.:Welcome from the Chair:.

It's a pleasure to welcome you to the Department of Hispanic Studies and the largest and most comprehensive undergraduate Spanish program in the Southeast. We’re rightfully proud of our dynamic faculty and curriculum, and we welcome you to take a class or pursue a major, participate in one of our many activities, join us abroad for a semester or a summer, and develop a love for the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world.

The Department of Hispanic Studies is home to our undergraduate Spanish program, which was awarded a Commendation of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education. At the same time, we house the program in Portuguese, the Minor in Linguistics, the nation’s only MA in Bilingual Legal Interpreting, a Graduate Certificate program in Medical Interpreting, multiple study abroad opportunities, and an increasing array of Service Learning and Internship offerings both locally and internationally. Each year nearly 6,000 students populate our Spanish courses, and our majors and minors continue to increase, with nearly 150 majors and 150 minors at present.

Why study Spanish? Perhaps the better question is this: Why not study Spanish? Spanish is the official language of 18 countries, and one of the official languages of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Ecuatorial Guinea, and the Philippines. It is reasonable to say that Spanish is the second language of the United States. Indeed, a large portion of our country was once part of Spain, and then independent Mexico. Spanish is a language of commerce, of tourism, of world history, and – if you’ll allow the informality – of warm smiles and welcoming embraces. The Spanish-speaking world encompasses the tropics, deserts, mountains and vast plains, beautiful beaches and ski destinations, salsa, merengue and tango, world-class beef and enchiladas, fine wine, tequila, rum, magic realism, modernism and adventures at every turn. So, I ask, why not study Spanish?

From this page, you will find information about our faculty, curriculum, programs and activities. If there is an area that is unaddressed, please ask.

On behalf of the Department of Hispanic Studies, we look forward to welcoming you and working with you, as a student or colleague. Estamos a las órdenes.

Saludos cordiales,

Joseph R. Weyers, Ph.D.
Chair & Associate Professor