Spanish BA, Spanish Studies BA
Program Purpose
Full program information, including detailed descriptions of measures of student learning and current data generated by those measures is available on the College of Humanities assessment summary
The Spanish B.A. provides comprehensive language instruction for students and an introduction to the literature and culture associated with Spanish, as well as tools for analyzing the language itself. Based on the liberal arts tradition, the Spanish major is designed not only to improve students' communication skills but to acquaint them with Hispanic linguistics, literature and culture. The major serves the needs of students who plan to enter a variety of fields, including business, medicine, law, government service, teaching, and graduate studies in literature, culture, linguistics, and pedagogy. It requires the development of communicative skills in the Spanish language as well as skills of close reading, literary and cultural analysis, the employment of tools of linguistic analysis, and the cultivation of strong writing skills. The major is intended to help students cultivate lifelong habits of reading and study, as well as provide them with practical tools for serving and working among a Spanish-speaking population.
Learning Outcomes
Language Competence
Students will speak, listen, read, and write Spanish at the ACTFL Advanced Low level or better.
Students will identify cultural practices (e.g., customs and traditions) and cultural products (e.g., literatures, arts, institutions, and individuals) from the Spanish-speaking world, place them in their historical, political, and social contexts, and interpret the unique perspectives on human experience that they reveal.
Students will analyze language, literary texts, and other cultural products and practices using sound thinking and clear expression.
Students will connect academic experience to their personal and professional lives.
Evidence of Learning
Program-level assessments include an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT), a Capstone Portfolio, the Senior Survey, and the Alumni Questionnaire. Please see the alignment table for additional information.
Additional Assessment Tools
In addition to the Spanish Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test taken by all graduating seniors, the department offers several other assessments for Spanish students:
-Spanish Computer-Adaptive Placement Exam (S-CAPE), an exam designed to help place students into the appropriate course level
-Spanish WebCLIPS diagnostic exams to assess mastery of specific grammar topics (WebCLIPS also offers lessons with grammar explanations, practice, and immediate feedback)
-Spanish 16-credit Exam, which provides up to 16 lower-division credits that students may purchase. Students may take this test while enrolled in their first Spanish course at BYU.
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
1. Proposed curriculum changes are submitted by the appropriate section head to the Curriculum and Assessment Committee for discussion, followed by subsequent approval by the Executive Committee and the department.
2. Assessment of program-level objectives is done on department Assessment Days in Fall and Winter semesters, as well as during the college's annual Assessment Retreat in the Spring. Areas for possible improvement are noted and subsequently considered by the Curriculum and Assessment Committee and the department.