Spanish

In the Spanish Program at Siena College, we promote critical thinking and an appreciation of cultural practices and perspectives of Latin America and Spain through exposure to the language, literatures, and cultures of Spanish speaking countries. We explore literary texts, works of art, cinema, music, theater and popular culture within a historical and socio-political context.

By focusing on the development of the five language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing and cultural competency), students of Spanish achieve a strong competence in the language. Through a variety of courses, events, and study abroad opportunities; students develop multicultural awareness which is a fundamental aspect of the Liberal Arts mission at Siena College.

The Spanish department has an interdisciplinary focus because many of the courses offered count toward other fields of study such as Globalization Studies, Multicultural Studies and Women's Studies. In addition, language is a fundamental component of the International Studies, Foreign Languages and Business Certificate.

We encourage that all of our language students study abroad for an immersion experience in language and culture in a Spanish-speaking country. There are a variety of study abroad options for Siena students. In the past, students have studied in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Spain among other countries. Additionally, the Spanish program offers the opportunity to complete study travel semester courses with a Siena Spanish faculty member where coursework at Siena is combined with an intensive travel study component in selected Spanish-speaking countries.