Joint Major in Spanish and Linguistics

The Joint Major combines courses from two different programs into one single degree. The Spanish program is fundamentally defined by this particular language and the study of the cultures and societies that use Spanish, while the Linguistics program focuses on the theoretical and comparative study of human languages. The evident complementarity of these approaches enriches students' understanding of the Spanish language as well as human languages.

• Unique interdisciplinary approach. The Spanish & Portuguese faculty is specialized in a variety of fields: linguistics, film, literature, digital media, history... Many of the faculty in the Program in Linguistics come from a diversity of departments, such as Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, and Computer Science.
• Two programs in one single degree. The Joint Major in Spanish & Linguistics counts as one single degree; students can still add a second major or a minor.
• Dedicated Summer Abroad Program. The Summer Program in Spain provides students with the opportunity to advance in their Spanish language skills and carry out research on bilingual policy and linguistic landscape.
• Wide array of course offerings. From introductory courses, such as Span 303 “The Sounds of Spanish” and Ling 101 “History of the American Languages”, to advanced topics seminars, such as Span 410 “The Politics of Spanish”, Span 411 “Translation Theory and Practice”, Ling 383 “Advertising: Words & Images”, Ling 333 “Language, Gender & Sexuality” or Span 413 “Spanish in the US”.

Students can use many of the courses in the Joint Major to satisfy a diversity of the General Education Requirements:

• Intercultural Communication: many of the Spanish courses are tagged as IC, such as Span 303 and 304 (which are core courses of the program) and Span 212, 301, 302, 311 and 318 (which can be taken as electives).
• Continuing Communication: both the Spanish and the Linguistics programs offer regularly many courses tagged as CC, such as Ling 212, Ling 245, Span 302, Span 411, Span 413 and Ling 401.
• Many other GER: due to the interdisciplinary nature of the program, many of the Linguistics courses are tagged as Social Science (e.g.: Ling 101 and 201), Humanities and Arts (e.g.: Ling 245), Natural Science (e.g.: Ling 309) and Quantitative Reasoning (e.g.: Ling 329).

The program consists of a minimum of 45 credit hours distributed as follows:

• Four core courses, which provide a general foundation: Linguistics 101, Spanish 303, Spanish 304, and Linguistics 401 (only in senior year).
• One research methods course in Spanish or Linguistics, in which students learn how to conduct research projects.
• One course at any level in a language that is not Spanish nor English, which provides a comparative framework on how languages work.
• Three advanced 400-level courses in Spanish Linguistics (numbered from 405 to 413), which serve as the students’ specialization.
• In consultation with the advisor, students should take additional courses to complete 45 credits from the following:
  • At least two courses in Linguistics, which reinforce the general background.
  • At least two courses in Spanish, which can be Span 212 or any other courses at the 300 or 400 levels. These courses guarantee the study of the varied texts and cultures in which the Spanish language has historically been used and has developed.

Students in the Joint Major can attend and participate in the multiple events organized regularly by The Department of Spanish & Portuguese and The Program in Linguistics, such as cultural celebrations, talks, film screenings, conversation sessions, etc. They can also apply to live at Casa Émory, a theme residence where students can broaden their knowledge of Spanish (and/or Portuguese) outside of the classroom setting.