Joining Forces in a Time of Scarce Resources: Building an Iberian Studies Program at a Small Public Liberal Arts College

In a climate of shrinking budgets and declining undergraduate applications, it’s more important than ever to pool talent and resources across disciplines.  Seven faculty members from History, Foreign Languages, and Art History are working to create a new Iberian Studies program at SUNY New Paltz.  Each of these faculty members have extensive research and teaching experience related to Spain and Portugal.  Thus the creation of this new interdisciplinary program will give students the chance to explore the history, culture, and languages of the Iberian Peninsula with experts in such topics as: Spain’s transition to democracy, the painting of Francisco Goya, Moorish art and architecture, medieval monasticism, and 20^th century Spanish literature.  By leveraging existing expertise we hope to overcome current budgetary limitations and offer undergraduates a very unique curricular opportunity (especially for a school of our size) without any additional institutional expense.