Honors Program in Spanish and Portuguese
Qualified seniors will be invited to participate in the Department’s Honors Program, which offers the opportunity to complete either a capstone seminar (Span/Port 193) or pursue independent research on a topic of special interest (Span/Port 195).
To enroll, students must have completed at least 105 total units, including 30 upper-division units in the Spanish or Portuguese major, and hold a major GPA of at least 3.50 and a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
Students who meet these requirements and successfully complete the capstone seminar or independent research will earn the Distinction in the Major designation on their official university records and diploma. They will also be recognized at the Department’s annual awards ceremony held each Spring quarter.
Capstone Seminar
The course is designed to sharpen students’ critical thinking and enhance their ability to analyze and contextualize primary and secondary sources. Students will develop research skills, learn to identify and evaluate credible sources, compile bibliographic data using consistent formatting, and refine their academic writing in clear, idiomatic Spanish or Portuguese.
Senior Honors Independent Research
This course requires students to produce a substantial research paper, approximately 20 pages in length. Students must choose a research topic in consultation with a faculty member who will supervise the project. After confirming faculty support, students should complete the honors application form available in the side menu of this page and submit it to the Undergraduate Staff Advisor. Upon approval, the advisor will issue an approval code for enrollment in Span/Port 195.
Students pursuing this option are strongly encouraged to take Span/Port 199: Independent Studies the quarter prior to enrolling in Span/Port 195, to allow time for preliminary research. Please note that Span/Port 195 does not count as an upper-division elective for the Spanish or Portuguese major.
Undergraduate Awards in Spanish and Portuguese
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese recognizes exceptional undergraduate achievement through several prestigious honors that reflect our commitment to academic excellence, language proficiency, and cultural engagement.
In Spanish, students may be selected for the Robert E. Wilson Memorial Undergraduate Award and the Robert E. Wilson Memorial Undergraduate Distinction in the Spanish Major. These awards are named in memory of Robert E. Wilson (1911–1994), Lecturer Emeritus of Spanish and Portuguese, whose dedication to teaching left a lasting legacy at UC Santa Barbara. Wilson joined the faculty in 1961 and was instrumental in developing the lower-division Spanish program, which quickly became one of the most popular on campus. Over 21 years—including teaching well beyond his retirement—he mentored generations of instructors, served as Acting Chair, and directed the UC Education Abroad Program in Mexico City.
In Portuguese, the department offers the Excellence in the Portuguese Language Award and the Excellence in Portuguese and Brazilian Literature and Culture Award. These honors recognize students who demonstrate exceptional linguistic proficiency, critical insight, and academic commitment in their study of the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures.
All award recipients are recognized during the department’s annual end-of-year celebration, and these distinctions are recorded in their academic profiles as a testament to their achievements and contributions to the field.