Columbia SPPO

Major in Hispanic Studies with Specialization

Fourteen courses required (minimum 42 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”
  • Nine elective courses, three of which must be in the department and six of which must be in the field of specialization (see complete stipulations below). Approved courses taken abroad may be counted as inside or outside the department or for the specialization. Up to 4 courses taken abroad may be counted toward the major.
  • SPAN 3991, 3992 or 3993, the Senior Seminar in Hispanic Studies

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

Students who wish to complete this interdisciplinary major will choose a specialization in Anthropology, Art History, Economics, Film, Gender Studies (IRWAG), History, Latino Studies, Latin American Studies, Music, Political Science, Sociology or Urban Studies. A student's transcript will reflect the discipline of specialization in Hispanic Studies.

Coursework will include a minimum of three 3000- or 4000-level courses within the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures beyond the four required foundation courses, and six courses in the field of specialization, three of which should be closely related to Hispanic Studies.

Electives outside of Spanish and Portuguese should include basic methodological or foundation courses in the chosen field or program. In special cases and with the director’s approval, students may complete some course work in another discipline closely related to the one chosen. In exceptional cases and again with DUS approval, students may take a Senior Seminar in their field of specialization as a seventh course outside the department if they have completed enough basic courses in that field to manage the demands of an advanced seminar. In such cases, the DUS in Spanish and Portuguese must receive a letter or email message from the seminar instructor indicating approval of a student’s membership in the course; the seminar project must be on a Hispanic topic; and a copy of the project must be turned in to the DUS in Spanish and Portuguese for the student’s file upon completion of the course. Students who complete the seminar in another department may also count it as the third elective course on a Hispanic topic outside the department, in which case they may take a fourth 3000- or 4000-level course in Spanish and Portuguese.

Students should work closely with the Spanish and Portuguese Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) to plan their program of study; they should also seek advising regarding coursework in their chosen specialization from appropriate sources (for example, from the DUS of their chosen discipline).

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.