MIT Global Languages

Spanish Studies

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Overview

The Spanish Group at MIT offers students the opportunity to study language, literature and culture.

Our curriculum reflects the diversity of interests and expertise of our faculty and lecturers, as well as the particular needs of MIT undergraduate students. Our classes use innovative pedagogical methods, including the most advanced interactive technologies, to allow students to acquire the competence necessary for communication in Spanish-speaking communities around the world and give students the tools to live and work in an increasingly global economy. Since Spanish is the principal second language spoken in the United States, the curriculum at all levels pays special attention to the linguistic and cultural diversity presented by Hispanic communities across the country. While the basic courses stress language acquisition and cultural breadth, at the advanced level we offer a variety of courses on Spanish, Latin American, and Latino literature, culture, history and film.

In collaboration with the Global Education Office, the Spanish program offers an intensive second semester course during January in Madrid: IAP-Madrid (http://gecd.mit.edu/go_abroad/study/explore/madrid_iap/)

Students who have attained a fourth semester level of Spanish proficiency are encouraged to pursue internships in industry or in research institutions in Spain, Mexico, Chile and Argentina through the MIT International Studies and Technology Initiative (MISTI) (http://misti.mit.edu/student-programs/language/spanish/) or to participate in the MIT-Madrid Spring Semester Abroad (http://gecd.mit.edu/go_abroad/study/explore/Madrid/)

The Spanish Group at MIT was awarded the 2006 Inter American Prize for Educational Quality by the Institute of Advanced Studies for the Americas (INEAM) of the Organization of American States (OAS). This prize is awarded in recognition of projects which, through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), contribute to solving socio-educational problems related to the development of human potential.

Fall 2020
All 21G subjects in Fall 2020 will be offered remotely, with synchronous class meetings in Zoom.
Tier I
21G.700 Introductory Spanish for Heritage Learners
21G.701   Spanish I
21G.702   Spanish II
21G.703   Spanish III
21G.704   Spanish IV
Tier II
21G.713   Spanish through Film: Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Spain
21G.715   Topics in Medicine and Public Health in the Hispanic World
Tier III
21G.735 Advanced Topics in Hispanic Literature and Film: Apocalyptic Fictions in/and Latin America
How do you recognize the end of the world when you see it? Why are apocalyptic narratives so compelling? What are some of the ways in which apocalyptic thinking might be politically productive? In other words, can one “stop worrying and start loving" it? This class will explore the narrative structure and social functions of apocalyptic thought, with an emphasis on philosophy, literature, film, and popular culture from and about Latin America. Topics of discussion include the encounter of medieval apocalyptic thought with the new continent, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the nuclear threat during the Cold War, femicide and structural violence, and the Latin American responses to, and experiences of extractivism in the context of the present climate emergency. Taught in Spanish

21G.739 Globalization and Its Discontents: Spanish-Speaking Nations

Looking ahead:

Spring 2021
Tier I
21G.701   Spanish I
21G.702   Spanish II
21G.703   Spanish III
21G.704   Spanish IV
21G.S05    Spanish for Medicine and Health
Tier II
21G.713 Spanish through Film: Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Spain
21G.711 Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition: Perspectives on Technology and Culture
21G.714 Spanish for Heritage Learners
Tier III
21G.084/784 Introduction to Latin American History
21G.736    The Short Form: Literature and New Media Cultures in the Hispanic World
21G.740    The New Spain: 1977 to the Present

The indication of prerequisites for specific Spanish offerings does not apply to students who have already completed equivalent work. For further placement advice, consult one of the field advisors in Spanish.

A note regarding the enrollment policy of the Global Languages section: Enrollment limited to 18 for pedagogical reasons for Tier I and Tier II subjects. Preference will be given to pre-registered students, including pre-registered undergraduates who were cut from the same class the previous semester due to the enrollment cap. Please note that you have to attend the first day of class to maintain your preference level. In case of over-enrollment, preference will be given in the following order: declared majors, declared minors, declared concentrators, continuing students, first-years, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students.

Requirements

MIT students have interests and prospects that span the globe. The academic programs offered by Global Studies and Languages—concentrations, minors, and majors— offer undergraduates the opportunity to combine a degree in any STEM-related field with in-depth language and cultural studies.

Major
The program consists of 11 subjects (138 units) beginning at Spanish III. 6 of the 11 subjects may count towards the 8-subject HASS GIR. The 5 remaining subjects provide 66 units beyond GIR.

Students choose from the following list of subjects:

Core subjects:
21G.704 Spanish IV
21G.708 Spanish Communication Intensive I CI-M (for majors in Spanish only)
21G.709 Spanish Communication Intensive II CI-M (for majors in Spanish only)

Electives:
Tier I
21G.703 Spanish III

Tier II
21G.710 Advanced Communication in Spanish: Topics in Language and Culture
21G.711 Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition: Perspectives on Technology and Culture
21G.712 Spanish Conversation and Composition
21G.713 Spanish through Film: Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Spain
21G.714 Spanish for Heritage Learners
21G.715 Topics in Medicine and Public Health in the Hispanic World
21G.795 Advanced Spanish Communication in Spain

Tier III
Taught in English
21G.070 Latin America and the Global Sixties: Counterculture and Revolution
21G.072 The New Latin American Novel
21G.078 Latin America through Film
21G.084 Introduction to Latin American Studies

Taught in Spanish
21G.716 Introduction to Contemporary Hispanic Literature and Film
21G.717 Introduction to Hispanic Culture
21G.731 Creation of a Continent: Representations of Hispanic America, 1492-1898, in Literature and Film
21G.732 The Making of the Latin American City: Culture, Gender, and Citizenship
21G.735 Advanced Topics in Hispanic Literature and Film
21G.736 The Short Form: Literature and New Media Cultures in the Hispanic World
21G.738 Literature and Social Conflict: Perspectives on the Hispanic World
21G.739 Globalization and its Discontents: Spanish-speaking Nations
21G.740 The New Spain: 1977-Present

The CI-M requirement is completed by pairing the 3-unit add-on subject numbers 21G.708 and 21G.709 with two of the Tier III subjects in Spanish, as listed above. These pairings count as two single subjects worth 15 units each towards the eleven-subject requirement. Students who have registered for 21G.708 or 21G.709 will develop an additional project with the faculty member teaching the affiliated subject.

A major course plan may include a pre-thesis (21G.THT) and thesis (21G.THU) for up to 18 units of the 138 units in the major. The pre-thesis and thesis are reserved for students who have completed advanced-level coursework in a particular language group and demonstrate outstanding competence in their field of study.

Note: students starting the major at Tier II do not need to take 21G.304 Spanish IV as part of the major program.

Advisor: Tanalis Padilla

Spanish Major Degree Chart
Sample Roadmap Spanish Major

Sample Roadmap Double Major Spanish and Biological Engineering

Double Major Worksheet

Double Major Application Instructions

Joint Majors: 21E Humanities and Engineering; 21S Humanities and Science
These programs entail nine subjects in Spanish, starting at 21G.703 Spanish III or higher, and six subjects from a chosen Engineering or Science course. Student must complete two CI-Ms, one taken from each area of study. Only one subject being used to meet the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may be counted toward the degree program.

Minor
A minor in Spanish leads students who have already reached an intermediate level of proficiency (above Spanish II) into a more advanced study of the language and cultures.

The program consists of 6 subjects arranged in 3 tiers starting at Spanish III. Five of these six subjects overlap with the 8-subject HASS GIR. A student can concentrate and minor in the same field.

All subjects listed above are eligible for the minor. Typically, only one subject taught in English is allowed in a minor course plan, and requires the approval of the minor advisor

Advisor: Tanalis Padilla
Minor is Spanish: MIT Bulletin
SHASS Minor Guidelines and Procedures

Concentration
There are several concentration options, depending on whether the focus is language or literature and culture.

If a student’s incoming level is Spanish I:
• 4 subjects, Spanish I through Spanish IV, are required to complete the concentration

If a student’s incoming level is Spanish II or above:
• 3 subjects at Spanish II or above are required to complete the concentration

An upper-level concentration may include 3 subjects, such as Spanish III or Spanish IV and/or intermediate to advanced classes taught in Spanish (Tiers II and III). See above under Spanish Major for the list of subjects.

Subjects offered in English that pertain to Latinx or Hispanic cultural studies may be applied towards certain concentration requirements; please see the concentration advisor for approval.

Advisor: Maria Khotimsky

For the online HASS Concentration Form, click through to studentformsandpetitions.mit.edu!

Transfer Credit
Transfer credit examiner: Maria Khotimsky

Current Brochure

Study Abroad

Study Abroad
Advisor: Margery Resnick
You may also consider spending a summer, a semester, or a year abroad. Credits received from most accredited programs will count towards your major, minor, or concentration if you consult with the Study Abroad Advisor for Spanish prior to your departure.

MIT-Chile

Part of MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI)

MIT-Mexico

Part of MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI)

MIT-Spain

Part of MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI)

IAP-Madrid

The Spanish program offers an intensive second semester course during January in Madrid.

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Spanish Studies

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