Spanish (SP)

SP 100 Elementary Spanish I: 3 semester hours

Elementary Spanish provides students with an introductory knowledge of Spanish through a communicative approach. Assessment focuses on basic principles of grammar, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and oral expression. Learning exercises acquaint students with cultural context. Prerequisite: None. (Note: Students with 3-4 years of high school Spanish should enroll in SP 200 and take a placement test.).

SP 101 Elementary Spanish II: 3 semester hours

This course is a continuation of SP 100 and its communicative approach. Assessment focuses on basic principles of grammar, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and oral expression. Learning exercises acquaint students with cultural context. Prerequisite: 1-2 years high school Spanish, SP 100, and a placement test.

SP 103 Spanish for Health Professions: 3 semester hours

Intended for students who have no background in the Spanish language, this course facilitates effective communication between patients and their healthcare providers (nurses, doctors, medical staff), through emphasis on basic, practical language needed to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients and their families in various settings. Building basic language fluency at the same time as medical terminology with cultural competency woven throughout, students will learn to gather and share basic information such as greetings, goodbyes, patient intake, discussion of symptoms, location of pain and injuries, body parts, numbers, time, doses, and units of measure. Focus is on learning and becoming comfortable with basic medical Spanish phrases and medical Spanish vocabulary. Prerequisite: None.

SP 120 Accelerated Spanish Review: 3 semester hours

This course is designed for students with previous study of Spanish but insufficient preparation to advance to Intermediate Spanish. Students with one year of secondary school Spanish should enter this course. This class is also appropriate for students with two years of secondary school Spanish, for those for whom some time has elapsed since their earlier study of Spanish. This course provides review and elementary college-level preparation in Spanish grammar, vocabulary, speaking, and writing and for students who speak a Romance language. Prerequisite: a placement test.

SP 200 Intermediate Spanish I: 3 semester hours

Intermediate Spanish includes an intensive review of basic grammar. Students build on elementary knowledge through conversation, idiomatic expression, and writing exercises. Selected readings provide insight into key aspects of Hispanic culture and literature. Prerequisite: SP 101, 3-4 years high school Spanish, and program placement exam.

SP 201 Intermediate Spanish II: 3 semester hours

This course is a continuation of SP 200 and includes intensive review of basic grammar. Students build on elementary knowledge through conversation, idiomatic expression, and writing exercises. Selected readings provide insight into key aspects of Hispanic culture and literature. Prerequisite: SP 200; or program placement exam.

SP 205 Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition: 3 semester hours

This course examines second language (L2) acquisition from a linguistic perspective and compares first and second language acquisition. Factors contributing to L2 variation, including linguistic universals, transfer, age, input, and affective considerations are studied. The course also examines a range of variables and strategies that teachers might need to teach students who use English as a second or additional language.

SP 220 Spanish for the Profession: 3 semester hours

This course is geared toward developing Spanish language skills for various professions including business, health, social work, education and criminal justice. The course emphasizes cultural knowledge to improve professional work in the United States Hispanic Community. Pre-requisite SP 201 and placement test.

SP 240 Spanish Conversation: 3 semester hours

The course in Spanish conversation builds competency in oral expression through daily use. Classroom exercises emphasize individual oral participation, group activities, and student presentations in Spanish. Prerequisite: SP 201or placement exam. Native speakers are not eligible for credit in SP 240.

SP 260 Spanish Conversation, Film and Culture: 3 semester hours

The main objective of this course is to provide students the possibility to converse while expanding their vocabulary and widening their cultural perspective on Latin America and Spain through the study of film. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: SP 201 proficiency.

SP 300 Spanish Grammar & Composition: 3 semester hours

This course provides intensive instruction in written composition and grammatical expression. Students review and expand their knowledge of principles acquired at the elementary and intermediate levels. Prerequisite: SP 201; or program placement exam.

SP 310 Advanced Communicative Spanish Abroad: 3 semester hours

Designed to give students practical, in-class communication exercises in comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. Classroom activities are coordinated with homework activities that directly stress communication. The foreign setting serves as a living language laboratory.

SP 320 Spanish Phonology: 3 semester hours

Phonology involves systematic study of the sounds and articulations that comprise spoken Spanish. Coursework includes the study of regionalisms, dialects, and the lingual characteristics needed to produce native and near-native accents. Non-native speakers build fluency through extensive practice in developing a more authentic Spanish accent. Prerequisite:SP 201 or 240.

SP 325 Independent Study: 3 semester hours

The study topics of this course will be arranged by the instructor and the students. An independent study gives the Spanish minor the opportunity to pursue authors, genres, and literary periods not developed in regular courses.

SP 331 Introduction to Hispanic Literature: 3 semester hours

The introduction to Hispanic literature permits students to apply and refine their language skills through reading, analysis, and discussion of contemporary literary and cultural texts. The study of basic literary genres also introduces students to key aspects of Hispanic civilizations and cultures across several centuries. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: SP 300 or program placement test.

SP 350 Spanish Study Abroad: 6 semester hours

The course listing offers credit for supervised coursework in Spanish pursued abroad. Consult program faculty about course equivalency with other Mount Mercy Spanish courses. Coursework should be at a level appropriate to the student's language training. A maximum of 6 hours of SP 350 apply toward the minor. Repeatable. Prerequisite: program approval.

SP 369 Hispanic Culture & Civilization: 3 semester hours

The course surveys Hispanic civilizations and links them to cultural developments over time. Course meetings will integrate art, film, history, music, and literature to familiarize students with cultural contexts that evolved in Spain and Latin America. Nations of emphasis vary. Students enrolled for credit in the Spanish program will complete assignments in Spanish. Prerequisite for credit in Spanish program: SP 201 proficiency. (English speakers should check for cross-listing as HI 369).

SP 370 Race, Class and Gender in Latin American Film: 3 semester hours

This class will offer an exploration of race, class and gender in Latin American film and will examine the strategies that have shaped long-standing and recent ways of making film. It will also study how the cinematic medium has represented and at times helped steer debates on cultural difference, political resistance, and social as well as economic transformation. It provides both a general introduction to Latin American film culture and detailed background to some of the hemisphere's central discussions on the complex and often perplexing interactions of race, ethnicity, class and gender on the big screen. No prior knowledge of film studies or Latin American history is expected. This course is taught in English.

SP 425 Spanish Internship: 3 semester hours

The internship involves the use of Spanish skills in workplace or social service settings. Students should average 10 hours per week at their internship. The internship also involves limited academic work that is arranged between the student and supervising faculty. A maximum of 6 hours of SP 425 will apply toward the minor. Repeatable. Prerequisite: SP 200 and program approval.