2022 cycle

https://calstatela.curriculog.com/proposal:10156/form

 

C1. Fit with the Institutional Mission / Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO)

Knowledge: Mastery of content and processes of inquiry

The Spanish BA program requires lower-division preparation and upper-division work in the discrete areas of grammar, culture, literary analysis including both Spanish (Peninsular) and Spanish-American literature, and linguistics/specialized language use.  The required coursework guarantees that all students achieve ACTFL advanced Spanish language proficiency as well as achieving mastery of content in a broad base of knowledge, while the wide choice of electives allows students to place more focus on areas of specific interest.  Our program also requires mastery of research methods and processes of inquiry in these fields.

Spanish BA graduates engage contemporary and enduring questions with an understanding of the complexities of human cultures and are ready to put their knowledge into action to address contemporary issues.

Proficiency: Intellectual skills

Because of the wide range of courses in the Spanish BA, students develop their intellectual and analytical skills in quantitative (e.g. linguistics, historical data) and qualitative (e.g. literary, cultural, and sociolinguistic analysis) areas.  Students completing the BA prove these intellectual skills through a variety of assessment measures ranging from oral presentations to research papers, literary analyses, and objective examinations.

Thanks to their in-depth comparative cultural, linguistic, and literary studies, Spanish BA graduates are equipped to use their critical thinking skills and actively participate in democratic debate. They have the ability to find, use, evaluate and process information in order to engage in complex decision-making. They read critically, speak and write clearly and thoughtfully and communicate effectively.

Place and Community: Urban and global mission

The Spanish BA pairs development of both advanced language skills and an understanding of the Spanish language’s presence around the world, including in the United States.  Students are prepared to function linguistically, culturally, and intellectually both within our urban region and on a global scale, benefiting from a keen appreciation of the history and presence of Hispanic language and culture in myriad local and world communities.

Transformation: Integrative learning

The humanistic study of language, literature, and culture develops in each student an understanding of human nature and of the diversity of individuals and cultures around the world.  These intercultural skills can be applied to any domain in which our BA graduates will find themselves in the future, as well as to their studies in any field.  Similarly, the development of students’ Spanish language skills to an advanced level in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding allows them to apply their knowledge within any milieu or area of expertise.

Spanish BA students engage in community, professional, creative, research and scholarly projects that lead to changes in their sense of self and understanding of their worlds. Graduates integrate their knowledge, skills and experience to address complex historical and contemporary issues.

 

C2. Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

(a)    Demonstrate the ability to communicate successfully with native speakers of the target language in a large range of contexts, both personal and professional, and to present their point of view in a comprehensible, organized, and culturally appropriate manner.

(b)   Be able to write clearly, coherently and accurately on a variety of subjects – personal experience or reflection; cultural, linguistic, or literary analysis – and to use a variety of discourse types, including expository and argumentative essays on academic topics.

(c)    Be able to understand spoken and visual messages, live or in recordings or videos, and to summarize and discuss such messages or respond to them in an interactive context.

(d)   Be able to read and discuss texts ranging from advertisements and newspapers to business correspondence and literary masterpieces, understanding both the explicit and implicit messages of such texts, and demonstrating the ability to discuss the ideas in these texts and their own interpretation of them.

(e)    Demonstrate a familiarity with the main periods, authors, and developments in Spanish and Spanish-American literatures, and the ability to summarize and analyze literary texts.

(f)    Demonstrate a familiarity with well-known historical figures and events, and understand and be able to explain basic cultural characteristics of the main world regions in which the target language is spoken.

(g)   Be able to examine the larger question of how language functions as a communicative system and a social construct, and the role of the target language in the world.

(h)   Demonstrate familiarity with library and information technology as part of a well-rounded education in the humanities, and exploit such technology to find resources in the target language.