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Majors and Minors

The major and minor programs offered in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese are designed to prepare students for fluency not just in the language itself, but in the complexity, diversity and intellectual debates within the discipline. Our emphasis is on an engagement with literary and cultural studies through an attentive reading to the particularities of language and socio-historical context. Spanish is not only the second-most-spoken language of the United States, but is a multi-regional and global composite of cultures with their own traditions and histories. Within this discipline, there is room to pursue particular interests and incorporate contributions from other fields such as history, economics, sociology, politics, art and communications. Many of our students choose to double major, combining their knowledge of Spanish with other disciplines. The same is true for our minors, who find the requirements for the minor in Spanish allow sufficient flexibility to accommodate their primary field.

Please schedule an appointment with a department adviser who will assist you in submitting the mandatory forms needed to declare a Spanish major or minor or Portuguese minor.

Given that the Iberian peninsula is a geographic entity that encompasses two inter-related languages, as is most of Latin America, we strongly encourage students to study Portuguese.

Departmental Learning Goals:

Spanish Major/Minor Learning Goals: 

  1. Advanced level of proficiency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension of Spanish. (ACTFL 2012 Guidelines).[1]
  2. Knowledge of literary and cultural production from Latin American, Iberian, and US Latinx communities and of its intellectual and historical contexts.
  3. Corresponding understanding of the national and cultural diversity of these regions in relation to colonial and postcolonial histories.
  4. Engagement with critical or theoretical works concerning literature and culture in these regions.
  5. The ability to read, analyze and write critically about literature, culture, and linguistic diversity with attention to contextual, thematic, and formal issues.

 Portuguese Minor Learning Goals 

  1. Advanced level of proficiency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension of Portuguese. (ACTFL 2012 Guidelines).[2]
  2. Knowledge of literary and cultural production from Latin American, Iberian, and Global Lusophone communities.
  3. Corresponding understanding of the national and cultural diversity of these regions in relation to colonial and postcolonial histories.
  4. Engagement with critical or theoretical works concerning literature and culture in these regions.
  5. The ability to read, analyze and write critically about literature, culture, and linguistic diversity with attention to contextual, thematic, and formal issues.
 

[1] https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/guidelines/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012.pdf

[2] https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/guidelines/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012.pdf