Advising

Check in with our advisors

Academic advisors are experts concerning the internal systems of both their home department and IU. It helps to have an ally who can guide you through the tasks you’ll undertake to complete your major or minor in Spanish and Portuguese. Our advisors can help you stay on track while taking advantage of the many resources and opportunities available to you.

Our academic advisor, is available at various times each weekday to see majors and minors in our department and help them talk through academic goals and planning. While each student is ultimately responsible for being knowledgeable about their own degree requirements, our advisor can help you think through your degree strategically, make plans to add other majors and minors, and guide you as you incorporate experiential, service-based, and overseas study learning experiences into your time at IU.

To make an appointment with our advisor, Amanda Lueck use the Student Appointment Scheduler (SAS) in one.iu.edu. Only IU students have access to the Scheduler. If you are not a current student, please contact the advisor via email at hispadv@iu.edu.

Advising FAQs

A major or minor in Spanish can open many new academic and professional opportunities for you, as well as opportunities to travel, study, and/or work abroad.

If you want to declare a major in Spanish, you need to set up an appointment to meet with the department’s academic advisor. You can do this by making an appointment on the Student Appointment Scheduler Go to the Student Appointment Scheduler at One.IU.

If you are interested in a minor in Spanish, you can apply for our minor online.

You do not need to make an appointment to add a Spanish minor. You can apply for our minor online.

Your first step is to consult the Office of Overseas Study website and/or the study abroad office for your school. This will help you narrow down your options according to region/country/eligibility. Once you have chosen a few options, work with your advisor to make sure the program you’ve chosen is a viable option that will help you make progress towards your degree.

Courses taught in Spanish or Portuguese related to Spanish/Portuguese grammar/language, linguistics, literature, cinema, art, or culture may potentially qualify for credit in our department. To have this credit evaluated before you go to another university or abroad, you will need to submit a complete syllabus for the course in question. Once you have that, schedule an appointment to have the courses reviewed (see the information below). Please note: our department will provide only a tentative approval for a course before it has been completed. Final confirmation of any course equivalency we determine is subject to an additional review, once you can provide all course materials.

To have a course reviewed after you have already completed the course, gather all course materials that you have (syllabi, exams, papers, assignments, etc.) and schedule an appointment to have the courses reviewed.

For review of the basic-language coursework (HISP-S100-S250) contact the Director of our Basic Language Program, Dr. Allen Davis, at kadavis2@iu.edu or the upper-level Spanish coursework (HISP-S251 and above), contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Jonathan Risner, at jtrisner@iu.edu. For Portuguese credit, contact, Prof. Luciana Namorato, at lnamorat@iu.edu.

There are several options for practicing your Spanish at IU, including Spanish department coffee hours, our Portuguese Cafezinho, the Spanish Club Grupo Ñ, Conversations Clubs through the Office of International Services, and La Casa Latino Cultural Center. You can also look for a language learning Activity Partner through One.IU.

Your instructor is required to hold office hours each week. Make a list of your questions and/or concerns and attend your instructor’s office hours. If these hours conflict with your class schedule, speak with him or her about arranging an alternate time to meet. Most instructors are very flexible and will be willing to meet with you to discuss ways to improve your performance in the class.

A final grade of I (Incomplete) is rarely assigned in our department and may only be considered an option in cases where an unexpected and extreme situation—such as a personal or medical emergency—prevents a student from completing the final major assignment(s) of the course. A student must be passing the course in order to be considered for an incomplete and the request must be made after the automatic “W” deadline has past. A petition for an incomplete must be accompanied by appropriate and verifiable documentation and should be presented to the Director of Language Instruction in Global International Studies Building 2 West 2160. Call 812-855-8498 to make an appointment.

Incompletes are not issued due to chronic missed work or absences over the course of the semester; a withdrawal is more appropriate for that kind of situation.

In order to drop your Spanish class, you should go to One.IU and submit a Drop/Add request before the automatic “W” deadline.