Spanish
- Degree Type Bachelor of Arts
- Department Romance Languages
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Major
Spanish majors focus on learning to speak Spanish fluently, to understand language more fully through the analytical tools of linguistics, to explore the history and culture of Spanish-speakers through coursework and study abroad, and to gain expertise in literary analysis and appreciation by reading and analyzing texts produced by Spanish speakers across many cultures and over many centuries.
Why Study Spanish at W&L?
A strong foundation in Spanish is a powerful complement to any profession, while coursework in Spanish-language literature, culture and linguistics, with an emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and analyzing a second language, prepares students for success in post-graduate study in Spanish as well as many other academic fields.
Completing the World Language FDR
One of the Foundation and Distribution Requirements at Washington and Lee is proficiency in a world language. The Department of Romance Languages offers coursework towards language proficiency to fulfill this requirement.
Opportunities for Students
An extended study abroad experience sets students on the road to linguistic and cultural fluency and is strongly encouraged by our faculty.
In Lexington, students are encouraged to live in Casa Hispánica, a university theme house for speakers of Spanish. Students in Spanish are also involved in the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program (ESOL), which facilitates communication within the increasingly diverse population of Rockbridge County. Other opportunities for Spanish students include the annual Romance Languages Poetry Night and the Spanish-language literary magazine, PLUMA. A native Spanish-language teaching assistant conducts twice-weekly conversation tables in the university dining hall, regular office hours, and weekly conversation-based cultural activities open to all students at Casa Hispánica.
Students may participate in the honors program, which allows engagement in original research with a faculty member on a topic of interest. Completed projects are invaluable assets for graduate or professional school.
After W&L
Spanish majors have gone on to pursue graduate study as well as careers in which language and cultural proficiency have proven invaluable. A number of graduates have won Fulbright fellowships.
W&L Army ROTC Student Earns Prestigious Award While Completing Basic Training
Kylee Cross ’27 received the Soldier Leader of the Cycle Award at her graduation ceremony on August 1.
W&L Outcomes: Kathleen Roberts ’24
Roberts is pursuing her doctorate in educational psychology through the LIME program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
W&L’s Kathleen Roberts ’24 Earns Spot Among LIME Scholars
Roberts will pursue her doctorate at Southern Methodist University through the selective leadership program.
Ben Bankston ’25 is finding opportunities at W&L to challenge himself in and out of the classroom.
CBL Faculty Collaborative Generates New Community Connections
The 2023-2024 academic year at W&L saw the proliferation of several new course offerings for students through a new faculty development initiative offered by the Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL).
W&L’s Gillian Holloway ’24 Earns Fulbright to Spain
Holloway was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Spain.
Leading Campus Kitchen, a student-run organization focused on addressing food insecurity, has been a rewarding experience.
W&L’s Seth Michelson Quoted in NPR Segment About a Film Documentary
The Spanish professor appears as a faculty expert in the film that debuted at the Virginia Film Festival last month.
W&L Presents ‘Selections from The Lindsay Webster Collection of Cuban Posters at Wofford College’
The show will be on display in Wilson Hall’s Lykes Atrium in conjunction with Esteban Ramón Pérez’s solo exhibition “Distorted Myths,” which will be on view in the Staniar Gallery Oct. 10 through Nov. 2.
Summer Opportunities: Internships Abroad
Despite challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, many students were able to travel this summer for valuable professional experience in other countries.
W&L ESOL Hosts Summer Enrichment Program
Programa SOL, a three-week program for local bilingual youth, focused on language and literacy development, swimming lessons, active games and visits with community partners.
W&L’s Janey Fugate ’15 Awarded National Science Foundation Fellowship
Fugate will use her graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation to study the migration patterns of bison in Yellowstone National Park.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Matthew Bailey
Professor of Romance Languages
- P: 540-458-8160
- E: baileym@wlu.edu
Bailey teaches Spanish language, culture and literature. His research interests include medieval Spanish literature and culture, and more specifically, medieval epic narrative.
Jeff Barnett
S. Blount Mason Jr. Professor of Spanish
- P: 540-458-8950
- E: barnettj@wlu.edu
Barnett teaches courses in Spanish language, translation, and Spanish-American literature and culture. His research deals with modern Latin American narrative and cultural studies as well as literary translation.
Mónica Botta
Professor of Spanish
- P: 540-458-8297
- E: bottam@wlu.edu
Botta teaches courses in Latin American Theater, literature and culture. She has researched Latin American culture with an emphasis on post-dictatorship periods.
Dick Kuettner
Adjunct Professor of Romance Languages and Teacher Education; Director, Global Discovery Laboratories
In addition to his responsibilities at the Ruscio Center for Global Learning, Kuettner teaches courses on teaching methods for world languages.
Ellen Mayock
Ernest Williams II Professor of Spanish
- P: 540-458-8816
- E: mayocke@wlu.edu
At Washington and Lee, Mayock has taught courses in Spanish, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her research focuses on gender and its intersections in literature and film, feminist theories and practice, and representations of conflict and violence. Mayock also writes poetry and creative nonfiction.
Seth Michelson
Associate Professor of Spanish; Program Head, Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Michelson teaches the poetry of the hemispheric Americas, as well as a diversity of courses on the literatures, cultures and languages of the region. His research focuses on poetry and state violence, and he is the author of numerous book chapters, articles and essays on the subject, among others.
Jayne Reino
Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish
- P: 540-458-8716
- E: jreino@wlu.edu
Reino teaches Spanish language courses and is a faculty liaison for Community-Based Learning. Her research in contemporary Latin American literatures and cultures explores portrayals of gender and identity in historically marginalized figures in the U.S./Mexican border region.
Antonio Reyes
Associate Professor of Spanish
- P: 540-458-8081
- E: reyesa@wlu.edu
Reyes teaches courses on Political Discourse and Language Ideology, as well as a spring course in his native Cádiz, Spain. He has published a monograph: Voice in Political Discourse.
