The Modern Languages department offers effective marketable skills that are in high demand in teaching and business careers, particularly in today’s multilingual and global economies.
The Modern Languages Department offers a course of study leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) in Spanish Language, Hispanic Literature and Culture. In addition, Modern Languages has established close ties with the School of Education to prepare students for careers as foreign language (Spanish/ Bilingual) teachers. It is also possible to obtain a non-teaching certificate and a minor in Spanish.
The Modern Languages Department is designed to serve the following groups:
- Students who are interested in acquiring communication skills in Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic and American Sign Language
- Students who wish to major in Spanish Language, Hispanic Literature and Culture
- Childhood and Exceptional Education School of Education majors who want to complete a disciplinary concentration in Spanish
- Transfer students with an associate degree who wish to achieve a higher level of proficiency in Spanish and gain communication skills in the other languages offered by the Department.
Departmental Objectives
Interrelated objectives of the department are to:
- Assist students in mastering communication skills in all the aforementioned world languages and, concurrently, in developing an understanding of the cultural roots of those languages.
- Help students interested in pursuing graduate studies develop a sound knowledge of the language, literature and culture of Spain, Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Undergraduate Offerings
El Conuco, Latinx and Ibero-American center
Founded in 2003 as the Hispanic Latino Cultural Center (HLCC) within SUNY Old Westbury's conglomerate of academic institutions, El Conuco celebrates the Latinx, Latin American, and Iberian multiverses emphasizing their Amerindian and African components, as well as investigating and problematizing their Ibero-American dimension. The Center serves the metropolitan New York area by offering academic presentations and seminars, theatrical events, art exhibits, and concerts geared towards improving the overall understanding, among people from all walks of life, of the contribution to the global cultural ecosystem made by the Latinx, Latin American, and Iberian cultures.