¡Bienvenidos! Bem-vindos!

Luso-Hispanic studies provides the highest-quality education to students of Spanish and Portuguese with respect to language learning, liberal arts training, and the understanding of cultural diversity.

Colorful architecture in the city of Mindelo, the capital of the island of São Vicente in the archipelago of Cape Verde.
Colorful architecture in the city of Mindelo, the capital of the island of São Vicente in the archipelago of Cape Verde.

Our Department

We offer a major and a minor in Spanish and a minor in Portuguese. Students can acquire linguistic proficiency in their chosen language(s), as well as a thorough understanding of the culture, literature, and linguistics of Lusophone and Hispanic nation states and their diasporas in the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Our faculty members come from eight different countries and teach a rich curriculum with a broad array of courses in language, literature, linguistics, and visual culture. Our students have the opportunity to study at any of our 21 sites in five different countries of the Middlebury C.V. Schools Abroad in Spain and Latin America.

Students participating in Language Tables in the campus dining halls.

Activities

Take advantage of the Spanish and Portuguese tables that bring faculty and students together at lunch. Or immerse yourself in language by living in the Spanish House or the Portuguese House. There are plenty of activities to enjoy throughout the year.

Our Curriculum

We offer a carefully designed and rich curriculum centered around two specific goals:

  • To use the most current and effective methods of language instruction in order to help students acquire an expert proficiency in both spoken and written Spanish and/or Portuguese.
  • To employ its diverse faculty’s experience and research in familiarizing students with the major currents of Lusophone and Hispanic literature, arts, philosophical thought, linguistics, and culture.

Although focused on Spanish and Portuguese language and cultures, the program is also open to the study of the translated experiences of ethnicities within and in dialogue with Lusophone and Hispanic nation states as well as to the development of diasporic Portuguese and Spanish-speaking communities around the world. More about our learning goals.

A fruit market in Portugal.

Student Opportunities

In addition to classroom instruction, students have the opportunity to acquire authentic linguistic and cultural experience through one of our various study abroad programs, as well as to undertake independent research.

Schools Abroad in Spain

As juniors, most Spanish students go to the Middlebury School Abroad in Spain (sites in Córdoba, Getafe, Logroño, Madrid),

Schools Abroad in Latin America

or one of Schools Abroad in Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil), or to another approved program in Latin America, Europe, or Africa, where they are able to put their linguistic and cultural skills to practical use.

Independent Research

Upon return from study abroad, majors are expected to engage in independent research through work in a senior seminar, on a senior tutorial, or on an honors thesis in order to synthesize their knowledge acquired in the classroom and their experiences abroad.

Our Alumni

Our graduates have been highly successful in pursuing careers not only in secondary education and in the humanities, but in the nonprofit, business, law, medical, and governmental sectors as well. These are just a few of the ways our graduates have applied their skills to a career:

  • Embassy of Spain, Translator
  • Converse Inc., Latin American Business Development Manager
  • Staples, VP, Business Ethics
  • Cobb County Schools, ESOL/Foreign Languages Programs Specialist
  • New York Mets, Vice President, Metropolitan Hospitality
  • Google, Sr. Associate/Global Communications and Public Affairs
  • ESSEC Business School, Coordinator for International Partnerships
  • Revel Creative Group/Latina Creative Agency, Cofounder and Creative Director
  • U.S. State Department, Foreign Service Officer-Europe/South Central Europe
  • The World Bank, Sr. Country Officer-Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
  • CNN, Correspondent
  • Inter-American Foundation, Foundation Representative-Honduras
  • Universidad de San Andres, Director/Foreign Studies Office
  • Lion Tree, President European Operations
  • Waters International Enterprises, CEO
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sr. Vice President and Multicultural Segments Director
  • Inter-American Foundation, Foundation Representative-Honduras
  • Septodont, Director of Sales-Latin America

Meet the Faculty

Office Hours

Explore the Major

Requirements

Find Opportunities

Student Resources