single-paper-background

Spanish

B.A.

The Spanish major is for students interested in learning Spanish, or improving their Spanish-language skills. They also explore the culture, literature, and the business practices of the world’s Hispanic sector.

Courses and Requirements (PDF)

Tracks

Major in Spanish

Spanish majors at Hollins offers small classes in a challenging, family-like atmosphere. It’s not unusual for Spanish majors to study Spanish along with another field.

Spanish BA Major Map (PDF)

Minor in Spanish

Popular complementary majors to the minor include international business, art, biology, communication studies, and political science.

During her Hollins career, Hanna Strauss ’19 has studied Arabic in Oman, completed a fellowship in Qatar, and spent an entire academic term living and studying in Cuba. In her final summer at Hollins, Strauss worked with the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a U.S. State Department program established in 2014 to promote economic growth and prosperity and bolster democracy in Africa.

Hanna Strauss

Class of '19

Hanna Strauss '19

“I want to be able to help sick people get better, taking care of an individual’s physical, emotional, psychological, intellectual, social, and spiritual needs. With my degree in Spanish and as a health care professional, I will be able to reach out to the Hispanic community while acknowledging and respecting their differences.”

Maria Roncal ’15

a double major in Spanish and biology

Meet the Spanish Faculty

Independent Study Examples

  • Researching how businesses operate in Bolivia
  • Serving as a translator with a medical team in Honduras and making a documentary of the experience
  • Working as translators and interpreters for refugee services
  • Attending language institutes in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Spain for a month-long immersion course
  • Volunteering to teach Spanish to first- and third-graders in elementary schools throughout Virginia
  • Reading and analyzing literary works by Alejo Carpentier, Juan Goytisolo, Manuel Puig, Antonio Buero Vallejo, and Julia Navarro, among other writers

Spanish Activities

La Casa Hispánica

The Spanish House was established in 1993 in order to give students an opportunity to practice Spanish outside of the classroom setting and to learn more about the Hispanic world. The Casa is currently located in Middle East on Front Quad and houses seven residents and our Hispanic language assistant. Each resident is required to sign a pledge at the beginning of the academic year to speak only Spanish while in common areas of the house.

Through the Fulbright program, a native Spanish speaker comes every year to Hollins to teach and live in La Casa. This graduate student, an invaluable cultural resource, facilitates communication in Spanish and assists students in learning Hispanic cultural values. The residents work closely with the members of Spanish Club to offer programs on various cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world.

This year, the residents will offer tutoring sessions on Sunday evenings for students in elementary or intermediate Spanish.

You do not have to be in a Spanish class at Hollins in order to participate in the activities of the Spanish House.

Sigma Delta Pi

Sigma Delta Pi is the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. The Hollins chapter, established in 1998, is Upsilon Eta. Requirements for induction into Sigma Delta Pi are:

  • Three years of study of college-level Spanish or the equivalent, including at least three semester hours of a course in Hispanic literature or Hispanic culture and civilization.
  • 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all Spanish courses taken.
  • Upper 35% of class and must have completed at least three semesters of college work.

Related Programs