Mission Statement

Mission
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese provides world-class, student-centered instruction in the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking populations found throughout the world. We endeavor to help our students improve their linguistic competence in the target languages; enhance their understanding and appreciation of the literatures and cultural practices and products associated with those languages; sharpen their skills in critical thinking and expression; and cultivate a disposition for lifelong learning and service.

Vision
As the largest of the five language departments in the College of Humanities at BYU, we view ourselves as an integral part of fulfilling President Kimball’s mandate to be “the acknowledged language capital of the world” (Second Century of Brigham Young University). We strive to live up to our core values in a way that is worthy of our unique institutional heritage and the students who we are blessed to serve.

Core Values

• We value the role language and cultural competence play in the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
• We care about our students and respect their divine potential.
• We are committed to the professional preparation of our students.
• We value dynamic and experiential learning environments.
• We strive to make meaningful contributions to language, literature, and pedagogy research and practice.
• We continue to be committed to the development of the total individual and their quality of life, including intellectual, spiritual, service, and character domains.