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Majors in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Minnesota offers two majors, one in Spanish Studies and another in Spanish-Portuguese Studies.
Students majoring in Spanish develop a critical understanding of the cultural and linguistic production of the many diverse countries where Spanish is spoken by more than 300 million people. Core courses in the major provide students with the critical methods and vocabulary that ensure success in the more advanced courses, which focus on the language, literature, and culture of Spain, Spanish America, and the United States. From Spain’s multicultural medieval past to its twentieth-century movement toward democracy, from the colonial to the postcolonial periods in the Americas, and the growth of Latino culture in the United States, the major also emphasizes the changing sociohistorical context of the Spanish-speaking world’s rich cultural and linguistic realities.
Students choosing the Spanish-Portuguese Studies major will learn about, in addition to the above, the language and diversity of cultures of more than 200 million speakers of Portuguese in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. Portuguese courses in the combined major are interdisciplinary and emphasize the historical and cultural connections that have shaped the Lusophone world from early modernity to the present. In these courses special attention is given to cultural and historical analogies, contrasts, and discontinuities between the Hispanic and Lusophone worlds.
Both Spanish Studies and Spanish-Portuguese Studies majors are strongly encouraged to study abroad in order to enhance their linguistic and cultural competency. More than half of all Spanish majors study abroad for at least a semester, many of them taking advantage of department-approved programs in Toledo, Venezuela, Mexico, and Argentina. Students in the combined major are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities in Coimbra, Portugal or in São Paulo or Salvador, Brazil.