Language and Area Studies: Spanish/Latin America (BA)

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Offered by the , , the BA in Language and Area Studies: Spanish/Latin America is designed for students with a strong interest in a region of the world and in a language of that region. This innovative program achieves a balance between humanities and social sciences courses, combined with an advanced level of foreign language study.

Admission to the Program

To be considered for freshman admission, an applicant should have earned at least a 3.00 average in secondary school. Students from other regionally accredited collegiate institutions, and students in other programs at American University who have completed the freshman year, should maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) to be considered for transfer to the program.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better
Completion of college writing requirement
Completion of university mathematics requirement

General Education Requirements

A total of ten courses, consisting of two courses from each of the five foundational areas
At least one course from Area Five: The Natural and Mathematical Sciences must include a laboratory science component
No more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline

Major Requirements

51 credit hours with grades of C or better
- Where appropriate, and with Faculty Advisory Committee approval, special topics courses may fulfill requirements
- Up to 3 credit hours may be applied toward the major from an approved internship
- Study abroad coursework may be used toward the major with Faculty Advisory Committee approval
Proficiency in Spanish demonstrated by achieving a B (3.00) average or better for all SPAN coursework taken in

Course Requirements

Foundation (9 credit hours)

World Politics

SISU-105 World Politics FA3 (3)

Intercultural Communication

Complete one of the following:

SISU-140 Cross-Cultural Communication FA3 (3)
SISU-360 Topics in Identity, Race, Gender, and Culture (3) : Foundations of International Communication

Comparative Politics

Complete one of the following:

Spanish Language (18 credit hours)

18 credit hours of coursework in Spanish (SPAN-xxx) at or above the 300-level

Area Studies (21 credit hours)

Humanities

Complete 15 credit hours, with 12 credit hours at or above the 300 level, in humanities coursework, including 3 credit hours from (HIST-xxx) and an additional 3 credit hours of coursework with a strong historical component, from the following or other area studies courses approved by the major advisor:

Social Science

Complete 6 credit hours of social science coursework from the following or other area studies courses approved by the major advisor:

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See for more information.