Welcome to Spanish & Portuguese

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is devoted to the research and teaching of the literatures, cultures and languages of Spain, Portugal and Latin America. We award the degrees of B.A. in Spanish or Portuguese, and PhD, with specializations in the areas of Spanish and Latin American Literature, Portuguese and Brazilian Literature, and Iberian Linguistics, with optional emphases on Translation Studies, Feminist Studies, Medieval Studies and Applied Linguistics.

These programs are supported by an outstanding and internationally recognized faculty representing the following areas of teaching and research: Peninsular and Latin American culture and literature, Portuguese and Brazilian studies, US Latino studies, translation studies, drama, critical theory, new media studies, popular culture, applied linguistics, and language pedagogy. Our students and faculty work jointly with other departments and programs, including Linguistics, Latin American and Iberian Studies, Comparative Literature, Chicano/-a Studies, Film and Media Studies, and Theater and Dance. The National Research Council has ranked our Graduate Program among the top ten in the country.

Lower division courses offer undergraduates the opportunity to develop proficiency in the four language skills: speaking, understanding, reading, and writing in Spanish and/or Portuguese. To meet the needs of our diverse student population, we have an accelerated track for Spanish heritage speakers.

The Department benefits from the resources of the UCSB Center for Portuguese Studies and the presence of Camões Institute Lecturer, and embraces Spain’s multilingual and multicultural landscape by hosting the Miguel de Barandarián Chair of Basque Studies, offering Euskera courses, celebrating the “Dia das Letras Galegas”, and working closely with scholars and institutions from Galicia and the Basque Country.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.