Beginning in the 2017-2018 academic year, the modified Foreign Language College Core Curriculum (CCC) requirement will include only SPAN 103 and above. If a student places in SPAN 101 or SPAN 102 and is interested in completing the CCFL requirement through a Spanish course, they will need to take one of the two introductory courses before continuing to SPAN 103 and satisfying the requirement. This is a departure from the previous policy where SPAN 101 and SPAN 102 fulfilled the CCFL requirement.

According to members of the Spanish department, many students who study Spanish at the University have already been exposed to the language at an intermediate level. According to the course catalog academic requirements, all undergraduate applicants are required to have completed a minimum of two years of a foreign language in secondary school for all of the University’s degree programs.

By the time students arrive at the University, many have already explored or begun to explore a foreign language and are moving toward building a proficiency.

“I feel that the fact that students who have taken Spanish before in high school have been able to take Spanish 101 and 102 as a ‘cop out of the language CCC requirement’ is a failure of freshman advising,” Katherine Wagner ’18 said. “I think it could be a good thing and we may see a shift to other first-year level languages … as freshmen explore language courses for their CCCs.”

“As a freshman working to complete my Spanish CCC requirement above the Spanish 101 and 102 level, I appreciate the fact that my hard work in taking a higher level course is being acknowledged,” Julia McAleese ’20 said.

Fulfilling the one semester language requirement through Spanish “is most beneficial to students when compatible with expanding language and cultural competence,” according to a statement released by the department of Spanish. For this reason, Spanish students are now encouraged to meet the language requirement while developing language skills above their entry language level at the University.

Spanish majors have been outspoken about the changing requirements and how it will impact future generations of University students pursuing a mastery of foreign languages.

“I think it’s a good idea because learning a new language is often uncomfortable and the intimidation often causes students to underestimate their abilities,” Quinn Smith ’19, computer science and Spanish double major, said.