Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

The Spanish minor is designed to give students pursuing other majors the opportunity to engage with and reflect upon Hispanic literary, philosophical, and visual cultures.

Academic Standards

Grade Requirements

All courses must be taken for a letter grade. Grades of S/U or SX/UX will not be accepted.

Each course must be completed with a grade of B- or better to count toward the minor.  

Minor Declaration Information

Students wishing to enroll in the minor must register their intent by contacting the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Special Academic Options

Study Abroad

Fall and Spring Semesters in Spain and Latin America:

Cornell formed part of the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA) based in Seville, Barcelona, Havana, Santiago, and Buenos Aires. To find out more about the programs, visit the Office of Global Learning.

Applicants are expected to have completed SPAN 2095 Spanish Intermediate Composition and Conversation II before departure. Completion of SPAN 2180 Advanced Spanish Writing Workshop is highly recommended. Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad for the entire year rather than one semester. Students interested in the study abroad program should visit the Office of Global Learning.

Summer Program in Madrid

A six-week intensive summer program in Madrid, designed to enhance language skills in a cultural context. The 3-credit courses offered satisfy the language requirement of Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, and SPAN 2230 Perspectives on Spain may be counted either toward the Perspectives requirement or as an elective for the minor in Spanish; it can count as an elective for the Spanish major. Students interested in the Cornell Summer Program in Madrid students should contact the Office of Global Learning or Cecelia Lawless.

Program Information

• Minimum Credits for Minor: 15

Minor Requirements

The minor promotes a broad understanding of Hispanic and Lusophone cultures, literature, and societies; it also encourages students to refine and practice their language skills. In order to complete the minor, students must take a minimum of 5 courses (each of which must be a minimum of 3 credits), distributed as follows:

• Language competence must be demonstrated by successfully completing SPAN 2180 Advanced Spanish Writing Workshop or SPAN 2130 Advanced Spoken Spanish.

Students pursuing a minor must furthermore complete one of the following:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
SPAN 2205	Perspectives on Latin America in Spanish	3
SPAN 2150	Contemporary Latin American Survey	3
SPAN 2200	Perspectives on Latin America	3
SPAN 2140	Modern Spanish Survey	3
or SPAN 2235	Perspectives on Spain in Spanish
or SPAN 2230	Perspectives on Spain
PORT 2800	Perspectives on Brazil	3

In addition, students must take three elective courses. Among those electives (minimum 3 credits each), students are strongly encouraged to take at least one course at the advanced 3000- or 4000-level, and at least one must be a minimum 3-credit course taught in Spanish. No prerequisite coursework (including elementary and intermediate language courses at the 2095-level and lower) may be applied toward the elective requirement.