This page brings you the latest updates from our department, including news, events, announcements, and community highlights. Stay connected with what’s happening, from faculty accomplishments and guest lectures to student spotlights and special gatherings.
VI North American Symposium of Galician Studies: Transoceanic Dialogues
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Santa Barbara is pleased to announce that it will host the VI North American Symposium of Galician Studies, titled “Transoceanic Dialogues: Between the Atlantic and the Pacific,” from May 17 to 20, 2027, in celebration of Día das Letras Galegas (Galician Literature Day).
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The Comparative Literature Brown Bag Lunch: The Humanities on Edge
Join us for an informal conversation with Professor César A. Salgado (Comparative Literature, Spanish and Portuguese; UT Austin) about the vital task of safeguarding the humanities today and our role as students, teachers, scholars, and mentors.
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A Caribbean Renaissance: Alejandro Tapia y Rivera in his Bicentennial
Join us for a celebration marking the second century of Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (1826–1882), widely considered the founder of Puerto Rican literature. This event will showcase his lasting impact and importance as a novelist, playwright, and commentator on the political and cultural ideas of his era, both across the Caribbean and in Spain.
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Lecture "Afrodescendencia as Pedagogy: Witness, Care, and the Public" by Professor Lennie Amores
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Applied Linguistics Emphasis, and the Latin American and Iberian Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara invite you to a lecture by Professor Lennie Amores, Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.
Continue Reading Lecture "Afrodescendencia as Pedagogy: Witness, Care, and the Public" by Professor Lennie AmoresVirtual Open House on 10/30: Explore Our Graduate Studies Program
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Santa Barbara invites prospective graduate students to a Virtual Open House on October 30 at 10 am (Pacific Time) via Zoom. This session will feature current graduate students and alumni who will share their experiences and insights about academic life at UC Santa Barbara and beyond.
Continue Reading Virtual Open House on 10/30: Explore Our Graduate Studies ProgramDistinguished Professor Antonio Cortijo and PhiloBiblon Team Awarded the Prestigious II Premio Internacional del Hispanismo
On September 25, 2026, PhiloBiblon, the foundational digital database dedicated to medieval Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, and Galician literatures, was awarded the II Premio Internacional del Hispanismo (II International Hispanism Prize) at the historic Palacio Duques de Soria in Soria, Spain. The award was presented by His Majesty King Felipe VI. PhiloBiblon is directed by a dedicated international team of scholars that includes Department of Spanish and Portuguese Distinguished Professor Antonio Cortijo Ocaña, alongside the late Professor Harvey L. Sharrer, whose pioneering contributions to medieval Iberian literature continue to shape the field.
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Inauguration of the Instituto Sor Juana
The Instituto Sor Juana, directed by Sara Poot Herrera of UCSB’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese, will celebrate its inauguration on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM at the Mark Taper Auditorium of the Los Angeles Public Library.
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Sediment/o: A Solo Exhibition by Omar Pimienta
Omar Pimienta presents Sediment/o, a solo exhibition at Long Beach City College exploring the Tijuana River and the cultural, political, and environmental histories embedded in its landscape. Working across photography, video, installation, text, and poetry, Sediment/o examines the river and its watershed as a transborder landscape shaped by human intervention, infrastructure, memory, and sociopolitical forces.
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