Spanish Department records

Early faculty:

1883

The first Spanish language course was offered as an elective within the Modern Languages Department in 1883. Spanish language courses were taught by a number of Italian and French instructors over the next few years.

1883-1884

Lucretia Xavier, Instructor (Italian Department)

1892

Margaret Jackson, Instructor

1894-1895

Prof. Anna R. Pugh, Romance Language Assistant

1900

Frederick Gulick, Instructor

1901-1903

Marie A. Solano, Instructor

1903-1904

Carmen Solano

1906

Susan A. Colton

1907-1911

Carolina Marcial Dorado, Instructor

1911-

Alice Huntington Bushee

In 1886, the Modern Languages Department divided into two distinct departments, German Language and Literature, and Romance Languages. Spanish language courses fell under the Department of Romance Languages.

In 1907, Spanish language courses were offered independently of the Department of Romance Languages. Alice Huntington Bushee arrived as an instructor in 1911 and the department quickly grew in enrollment and course offerings. Information about this growth can be found as an appendix in Janira Arocho’s 1994 honor’s thesis titled “Quijotas en América: Las Historia del Departmento de Español de Wellesley College.”

Spanish, as a field of concentration, became available for election in 1914. Also that year, a fire destroyed College Hall. Bushee began a campaign to replace Spanish language and literature books that were lost.

In 1918, Bushee was promoted to associate professor, a new instructor was hired and the department offered the first Hispanic American literature class to be given by a college on the East Coast.

In 1930, the first group of juniors studied abroad in Madrid. In 1936, with the start of the Spanish Civil War, study abroad in Spain was cancelled and students traveled to Mexico instead.

In 1936, Pedro Salinas came to Wellesley as the Mary Whiten Calkins visiting professor of Spanish. With his arrival, courses were offered for students especially interested in poetry. These courses were continued by his successor, Jorge Guillén who arrived at Wellesley in 1940. Alice Huntington Bushee retired in 1936 and Ada Coe became chair of the department.

The Language Laboratory was introduced in 1957 and Spanish courses were adjusted to include this laboratory work. In 1958, placement tests were instituted to help determine appropriate courses for entering freshmen. In the mid 1960’s, discussion of a Latin American Studies major began and in 1970, two majors were offered in Spanish: one Peninsular and one Latin-American. 1981, PRESHCO (Programa de Estudios Hispánicos en Córdoba) began.