Spanish and Portuguese

Overview

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers majors and minors in Spanish and Portuguese, and certificates in business Spanish and Spanish for the medical professions. There are also study abroad and scholarship opportunities for students of both languages. 

Spanish

With 483 million native speakers, 75 million second-language speakers, and 22 million students, Spanish is the world's second most-spoken native language and fourth most-spoken language. It is an official language of the United Nations and many other international organizations, as well as 20 nations in Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Truly a global language, Spanish is important in trade, politics, history/culture, and beyond.

UT offers Spanish for both beginners, and for heritage speakers, to make classes as relevant as possible to your needs as learners. 

The intro to Spanish course is SPN 601: check out this video for an overview.

If you grew up with family or other community members speaking Spanish, then SPN 604 is tailored to your needs. See the video here.

If you are interested in exploring more about Spanish, you might enjoy these links from the BBC Languages website:

• 10 Facts
• Key Phrases
• The Alphabet

Portuguese

Portuguese is a global language with 223 million native speakers and a further 20 million second-language speakers, mainly in Portugal, Brazil, and southern and western Africa. It is the world's sixth most widely-spoken native language. It is an official language of the European Union, the African Union, several other international organizations, and 9 countries.

Spanish and Portuguese at UT is the home of the Portuguese Flagship Program. Check out this video about it!

And see student testimonials here:

If you are interested in exploring more about Portuguese, you might enjoy these links from the BBC Languages website:

• 10 Facts
• Key Phrases
• The Alphabet 

Your Route to a Major/Minor

In order to take upper division Spanish courses in the department, students must complete the last course in the lower division sequence:

• SPN 311 and SPN 314 combined (non-heritage track)
• SPN 311J and SPN 314J combined (heritage track)
• SPN 611D or SPN 612 or SPN 312L (in transfer)
• Prerequisites are strictly enforced to move into upper division courses.

In order to take upper division Portuguese courses in the department, students must complete the last course in the lower division sequence:

• POR 311C and POR 314C combined
• POR 311J and POR 314J combined (Spanish speaker track)
• POR 611D or POR 611S or POR 312L in transfer
• Prerequisites are strictly enforced to move into upper division courses.

Majors are offered in Spanish and Portuguese. The majors consist of 27 semester hours of upper division coursework in the relevant language, including: SPN or POR 327C, Advanced Grammar and Writing in Context SPN or POR 328C, Introduction to Literatures and Cultures SPN or POR 330L, Introduction to Language and Linguistics in Society One Capstone Seminar (3 semester hours). Only one Capstone will count. SPN 379C, Capstone Seminar in Literatures and Cultures SPN 379L, Capstone Seminar in Linguistics POR 379C, Capstone Seminar in Literatures and Cultures POR 379L, Capstone Seminar in Linguistics. In addition, students will take 15 additional semester hours of Spanish or Portuguese course work.

Study Abroad

Opportunities in: Salvador de Bahia, Brazil; Santander, Spain; Havana, Cuba

Departmental Scholarships

Maureen Sowell Endowed Presidential Scholarship for $1,500
FLAS
Flagship Scholarship (for Portuguese)
Critical Language Scholarship

Questions?

If you have any questions about studying in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, you can most likely find them on the website. Dr. Kelly McDonough, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, explains how to navigate the site here.

Summer 2023 Course Offerings

Spanish

SPN n601D FIRST-YEAR SPANISH I-WB (Nine week session)
Explore the development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills; build vocabulary, review basic rules and terminology of grammar; and examine Spanish-speaking cultures. Only one of the following may be counted: Spanish 601D, 604, 506. Only one of the following may be counted: Spanish 601D, 604, 507, 508K. Taught online during scheduled times.

SPN f610D FIRST-YEAR SPANISH II-WB (First session)
SPN 610D is the second course in The University of Texas lower-division Spanish program. This is a six-credit course. The course focuses on further developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Spanish while building vocabulary, learning basic rules and terminology of Spanish grammar, and gaining a better understanding of Hispanic cultures in order to communicate in an accurate, effective, and informed manner within a variety of sociocultural situations. 

SPN s610D FIRST-YEAR SPANISH II-WB (Second session)
SPN 610D is the second course in The University of Texas lower-division Spanish program. This is a six-credit course. The course focuses on further developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Spanish while building vocabulary, learning basic rules and terminology of Spanish grammar, and gaining a better understanding of Hispanic cultures in order to communicate in an accurate, effective, and informed manner within a variety of sociocultural situations. 

SPN f311 INTERMEDIATE SPANISH-WB (First session)
Focus on the development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills while building vocabulary. Review rules and terminology of Spanish grammar. Examine complex grammar structures and Spanish-speaking cultures. Only one of the following may be counted: Spanish 311, 611D, 311J, 612, or 312L. Prerequisite: Spanish 604 or 610D (or 312K) with a grade of at least C. Designed to accommodate 35 or fewer students. Taught online during scheduled times.

SPN s311 INTERMEDIATE SPANISH-WB (Second session)
Focus on the development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills while building vocabulary. Review rules and terminology of Spanish grammar. Examine complex grammar structures and Spanish-speaking cultures. Only one of the following may be counted: Spanish 311, 611D, 311J, 612, or 312L. Prerequisite: Spanish 604 or 610D (or 312K) with a grade of at least C. Designed to accommodate 35 or fewer students. Taught online during scheduled times.

SPN s314 SPAN CONVERSATION AND CUL-WB (Second session)​​​​​​​
Explore the development of oral skills and speaking strategies in different discourse genres including informal, formal, academic, and travel. Only one of the following may be counted: Spanish 611D, 612, 314, 314J, or 318. Prerequisite: Spanish 604, 610D or 312K with a grade of at least C. Designed to accommodate 35 or fewer students. Taught online during scheduled times.

SPN f327C ADV GRAM/WRITING IN CONTEXT-WB (First session)​​​​​​​
Study and practice of Spanish grammar that includes reading exercises and guided composition designed to develop writing skills across styles. Students will be exposed to various topics in Spanish language, literature, and culture.

SPN f330L INTRO LANG/LING IN SOCIETY-WB (First session)
Examines the dynamics of language structure and use throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and covers topics such as sound systems, grammatical structures, historical developments, language learning and loss, and dialect differences and their social significance.

SPN f367C SPAN HLTH CARE PROFESSNS-ESP (First session)
Explore both spoken and written language in health care situations. Focus on complex grammatical concepts and cultural issues that affect professional activities in Spanish-speaking communities. Restricted to students in the Faculty Led Summer Abroad Program; contact the Education Abroad Office for permission to register for this class. Class Meets June 2-July 5. Taught in Santander, Spain.

SPN s367C SPANISH HLTH CARE PROFESSNS-WB (Second session)
Explore business Spanish. Practice verbal communication in the context of meetings, exchanges, video conferences, presentations, and professional discussion, in Spanish and in areas related to finance, marketing, accounting, operations. Restricted to students in the Faculty Led Summer Abroad Program; contact the Education Abroad Office for permission to register for this class. Taught in Santander, Spain.

SPN f367D BUSINESS IN HISPAN LIFE/CUL-WB (First term)
Explore business Spanish. Practice verbal communication in the context of meetings, exchanges, video conferences, presentations, and professional discussion, in Spanish and in areas related to finance, marketing, accounting, operations. May be counted toward the Global Cultures flag requirement. Hour(s) to be arranged. Taught online with established deadlines. 

SPN s367D BUSN IN HISPAN LIFE/CUL-ESP (Second term)
Explore business Spanish. Practice verbal communication in the context of meetings, exchanges, video conferences, presentations, and professional discussion, in Spanish and in areas related to finance, marketing, accounting, operations. May be counted toward the Global Cultures flag requirement. Hour(s) to be arranged. Taught online with established deadlines.