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Hispanic Studies

Student Learning Goals

Hispanic Studies offers avenues to explore diverse Hispanic cultures through coursework in language, literature and culture. Basic Spanish language courses also develop speaking, reading, listening and writing skills. Spanish literature courses focus on literary and cultural analysis, where students learn key literary terms, theories and an appreciation for literature as an art form. Courses in cultural history examine important cultural shifts in Hispanic society and enable students to make connections between artistic production and the sociopolitical context from which it emerges. In addition, all intermediate and advanced-level courses emphasize how to make an argument, appropriately use primary and secondary sources, and write in the conventions of the discipline. The program strives to provide an environment where broad knowledge can be acquired: it encourages students to bring into class their knowledge of other disciplines and distinctive viewpoints, and to carry their knowledge from the classroom into other classes and beyond IWU.

Spanish courses at the upper level focus on literature and cultures of Spain and the Americas. It is recommended that students seek a balance between these, striving for a broad knowledge of intellectual currents on both sides of the Atlantic.

Student Learning Goals for Hispanic Studies majors & minors

  1. Communication
    Students will demonstrate an intermediate to advanced level of communication in Spanish speaking, reading, listening and writing. They will develop and express an extended argument using historical or literary textual analysis.

  2. Cultural Understanding
    Students will gain an understanding of the variety and complexity of Hispanic cultures around the globe. In addition to learning about Hispanic culture in the classroom, it is highly recommended that majors and minors spend at least one semester abroad in a Spanish-speaking country.

  3. Critical Thinking
    Students will read and interpret Spanish texts/sources, examine aesthetic and intellectual currents and cultural interactions/nuances, and learn to make evaluative judgments. Students will learn to articulate their opinions and think analytically about literary, cultural and communicative topics in Spanish both in speaking and writing; distinguish and appreciate issues of identity and inequity within the rich cultural diversity of the Spanish-speaking world;  and interpret and synthesize primary and secondary literary and/or visual texts placing them in the socio-cultural context in which they arise. 

Jessie Dixon - Chair of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures and Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies

Department - World Languages, Literatures And Cultures