Spanish Language Minor Courses and Descriptions

• A 6 course minor prepares you to provide nursing care to Spanish speaking clients in the United States and the global community

• Enroll in campus classes in Spanish concurrently with the nursing curriculum

• Study in Mexico at the Center for Bilingual, Multicultural Studies in Cuernavaca, Mexico with

  • Immersion in the Spanish language and culture in May term or in summer; live with Mexican families; study health care in Mexico

  • Spanish/nursing internships in the U.S.A. or in Mexico, working directly with  Spanish-speaking health care professionals and clients in hospitals, clinics, or home care agencies

• All nursing majors taking the Spanish Minor should meet with the Chair, Hispanic Studies to discuss the program of study, including plans for travel abroad.

Kelly Krause, '08, discusses her choice to pursue the Spanish minor:

"I chose to attend Illinois Wesleyan's School of Nursing because it allowed me the opportunity to earn my Spanish minor with a nursing major and still graduate within four years.  The Spanish program offers many opportunities to apply Spanish-speaking skills within the community, and I have experienced them first-hand.  My first experience of working directly with Spanish-speaking patients occurred while taking my Medical Terminology Spanish class.  In this course I assisted HIspanic patients in understanding medical information as a translator at the Community Health Care Clinic.  I also had another opportunity to apply my Spanish skills, this time in my Maternal/Child nursing clinical where another student and I cared for a Hispanic mother who did not speak any English.  One of our many responsibilities was to provide basic translation in order to help her understand postnatal care.  In addition, we translated her discharge sheet which explained how to care for herself and her infant upon returning home.  Because of these opportunities, I am confident that I will be able to combine my Spanish and nursing skills to provide the best care possible to my patients when I graduate."

Spanish Minor Course Requirements:

The Spanish Minor consists of six courses in Spanish at or above the 203 level, including:

• Spanish 303
• Spanish 308 OR Spanish 310
• one cultural history class (Spanish 314 or 316 or 320)
• one 400-level course
• one elective
• Spanish 397 OR Spanish 230.

Spanish 303: Advanced Grammar and Composition
Thorough review of basic problems of grammar and vocabulary with focus on nuances of word choice. Study of all tenses of the subjunctive. Writing assignments increase in complexity and length, involving comparison and contrast, persuasion, hypothetical argument and literary analysis. Prerequisite: Spanish 203 or equivalent. Offered each semester.

Spanish 308: Introduction to Literature
An introduction to the literary analysis of Spanish texts. Major authors, themes, and genres from both Latin America and Spain are included, with basic concepts of contemporary literary criticism and theory. Prerequisite: Spanish 203. Offered each fall.

Spanish 310: Special Topics in Literature
Focuses on a literary genre (novel, poetry, drama) or literary period (modernismo, for example) related to Spain and/or Latin America. Prerequisite: Spanish 203. Offered each Spring.

One of the following three:
Spanish 314: Spanish Culture and Civilization I
Spanish culture from the early Celtic settlements up to the eighteenth century, including medieval Arab Spain, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and the Golden Age.  Emphasis on the artistic achievements of these periods and their sociopolitical contexts.  Topics vary.  Offered in alternate years, fall semester.

-OR-

Spanish 316: Latin American Culture and Civilization I
Latin American intellectual history of pre-Colombian times and the Colonial period with emphasis on the Spanish conquest of the New World and movements toward independence. Offered in alternate years, fall semester.

-OR-

Spanish 320: Studies in Cultural History
An in-depth study of a historical period that produced a burst of artistic and literary creativity within the Spanish-speaking world, such as the Mexican Revolution of 1910 or Arab-Medieval Spain.  Topics may vary.  May be repeated as topics change.  Offered each spring.

Spanish 397: Internship
Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico with immersion in the Spanish language and culture in May term or Summer: Nursing internships in the USA or Mexico, involve working directly with Spanish speaking professionals and clients in hospitals, clinics, or home care agencies. Prerequisites: career education 300Y and language proficiency at the 302 level. Offered occasionally.

-OR-

Spanish 230: Medical Spanish and Cultural Competency for Health Care
This course is designed for students planning to work in health care and who want to acquire more skills in medical Spanish. We will discuss Hispanic culture in the U.S., particularly how it relates to health care. Students will participate in an informal internship at a local community clinic. Offered alternate years, spring semester.