Ready to increase your social network, visit new places, access more magazines and websites, enjoy more films and follow what is happening in the world with insight?
Studying Hispanic Studies at Converse can prepare you with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be an effective local and global citizen, and give you that creative and competitive edge sought in our increasingly international workplace.
Degrees Offered
- Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies
- Minor in Hispanic Studies
About the Hispanic Studies Program
Offering both a major and minor, Converse’s program in Hispanic Studies is designed to give students a wide-ranging and highly personalized introduction to the language, culture and literature of Spain, Spanish America and Hispanics in the United States—and to the increasingly multicultural and transnational contexts that define these cultures today. This student-centered program is committed to the core curriculum of national literatures and cultures, while simultaneously pursuing interdisciplinary projects in fields such as intellectual history and film studies.
- Close individual attention and guidance throughout a student’s course of study
- Intellectually stimulating coursework
- Dedicated and caring faculty
- Internship, research, and study-travel/abroad opportunities
We encourage students to:
- Explore their own values while developing a deep appreciation for those of others;
- Cultivate a deeper understanding of human diversity while recognizing the common humanity of all; and
- Hone the analytical skills needed for a complex, multilingual world.
Service Learning
Converse’s Hispanic Studies students volunteer with Arcadia Elementary School and ARCH Ministries of the United Methodist Church in Spartanburg. They use their developing Spanish language and cultural skills to help K-5 children and their families “acclimatize” to both school and daily life in Spartanburg.
Independent Research
Every Converse student has the opportunity to participate in faculty-mentored undergraduate research. Our students are more likely than their peers at other colleges to be funded by South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (SCICU).
Clubs and Organizations
- Hispanic Awareness Association
- Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society
Study Abroad
Students of Hispanic Studies are encouraged to participate in semesters abroad. LaClaire Atkins, a double major in Hispanic Studies and religion, spent a full academic year studying in Toledo, Spain at La Universidad Jose Ortega y Gasset.
The introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses in Hispanic Studies develop the necessary skills in listening, reading, and writing that allow students to study Spanish texts in the original language. These courses adhere to a student-centered, communication-oriented teaching approach, where students practice Spanish in everyday contexts.
Intensive January-term conversation and composition courses help students improve conversation and writing skills in Spanish. Hispanic Studies and Latin American culture courses familiarize students with the geography, history, society, politics, mindset, values, customs, expectations, art, music and film of the Spanish-speaking world. Literature courses help students develop the ability and techniques necessary to read, analyze, interpret, and discuss a variety of literary works and genres. In the process, students continue to develop their critical and analytical skills, and their listening, reading, research, writing, and speaking abilities in Spanish.
Sample Courses
- Spanish Peninsular Culture
- Spanish Conversation and Composition
- Survey of Latin American Literature
- Modern Latin America: The Novel of the “Boom” and the Political Drama
- Hispanic Culture and Literature in the United States
What are common careers in Hispanic Studies?
- Education
- Civil service
- Diplomacy
- Social work
- Library science
- Translation/interpretation
- Journalism/broadcasting
- Public relations
- Sales/consulting
- Mission work
- Any career that requires you to be a creative and critical thinker, cross-cultural communicator and global citizen
What are Hispanic Studies alumnae doing?
Grad Schools
- Hispanic Studies, University of Kentucky
- History, East Tennessee State University
- University of Georgia School of Law
- New England School of Law
- Community Engaged Medicine, Furman University
Jobs
- Lawyer, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, Greenville, SC
- Assistant Professor of Spanish, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA
Internships
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Leadership Exchange, Panama Program
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