Some universities, such as New York University and The Ohio State University, require Spanish minors to take courses in advanced Spanish grammar and composition -- either as separate courses or as a combined course. These courses allow students, especially non-native Spanish speakers, to learn correct sentence construction and develop proper written expression. They are considered skill-building courses that serve as a foundation for all other Spanish minor courses.
All Spanish minors must take at least one literature course. Students are often encouraged to start with a literary theory course that teaches them to analyze Spanish-language literary texts. Subsequent literature courses may be a survey class -- for example, Spanish or Latin American literature -- or a study of a specialized topic -- for example, Spanish Baroque literature, the literature of Jorge Luis Borges or the contemporary Spanish novel.
Linguistics is the study of language. Spanish minors are required to take at least one course in Spanish linguistics and typically have different areas of interest to choose from. Phonetics concerns speech patterns and helps students improve their Spanish pronunciation. Syntax concerns the construction of sentences and morphology the construction of words. Both help students to gain a proper foundation in the language, especially regarding written expression. Comparative linguistics allows students to master proper Spanish expression by learning to compare and contrast English and Spanish patterns.
Courses in Spanish or Latin American culture are taught as general survey classes. They allow students to learn about the history, significant figures, customs, traditions and contemporary issues of the respective Spanish-speaking areas. The goal is for students to gain a better understanding of the people and foreign countries where the Spanish language is spoken.
In addition to specific required classes, students studying a minor in Spanish must also take a certain number of upper-division elective courses. The choices typically include all upper-division courses offered by the university's Spanish department, including Spanish sociolinguistics, business Spanish, Latin American narrative and literary translation.