Calvin College - Spanish Department

Students - Handbook

Acadmic Information

Prospective Spanish Majors and Minors
Honors Program
Credit and Exemption Exams
Departmental Grading Scale
Departmental Attendance and Testing Policy
Awards and Scholarships
Keeping in Touch

Prospective Spanish Majors and Minors

Any student wishing to fulfill the requirements for a concentration in Spanish should complete a declaration form in consultation with the appropriate departmental advisor (the form is available from the Registrar's office). To be eligible for the major or minor in Spanish, the student must have completed Spanish 301 with a minimum grade of C (2.0).

The following professors serve as advisors for the department:

General Majors and Minors
M. Bierling, S. Clevenger, O. Leder, E. Miller, C. Slagter, L. Rodriguez, D. TenHuisen, A. Tigchelaar

Secondary Education Majors and Minors, including K-12
D. Zandstra

Elementary Education Majors and Minors in Spanish
M. Pyper, M. Rodriguez

Bilingual Minors
K. Miller

ESL Minors
K. Miller, E. Vander Lei (English Department)

Combining Majors and Minors
Students who have chosen to major or minor in Spanish in the past have found that combining Spanish with any of the following has worked well:

another foreign language, linguistics, or English
sociology or social work
nursing or pre-med
business or economics
teacher education, including bilingual ed and ESL
communication arts and sciences
missions
geography, history, or political science
Latin American studies
International relations

Of course, many other creative combinations are possible. Talk with your advisor and also see the section on careers in this handbook.

Honors Program

Courses	At least six honors courses overall (18 credit hours) At least three honors courses outside the major and at least three within it (normally including Spanish 395) The completion of an honors component in at least three Spanish courses above the 302 level with a final grade of at least a B+ ***
G.P.A.	A minimum G.P.A. of 3.3 (3.5 beginning fall of 2007) A minimum G.P.A. of 3.3 in all Spanish classes (3.5 beginning fall of 2007)
Honors Application	The Honors Application form must be submitted by the end of reading recess in the spring semester of the junior year list of honors courses completed and the grade student's cumulative G.P.A. and G.P.A. in Spanish classes title or short description of Honors Thesis name of primary and secondary supervisor of the thesis signatures of student's advisor and the primary supervisor
Senior Thesis	Normally this will be the term paper written for the Spanish 395 (capstone) class The department recommends that students work during the previous semester or summer to complete a large portion of the research Timeline week 4 of the semester: statement of thesis and bibliography week 8: first draft week 12: second draft last day of classes for the semester: if needed, third and final draft
Oral Presentation	Oral presentation of the thesis at the Michigan Academy (or another approved forum)

*** An honors component in a Spanish 202/203 course may fulfill the general college honors requirement, but not the departmental honors requirement.

Courses Meeting Other College Requirements

CORE	On Campus	In Spain	In Honduras	Yucatán
Global Historical	SPAN 308, 311	STSP 330	SPHO 205
Literature	SPAN 309, 329-333	STSP 331	SPHO 329/332/333
The Arts		STSP 336
CCE	SPAN 310 (special 202 section)	STSP 312,100	SPHO 315	W80
Integrative Studies Capstone	SPAN 395

Credit and Exemption Exams

Credit and/or exemption exams in the department will be given on the same dates as the proficiency exams for education students, but may be taken only once. The procedures and fee structure for taking such exams are explained in the Calvin catalog on p. 25.

Departmental Grading Scale

100-94 A
93-91 A-
90-88 B+
87-84 B
83-81 B-
80-78 C+
77-74 C
73-71 C-
70-68 D+
67-64 D
63-61 D-

Departmental Attendance and Testing Policy (for all core classes and some advanced classes)

Because we recognize that everyone may occasionally have a legitimate reason for being unable to attend class (such as serious illness or family emergency), each student is allowed the equivalent of one week of absences without incurring a penalty (for example, 3 classes for a class that meets 3 days a week). However, for each subsequent absence the student's final cumulative grade will be lowered by 1%.

An excused absence is one for which the student has a legitimate excuse and of which the student has informed the professor beforehand. Although this absence will count as one of the student's allowed absences, the student will be allowed to make up tests or quizzes given on the day of the absence and may hand in any assignments due on that day.

Unexcused absences will also count towards the allowed absences, but in this case the student will not be allowed to make up any assignments, quizzes, or tests given on that day and will receive a zero.

Awards and Scholarships

Edna Greenway Scholarship
The Spanish Department established the $1,000 Edna Greenway Scholarship in spring 2001 in honor of recently retired professor Dr. Edna Greenway. This scholarship encourages students to reflect on and articulate the importance of the integration of faith in their own lives and careers.

Candidates for the scholarship must meet the following criteria: be a current Calvin College student planning to enroll full time the following year, be entering the junior or senior year, be a Spanish Education major (Elementary or Secondary), have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, submit an essay of 300-500 words answering the question "How will you integrate your faith into teaching Spanish?", and provide two recommendations attesting to the applicant's integration of faith in life. Financial need is not required. Applications are available in the Spanish Department.

Elsa Cortina Award
The Spanish Department established the Elsa Cortina Award during the 1995-96 school year. Named for a colleague whose efforts shaped the present department, the award recognizes the outstanding Spanish major of each graduating class by adding the recipient's name to a special plaque in the Spanish Department office. Determination of the award is based on grade point average in Spanish classes counting toward the Spanish major, and, in the case of a tie, on service to the Spanish Department and the Hispanic community. For more information, please visit the Elsa Cortina Scholarship website.

Keeping In Touch

Enlace , the department's electronic newsletter, is e-mailed to all Spanish students every week during the semester to inform students of up-coming events and opportunities.

Huellas , highlighting developments within the department and news about Spanish Department graduates, is published every summer and mailed to alumni and other interested persons.