FAQs: determining the appropriate Spanish course
| FAQ #1. How do I know which Spanish course to enroll in? |
| FAQ #2. I speak Spanish at home or have grown up speaking Spanish. What course do I take? |
| FAQ #3. I enrolled in a Spanish course before taking a placement test. What do I do? |
| FAQ #4. Why shouldn’t I take SPN 1120 if I took two years of Spanish in high school? |
| FAQ #5. I took two/three years of Spanish in high school. What course do I take? |
| FAQ #6. Someone told me I need to take two semesters of a foreign language, is this true? |
| FAQ #7. Who is Spanish 1120 reserved for? |
| FAQ #8. I don’t feel prepared. What do I do? |
| FAQ #9. Do I need to take the mandatory placement exam? |
| FAQ #10. How do I take the mandatory placement exam? |
| FAQ #11. What is the University Language Requirement? |
| FAQ #12. I grew up around Spanish. What course do I take? |
| FAQ #13. I want to enroll in SPN 1121, but all course sections are full. What do I do? |
| FAQ #14. I am interested in majoring/double majoring/minoring in Spanish, what do I do? |
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FAQ #1. How do I know which Spanish course to enroll in?
If you have never taken Spanish before, enroll in SPN 1120 (Non-heritage Learners Spanish Track) or SPN 1340 (Heritage Learners Spanish Track)*. If you have already taken at least one Spanish language course (regardless of level), please take the appropriate placement exam.
* A Heritage Learner is someone who has grown up around Spanish listening or even speaking Spanish. Heritage Learner proficiency levels can range from the beginning level of being able to understand or recognize Spanish all the way up to the advanced level of being able to produce Spanish in both oral and written forms.
FAQ #2. I speak Spanish at home or have grown up speaking or listening Spanish, at home or in my community. What course do I take?
If this applies to you, you will not be permitted to remain enrolled in SPN1120/1121/2220/2221. See FAQ #12 below for more information.
FAQ #3. I already enrolled in a Spanish course before taking a placement exam. What do I do?
If you enrolled in a Spanish class before taking a placement exam, you must take a placement exam and, if necessary, re-enroll in a different Spanish class corresponding to your placement test results.
FAQ #4. Why shouldn’t I take SPN 1120 if I took two years of Spanish in high school?
If you took two years of Spanishin high school, you are beyond the level of SPN 1120, which begins with learning the sounds of the alphabet. You will be well prepared to talk about some of the topics covered in SPN 1121 or SPN 2220 such as your family, the four seasons, and description of your city (streets, highways, etc.) Students who have taken 1 or more Spanish course already, must take the appropriate placement exam and register in the appropriate level course according to the placement test score.
FAQ #5. I took two years / three years of Spanish in high school. What course do I take?
You must take the appropriate placement exam and enroll in the appropriate course according to your placement exam score. If you took two years of Spanish in high school, you have likely already finished a textbook similar to the one used in SPN 1120/1121/2220. If you took three years of Spanish in high school, you will likely place into SPN 2221 or SPN 3400. If there is a computer block when you are trying to register, simply send the instructor an email and include your Z number. They will make it possible for you to enroll as it’s just a computer error.
FAQ #6. Someone told me I need to take two semesters of a foreign language. Is this true?
NO! The requirement is proficiency-based and states that you must successfully complete any level language course above SPN 1120 in order to satisfy your language requirement. Although some students are under the impression that they have to take two semesters of a language, this only applies to students who are brand-new to the language they are studying- these are students enrolling in 1120.
FAQ #7. Who is Spanish 1120 reserved for?
SPN 1120 is reserved for those who have never taken Spanish before. If you took Spanish before but it was a long time ago, (let’s say you haven’t taken Spanish in five and a half years) you must take the placement exam and enroll in the appropriate course level according to your score.
FAQ #8. I don’t feel prepared. What do I do?
This is normal. Language learning can be challenging. We look forward to helping you learn languages so that you can be successful in your pursuit of knowledge. We are here to support you in your language learning path. Please take advantage of extra credit opportunities, office hours, tutoring, and many more outside-of-class events.
FAQ #9. Do I need to take the mandatory placement exam?
Yes - everyone who is enrolling in an FAU Spanish class for the first time needs to take the placement exam. The only exceptions are if you have never taken Spanish before or if you have already earned college credit in a lower-level course. The purpose of this placement exam is to help determine which level is most appropriate for you. To repeat, taking the placement exam is mandatory for anyone enrolling in their first FAU Spanish class, with the following exceptions:
1) you earned college credit at another university and you are simply going into the next level; or
2) you have never taken Spanish before. After you complete the test online, a numerical scale will appear informing you which course level you place into. If you place into a level other than 1120, you must enroll in that course level.
FAQ #10 How do I take the mandatory placement exam?
If you place into SPN 2220/2221/3400 and experience problems registering (i.e., you receive a message may appear indicating a prerequisite or test score error), please send an e-mail to the professor of the course section requesting that they lift the registration block, as this is simply a computer error. Their email is available in the course schedule system. If you are a heritage learner, contact Dr. Godón directly.
If you have any questions about your individual placement, please email Dr. Godón (ngodon@fau.edu), Head of Spanish, or Dr. White, Director of the Spanish Basic Language program (jwhite94@fau.edu). Only the Department of Languages, Ling. and Comp. Lit can provide you with the authorization to remain in a course lower than the level into which you place.
FAQ #11. What is the University Language Requirement?
Any language course at the second semester of higher satisfies the university language requirement (SPN 1121, SPN 2220, SPN 2221, SPN 3400, along with any of the heritage learner courses, SPN 1340, SPN 2341, SPN 3343).
SPN 1120 uses the first three chapters of a nine-chapter introductory Spanish textbook. SPN 1121 uses the second three chapters of the same book. SPN 2220 uses the last three chapters of the same book. Both SPN 1121 and SPN 2220 do a quick review of the material from the previous semester(s) as a refresher. That said, if you took one year of Spanish in high school, you certainly covered three chapters of a similar book and likely covered six chapters of a similar book over the course of an entire year. If you took two years of Spanish in high school, you likely finished a similar textbook and went on to an intermediate-style book. Now, let’s consider the university language requirement. The requirement is proficiency-based and states that you must successfully complete any level language course above SPN 1120 in order to satisfy your language requirement. Some students are under the impression that you have to take two semesters of a language, but this is not true! The university requirement states that you must prove proficiency at least at the 1121 level, which is satisfied by successfully completing 1121 or above. You can fulfill the university language requirement in just one semester by successfully completing 1121, or 2220, or 2221, or 3400, or 1340, or 2341, or 3343. Of course, you are welcome to continue on to more language, culture and literature courses and we will be more than happy to talk with you about that option! Keep in mind that you could also consider pursuing a major, double major or a minor in Spanish, which is very marketable! If you are interested in declaring a Spanish Minor or Major, CLICK HERE .
FAQ #12. I grew up around Spanish. What course do I take?
Did you grow up in a Spanish speaking household or in a Spanish speaking community? If so, you may qualify to enroll in one of the courses below and by successfully completing any one of these courses you will satisfy the University language requirement! SPN 1340 Beginning Spanish for Heritage Learners SPN 2341 Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Learners SPN 3343 Advanced Spanish for Heritage Learners. To enroll, please e-mail Dr. Godón at ngodon@fau.edu so that you can take the Heritage Learner placement exam. Don’t let the title of the course scare you. A Heritage Learner is someone who has grown up around Spanish and Heritage Learner proficiency levels can range from the beginning level of being able to understand or recognize Spanish all the way up to the advanced level of being able to produce advanced oral and written. For this reason, we offer three different levels of Spanish in this language track. Keep in mind that successful completion of any of the above courses meets the University language requirement. Also, SPN 2341 counts towards a minor and SPN 3343 counts towards a major! We encourage you to consider either of these marketable additions to your program of study. Also keep in mind that SPN 1120/1121/2220/2221 are reserved for non-heritage learners of Spanish and you risk being dropped from these courses if deemed that you should have enrolled in the Heritage Learner language track. If you have further questions, email Dr. Godón at ngodon@fau.edu.
FAQ #13. I want to enroll in a Spanish course, but all course sections are full, what do I do?
You will need to start by putting yourself on the waitlist for the appropriate course according to the placement exam. It is possible that more seats will open up in the appropriate course and then you will be able to register. See the Registrar’s page for information about how the waitlist functions here. Your instructor will not be able to provide you with an override. If you are unable to complete a Spanish course this semester, you can take the course during a future semester. Please note that the fast-track Spanish 1121 courses that meet TWRF are reserved for those also taking the fast-track 1120 courses. Also, note that a few sections are only available for FAU Henderson high school students, and you will not be able to enroll in those sections. If you are a graduating senior graduating this semester and in need of an override, please email your advisor to provide verification that you are graduating this semester and copy Dr. Godón (ngodon@fau.edu) and Dr. White (jwhite94@fau.edu).
FAQ #14. I am interested in majoring/double majoring/minoring in Spanish. What do I do?
Great! Find instructions here . Be sure to contact Dr. Godón, The Head of Spanish, at ngodon@fau.edu for more information and guidance.