Major: Spanish
You don’t have to travel as far as Spain to speak Spanish. The language might flourish in your own family or down the street at your local bodega. From Cervantes to Isabel Allende, the range of great literature written by Spanish-speaking people spreads almost as wide as the geography of the language itself.
As a Spanish major, you’ll be able to read the works of these great writers in the original. You’ll also read exciting new Latino writers working in the United States today.
Spanish majors learn how to speak, write, and read Spanish. They study literature written in Spanish, including the literature of Latin America and Latino communities in the United States.
“The biggest challenge you will encounter is to immerse yourself in the Spanish language without falling back on English when you don’t know how to express your ideas. ”
María Negroni, Assistant Professor, Sarah Lawrence College
Are You Ready To...?
- Read Don Quixote in the original Spanish
- Attend lectures and poetry readings in Spanish
- Create a Spanish-language website
- Work in a group on class assignments
- Live in a Spanish-speaking country for a semester, maybe in someone’s home
It Helps to Be...
Interested in practicing Spanish with other people. You will learn Spanish much faster if you attend Spanish-language activities like poetry readings and converse with fellow students and people whose first language is Spanish.
College Checklist
- What is the teaching philosophy of the department?
- Does the department offer classes in business or medical Spanish?
- Does the department sponsor cultural activities, such as readings by Spanish-language authors?
- Does the college library maintain a wide range of literature in Spanish?
- Does the program offer a study-abroad program?
Did You Know?
- Spanish is the official language of more countries than any other language except English.
Course Spotlight
As a Spanish major, you will probably take a course that surveys Latin American culture. You’ll read such writers as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Jorge Luis Borges, and Gabriel García Márquez. And you can expect to discuss today’s Latin American films, music, and even pop stars. Depending on the school, you may take this course in English during your first or second year, or you may first need to take a prerequisite course, such as beginning Spanish.
