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Faculties & Departments
Department of Spanish, School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Welcome
For information on degree structures and options available to Spanish see the noticeboard pages.
For information on modules available for 2010-2011 please click here.
NUI Maynooth introduced ab initio Spanish into its language programme in 1999, while also accommodating students with Leaving Certificate Spanish or equivalent. In addition, Portuguese, Basque and Catalan may be offered as options. As well as intensive language study, the programme contains courses on the cultures and literatures of Spain, Latin America and Latino/USA.
Students can take Spanish as part of the BA Double Honours or as part of the BA European Studies or as a minor subject in the BA Finance. Students may have the option to study in Spanish University for a year, leading to the qualification of BA (International).
Why Study Spanish?
A World Language
There are over 350 million native speakers of Spanish, more than of any other language except English and Chinese. Portuguese is also spoken by over 200 million people and may also be an option for study in the Department of Spanish.
Both languages open up an interesting range of possibilities for study in the literatures, cultures, history, and societies of countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Portugal and Spain to mention a few.
Spanish is becoming an increasingly global language, and in the year 2000, 420 million (7% of the world population) spoke Spanish which makes it the world's largest first language after Mandarin Chinese.
Spanish is the official language of 21 countries.
Spanish is one of the official languages of the international conferences, the United Nations and the European Union. Spanish is spoken by over 8% of the US population especially in California, Florida, large areas of the Southwest and New York and other large cities. There are 16,429 Spanish periodical publications, 927 dailies, 254 television channels and 5,112 radio stations.
An Attractive language
Spanish has features that are easy to assimilate in the early stages because:
- it has a very simple sound system, with just five vowel sounds.
- there is a direct correspondence between spoken and written forms.
- the basic points of grammar are quite simple
A Language for Business
Spain is in a period of international expansion and openess to foreign markets. In the European Union, Spain plays a major role and is one of Ireland's good trading partners. The 19 Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America offer vast potential in terms of trade and investment. Knowledge of Spanish opens up a new and extraordinarily promising dimension for those individuals, firms or enterprises who want to try new countries and ventures. Speaking Spanish offers the key to the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Spain and Latin America. The vitality of Spanish and Latin America culture is also evident in many other areas of life: music, fashion, sports…
Career Options
Language skills are essential in the modern world and a degree in Spanish may lead to many opportunities at home, in Europe, and in North and South America. The courses offered will help students to understand the history, society, literature, and the general culture of Spain and Latin America. Career opportunities include: teaching, translating and interpreting, public service, journalism, general media and international business.
Consejería de educación en Reino Unido e Irlanda