Prerequisites

The normal requirement to be admitted as a concentrator is successful completion of two 200-level courses in Spanish or one 200-level course in Portuguese.

Early Concentration

Qualified students are encouraged to decide on their concentration as early as possible in their sophomore year. In this way they can benefit from departmental advising on course selection and on the possibility of spending a semester or the whole junior year abroad.

Plan of Study

All concentrators are strongly advised to take one advanced language course (Spanish 207 or Spanish 307 for Spanish; POR 208 or POR 209 for Portuguese). All Spanish concentrators must take one course in pre-1800 literature. University regulations limit to 12 the number of departmental courses allowed to each student in his or her concentration.

Tracks (revised 4/16/08)

It requires a minimum of eight upper-division courses, at least five of which must be in the language of concentration. With the approval of the Departmental Representative, up to three cognate courses in other departments can be counted towards the concentration in this track. Up to three courses taken during a semester abroad may be approved towards the concentration. Freshman seminars on Hispanic topics may be counted towards the eight upper-division courses required for the concentration.

It requires SPA 307, and at least seven more upper-division courses in Spanish. At least three of the seven upper-division SPA courses must focus on translation, taken from among 309, 380, 381, 382, or 384. With the approval of the Departmental Representative, up to three courses related to translation taught in other departments can be counted towards concentration in this track. Students enrolled in this track can count TRA 200 as one of the two 200-level courses required as prerequisites for the concentration. Up to three courses taken during a semester abroad may be approved towards the concentration. Freshman seminars on Hispanic topics may be counted towards the eight upper-division courses required for the concentration.

In both tracks, students have the option of combining two languages in the concentration.   The two language option requires five courses in Spanish or Portuguese, and three courses in any another language. 

Junior Papers

Students should discuss as soon as possible their area of interest with the Departmental Representative in order to find the most appropriate advisers for the Junior Papers. By the end of September (first JP), and by mid-February (second JP), all juniors should have contacted their advisers to discuss a plan of work.

The first JP (Fall semester) should be about 4,000 words, and the second JP (Spring semester) should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words. Both JPs may be written in English, in which case a three-page summary in the target language must be provided. Or, the JPs can be written in the target language, with a three-page summary in English.

Students following track 2 are encouraged to write one JP in each of the languages of concentration.

Senior Thesis

Students should select a Senior Thesis adviser by the end of September at the latest. The Senior Thesis is written normally in English, and should be between 15,000 and 20,000 words.

In the past, students have written on a great variety of literary, cultural, social and political topics. For a list of recent Senior Theses, please search by department on the Mudd Library Catalog of Princeton University Senior Theses.

Resources are available to assist students with the costs of Senior Thesis research including, when appropriate, foreign travel. If research in a foreign country is needed, it is advisable to do it in the summer preceding the senior year. Please contact the Departmental Representative or the Undergraduate Coordinator for more information.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination (Comps), taken in May of the senior year, is designed to ensure that students have become familiar with a list of indispensable literary texts. The lists of required readings can be found in the Handbook for Concentrators.

For the examination, students choose one of the reading lists. On the first day of the examination (Part I), students write essays on the required readings. On the second day (Part II), students identify and comment upon five out of eight passages excerpted from the chosen reading list. Essays in Part I have to be written in the language of Concentration, while answers in Part II may be written in English.

Besides the list of required readings, students can find some recommended reference works, as well as more detailed information on the Comps, in the Handbook for Concentrators.

If you are considering a concentration in Spanish and/or Portuguese, please contact our Departmental Representative.