Language Requirements
Dickinson College requires all students to demonstrate that they have completed work in a foreign language through the intermediate level. If the student's native tongue is not English, he or she may be exempted from this requirement by the Dean of the College, who will give written notice to the Registrar's Office who in turn will notify the student as well as the student's advisor. If the student has studied a foreign language for two or more years in a secondary school, the student may be exempted from the language requirement on the basis of a sufficiently high score (630 minimum) on the College Board SAT II foreign language subject test in a language, with the permission of the appropriate language department.
The language requirement can be fulfilled in one of the following languages in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese:
For Spanish:
101 Elementary Spanish This course is designed for students who have never taken Spanish previously. The course focuses on all four language skills: listening, reading, writing, speaking, with an emphasis on vocabulary development and listening comprehension development. Prerequisite: No prior study of Spanish and permission of department.
104 Elementary Spanish This course is a continuation of Spanish 101. The course focuses on all four language skills: listening, reading, writing, speaking, with increasing emphasis on speaking. Prerequisite: 101. Upon completion, students go to 116.
108 Intensive Elementary Spanish This course is designed for students with prior study of Spanish who do not place into Spanish 116. The course focuses on all four language skills, and covers the same material as Spanish 101 and 104, but at an accelerated pace. Emphasis is on listening and speaking. Prerequisite: Placement by department. Upon completion, students go to 116.
116 Intermediate Spanish This course is a continuation of Spanish 104. The course focuses on all four language skills: listening, reading, writing, speaking, with increasing emphasis on writing and speaking. Prerequisite: 104, 108, or placement by department.
For Portuguese:
*101, 104 Elementary Portuguese An intensive study of the fundamentals of Portuguese grammar, with special attention given to pronunciation and oral expression. Composition and literary and cultural readings.
115 Portuguese for Speakers of a Romance Language This course is designed for students who have previously studied another Romance language and would like to develop speaking, reading, writing and listening skills in Portuguese. The course assumes no previous knowledge of Portuguese, and will rely on the comparative grammar and cognate vocabulary of Spanish and other Romance languages to develop language skills over the course of the semester. In addition, the class will explore aspects of Portuguese-speaking cultures in Europe, Latin America and Africa.Prerequisites: four semesters of a Romance language (or the equivalent), or permission of instructor. Offered every two years.
116 Intermediate Portuguese Review of Portuguese syntax. Introduction to conversation and composition through selected cultural and literary readings. Prerequisite: 104 or the equivalent.