Welcome to the Department of Hispanic Studies

The Department of Hispanic Studies began as part of the creation of two completely new Professorships of Modern Languages (one in French and German, and one in Italian and Spanish) in 1776. The Professorship of Spanish, established as early as 1926, had as its first holder Walter Starkie, an Irish Hispanist, renowned for his translations of Spanish literature.

In 2003 the Department of Spanish changed its title to Department of Hispanic Studies to reflect the broadening of the curriculum and research areas into Spanish America, which has been developing in Trinity since the 1960s.