About Our Department

Bienvenidos! Bem-Vindos! Benvinguts!

Hispanic and Portuguese cultures offer a variety unrivalled by any other modern Western culture. In the Middle Ages, the Iberian Peninsula was the vital point of contact of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic civilizations. In the early modern period, it led the way in the exploration and settlement of the New World, contributing significantly to the evolution of a flourishing Latin American culture. Today, Spanish and Portuguese are among the top six most widely-spoken languages in the world. At the Department of Spanish & Portuguese at the University of Toronto, students can explore these major languages and literatures, and complement their studies with courses on the influential social, artistic and intellectual history of Ibero-America.