Minor Programs

Course Descriptions and Pre-Requisites

Complete course descriptions and pre-requisites are listed in the official OSU Course Catalog. Students may also search specific term Spanish offerings through the Registrar's Schedule of Classes. A minimum grade of “C-” is required in all courses comprising the major/minor.

Andean & Amazonian Studies Minor (15 credits)

The cultural, historical, economic, environmental, and geopolitical importance of this region of Latin America, which covers a vast expanse of South America, spreads through 9 different countries, has several climates, and encompasses a population of more than 70 million people, cannot be overstated. On the one hand, the Andes are the birthplace of some of the most advanced indigenous civilizations in the Americas, and the present location of vibrant indigenous societies and cultures. Quechua is spoken by approximately 10 million people, while Aymara is spoken by approximately 3 million. In addition, there are vibrant indigenous political movements seeking both revolutionary change and peaceful change within established democratic institutions.

On the other hand, the Amazon basin covers 3,179,000 square miles which include the largest rain forest in the world, vast natural resources, an incredible biodiversity, and a multiplicity of ethnic groups who speak hundreds of native languages mostly related to the Tupi family.

The interdisciplinary minor in Andean & Amazonian Studies requires a minimum of 15 credit hours and highlights the geographical region, its languages and peoples, its history and societies, as well as its cultures and environment.

Experience SPPO's Andean Music Ensemble

The Andean & Amazonian Studies Minor is interdisciplinary and requires a minimum of 15 credit hours beyond Portuguese 1103 or 5502; or Quechua 5503; or Spanish 1103 / 1113.

  • A minimum grade of a C- in all courses counting toward the minor is required.
  • Students may fulfill the Minor requirements through 1 of 2 pathways: by completing the Pachaysana, Ecuador study abroad program or through completion of Main Campus-based coursework.
  • The minor must include at least 6 hours at the 3000-level and above. Courses included in this minor may have additional prerequisites assigned by the corresponding department.
  • ASC Honors students must fulfill the requirements of the Spanish Honors Minor. (H) and (E) denotes Honors and Embedded Honors versions available. 
    • Non-Honors students must meet minimum GPA and pre-requisite requirements to be considered for enrollment in Honors or Embedded Honors sections.
  • The Andean & Amazonian Minor may be used to satisfy the completion of a foreign language minor of International Studies majors when students complete at least 6 credits of Quechua courses beyond the language prerequisite (i.e., Quechua 5504 & 5505).

Language Prerequisite 

Intermediate proficiency in: Portuguese 1103 or 5502; or Quechua 5503; or Spanish 1103 / 1113.

Required Course (3 cr)

Spanish 2332: Introduction to Andean & Amazonian Cultures

Pachaysana, Rehearsing Change: Ecuador Study Abroad (12 credit hours)

Students may choose to satisfy the remaining required credit hours for the minor through completion of this pre-approved study abroad program.

Students will complete four of the following courses while in Ecuador:

English 4577.03: Storytelling: Language and Movement
Theater 5771.02: Theatre for Social Action and Innovation
Geography 2100: Identity and Place
Comp Studies 5797: Design and Evaluation of Sustainable Community Projects
Spanish 2193 / 4193: Independent Study (3cr)

Language Prerequisite 

Intermediate proficiency in: Portuguese 1103 or 5502; or Quechua 5503; or Spanish 1103 / 1113

Required Course (3 cr)

Spanish 2332: Introduction to Andean & Amazonian Cultures

Main Campus-based courses (minimum 12 credit hours)

Core Courses (minimum of 9 credit hours)

Students will complete 3 of the following courses:

History 2111: Native American Peoples of the Andes
Portuguese 2330: Intro to Brazilian Culture
Portuguese 2335: Cannibal Brazil: Cultural Encounters & Negotiations of Identity in Literature & Culture
Portuguese 2798.10: Global May Brazil
Portuguese 4561: Cultural Expressions of Brazil
Quechua 5504: Intermediate Quechua 2
Quechua 5505: Advanced Quechua 1
Quechua 5506: Advanced Quechua 2
Spanish 2208.22: Andean Music Ensemble (must complete 1cr course, repeatable to 3cr for AAS Minor)
Spanish 2330: Re-Inventing America: Visual and Narrative Visions of Latin America
Spanish 2798.11: Global May Bolivia
Spanish 4515: Andean Art, Culture and Society
Spanish 4516: The Formation of Bolivian National Cultures
Spanish 4555(E): Indigenous, Colonial and 19th-Century Latin American Literature
Spanish 4565H: Indigenous Literatures and Cultures of Latin America: Past and Present

Elective Courses (minimum of 3 credit hours)

Students choose one course from the Core courses list or one from the following options. 
NOTE: In the list below, courses marked with an asterisk are special topics and/or research courses and must be pre-approved for the Minor by the Department of Spanish & Portuguese.  Students may also petition the SPPO Undergraduate Studies Committee to have unlisted courses approved for this minor program:

*AEDE / Int'l Studies 2580: Feast or Famine: The Global Business of Food
*AEDE / Int'l Studies 4535: International Economic Development
AEDE / Int'l Studies 4538: Latin American Economic Development
AEDE / Int'l Studies 4597.01: Problems and Policies in World Population, Food & Development
*Anthro 3302: Introduction to Medical Anthropology
Anthro 3416: Latin American Peoples and Cultures
Anthro 3419: Regional Survey of LA Cultures and Migration in Global Perspectives
*Anthro 5600: Biosocial Aspects of Health
*Anthro 5602: Women’s Health in Global Perspective
Geography 3752: Geography in Latin America
Geography 5751: New Worlds of Latin America
History 2100: Intro to the Spanish Atlantic World
History 2105: Latin American and the World
History 3100: Colonial Latin American History
History 3101: South America since Independence
History 3105: History of Brazil
History 4100: Readings in Latin American History
Int’l Studies 2100: Intro to Latin America
Int’l Studies / Spanish 5640: Globalization & Latin America: Multi-Disciplinary Approaches
*Linguistics 3501: Intro to American Indigenous Languages
*Poli Sci 3220: Politics in the Developing World
Poli Sci 4240: Latin American Politics
Poli Sci 4241: Special Topics in Latin America
*Poli Sci 4280: State and Economy
Portuguese 2330: Intro to Brazilian Culture
*Portuguese 4597.02: Representing Identity in the Cinema of the Portuguese-Speaking World
*Portuguese 5650: Studies in the Literatures and Cultures of the Portuguese-speaking World
Spanish 2151: Latin American Culture and Literature
Spanish 2380: Intro to Latin American Film
Spanish 2520: Latin American Literature (in Translation): Fictions & Realities
Spanish 4556: Modern Spanish American Literature
Spanish 4560/H: Intro to Spanish American Culture
Spanish 4570: Latin Soundscapes: Musical Cultures of Latin America
Spanish 4580: Latin American Film
Spanish 5620: Gender and Power in the Americas
*Spanish 5660/E: Seminar in Hispanic Culture

Portuguese Minor (12 credits)

Did you know that Brazil is one of Ohio’s top international trading partners?  Portuguese is not only spoken in Brazil and Portugal, but also Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, and São Tomé and Principe. Knowledge of Portuguese can complement courses of study in a number of disciplines, such as Spanish, Political Science, International Studies, International Business, African American and African Studies, Latin American Studies, and Comparative Studies. Ohio State’s innovative major and minor program in this vital language will set you apart now and in the future.

The Portuguese minor consists of a minimum of 12 credit hours. The language of instruction in all Portuguese classes leading to the minor will be in Portuguese. Students choosing to minor in Portuguese are encouraged to take advantage of study abroad opportunities offered in cooperation with The Office of International Affairs (OIA).

The Portuguese Minor consists of a minimum of 12 credit hours beyond Portuguese 1103 or 5502.

  • A minimum grade of a C- in all courses counting toward the minor is required.

  • Courses taught in English do not count toward the Portuguese Minor program. 

Orientation Courses

One course required from the following three:

3401 Advanced Portuguese Grammar, 3 credits
3402 Portuguese Reading and Listening, 3 credits
3403 Portuguese Conversation and Composition, 3 credits

Then students complete:

3450 Introduction to the Study of Literatures and Cultures, 3 credits

Advanced Language and Linguistics

Choose one course from the following:

3401 Advanced Portuguese Grammar, 3 credits
3402 Portuguese Reading and Listening, 3 credits
3403 Portuguese Conversation and Composition, 3 credits
4510 Portuguese Translation, 3 credits
4595 Special Topics in Foreign Study, 1-9 credits
4999(H) Honors Thesis Research, 1-9 credits**
5611 The Portuguese Language, 3 credits

Portuguese Literatures and Cultures

Choose one course from the following:

4550 Literatures of the Portuguese Speaking World, 3 credits
4560 Cultural Expressions of Portugal and Lusophone Africa, 3 credits
4561 Cultural Expressions of Brazil, 3 credits
4595 Special Topics in Foreign Study, 1-9 credits
4999(H) Honors Thesis Research, 1-9 credits**
5510 Literatures and Cultures in Portuguese, from the Middle Ages to Neoclassicism, 3 credits
5520 Literatures and Cultures in Portuguese, from Romanticism to Modernism, 3 credits
5530 Literatures and Cultures in Portuguese, from Modernism to the Present, 3 credits
5650 Studies in Literatures and Cultures of the Portuguese Speaking World, 3-9 credits

Electives

In special cases, upon approval by the Department, the Elective courses below can be counted toward Minor requirements.
 
3570 CLLC Radio, 3 credits
4193 Individual Studies, 1-6 credits**
4194 Group Studies, 1-9 credits**
5797 Study at a Foreign Institution, 1-6 credits**

Spanish Minor for Business (15 credits)

Courses included in the Spanish Minor for Business prepare students to conduct business in Spanish-speaking regions with cultural understanding.  Students will acquire competency through critical examination of business communication and practices, societal responsibility, and issues related to gender, ethnicity, class, religion, and nationalism in the workplace.  Course materials, projects, and assignments included in the curriculum serve to equip students with the language and cultural skills for employment in the Spanish-speaking world. The minor includes four courses taught in Spanish and one course taught in English.

The Spanish Minor for Business consists of minimum 15 credit hours beyond Spanish 2202 / 2213. A minimum grade of “C-” in all courses comprising the minor is required. 

2506 Latin American Culture in a Business Context; and
3401 Advanced Grammar; and 
3403(H) Intermediate Spanish Composition; or 
3413 Spanish for Heritage Speakers; and
3406 Intermediate Business Spanish; and
4606 Advanced Business Spanish

Spanish Minor (15 credits)

The Spanish minor consists of a minimum of 15 credit hours beyond Spanish 2202 / 2213.

  • A minimum grade of a C- in all courses counting toward the minor is required.

  • ASC Honors students must fulfill the requirements of the Spanish Honors Minor. (H) and (E) denotes Honors and Embedded Honors versions available. 
    Non-Honors students must meet minimum GPA and pre-requisite requirements to be considered for enrollment in Honors or Embedded Honors sections.

  • Courses taught in English do not count toward the Spanish Minor program. 

Orientation Courses (9cr)

These three courses are required: 

3401 Advanced Grammar; and    
3403(H) Intermediate Spanish Composition; or 3413 Spanish for Heritage Speakers; and
3450(H) Intro to the Study of Literature & Culture in Spanish: Reading Texts

Additional Courses (6cr)

Choose two courses from the Concentration or Elective sections (listed below), with at least one (1) course at the 4000+ level taught in Spanish. Courses taught in English do not count toward the Spanish Minor program
  ***5797 and 4193 can be taken for up to 9 credit hours, but only a maximum of 3 credit hours apply toward completion of the Spanish Minor program

Honors Minor

  • Spanish 3401 & 3403(H); Honors sections are highly recommended, but not required.
  • Spanish 3450H + 2 courses at the 4000+ level taught in Spanish (one of which must carry H-status).
  • Courses taught in English may not count toward the Honors minor program.
  • Honors minor contracts will require a minimum of 15 hours.