Spanish and Latin American Cultures
The Department of Spanish and Latin American Cultures at Barnard College boasts a long tradition of excellence in undergraduate education for women. Throughout its history, it has afforded students a solid preparation in both Spanish language and the literatures and cultures of Spain, Spanish America, and the Spanish-speaking United States.
As recommended by the Modern Language Association, our department aims to provide students with both translingual and transcultural competence. Its keystone is an integrated curriculum that seeks linguistic and intellectual continuity from the initial levels through the most advanced courses. Although there is a gradual shift in weight given to language and cultural content as students advance in the program, throughout the three stages of our course curriculum—the Language, Bridge, and Upper levels—emphasis is placed as much on early development of analytical skills in cultural and literary studies as on continued language acquisition through the time of graduation.
Our linguistic objectives are proficiency-oriented. By the end of the four-semester introductory course sequence, the vast majority of students can expect to reach at least the B1/Threshold level in relation to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the Intermediate range as described by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This is the earliest level at which learners are able to use Spanish for tasks associated with work and study outside the language classroom itself, beyond familiar everyday communication or travel interaction. By the end of the major, students should be able to use the language at the CEFR B2-C2 levels (Independent/Proficient User) and the ACTFL Intermediate High through Superior range.
Department students are also rigorously prepared in the literatures and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, as well as a diversity-oriented study of US Latina/o production. Substantial consideration is given to the historical and theoretical tools necessary for analyzing this corpus of works. From the earliest levels, learners devote significant critical attention to literary texts and other cultural artifacts, sociocultural understanding, and ethnographic projects. As they make progress, substantial emphasis is also placed on strengthening research skills and academic writing. Our undergraduate curriculum was developed in close association with Latin American and Iberian Cultures at Columbia, and students can elect to take courses in either department. Our strong collaboration with interdisciplinary programs at Barnard, including Comparative Literature, Africana Studies, Women’s Studies, and the Forum on Migration, also gives our curriculum multifaceted focus. Study abroad in Spain or Spanish America is an essential component of our scholarly project.
Translingual and transcultural competence involve very marketable skills, and Spanish and Latin American Cultures alumnae have moved on to a wide range of post-college experiences in the professional sphere. Many have also been admitted to top graduate programs in our field as well as other disciplines.
Fall 2026 Information for Current Students
Going forward, the Portal will be the primary place for schedule updates and announcements, so we recommend bookmarking it and checking in regularly.
Student Learning Outcomes
Spanish at Barnard
Language instruction in Spanish and Latin American Cultures is geared to providing students the skills they need to use Spanish competently in all environments: personal, public, occupational, and educational. Each curricular level in the department (Language, Bridge, and Upper) advances your acquisition of Spanish as a second or foreign language, or in some cases, helps sharpen the skills of students who are already highly proficient.
Spanish and Latin American Cultures language faculty are all linguists with various scholarly subspecialties and vast experience specifically in the field of Teaching Spanish as a Second/Foreign Language (TSSFL). They work in close collaboration with upper-level faculty specializing in diverse areas of literary and cultural studies to ensure continuity in both content and language instruction throughout students’ undergraduate careers.
Our chosen teaching methodologies, adaptable to individual learning styles, aim to fulfill students’ needs. We bring together a number of state-of-the-art practices in language pedagogy:
Placement Exam
Students with AP, SAT, IB (Higher Level only) or DELE credentials must take the Placement Exam and register in a course accordingly. In addition to regular credit for the course they placed in and complete at elementary, intermediate or bridge level, students with AP (5) or IB (Higher Level 6 or 7) scores will receive extra college credit points for the Literature OR Language AP exam in Spanish upon matriculation (but not both). AP credits do not count as part of the language requirement.
FAQ
You can take the placement exam online anytime. The exam will give you your placement results immediately. If you have good reason to believe that the results are not a good reflection of your skills and level you may speak with the Language Program Director. You may not choose to place yourself below or above your placement level his permission.