SPANISH

Spanish Major
The Spanish major has two concentrations: 

        Language & Culture         Spanish for Health Professions

The Spanish major begins with a foundation of linguistic and intercultural experiences, including cornerstone faculty-led May Term immersions in Costa Rica and Denver, Colorado, and premier study abroad semester programs in Spain and Latin America. 

Students in the Language & Culture concentration choose from advanced electives in culture and linguistics, while Spanish for Health Professions students hone their professional Spanish skills in courses such as translation/interpretation and Spanish for medical professions. Spanish for Health Professions students also have the opportunity to complete a medical Spanish study abroad program that includes clinical internship experiences.

Students are shaped by international experiences designed to increase language proficiency and immerse you in another culture. In-depth study of another culture and living abroad for an extended period of time will give you insight into how other cultures view the world, as well as a better understanding of American culture.

May Term

Take part in a May Term cultural immersion experience, where students spend four weeks off campus, combining intensive language study with faculty-led excursions to sites of historical and cultural significance around the world. During May Term, Spanish majors and minors visit about sites of cultural interest in Costa Rica or Wartburg West in Denver, Colorado.

Study Abroad

In their junior year, Spanish majors will study abroad for a semester. Many students choose to study at Heredia or San Ramón (medical Spanish), Costa Rica; Santiago, Chile; Alicante, Bilbao, Oviedo (medical Spanish summer program), San Sebastián, or Seville, Spain.

MAY TERM

May Term is an ideal time for off-campus travel and study. Faculty members accompany students on a variety of courses.

Find a tight-knit mentoring community. Experience more.

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Alumni Outcomes

Wartburg graduates find satisfying jobs and are admitted into top graduate and professional schools. Wartburg alumni can be found in all 50 U.S. states and over 70 foreign countries. Below is only a sample of the types of positions Wartburg graduates from the English and Modern Languages Department have had in the past.

Sample of Alumni Positions from the Past Five Years:

  • English Teacher, Mt. Pleasant High School, Mt. Pleasant
  • Graduate Student, Law
  • Spanish Teacher, Canutillo High School, El Paso, Texas
  • Graduate Student, Ph.D.
  • Associate Pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church, East Windsor, N.J.

Sample of Alumni Positions from the Past 10 Years:

  • Attorney, Black Hawk County Attorney’s Office, Waterloo
  • Spanish Teacher, Pembroke Pines Charter High School, Pembroke, Fla.
  • Spanish Interpreter, Northfield Hospital, Northfield, Minn.
  • Graduate Student-Ethnic and Multicultural Studies
  • Attorney, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., Minneapolis, Minn.

Sample Stand-out Alumni Positions:

  • Director of External Relations, Oceanic Preservation Society, Calif.
  • District Court Judge, 7th Judicial District Court, Saint Cloud, Minn.
  • Owner/CEO, The Cup Man, Inc. Chicago, Ill.
  • Owner, Crossroads Books, Eau Claire, Wis.
  • Executive Director, Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association, Park Ridge, Ill.
  • FBI Special Agent, Minneapolis FBI Office, Minneapolis, Minn.
  • Professor of Law, New England School of Law, Boston, Mass.

David A. Romero
“Use Your Allusions”

David A. Romero, a Mexican-American spoken word artist, presented his poetry workshop “Use Your Allusions” virtually for students, faculty, and staff. Romero is the author of My Name is Romero and has appeared at more than 75 colleges and universities in 30 states. His work has been published in literary magazines in the U.S., England, and Canada, and he has won the Uptown Slam at the historical Green Mill in Chicago. The event was hosted by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultural Studies; The Castle; Slife Professorship in Humanities; and SALSA.

Nationally-touring spoken word artist and poet David A. Romero presents his poetry workshop "Use Your Allusions" virtually for The Castle literary magazine and the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA.
Al Exito Hispanic program in Wartburg's Spanish department, photo courtesy of W-CF Courier

Partnership with Al Exito

In Dr. Zak Montgomery’s capstone class for Spanish majors, Wartburg students partner with high school students in the Latino mentoring program Al Exito. Click the button to read the story from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.
(Photo courtesy of the W-CF Courier)

Michaelson, Briner & Kildahl Literary Symposium

The annual symposium celebrating the humanities is presented by the Harry and Polly Slife Professorship in Humanities and co-sponsored by Vogel Library, the Wartburg Scholars Program and the Franklin I. and Irene Saemann Chair in World Communities. Thanks to a leadership gift from alumni Steven and Jane Noah and Dale and Judy Goeke, the annual event brings an author, poet or other literary figure to campus to engage students, faculty, staff and the broader community in activities to stimulate critical thought. Click here for details. 

Recent MBK Symposium speakers:

Carl Wilkens, humanitarian, author and founder of World Outside My Shoes (2020)
Dr. Aron Aji, award-winning translator (2018)
Luis Argueta, award-winning Guatemalan filmmaker (2017)

LUTHER HALL

Luther Hall houses the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultural Studies.

Experience professors who know you by name and are here to help. 

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FACULTY

Marta Ramírez Martínez

Associate Professor of Spanish

Zak Montgomery

Professor of Spanish

Amanda Rector

Assistant Professor of Spanish