ANSWERS TO SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT SPANISH LANGUAGE COURSES

A.Placement Exam

You can take the placement exam online: http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/spanish/placement.html

B. I have had X years of Spanish in High School. What do I do?

Take the Placement exam and we will place you.

C. You don't have to take the Placement Exam if.

1. you have taken the SAT II exam in Spanish. If so, here your placement is the following:

   above 780: you have fufilled the language requirement; you may elect to take upper level courses and we recommend you do so.

   680-780: take Spanish BC 1204 (Intermediate Spanish II)

   570-679: take Spanish BC 1203 (Intermediate Spanish I)

   400-569: take Spanish BC 1103 (Intensive Review of Elementary Spanish); if you can't get into a section you may try Span V1102 (Elementary Spanish II)

   below 400: start at the beginning with Span V1101 (Elementary Spanish I), preferably a Barnard section.

2. you have gotten a 4 or 5 on the Spanish AP exam. You have completed the language requirement. If you want to go on with Spanish, you can choose to do a more advanced level course.

D. I have placed out of Spanish but don't feel I'm ready for a major level course. What course should I take?

Choose one or more of the following bridge courses:

Span BC 3004: Language and World View (depending on offerings specific sections of this course are Political Acts: Latin American Theater; Language and Performance; Language and Film; Hispanics in the US; Special Issues in Contemporary Spain; Lives of Creative Women)

Span BC 3003: Advanced Oral and Written Spanish

Span BC 3109: Introduction to Literary Analysis

E. Getting into Language Courses

All Barnard Spanish language courses are designated as INS courses. What does this mean?

1. This means you must get the permission of the instructor before you are admitted.

2. If you registered online but did not sign in on one of the designated slots on our departmental pre-registration sheets in the Fall, you are not guaranteed a place in the course unless the instructor approves. That approval often depends upon available spaces.

3. If you signed in on one of the designated slots on our departmental pre-registration sheets in the Fall you already have the instructor's permission. This permission is revoked, however, if you do not show up to the first day of class.

4. If you have not pre-registered, you can go to the first day of class to see whether there is any room left. There is no guarantee, however, that you will be allowed into the section.