Overview

Study Spanish, live Spanish! ¡Estudia español, vívelo!

As a global language with nearly a billion native speakers, Spanish can serve as a gateway to synergetic academic learning, meaningful cultural exchange, enhanced employment opportunity, professional development, and transcultural belonging. The College of Wooster’s Spanish program prepares students to live the language by providing them with a supportive space to cultivate and hone their communicative skills, learn about the historical processes and events that have made Spanish a world language, gain deep understanding of Spanish in a variety of its socio-linguistic contexts, practice critical thinking and humanistic inquiry through the examination of art, literature, cinema, journalism, socio-historic artifacts and social media, and engage with the culture in planned social events. Wooster’s commitment to global engagement makes the study of Spanish a truly enriching experience that can include interdisciplinary research, residence in a Spanish-speaking country, and professional internships in nearby cities or in faraway places. Students who choose to study Spanish embark on a journey fueled by curiosity, open-mindedness, and a desire to forge intercultural connections and professional networks. The Department of Spanish offers multiple avenues for students to pursue Spanish, and we will help you tailor an individual course of study that fits the scope of your academic goals.

What can I do with a major or minor in Spanish?

Careers

Spanish majors and minors at Wooster have gone on to pursue successful careers in education, law, library science, counseling, scientific research, technical writing and editing, interpretation and translation, international business, government, the foreign service, and social work.

Graduate School

Numerous graduates from Wooster with majors and minors in Spanish have successfully completed masters or doctoral programs in fields such as medicine, nursing, the life sciences, counseling, social work, business, law, and teaching.

Teaching and International/Domestic Service

Three recent graduates from Wooster with majors or minors in Spanish have been granted Fulbright teaching scholarships in Spanish-speaking countries after graduation. Others have taught English abroad through non-profit organizations. Still others have begun their teaching career in the United States with Teach for America.

Collaborative Journeys, Independent Paths

Each year several Spanish majors and minors choose to live in the Spanish Suite in Luce Hall, where they have the opportunity to participate in activities organized in collaboration with the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, who each year comes from a Spanish-speaking country. Recent FLTAs have come from Argentina, Spain, and Mexico. Activities include informal meals, film screenings, social gatherings, and cultural celebrations. The Global Café, located on the garden level of Luce Hall, serves as a gathering place for students interested in creating a global community on campus and can be reserved for cultural events. Since the Spanish program at Wooster is relatively small, students have many opportunities to engage with their professors outside of class during office hours and at informal events. Faculty members serve as academic advisors and mentors to Spanish majors and minors, and they also provide crucial support as students prepare to pursue their professional goals after Wooster. Together professors and students contribute to a close-knit and welcoming community in which all involved gain experiences and perspectives that inspire them as they walk on their own independent paths.

Learn More About Luce Hall

Opportunities for Spanish Majors and Minors

Build your résumé by:

  • Living in la Casa Hispánica, an immersion-style suite in Luce Hall led each year by a Fulbright scholarship recipient from a Spanish-speaking country
  • Enrolling in a study abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country whose courses are pre-approved for transfer back to Wooster (research available programs by going to the Global Engagement Office in APEX)
  • Competing for an APEX Fellowship to support a domestic or international internship
  • Applying to be a language tutor, research assistant, or departmental assistant
  • Approaching a faculty member to inquire about being their TA in a future course
  • Looking out for opportunities to help plan departmental and interdepartmental events

Faculty & Staff

Osmer Balam

Osmer Balam

Assistant Professor of Spanish

obalam@wooster.edu

Cynthia D. Bernardy

Cynthia D. Bernardy

Academic Administrative Coordinator for Chinese Studies, Classical Studies, English, French & Francophone Studies, German Studies, Russian Studies, and Spanish

cbernardy@wooster.edu

Brian J. Cope

Associate Professor and Department Chair of Spanish

bcope@wooster.edu

Aída Díaz de León

Aída Díaz de León

Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish

adiazdeleon@wooster.edu

Rebecca Garonzik

Rebecca Garonzik

Assistant Professor of Spanish; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

rgaronzik@wooster.edu

Hernam Medina Jimenez

Hernán Medina Jiménez

Associate Professor of Spanish; Global and International Studies

hmedina@wooster.edu

Yaneth Sosa Sanchez

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant

ysanchez@wooster.edu


Latest Spanish News

Amelia Menk Brown ’96

Comparative literature graduate uses over 24 years of industry experience to start two small businesses

Amelia Menk Brown ’96, originally from Poland, Ohio, knew she wanted to attend a small, liberal arts college, but the Independent Study program made […]

Hans Johnson '92

English and Spanish alumnus organizes for social justice in Wooster and across the nation

Hans Johnson ’92 chose to attend The College of Wooster because the school gave him an opportunity to connect with a diverse student body […]

Claudia Partridge ’23, Zoe Seymore ’23, Tomoka Adams ’23

Fulbrights awarded to three soon-to-be Wooster graduates

Tomoka Adams ’23, Claudia Partridge ’23, and Zoe Seymore ’23 will represent The College of Wooster when they take their talents overseas as 2023 […]

Tomoka Adams head shot

Ecology and genetic variation of Aedes japonicus, an invasive mosquito in the Wooster, OH area

Name: Tomoka Adams Majors: Biology, Spanish Advisors: Ferdinand Nanfack-Minkeu, Hernan Medina Mosquitoes are vectors for diseases that are often implicated in major outbreaks. The […]

More Spanish Articles

Major

Eleven courses in Spanish are required to complete a major, and students have a large variety of language, literature, and history courses from which to choose.

Majors Handbook   View Courses

 

Minor

A minor in Spanish can serve as a great supplement to almost any major, and can give students an added perspective in the fields of history, political science, economics, sociology, and more. Six department courses are required to complete a minor.

View Courses

 

Independent Study

With the support of the faculty, students in Spanish have done research in such wide-ranging fields as theater and dance, bilingual education, social and economic issues, political developments in Spain and Latin America, language-teaching methodology, literature, and intercultural communication. The I.S. program is exciting for both faculty and students because our students are encouraged to explore new fields where they can feel comfortable and committed.

 

 

Search the I.S. Database

Student Year I.S. Title Major 1 Major 2 Advisor
Please search to view results

Related Articles

Tomoka Adams head shot

Ecology and genetic variation of Aedes japonicus, an invasive mosquito in the Wooster, OH area

Name: Tomoka Adams Majors: Biology, Spanish Advisors: Ferdinand Nanfack-Minkeu, Hernan Medina Mosquitoes are vectors for diseases that are often implicated in major outbreaks. The […]

Sam Belsky head shot

Interrogation of a conserved overlap between cofactor and substrate binding domains to facilitate crosstalk-induced conformational changes in Class A Flavin Monooxygenases: A case study of 6-Hydroxynicotinate-3-Monooxygenase

Name: Sam L. Belsky Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minors: Mathematics, Spanish Advisors: Mark Snider, Annastassia Gallo; Sara Martin (second reader) Stereo- and regioselective […]

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The [Hidden] Costs of War: Rape Culture Awareness and The Effects of Transitional Justice on Victims of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Name: Morgan Ann Malone Major: Political Science Minor: Spanish Advisor: Michele Leiby, Erum Haider This independent study project examined the following research question: Does the robustness […]

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The Gunlock Member: Describing a New Member of the Carmel Formation (Middle Jurassic) of Southwestern Utah

Name: Lucie Fiala Major: Environmental Geoscience Minor: Spanish Advisor: Mark Wilson The Carmel Formation spans across much of the western United States. It is […]

Alumni

Spanish majors at Wooster have excelled in a variety of fields after graduation. Many choose to enter the field of education, and a number of them hold positions as language teachers at the high school and middle school level.

Other Spanish majors from Wooster have taken such positions as application coordinator with the American Institute for Foreign Study, independent consultant at the Center for Technology Education at Johns Hopkins University, and bilingual educator in the Chicago public school system.

The added dimension of fluency in Spanish provided by the exceptional curricular and creative programs at Wooster has given graduates a decided advantage when entering the fields of business, industry, education, and government.


Related Articles

Amelia Menk Brown ’96

Comparative literature graduate uses over 24 years of industry experience to start two small businesses

Amelia Menk Brown ’96, originally from Poland, Ohio, knew she wanted to attend a small, liberal arts college, but the Independent Study program made […]

Hans Johnson '92

English and Spanish alumnus organizes for social justice in Wooster and across the nation

Hans Johnson ’92 chose to attend The College of Wooster because the school gave him an opportunity to connect with a diverse student body […]

Charlene D'Cruz '89

Wooster alumna protects immigrant rights at the US-Mexico border

When she first came to The College of Wooster, Charlene D’Cruz ’89 had no idea she would become an attorney, but now she works […]

Lauren Hines ’09

Refugee Officer Lauren Hines ’09 uses English and Spanish degree in the field

Working for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as a Spanish-speaking refugee officer, College of Wooster alumna Lauren Hines ’09 interviews people fleeing their countries […]

Prizes & Scholarships

Roland H. del Mar Prize in Spanish

Established in 1973, the del Mar Prize is given annually at commencement to the graduating senior with highest achievement as a major in Latin-American studies, conducted in the Spanish or Portuguese language.

The Ricardo Valencia Prize for Excellence in the Department of Spanish

The Valencia Prize was established in 1974 and is awarded annually to the major in the Department of Spanish who, in the judgment of the department’s staff, has done the best work in the department’s three areas. First preference is given to a junior, and the prize is meant to be used to purchase materials needed for Senior Independent Study.