Columbia SPPO

Concentration in Hispanic Studies

Eight courses required (minimum 24 points):

  • SPAN 3300, "Advanced Language through Content." Under exceptional circumstances (for instance, a student who has earned a 5 in Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish or a native speaker who has completed high school in a Spanish-speaking country), a student may begin the program with SPAN 3330, after approval by the DUS, and later substitute an additional 3000- or 4000-level elective for SPAN 3300 to meet the point and course requirements for the major.
  • SPAN 3330, “Introduction to the Study of Hispanic Cultures”
  • SPAN 3349, “Hispanic Cultures I: Islamic Spain through the Colonial Period”
  • SPAN 3350, “Hispanic Cultures II: Enlightenment to the Present”
  • Four electives, one of which may be taken outside the department, provided it addresses Hispanic topics (see stipulations below). Approved courses taken abroad may be counted in either category (inside or outside the department). Up to 3 courses taken abroad may be counted toward the concentration.

See descriptions of current undergraduate courses and the list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the major and the concentration.

A minimum of three electives must be taken from the department’s 3000- or 4000-level offerings. If the fourth elective is taken outside the department, it must be related to Hispanic Studies and meet with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The senior seminar is not required, but it may be taken as an elective. (Majors and Honors candidates have priority for enrollment in senior seminars.)

All students should seek chronological and geographic breadth in their coursework, taking advantage of the department’s diverse offerings on both Latin American and Iberian topics and on all periods.

Here are copies of the Columbia College Major and Concentration Declaration Form and of the School of General Studies Major and Concentration Declaration Form that you can print and take to your meeting with the DUS for signing.

For more information, contact the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies.