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Academic Programs - Global Languages and Literature

Our program offers a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, three bachelor’s in Spanish education concentrations, and Spanish and Portuguese minors. While pursuing your bachelor’s in Spanish, you’ll delve into topics like Spanish civilization, literature, film and linguistics, with much of your coursework emphasizing intermediate and advanced grammar, composition and conversations that prepare you for interacting with native Spanish speakers. Students in the Department of Global Languages and Literatures can also gain practical working knowledge of more than 10 foreign languages, including Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese.

Undergraduate Programs

Click any link below to reveal each program's course detail.

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Program details from 2023-2024 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

Educator Licensure

Students interested in seeking Massachusetts teacher licensure should refer to the appropriate department links for options and requirements for second majors: Elementary and Early Childhood EducationSecondary Education and Professional Programs, or Special Education. Students should also consult Educator Preparation and Licensure Policies and Procedures for professional education admission and retention information as well as important institutional deadlines.

Foreign Language Courses

Students who would like to continue the study of foreign languages at Bridgewater State University should do so at the earliest opportunity. Foreign language courses count for the Global Culture and Humanities requirements of the core curriculum.

With the exception of advanced placement, foreign language courses, and foreign language College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, credit may not be granted to students exempt from one to two semesters because of study of three of more secondary levels of the same foreign language or because of placement score.

Foreign Language Placement Policy

  • If you have studied a language for two years or less in high school, you may register for the 101 level of that language.
  • If you have studied a language for three years or more in high school, you must register for the 102 level of that language.
  • If it has been more than five years since you last studied a language in high school, you may register for the 101 level of that language.
  • If you are a native or a heritage speaker of a language, you must register for the 102 level of that language.
  • If you are a transfer student from another college or university and
    • you took a foreign language at your previous institution, your transfer credits will be assessed upon admission to Bridgewater State University.
    • you did not take a foreign language at your previous institution, follow the same guidelines as previously stated in the language policy.
  • Faculty teaching 101 and 102 levels of languages will determine during the first week of class if the student is taking the appropriate level of language. If the student is not, they will be placed in a more appropriate course.

Additional questions about language placement should be directed to the Chairperson of the Department of Global Languages and Literatures, Tillinghast Hall, Room 332, 508.531.2298.

Seals of Biliteracy Credit Policy

  • Students entering BSU with the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy or Global Seal of Biliteracy will receive college credit after completing the next level course in the sequence (if applicable, or an approved course by the department chair), based on their proficiency level.
  • Students achieving the intermediate-high level on the Seal of Biliteracy or Global Seal of Biliteracy will earn up to 12 credits in the language: 101, 102, 151 and 200 (or their equivalent).
  • Students achieving the advanced-low level on the Seal of Biliteracy or Global Seal of Biliteracy will earn up to 15 credits in the language: 101, 102, 151, 200, and 234 (or their equivalent, if offered).

Honors Program

The honors program in Spanish provides highly motivated Spanish majors with opportunities to enhance their academic program through intensive scholarly study and research designed to be of assistance in postgraduate employment or in the pursuit of an advanced degree in Spanish. Contact the Department of Global Languages and Literatures for further information concerning eligibility and application.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete their studies in the Spanish program are expected to:

  1. Be proficient in Spanish at the Intermediate-High (for Elementary and Early Childhood Education double majors) or Advanced-Low level (for Spanish and Spanish Education majors), as measured by a (Simulated) Oral Proficiency Interview*;
  2. Express in writing their ideas, beliefs, and world-views on a range of topics narrating in all major time frames (i.e., past, present, future) and having a good control of tense and aspect.
  3. Use advanced grammatical structures, some idiomatic expressions, and narrative devices in their speaking and writing.
  4. Evaluate and critique their own work, and that of others
  5. Interpret Spanish and Latin American literature, poetry, theater, cinema, and other forms of media from different periods with an appropriate control of literary terms and concepts of literary critique, and use of formal, stylistic, and thematic elements in their readings and writings
  6. Describe the linguistic features of the Spanish language, including the morphosyntactic, phonetic, semantic, pragmatic and dialectical differences of the language
  7. Have knowledge of Hispanic cultures and communities around the world, recognizing their contribution to the global community, by comparing and contrasting this knowledge with that of the home culture using primary and secondary sources.

*Information about the Oral Proficiency Interview can be found here: https://www.languagetesting.com/oral-proficiency-interview-opi/