Spanish

Go to: Division of Literature and Languages

Faculty

Iliana Alcántar
Mexican literary and cultural studies; contemporary Latin American literature and cinema; gender, trauma, and postmodern studies.

Diego Alonso
Nineteenth- and twentieth-century Latin American literature. On leave 2023-24.

Elizabeth Drumm
Twentieth- and twenty-first-century Spanish literature, modern European and Hispanic drama.

Ariadna García-Bryce
Early modern Spanish literature and culture. On sabbatical 2023-24.

Christian Kroll
Twentieth- and twenty-first-century Latin American narrative and culture, critical and spatial theory.

Mónica López Lerma
Contemporary Spanish film and literature, film theory, law and humanities, jurisprudence.

Monica VanBladel
Twentieth- and twenty-first-century Latin American literature, political theory, religious studies.

Curriculum

The Spanish department offers a balanced program leading to a major in Spanish language and literature. First-, second-, and third-year Spanish language classes focus on speaking, reading, writing, and grammar, as well as cultural context. All courses are conducted in Spanish. In the second year, emphasis on composition increases, and readings are drawn from a variety of genres. The third-year classes focus on certain problem areas of Spanish language in concert with an investigation of selected topics in Spanish and Spanish American culture. Primary readings in the literature courses are in the original language. The objective in the upper-division courses is an informed and accurate reading of literary texts, grounded in considerations of their artistic, historical, and cultural contexts, as well as attention to questions relating to literary history and theory.

Students who major in Spanish are encouraged to select courses from a variety of periods in both Peninsular and Latin American literature and to enhance their studies with appropriate coursework in other areas, such as other literatures, humanities, history, art, and linguistics. They should also consult with the department to explore options for studying in a Spanish-speaking country.

For majors and nonmajors alike, the Spanish House provides an additional opportunity to practice and learn Spanish in an everyday setting.

Placement

Students who have studied Spanish before coming to Reed and who wish to enroll in Spanish courses should take the Spanish placement examination given every year during orientation week.

Nonmajors

Students majoring in other departments in the Division of Literature and Languages may fulfill the divisional requirement with any of the third- or fourth-year literature courses.

Study Abroad

Majors in Spanish are encouraged to spend time in a Spanish-speaking country. Reed has options for study abroad in Cuba at the Sarah Lawrence College in Havana, in Argentina, and in Spain. These programs are not limited to Spanish majors. The department also helps students select study-abroad programs in other parts of Latin America and in Spain on an individual basis. See International Programs for more information.

Programs

Majors

Spanish

Minors

Spanish Minor

Reed College Catalog