Spanish Education

Program Codes: BASPANED
Bachelor of Arts

Introduction

The Spanish education major at Mercyhurst offer students hands-on experiences as they prepare to be language teachers in  K-12 classrooms. With practicum experiences from the freshman year, our Spanish Education majors graduate with strong language skills and deep understanding of best practices in world language education. As the only university in the Erie region to certify French and Spanish education students, our graduates are sought-after by area school districts. Additionally, 45 states have signed teacher certification reciprocity agreements with Pennsylvania, so language education graduates can teach all over the US.

Mission Statement
The Department of World Languages and Cultures supports the mission of the University by fostering meaningful language acquisition and cultural study that will enable our students to “exercise leadership in  service toward a just world.”

The department promotes the acquisition of indispensable skills in intercultural communication for our students’ future careers and personal development. Understanding that we cannot truly understand a people without understanding their language, the department’s focus is on quality, student-centered instruction in the reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension skills necessary to function in our target languages. Courses in world cultures and literatures are a vital complement to language study and support the University core value of global responsibility, which “challenges us to learn how to steward the resources of the Earth wisely and to act in solidarity with its diverse peoples.”

In order to foster awareness of world cultures, the department supports study abroad experiences, sponsors speakers and other events on campus, and serves as a language and cultural resource to the greater Erie community. The department of World Languages and Cultures works to foster respect for others, an openness to difference, and productive relationships facilitated through intercultural communication.

Major Requirements
All majors must maintain an overall 2.5 GPA and at least a 2.75 GPA in major courses. Spanish Education majors must also meet all the requirements of the Education Department, including their GPA minimums. All majors and those students seeking teaching certification, are expected to maintain a portfolio which will be important for assessment at Sophomore Review.

Entrance into the major program is determined by the successful completion of the Introduction and Intermediate sequence or by the demonstration of equivalent skills on the CLEP, AP, or International Baccalaureate examinations. Students must also successfully pass through the Sophomore Review process before formal admittance to the major is granted. In order to receive this degree and certification in French Education, students must complete all major courses indicated for the French major as well as all the requirements of the Education Department for K-12 certification.

An outline of requirements for the portfolio, which includes written and oral work, can be obtained from the  student’s  language  advisor  or  from the Department Chair. Students with previous experience in a language offered by  the department (including native speakers) must consult with the department faculty to be placed into an appropriate level course. The Department reserves the right to reassign students whose level of experience is not appropriate for the course.

Sophomore Review
During spring semester of the sophomore year, the Department reviews the student’s academic record, the language portfolio, and recommendations from professors to determine academic progress. At this time, qualified students are formally invited into the major and are informed in writing of the Department’s decision.

Senior Review
Spring semester of the senior year, students will meet with department faculty to conduct an exit review. All language majors sit for the Oral Proficiency Interview in their senior year. The OPI is an independent evaluation of a student’s language proficiency level by an outside evaluator. Students can use the OPI rating, which is recognized internationally, on their resumes and employment or graduate school applications.

Program Outcomes:
  • Speak and understand Spanish at the Intermediate High level or above, as detailed in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
  • Read and write in Spanish at the Intermediate High level or above (ACTFL)
  • Demonstrate cultural proficiency in the cultures that use Spanish
  • Discuss in both spoken and written Spanish literary and visual texts or cultural artifacts of the Spanish culture
  • Conduct and produce research in Spanish
  • Demonstrate understanding of second language acquisition and the history of foreign language pedagogy 
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply understanding in practice teaching situations and to analyze and critique the teaching of others 

SPANISH - Required Courses:

OR

SPANISH - Elective Sequence:

Majors must choose at least two (2) electives in their major language.

EDUCATION - Required Sequence:

Degrees & Certificates
Course Descriptions