Spanish
General InformationIn an increasingly global environment where information courses instantaneously around the world, the disciplines devoted to the human word, to human communication, to the world's languages and literatures, its philosophies and religions and cultures remain vital. It is the mission of the Department of English and Humanities to prepare its students to participate in this global, information society by providing them with the critical, questioning, imaginative, and interpretive abilities they will need to succeed in college, in their careers, and in life. Majors in the Department of English and Humanities accept the invitation to intellectual adventure and self-exploration, and in so doing develop the skills and acquire the knowledge essential for understanding tomorrow's challenges.
The Spanish Major
The primary emphasis in this major is the acquisition of Spanish language proficiency, the appreciation of Spanish and Spanish-American literature, and the understanding of the many cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. The secondary emphasis is on the application of this knowledge to an area in the curriculum in which the student plans to use Spanish in the future. Through their choices in courses, Spanish majors have the flexibility to construct a unique program that best suits their needs and interests.
There are three features that make the Spanish major at York College unique. The first is the emphasis given to the application of Spanish skills to a career field. By completing the requirements of a minor in another field, students gain knowledge and skills in a discipline in which they may apply their language skills.
The second unique feature is the required study abroad component. We recognize that the best way for students to improve their language skills and their appreciation of another culture is to be immersed in that culture. The study abroad requirement is an essential component to experiencing the Spanish language and culture first hand. While a full semester abroad is recommended, participation in a brief, intensive immersion program abroad is also an option. Students have completed study abroad programs in various locations, including Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
Professors also encourage students to complete internships with various organizations. The internship allows students to use and hear Spanish on a regular basis outside the classroom setting, and also to gain practical work place skills that will be useful to them in their careers. Students have completed internships at locations like York Hospital, York City School district, York Spanish-American Center, Migrant Educational Programs, El Centro (Gettysburg), Bell Socialization Services, Amnesty International, the York County Courthouse, and Planned Parenthood.
Department Activities
The English and Humanities Department publishes an annual student literary journal, The York Review, which includes poetry, fiction, essays, photography, and art. The department sponsors an annual creative writing contest, funded by the Bob Hoffman Foundation, providing awards for poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
The department's theatre troupe, Players, mounts numerous productions annually, many of them directed by students.
The department also supports an active Film Society, a student-run organization dedicated to the serious examination and discussion of movies-particularly classic films, independent films, documentaries, and foreign films. The department organizes the annual "Humanities Lecture and Film Series," which brings noted scholars, writers, and performers to campus to meet with students, conduct special lectures and discussions in the classroom, and speak to the campus community.
The department also regularly sponsors student socials, poetry readings, panel discussions, and workshops on careers for liberal arts majors and for students interested in graduate school. Majors in the department regularly present at area student conferences.
Career Opportunities
The Spanish major recognizes the demand in practically every work setting for individuals who are competent in Spanish. Recent demographic changes in the United States have now made the ability to communicate in Spanish a necessity for individuals seeking jobs in practically every field. Our Spanish graduates are thus in a position to take advantage of the growing need for workers who can communicate in Spanish. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Spanish major at York College, the career direction of graduates from this program varies considerably. Spanish majors find meaningful employment in a variety of settings:
- Bilingual or Spanish Newspapers and Magazines
- Business
- Counseling
- International Relations
- Law Offices
- Local, State, and Federal Government
- Non-Profit Organizations
- Police and Military
- Prisons
- Security Agencies
- Social Service Agencies
- Student Services
- Teaching
- Translation and Interpretation
Students are placed at a level that takes into account their knowledge of Spanish prior to enrolling at York College. The first courses that are applied to the major requirements are the Intermediate 201 and 202 sequence. The progression from the intermediate sequence through graduation is designed to provide students with a gradual and methodical development in their proficiency in the language. Courses are taught in the target language and all assignments are completed in Spanish. Although most of the Spanish courses focus on particular language skills such as speaking or reading, all courses are designed to help students make connections with the other classes in their major and across the curriculum. In all classes, there is ample opportunity for interaction with peers and the instructor in order to maximize the acquisition of language skills. Students have the opportunity to take courses in Spanish and Spanish American civilization, literature, Hispanic Cinema, Spanish Linguistics, and Spanish Grammar.
This distribution of courses across all critical areas provides students with a strong grounding in major aspects of Spanish language, literature, and culture. Spanish courses offered include:
- Intermediate Spanish I and II
- Intermediate Spanish Conversation
- Reading Strategies in Spanish
- Advanced Oral and Written Expression in Spanish
- Spanish Culture and Civilization
- Spanish American Culture and Civilization
- Introduction to the Literature of Spain
- Introduction to the Literature of Spanish America
- Advanced Spanish Grammar
- Spanish Linguistics
- Independent Study
- Spanish Internship
- Spanish Through Hispanic Cinema
- Special Topics in 20th Century Spanish-American Literature
- Special Topics in 20th Century Literature of Spain
- 19th Century Literature of Spain
- 19th Century Literature of Spanish America
Jessica Kyle, '07, Ph.D. Program, SUNY Binghamton
John Braught, '06, M.A. program, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) in Leuven, Belgium
Amanda Jessop, '06, Spanish Teacher, Northeastern High School
Brian Medina, '06, Residential Life Director, Franklin Pierce College
Evan Smith, '05, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Aaron Arndt, '04, Ph.D. Program, Michigan State University
Brian Lonergan, '04, M.A. Program, West Chester University
Margaret Staunton, '04, Routledge Publishing Co.
Erin Weber, '04, Editorial Coordinator, TechBooks/GTS, York, PA.
Bonnie Eskridge, '03, M.A. Program in Literacy, Technology, and Professional Writing at Northern Arizona University
Janet O'Rourke, '02, Teacher, York City School District
Julie Schneider, '02, Spanish Instructor, M.Ed. Program, Saint Joseph's University
Marc Miller, '00, Archivist for Philadelphia Fight, MLA Program University of PA
Samuel Waddell, '00, Adjunct Writing Instructor, York College
Maureen Bradley, '98, AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps
Wade Holden, '98, Analyst, Kagan Research Carmel, CA.
Scott Seufert, '98, Attorney at Law, Mette Evans and Woodside
Steven Barnhart, '96, Intelligence Communications Senior Airman, U.S. Air Force
Jamie Ray, '96, Center for Disability Law and Policy
Sharon Pavlosky Mitzel, '79, Vice President, Human Resources, York Graphic Services, York, PA
Adam Cerio, Victim/Witness Coordinator, York County District Attorney's Office
Faculty Highlights
The faculty of the English and Humanities Department work collaboratively to provide students with an opportunity to develop an awareness of foreign language and culture, an understanding of the rhetorical dimension of language use and text production, hands-on experience in dramatic performance and directing, and a strong intellectual background in the form of literary, philosophical, and religious analysis of a wide variety of texts.
Gabriel Abudu, B.A., University of Ghana; Ph.D., Temple University, coordinator of foreign languages, an authority on twentieth-century Afro-Cuban poetry, frequently publishes on Nancy Morejón, a major literary figure of our time.
Julie S. Amberg, B.A., Boston University, Ph.D., Tulane University, has research interests in early American literature, women's literature, and linguistics. She is currently completing work on a textbook under contract on language and linguistics.
Mary Boldt, B.A. Wilson College, M.A. and Ph.D. Brown University, teaches French and German and has interests in foreign language across the curriculum, second language acquisition, and international studies.
Dominic DelliCarpini, B.A., University of Pennsylvania; Ph.D., Penn State University, is a frequent presenter at national conferences on composition pedagogy and civic participation. He also does work on early modern literature, focusing especially upon Shakespeare, Milton, and Spenser.
James McGhee, A.B., Montclair State College, Ph.D.; Bowling Green State University, recently published a critical study of the American playwright Sam Shepard. He is the theatre director.
Cindy Doutrich, B.A. and Ph.D., Penn State University, is the author of the McGraw-Hill text, Nuevos Destinos (New Destinations), now in its second edition.
Rory Kraft, B.A., Arizona State University, M.A., American University, Ph.D., Michigan State University, specializes in ethical theory and applied ethics and is interested in aesthetics and the history of western philosophy.
William R. Miller, B.A., Eckerd College; Ph.D., State University of New York (Binghamton), is a nationally known poet and award-winning author of multicultural children's books.
Alexander Ian Olney, B.A., Rhodes College; Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a film studies scholar who is interested in European cinema, horror cinema, film and literature, and dramatic literature.
Colbey Reid, B.A., University of Florida, M.A. and Ph.D., University of Washington, takes an interdisciplinary approach to American and British modern literature, exploring the connections in modernist literature between glamour, style, and the notion of "mistake."
Gerald Siegel, B.A. Western Maryland College; M.A. Texas Christian University; M.Phil, Ph.D., George Washington University. His research interests include American and popular literature, especially horror literature, about which he has written.
Victor Taylor, B.A., Lemoyne College; Ph.D., Syracuse University, is widely published in post modernism. He is the author of (Para) Inquiry: Postmodern Literature, Culture, and Theology (Routledge 1999).
Deborah Vause, B.A., North Carolina State University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a medievalist with wide-ranging interests in Arthurian and fantasy literature, as well as in the study of the English language.
Dennis Weiss, B.A., Emory University; Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin, has done major research in metaphysics, the philosophy of human nature, and the digital culture. He is the editor of Interpreting Man and has authored essays on science fiction, philosophical anthropology, and philosophy of technology. He is department chair.
Janet Zepernick, B.A., Bowling Green State University; Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, is a rhetoric and composition specialist with an interest in the discourse of public policy-making.
Michael J. Zerbe, B.S., James Madison University; Ph.D., Purdue University, is a specialist in rhetoric and composition and has a research interest in the application of rhetorical theory to medical and scientific writing.
