All students who plan to study Spanish at Holy Cross (including beginners, students continuing in Spanish at any level, and students who speak Spanish at home) must first take the Spanish Background Questionnaire to determine the appropriate entry course for enrollment. The Background Questionnaire takes into account previous experience with Spanish (if any) and any advanced placement (AP or IB) test scores that you have earned to determine whether you need to take the Spanish placement exam.
Instructions to register for and complete the questionnaire can be found on the First-Year Website. If you plan to study Spanish at any level in your first year, you must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire online by the appropriate deadline (unless you are awaiting the results of an AP or IB exam).
Even students who have never studied Spanish (or who haven’t studied Spanish in high school), must take the Spanish Background Questionnaire before they can register for Spanish courses.
Spanish 302 Español para Hispanohablantes, is specifically designed for native and heritage speakers (students who speak Spanish at home or in their local communities) who are looking to improve their reading and writing skills. Native and heritage speakers with sufficient high school preparation (as determined by their responses on the Spanish Background Questionnaire) are invited to consider taking other 300-level Spanish offerings in literature, cinema, culture, linguistics, creative writing, filmmaking, business Spanish, etc.
Many elementary and intermediate classes are offered in both a traditional classroom setting and the Directed Independent Spanish Curriculum (DISC). DISC classes allow students to complete coursework by working semi-independently with online materials. Students have regular exams, sustained contact with a professor via oral exams and comments on written work, and meet weekly in small practicum sessions with foreign language assistants to develop speaking and listening skills. In order to succeed in the DISC program, students must be self-motivated, good at time-management, and able to work independently. Please note that the two-semester sequence for those with no prior study of the language, SPAN 101 (Elementary Spanish 1) and SPAN 102 (Elementary Spanish 2, is offered exclusively in the DISC program. Non-beginners who place at the elementary level on the placement exam will be directed to Intensive Elementary Spanish, which is offered in the traditional classroom as SPAN 103 and in DISC as SPAN 108. SPAN 103/108 is designed for students with one to two years of previous high school Spanish. This course allows students to begin a review of basic structures and vocabulary and quickly build a foundation to continue at the intermediate level. (By the end of the semester, SPAN 103/108 students will reach the same level of proficiency as students who complete SPAN 102.
Advanced Placement: Students with AP or IB Higher Level credit will be advised of their placement options by the Spanish Background Questionnaire.
A score of 4 or 5 on an AP language exam earns college credit and counts toward the language studies common area requirement; a score of 4 or 5 on a literature exam earns college credit and counts toward the language studies or literature common area requirement. Students with AP credit in Spanish earn placement in the curriculum but not progress toward the minimum number of courses required by the major.
Majors: Students who are considering a Spanish major should enroll in a Spanish course at the appropriate level based on the results of the Spanish Background Questionnaire.
SPAN 101
Directed Independent Elementary Spanish 1
Common Area: Language Studies
Designed for true beginners with no prior formal study of Spanish, this course is typically taken by students who studied another language in high school, such as French or Latin. Offered through the DISC (Directed Independent Spanish Curriculum) program, it allows students extra scheduling flexibility to complete course requirements through a blend of technology-based materials and interactions with faculty and foreign language assistants. The course includes speaking, listening, writing, cultural activities, and regularly scheduled assessments and practicum sessions. The course prepares students to take Elementary Spanish 2. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire online to ensure they do not have previous language study before enrolling in Spanish 101.
SPAN 102
Directed Independent Elementary Spanish 2
Common Area: Language Studies
Designed for students who have recently completed Elementary Spanish 1, this course focuses on all elements of the Spanish language and the varied cultures of the Hispanic world. Offered through the DISC (Directed Independent Spanish Curriculum) program, it allows students extra scheduling flexibility to complete course requirements through a blend of technology-based materials and interactions with faculty and foreign language assistants. Includes speaking, listening, writing, cultural activities, and regularly scheduled assessments and practicum sessions. The course prepares students to take Intermediate Spanish 1. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 102.
SPAN 103
Intensive Elementary Spanish
Common Area: Language Studies
The main entry point for those who have had only a few years of Spanish in high school, this one-semester course prepares students to take Intermediate Spanish 1. It is designed for students with enough preparation in the language to progress rapidly through a review of basic structures. Includes speaking, listening, writing, cultural activities, as well as practicum sessions for further oral practice. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 103.
SPAN 108
Directed Independent Intensive Elementary Spanish
Common Area: Language Studies
This course offers an alternative approach to Spanish 103, allowing students extra scheduling flexibility to complete course requirements through a blend of technology-based materials and interactions with faculty and foreign language assistants. Offered through the DISC (Directed Independent Spanish Curriculum) program, it includes speaking, listening, writing, cultural activities, and regularly scheduled assessments and practicum sessions. This one-semester course prepares students to take Intermediate Spanish 1. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 108.
SPAN 201
Intermediate Spanish 1
Common Area: Language Studies
This course is designed for students with a solid grounding in elementary Spanish who are prepared to further develop their skills in analyzing and communicating in the language. A thorough grammar review is complemented by speaking activities, listening comprehension, readings in literature and culture, and practicum sessions for further oral practice. The course prepares students to take Intermediate Spanish 2. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 201.
SPAN 202
Intermediate Spanish 2
Common Area: Language Studies
This course offers students with a more developed intermediate knowledge of Spanish (generally 3-4 years of high-school study) the opportunity to consolidate previous learning and to continue advancing in their communicative abilities. Includes frequent compositions, oral presentations, listening comprehension, analysis of cultural materials, interactive group activities, and practicum sessions for further oral practice. The grammar focus is on those Spanish structures that tend to be most difficult for speakers of English. The course prepares students to take either Spanish 301 or 302. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 202.
SPAN 215
Directed Independent Intermediate Spanish 1
Common Area: Language Studies
This course offers an alternative approach to Intermediate Spanish 1 for students who work well independently and enjoy using technology. Offered through the DISC (Directed Independent Spanish Curriculum) program, it allows students extra scheduling flexibility to complete course requirements through a blend of technology-based materials and interactions with faculty and foreign language assistants. The course includes speaking, listening, writing, cultural activities, and regularly scheduled assessments and practicum sessions. Prepares students to take Intermediate Spanish 2. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 215.
SPAN 216
Directed Independent Intermediate Spanish 2
Common Area: Language Studies
This course offers an alternative approach to Intermediate Spanish 2 for students who work well independently and enjoy using technology. Offered through the DISC (Directed Independent Spanish Curriculum) program, it allows students extra scheduling flexibility to complete course requirements through a blend of technology-based materials and interactions with faculty and foreign language assistants. The grammar focus is on those Spanish structures that tend to be most difficult for speakers of English. There are frequent online activities and regularly scheduled oral and written assessments along with weekly practicum sessions. The course prepares students to take Spanish 301 or 302. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 216.
SPAN 301
Spanish Composition & Conversation
Common Area: Language Studies
Spanish Composition and Conversation is the first course in the Spanish major sequence and is typically recommended for students who have an AP score of 3 or higher and who are not native or heritage speakers of Spanish. A prerequisite for studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, it provides intensive written and conversational practice while solidifying and expanding the student’s command of Spanish grammar and vocabulary. The course also emphasizes listening, reading, and cultural understanding based on materials from across the Hispanic world. Class size is capped so that students have ample opportunity for active engagement. Includes a related practicum session. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and, depending on their AP scores, the Spanish Placement exam online before enrolling in Spanish 301.
SPAN 302
Composition for Bilingual Speakers
Common Area: Language Studies
This course is designed for students who regularly speak Spanish at home and are looking to improve their reading and writing skills. The equivalent of Spanish 301, it similarly counts for the Spanish major and as a prerequisite for studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. The course provides intensive reading and writing practice through the analysis and discussion of works by contemporary authors on Latinx topics. Includes a related practicum session. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire online before enrolling in Spanish 302.
SPAN 305
Introduction to Textual Analysis
Common Area: Language Studies or Literature
An introduction to college-level textual analysis in Spanish, this course teaches close reading of selected drama, poetry, prose fiction, and cinema from Spain and Spanish America. Students must normally complete Spanish 301 or 302 before taking this course. However, in exceptional circumstances, highly advanced or native students may enroll directly after completing the Spanish Background Questionnaire and seeking the advice of the chair of Spanish. Spanish 305 counts towards the Spanish major and is a prerequisite for other upper-level literature courses.