Spanish Department

The Spanish department is strongly committed to combating racism in all its forms and stands behind Reed College's statements on diversity and anti-racism.

Students majoring in Spanish acquire substantial expertise in the literary and cultural traditions of the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America and Spain and achieve a high level of fluency in spoken and written Spanish.

First-, second- and third-year Spanish language courses focus on speaking, reading, writing, and grammar, as well as cultural context. In the second year, emphasis on composition increases and readings encompass a variety of genres. The third-year courses involve advanced review of the more challenging grammatical structures in conjunction with an investigation of selected topics in Spanish and Latin American culture. All language courses are conducted in Spanish.

Reed En 100 Palabras

Anecdotes about Reed written by students studying first-year Spanish.

Cuentos breves sobre Reed, escritos por los estudiantes del curso introductorio de español, SPAN112.

Read the Booklet

The objective of the upper-division courses is an informed study of literary texts and film, grounded in consideration of their artistic, historical, political, and cultural contexts, as well as in questions concerning literary history and theory. All literature courses are conducted in Spanish. Majors are encouraged to select courses from a variety of periods in both Peninsular and Latin American literature and film and to enhance their studies with appropriate coursework in other areas, such as other literatures, humanities, history, art, political science and linguistics.

Many students enhance their studies through study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country and through engagement in Portland's growing Latinx community. On campus, La Casa Hispánica hosts numerous cultural events and provides an opportunity for majors and non-majors to practice and learn Spanish in an everyday setting.