The Spanish section of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is constituted by faculty who study and teach the languages, cultures and literatures of the Spanish-speaking countries of Europe and the Americas. As scholars, we are dedicated to engaging in significant research on Spanish and Spanish-American literature, linguistics and culture. By means of scholarly exchange and publication, we increase understanding both within our fields and in the broader areas of the humanities, history and the social sciences.

The State of Florida is home to an important Spanish-speaking population and is a center of social, commercial, cultural and professional activity that is conducted either entirely in Spanish, or bilingually in Spanish and English. As University of Florida teachers, our mission is to furnish our students with the intellectual and communicative tools necessary to live and work effectively in a bilingual world. In keeping with the intellectual aspect of our mission, we engage students in the processes of critical reading and writing, taking as our object of study the literary and linguistic heritage of Spain and Latin America. To develop students’ communicative skills, we provide programs of instruction that assist them in acquiring and refining the ability to speak, understand, read and write the Spanish language.

The activities of the Spanish Section reflect the immense diversity of the Spanish-speaking community, both at home and abroad. In the interest of enriching the cultural life of our campus, region and State, we sponsor a variety of conferences, cultural events, invited lectures and visiting professorships. We also work closely with the Office of International Studies and Programs to encourage majors, minors and other interested students to study in a Spanish-speaking country.

(Rev. 11/98)

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