaissance period at the beginning of Europe's 16th century through Spain's baroque ending with the close of the 17th century. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Spring 2017
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3944: Latinx Lit and Performance Art

Program
Credits 3

This course will expose students to performance studies and literary criticism. Overall, the seminar offers a historical and critical grounding for Chicano/Latino writing in the US by surveying Latinx literature and performance from the nineteenth century to the present. Pre-requisite: SPA 1132 or authorization from chairperson.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Effective Term
202230

SPA 3970: Research Seminar

Program
Credits 3

Principles and techniques of literary research. Overview of major Spanish and Spanish-American authors and representative works. Pre-requisite: any 2000-level SPA or authorization from the chairperson. Required to obtain a major in Spanish.

Prerequisites
Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Effective Term
202530

SPA 3993: Community Interpre. Internship

Program
Credits 3

A community-based experience helping lawyers translate & interpret for the Philadelphia Hispanic community. Pre-requisite SPA 1132 and an interview with the instructor.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2025, Spring 2025

SPA 5012: Latinx Language & Culture I

Program
Credits 3

This course explores Latinx cultural expressions in the U.S. and beyond, examining how language and identity interact across diverse communities. Topics vary by instructor and may include food, media, migration, or gender through literature, film, and critical readings.

SPA 5013: Latinx Language & Culture II

Program
Credits 3

This course explores Latinx cultural expressions in the U.S. and beyond, examining how language and identity interact across diverse communities. Topics vary by instructor and and may include food, media, migration, or gender through literature, film, and critical readings.

SPA 5900: Independent Study in Spanish

Program
Credits 3

Supervised study, activity or research. May be taken more than once. Pre-requisite: Intermediate Spanish or above. Prior approval of chair and instructor. Permission given only in very special situations.

Prerequisites

SPA 1132 :Y

Prerequisite Courses
Last Offered
Fall 2022, Fall 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Effective Term
202230