Getting Started in Spanish

Before you begin your journey in Spanish, we need to know how much knowledge of the language you already have. Take the Spanish Placement Exam to discern which level of Spanish you should start with.

If you are taking this placement test within 48 hours of your registration period, you may not be able to register for the course you intend.Results from this Canvas placement may take up to two (2) business days to fully process within the university's systems, depending on the time of day you've taken the placement test.

If you have questions about your placement exam score, please contact spanishadvising@miamioh.edu and provide a detailed message with your concerns and questions. A Spanish department advisor will get right back to you.

Trying to switch levels for your Spanish course? Please email spanishadvising@miamioh.edu.

Please read the text below after you have taken the Spanish Placement Exam.

To fulfill the language requirement of the College of Arts and Science, you must complete through SPN 202, or any course at the 300 level. Once you start in the sequence, you must follow the sequence from that point; skipping courses in the sequence is not allowed. The following is a brief description of the courses and the sequence. All courses are taught in Spanish.

SPN 101–102. The beginner’s course (four credit hours), not open to students who have completed two or more years of high school Spanish (“Spanish 2”). The sequence is SPN 101, 102, 201, and 202 for a total of fourteen hours spread over four semesters.

SPN 111. An elementary review course (four credit hours). This course covers the same material as SPN 101 and 102, in a single semester rather than in two. It is designed specifically for students with two years of high school Spanish, but who have been away from it a while. Students enter SPN 201 after this course, making the sequence SPN 111, 201, and 202 for a total of ten hours in three semesters. Students must take the placement test to enroll in SPN 111.

SPN 201–202. This is the second-year sequence of courses comprising grammar review, conversation, reading, and culture. There is an emphasis on communicating in Spanish. Students listen, speak, read, and write in Spanish.

As both SPN 202 and SPN 203 fulfill the language requirement, students only receive credit for one or the other, not both.

SPN 311, a 3-hour, 1-semester course, is the bridge between basic language (SPN 202 or 203) and literary and linguistic study. It also serves as the gateway course for the major and minor. It focuses on the continued development of the four linguistic skills with an emphasis on composition, culture, and grammar. SPN 311 is the prerequisite for the entry-level literature course, SPN 315, and for the entry-level linguistics course, SPN 312. The literature course, Introduction to Hispanic Literature, teaches close readings and contextual analysis of various literary genres. It is a prerequisite for advanced study in literature and culture. SPN 312, Introduction to Spanish Language/Linguistics, teaches phonology, morphology, syntax, phonetics, and pragmatics. It is a prerequisite for further study in linguistics.

The department of Spanish and Portuguese has a program for heritage speakers of Spanish—meaning "individuals who grew up in Spanish-speaking environments and are able to communicate, to some extent, in more than one language." The quoted definition is adopted from the University of Houston's Department of Hispanic Studies. The course Spanish Individualized Instruction will be designed to further develop the language proficiency of Spanish heritage learners.

The course will offer Spanish heritage learners many benefits, such as:

• Polish both Spanish oral and written language skills.
• Learn more about Spanish language and one's cultural heritage.
• Meet students with similar interests and experiences.
• Examine national and local Hispanic cultures and issues that these communities face.
• Increase civic engagement opportunities.

If you answer YES to one or more of the following statements^*, please contact Ms. Katie Fowler-Córdova for more information about the Spanish Individualized Instruction course.

• When I was a child, Spanish was spoken in my home.
• I lived in a Spanish-speaking country for two years or longer.
• My first language was Spanish (or both Spanish and English).
• I speak Spanish, or both Spanish and English with family and friends.
• My parents and/or grandparents often speak to me in Spanish.
• I consider Spanish an important part of my culture.

^{*The above statements are based on the placement exam given at the University of New Mexico.}