Abstract:

Since 1970, higher education in general, and Spanish departments in particular, have experienced a seismic shift, with skyrocketing student enrollment and dramatic increases in the numbers of non-tenure-track faculty. While contingent faculty numbers have continued to rise since 2000, over the past several years, enrollments in college-level Spanish courses seem to have stabilized. I will examine historical and current data, as well as projected statistics, before exploring possible consequences of these recent trends, in particular, how a more stable body of non-tenure-track faculty relates to enriched departmental culture and improved student learning in Spanish departments.