Embracing an interdisciplinary study of language, cultures, histories and political realities

Through the lenses of social history, politics and literary, film and media studies, we seek to understand the past, current state, and emerging realities of the cultures of Latin America, Spain, the Caribbean, and the Latina/o heritage populations within the United States; and their relations with each other and with the wider world.

Through co-curricular activities (e.g. film series, lectures, the mesa de espa?ol) we engage with the larger college community. The department also encourages off-campus study and research through study abroad, internships, or and the connections between our faculty members and the large nearby Latina/o communities.

A major in Spanish at Mount Holyoke leads to proficiency in the language as well as a deep understanding of the many issues relevant to Spanish-speakers abroad and in the U.S. Spanish majors examine the past, current state, and emerging realities of Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean in intermediate and advanced-level courses that adopt a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, including literary studies, film and media studies, social history, and politics.

Spanish?the second most spoken language in the United States today and one of the three most spoken languages in the world? has become a crucial part of civic engagement and global citizenship. Facility with the language has been an important component of career success for many Mount Holyoke graduates in fields including government, law, business, international affairs, education, journalism, medicine, and the performing arts.