College of Charleston - Hispanic Studies

09/04/2026

Argentina study abroad of Fall 2026 has begun! 🇦🇷

Shout out to our Dept Chair Dr. Susan Divine for traveling with our students to help them get settled in their new home of Buenos Aires! 💃

09/01/2026

Meet a couple of our mentors of the Hispanic Studies Mentorship Program!

👋 Hallie Ritzu

Hallie Ritzu earned her B.A. in Spanish and Political Science from the College of Charleston. While at the College, she studied abroad in Trujillo, Spain, and Santiago de Chile, participated in the Model Organization of American States in Buenos Aires, and served as a peer facilitator for Spanish conversation classes. After graduating in 2008, she earned an M.A. in Spanish through Middlebury College’s graduate program in Madrid and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in Chicago.

Today, Hallie is an estate planning attorney and adjunct professor of law in Chicago. Over the years, she has found many ways to put her language skills and cross-cultural perspective to use — teaching English as a Second Language to Spanish speakers, teaching in the College of Charleston’s Department of Hispanic Studies, representing asylum seekers through a pro bono immigration practice, and traveling whenever she gets the chance.

Meet our mentors!

👋 Danny Jones

Danny graduated from the College of Charleston in 2008 with a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. He studied abroad during his junior year in Trujillo, Spain as part of the College of Charleston’s study abroad program and represented the College at a model Organization of American States (OAS) conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2007. Danny later completed an M.A. in Spanish linguistics from Middlebury College in Madrid in 2009 and then remained in Madrid until 2012 teaching English. After leaving Spain in 2012, Danny returned to Charleston and taught Spanish at the College of Charleston until 2017.

Currently, Danny is a foreign service officer with the Department of State, where he works as a consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece. Danny’s previous diplomatic assignments include Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; Merida, Mexico; and Nairobi, Kenya. In his two Mexico assignments, and occasionally now in Greece, Danny uses his Spanish skills to conduct visa interviews for intending visitors and immigrants to the United States and help U.S. citizens overseas who speak Spanish. Dan

08/25/2026

Tertulia is back! 🦙

Join the Spanish Club and Hispanic Studies Dept in Tertulia, practice your Spanish, and get to know other students and faculty!

🗓️ Fall 2026 Schedule:
- Thursday, Aug 27 at 4:30pm | Casa Hispana, back patio
- Thursday, Sept 17 at 4:30pm | Mudhouse Charleston, back patio
- Thursday, Oct 22 at 4:30pm | Mudhouse Charleston, back patio
- Thursday, Nov 19 at 4:30pm | Mudhouse Charleston, back patio

08/24/2026

Now accepting applications for our Mentorship Program!

✅ Apply by Friday, Sept 18 | application link in our bio or go to tr.ee/hispmentor

Are you a major or minor in Spanish or Portuguese? Consider applying to the Mentorship Program with Hispanic Studies to learn how to leverage your bilingual superpowers!

👋 Meet one of our mentors, Henry Mullin!

Henry is an alumnus of CofC with multiple degrees in Political Science and Spanish. During his time at the College, he also served as the Vice President of the Spanish Club before graduating in 2015.

Currently, Henry operates as a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in NYC and is part of the Real Estate Board of NYC. Using his perceptive and analytical attributes, he works in project management, sales, real estate, hospitality & tourism, corporate travel & relocation, and client success/satisfaction.

➡️ Go to the link in our bio to learn more about our mentors!

Questions? Contact Dr. Susan Divine at [email protected]

08/21/2026

✨ Hispanic Studies Lounge

Have you checked out our lounge yet? Come on by!

JC Long room 128 | 9 Liberty St
Open 9:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday

Snacks, coffee, tea available in the lounge and the attached kitchenette.

Interested in reserving the lounge for a club meeting or activity? Contact us at [email protected]

08/19/2026

We have discounted tickets for the Charleston RiverDogs Noche de Fiesta! ⚾️

Come out to celebrate our Charleston area Hispanic community with a fun night of baseball!

🔸 Saturday, September 5 | Gates open 5:00pm
🔸 Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park | 360 Fishburne St

Check the link in our bio to purchase tickets

07/31/2026

Boost your Spanish skills with our Conversation Classes!

⭐️ Key features:
- led by trained peer teachers
- small groups capped at 10
- only 50 minutes, once a week
- 1 credit hour
- no textbook, no worksheets

Each conversation class corresponds with your regular Spanish course and offers guided practice on relevant topics. You spend the class speaking, learning, and interacting.

Questions? Contact Antonio Pérez-Núñez at [email protected] or the HISP Department at [email protected]

07/30/2026

https://today.charleston.edu/2026/07/29/ambassador-of-fun-eli-dent/

In Atlanta for the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, Eli Dent ’17 had Argentina fans clamoring to give the Kickit Kourt a try. Life couldn’t be better.

07/17/2026

The World Cup final is bringing Spanish to the global stage!

Get ready for Spain vs Argentina with some Spanish vocabulary ⚽️

07/15/2026

Quick Guide to Spanish Placement ✨

Did you take Spanish in High School?
0-1 Year of High School Spanish = placement in SPAN 101
2-3 years of High School Spanish = placement in SPAN 190
4 years of High School Spanish = placement in SPAN 202

Beginning Track:
SPAN 101- Beginning Spanish I
SPAN 102 - Beginning Spanish II
SPAN 201 - Beginning Spanish III
SPAN 202 - Intermediate Spanish

Fast Track:
SPAN 190 - Beginning Spanish I
SPAN 200 - Elementary Spanish II
SPAN 202 - Intermediate Spanish

Are you a heritage speaker?
If you grew up speaking Spanish or Portuguese at home, ask us about our placement test and the Spanish as a Heritage Language Distinction program!

🔸 Questions? Contact us at [email protected]