Our program develops analytical skills and methodologies needed to explore Hispanic and Hispanic-American languages and cultures.
It is important to note that department majors and minors are not simply Spanish and Portuguese language majors or minors; rather, they are liberal arts majors and minors concentrating on Spanish, Latin American, and/or Luso-Brazilian literary, cultural, and linguistic studies with language skills at the foundation. All major and minor options in this department begin with prerequisite language courses, followed by advanced language skills courses (special arrangements may be made for native speakers of Spanish or Portuguese). These are followed by critical analysis skills courses in Hispanic literature, culture, and linguistics that prepare students to take advanced coursework in specific areas. The major options culminate in the completion of a senior project through a SPAN 5xxx course or SPAN 3972W.
Majors are required to enroll in a minimum 6-week study abroad experience, or a semester-long service learning course. The study abroad requirement must be fulfilled in a Spanish-speaking country, involve coursework in Spanish, and include courses related to Spanish studies. Students must meet with the department adviser prior to departure. The service learning requirement is fulfilled by SPAN 3401, or SPAN 3404, or other courses with adviser consent.
Detailed information regarding Spanish and Portuguese studies undergraduate academic issues is printed in the Undergraduate Advising Handbook.
The College of Liberal Arts Advantage: More Than a Major
When you study Spanish at the University of Minnesota, you gain the added advantage of a College of Liberal Arts education. At CLA, the liberal arts mean you get more than just a degree in one major or another; it means you will be exposed to different areas of study, to different ways of thinking and learning. In fact, the liberal arts teach you how to learn—how to ask the right questions, how to problem solve, and how to innovate. The liberal arts prepare students for the complexities of our world, because here at CLA you will study not just, say, politics or art but also where politics and art intersect, where science and ethics intersect, where economics and the environment intersect.
