Did you know that over 500 million people speak Spanish around the world? The U.S. ranks #2 in the world for Spanish speakers behind Mexico, and it is projected that, by 2050, one in three people will speak Spanish (including bilinguals English/Spanish) in the U.S. Our immersive programs offers extensive practice in spoken and written Spanish as well as opportunities to study a range of literary and cultural studies, language for the professions, linguistics, and translation.
The Modern Languages department provides a diverse range of Spanish courses, along with scholarships to support minors, majors, graduate studies, and students studying abroad. We also offer opportunities to earn free credits for prior language experience. Join us at our Spanish Language Table to practice your Spanish, engage in conversations, and connect with others.
Fall 2026 & SPRING 2027: Students will develop basic language skills and cultural awareness to discuss daily habits, personal information, and communicate in simple everyday situations in Spanish-speaking communities. Conducted in Spanish through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Designed for students with no prior Spanish language experience, or less than one year of prior language study.
Counts toward:
K-State Core #6 - Arts & Humanities or K-State Core #7 - Free Electives
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
Fall 2026 & SPRING 2027: Continuation of Spanish I. Students will build on basic language skills and cultural awareness to relate personal experiences, give recommendations, and interact in uncomplicated situations in Spanish-speaking communities. Conducted in Spanish through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Designed for students with one semester of college Spanish or 1-2 years of high school Spanish.
Counts toward:
K-State Core #6 - Arts & Humanities or K-State Core #7 - Free Electives
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
Fall 2026: Conversational Spanish for the Workplace: Construction & Engineering: This introductory course develops foundational and practical Spanish communication skills for Engineering and Construction workplace settings. Students will gain confidence using essential language for job site interactions, safety, communication, customer interaction, teamwork, and problem-solving, with emphasis on culturally appropriate professional communication. Students will practice real-world scenarios relevant to technical and field environments rather than grammar-intensive study. This course emphasizes functional workplace Spanish and is not equivalent to our Span 101 - Spanish I.
Counts toward:
K-State Core #6 - Arts & Humanities or K-State Core #7 - Free Electives
SPAN 201 - Spanish III
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer
In-person and online
Fall 2026 & SPRING 2027: Enhances skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing to express themselves creatively in Spanish in straightforward social situations. Students engage with and analyze a variety of multimedia content such as spoken word poetry, debates about telecommuting, cultural customs, and stereotypes. Designed for students with two semesters of college Spanish or 2-4 years of high school Spanish.
Counts toward:
K-State Core #6 - Arts & Humanities or K-State Core #7 - Free Electives
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
Fall 2026 & SPRING 2027: This course reviews and expands on knowledge of language forms developed in Spanish I-III and serves as a bridge to more advanced language, culture, and literature courses. Students will further develop communicative skills and strategies to describe, narrate, research, analyze, and opine in increasingly complex social situations. Conducted in Spanish. Designed for students with three semesters of college Spanish or 3-5 years of high school Spanish.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
Fall 2026: Did you grow up speaking Spanish with friends or family? This course is designed to build on Spanish language skills that have been learned in informal contexts for students who have limited previous exposure to Spanish in academic contexts. We will develop Spanish reading strategies, explore the Spanish language as it relates to our personal identity and Kansas communities, and cultivate communicative skills and approaches to describe, narrate, research, analyze, and express opinions in increasingly complex social situations. Conducted in Spanish and Spanglish.
This course is appropriate for students with informal experience with Spanish and little to no experience with Spanish in school. This course is equivalent to SPAN 301 (Spanish IV)
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 410 - Spanish Communication through Pop Culture
Offered Fall and Spring
Fall 2026 & SPRING 2027: Spanish Communication through Pop Culture is a new approach to SPAN 410. In this course, we will improve spontaneous conversation in Spanish through impromptu discussions, word games, partner conversations and more! We will improve our writing skills through creative writing prompts, peer-review and writing workshops with your instructor. We will also learn how to activate language absorption through authentic input by listening to music, watching documentaries, tv shows and films, and reading short stories and graphic novels in Spanish. Pre-Req: SPAN 301 or equivalent.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 411 - Heritage Speakers Spanish Composition and Grammar
Offered in Fall semesters
SPRING 2027: If you're taking Spanish 411, you may want to consider participating in the GATOS CAT Community.
This course is designed to help heritage speakers (individuals who have learned the language due to early exposure at home and who have primarily completed their academic education in English while in the U.S.) further enhance their literacy skills in Spanish. The course promotes: a) awareness of the various linguistic variations within the Spanish language, b) an appreciation for the unique variation of Spanish developed in the U.S., while motivating students to aspire to mastering a standard register. Additionally, the course reinforces grammatical features and helps students acquire sophisticated academic vocabulary, as well as further refine skills for expressing their ideas in more complex and professional settings. Finally, the course explores the current socioeconomic and political situations in various Hispanic countries.
Fall 2026: The need for professional Spanish skills in the workplace is on the rise across industries throughout the US.[1]In this course, students will not only develop their professional communication skills in Spanish, but will also examine the political, economic, and social movements related to commerce throughout the Americas from 1492 to today through a variety of texts such as historical diary entries, legal statutes, marketing campaigns, literature, art, and film. Students will provide evidence of their learning by creating professional documents, presentations, and creative projects related to the themes of the class. Pre-Req: SPAN 410 or 411
SPAN 531 - Professional Spanish: Health and Human Services
Offered online Spring and Summer
SUMMER 2026 & SPRING 2027: Summer 2025: Offered online in an asynchronous modality, this course offers Intensive practice to develop listening and speaking skills, expand vocabulary, and review of grammatical structures. It is intended to equip students with tools necessary to acquire cultural knowledge of diverse Hispanic communities living in The United States to efficiently serve them in their native language. The ever-growing population of Spanish-speakers in the US specifically offers unlimited opportunities for professionals in the health and human services. These and other related fields will be emphasized in this course through the observation of interactions between health professionals and their Spanish-speaking patients or clients for the purpose of stimulating discussion about language and culture. Pre-Req: SPAN 410 or 411
Counts toward:
US Multicultural Overlay, Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 550 - Introduction to Hispanic Readings and Media
Offered Fall and Spring
Fall 2026 & SPRING 2027: Stories are at the core of how humans experience the world. By reading and discussing texts, film, and art from the Spanish-speaking world, you develop your vocabulary, cultural awareness, and ability to express yourself. This class gives you tools for comprehending and responding to stories, poetry/song lyrics, drama, and film. Pre-Req: SPAN 410 or 411
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 551 - Introduction to Hispanic Readings and Media for Heritage Learners
Offered in Spring semesters
SPRING 2027: Use your knowledge of popular and trending singers, likePeso Pluma, movies, and books to further your critical skills in Spanish. This course will also help you expand your oral and written fluency, reading skills and vocabulary so that you can efficiently communicate in formal and professional settings while sharing your unique cultural and bilingual experiences. Pre-Req: SPAN 411, designed for learners who have been exposed to Spanish from childhood in natural settings (e.g., home). Please contact Dr. Valentin-Rivera for placement questions
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 560 - Cultures of the Spanish Speaking World: U.S. Latinx
SPRING 2027: United States has the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. This course focuses on literature and media created in Spanish (as well as bilingual texts featuring code-switching or Spanglish”) within the United States. A historical overview helps us to understand the social and political contexts that have shaped this diverse community and its cultural production since the 16th century. Students will develop cultural awareness, critical thinking, and language and communication skills, and research a topic of personal interest in a creative project. Pre-Req: SPAN 550 or 551
Counts toward:
US Multicultural Overlay, Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 566 - Cultures of the Spanish-speaking World: Spanish America
Fall 2026: This interdisciplinary course traces the sociocultural significance of crops such as chocolate, corn, sugar, and potato in Spanish America. We’ll explore the relationship between food and identity in recipes, art, music, and readings. Develop cultural awareness, critical thinking, and language and communication skills, and research a topic of personal interest in a creative project.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 569 - Special Studies: Water Rights in the Americas
Fall 2026: Water Rights in the Americas explores how transnational communities have shaped water rights while considering the historical, literary, and cultural intersections of migration, labor, and environmental justice in Spanish-speaking communities from Kansas to Chile. Examines literary, historical and documentary representations of water rights from Kansas and countries throughout Latin America.
Prerequisite: at least one 500-level Spanish course (SPAN 533 or SPAN 550 recommended) or Instructor Permission.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SUMMER 2026 & SPRING 2027: People who are bilingual are often asked to translate or interpret in their jobs or communities. This course is designed to begin developing those skills and instill an awareness of the ethical responsibilities of translators and interpreters. Focusing on the linguistic and cultural differences specific to Spanish<>English translation, through memes, short texts, videos, and interviews, you will gain practice translating texts in a variety of genres. Special attention is paid to the role of the sociocultural context in the reception of both the original text and the translation. Pre-Req: One 500-level Spanish course.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
Fall 2026: Explores the Spanish language by figuratively breaking the language into different pieces. This will be done to take varied structural approaches to better understand how the language in question works as a whole. In other words, this course offers a wide perspective on the contrastive sounds of the language (phonology and phonetics), how bases and affixes combine to form words (morphology), the permissible order of linguistic elements to effectively construct a sentence and the different grammatical functions of words within said structure (syntax), as well as the meanings and implications of what we say as Spanish speakers (pragmatics). Additionally, we will cover two more units through which we will discuss the different varieties that exist in the Hispanic world and Spain, and the specific features of Spanish within the USA. Pre-Req: One 500-level Spanish course.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
Fall 2026: Grammar is like a puzzle – you put pieces together to create the desired image; unlike a puzzle, grammar does not have one single solution, but rather infinite. This does not mean that you can just slap words together willy-nilly. Every speaker has their own linguistic system, and it is through this system that they determine whether a phrase is well-formed or not. In this course, we will examine this system, the structures that compose it, and the linguistic variation that emerges from it. The knowledge acquired in this class provides an excellent base for students interested in language teaching, translation, or who are looking to develop their Spanish for other professional contexts. Requisites Prerequisite: SPAN 550 and 6 additional hours at the 500-level or instructor permission.
SPAN 750 - Spanish American Narrative
This course examines the diverse narratives created by Latin American women who have been excluded from male-dominated spheres from the colonial period to the 21st century. We will explore a range of literary forms, including traditional genres as well as less conventional narratives such as letters, journals, microfiction, and screenplays.
Discussions will focus on the contextual analysis of these literary and cultural narratives, emphasizing the interplay of gender with socio-political and economic dynamics. Authors studied will include Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Teresa de La Parra, Silvina Ocampo, Elena Garro, Anaïs Nin, Clarice Lispector, Rosario Ferré, and Paz Alicia Garciadiego, among others.
Key topics may encompass women's roles in society, maternity, class, disability, ecology, and modernity. This reading- and writing-intensive course aims to develop students' abilities to interpret and craft complex, abstract language.
Requisites Prerequisite: SPAN 550 and 6 additional hours at the 500-level or instructor permission.
SPAN 752 - Latin American Flash Fiction
Fall 2026: Explore the mysterious, the fantastic, and the tiny through Latin American Flash Fiction (stories of 2-pages or less). This class will focus on Flash Fiction from Latin American authors, reading brief narratives published both as digital and in-print collections. This class will explore the creation of Flash Fiction and Micro Fiction and its origins in Latin America through the reading of authors Augusto Monterroso, Jorge Luis Borges, and Julio Cortázar, and current Micro Fiction authors Alberto Chimal, Javier Perucho and Gabriela A. Arciniegas. Students will also get to create some Micro Fiction of their own!
Note: Develops ability to interpret and craft complex, abstract language. Reading- and writing-intensive class.
Prerequisites:
SPAN 550 and 6 additional hours at the 500-level or instructor permission.
SPAN 757 - Spanish American Poetry
Explores how diverse poets and songwriters have engaged with issues including identity and memory. We discuss connections between poems/songs and their sociopolitical and artistic contexts, developing cultural awareness and the ability to express complex ideas. Each student researches a music genre and develops a creative project such as a translation, lesson plan, or original poem/song. Take a look at the playlist!Pre-Reqs: Two 500-level courses, or instructor permission.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
This class builds skill in translation techniques through practice with texts from various fields (business, legal, medical, technical, literary, etc.) We apply a variety of resources and technologies to research and collaboratively revise our translations (both Spanish to English and English to Spanish). You will develop abilities in a chosen field of specialization related to career interests, creating an individual portfolio that includes a substantial translation. Pre-reqs: SPAN 575, 771, or instructor permission.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
SPAN 774 - Topics Community Translation and Interpreting
Repeatable Course
Fall 2026: Introduction to vocabulary, research skills, professional practices, and ethics for serving as a community translator or interpreter (Spanish <> English). You will build basic interpreting skills through role-plays, exercises, and community service-learning experiences. You will also gain experience translating a variety of common documents such as birth certificates, letters, and forms. This course provides a variety of service-learning opportunities to accommodate student interests and proficiency levels. Prerequisites: SPAN 575, 771, or instructor permission. SPAN 774 may be taken multiple times with different topics.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
This course primarily explores how the Spanish language evolved from Latin at the morphosyntactic and phonological level. Additionally, we will examine how external factors, such as diverse sociohistorical events, propagated the use of Spanish within Spain and throughout Latin America. Pre-Req: One 500-level Spanish course (SPAN 580 preferred).
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
Fall 2026: This course surveys sociolinguistic features, socio-historical events, and matters pertaining to identity as key elements that shape a growingly popular linguistic variety despite its continuous stigmatization: Spanish in the US. Different to other dialects (e.g., Chilean, Spaniard, Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc.), Spanish in the U.S. coexist with English, which directly and profoundly impacts the use of this minority language as perceived in the recurrent use of codeswitching (i.e., Spanglish)—among others representative linguistic features. This has led some scholars to suggest that Spanish is in the U.S. is an incomplete variety when it is simply a dialect that corresponds to a different yet specific social and linguistic context. These prescriptivists perceptions will also be analyzed and discussed from a descriptivist approach. As such, this class also promotes the social and linguistic appreciation of language variation as a whole. Pre-Reqs: Two 500-level courses, or instructor permission.
Counts toward:
Second Language Requirement, Restricted Electives: Arts & Humanities requirement
TheSpanish Minorrequires6 classesat and above Spanish 3, and must include one literature course at the 500-level (SPAN 550 or SPAN 551 is recommended).Study Abroadand Retroactive Credit apply toward the Spanish Minor.
To declare or drop a Spanish Minor,please use thisform.
TheSpanish Translation Minoris an advanced language minor requiring18 credit hours(6 classes) at and above the 530-level, including professional writing in Spanish and English. See coursedescriptionsto assist you in choosing your courses, and/or contact Dr. Kanost (lakanost@ksu.edu) for more information.Study Abroadand Retroactive Credit apply toward the Spanish Translation Minor.
To declare or drop a Spanish Translation Minor,please use thisform.
Required Courses
Professional writing in English elective (3 hours)
ENGL 302, 400, 415, 417, 510, 516
MC 200, 221, 426
Approaches to language elective (3 hours)
ANTH 514, 525, 720, 792
COMM 480
ENGL 430, 435, 490
SPAN 580, 670, 776
Professional Spanish (3 hours)
SPAN 530 (business) or SPAN 531 (health)
Core course (9 hours)
SPAN 575, SPAN 771,andSPAN 774
TheSpanish Majorrequires 11 classes (33 credits)of Spanish courses at and above Spanish 3, including the required "Hispanic Readings & Media" (SPAN 550) or "Hispanic Readings & Media for Heritage Learners" (SPAN 551), and at least three 6/700-level courses.
A grade of “C” or better or a minimum 2.5 GPA is required in all Spanish courses counted towards the major.Classes for the major cannot be taken Pass/Fail. Two non-transfer courses are required at the 700 level. Study AbroadandRetroactive Creditapply toward the Spanish Major.
TheSpanish major with distinctionrequires13 courses(39 credit hours)of Spanish courses at and above Spanish 3, including one required literature courses at the 500-level, and at least four 6/700-level courses, and a 3.5 GPA in all courses taken toward the major.
To declare or drop a Spanish Major,please go to the Arts & Sciences Dean's Office in 107 Calvin Hall, or email them atartsci@ksu.edu.
From 2018 to 2022, unique job postings (including "Spanish Language," "Language Translation," and "Bilingual (Spanish/English)" increased 59.7% within the US and were mostly from the healthcare area. Lightcast occupational projections from 2022 to 2031, show growth within the United States over a ten-year period with healthcare and business occupations at the top. In fact, the top two occupations with the highest projected growth of 22.1% and 14.3% is in the Healthcare Support Operations and Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Operations occupation groups which are well over the 7.4% growth projections for all occupations within the United States. Learn more about the benefits of learning a language. (Source: K-State Market Intelligence & Analysis)
