Bartels Uses Spanish to Unlock Literary Interests
Knights, castles and chalices are not the first images that come to mind when considering a degree in Spanish, but Andrew Bartels would not have it any other way.
Bartels, graduating senior and Spanish major, is using his degree to slay literary dragons and rescue maidens by furthering his love of Spanish studies at Indiana University in Bloomington.
The Medieval Studies Institute at Indiana University was a ‘hand-in-glove’ fit with his research interests.
His fascination with medieval literature was prompted by U of A’s Spanish Program. The faculty introduced Bartels to a world of Spanish compositions that he never knew existed.
“In medieval Europe, people took the heritage of the ancient world and added their own twists to it. They also used that as the basis for their writings in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, and a host of vernacular languages. Some of which don’t even exist anymore. It is a wonderfully diverse period,” he said.
Bartels’ discovered interest encouraged him to dig a little deeper into medieval literature, and now his goal is to turn his passion into a career.
While studying at Indiana University, he also plans to teach Spanish as a graduate assistant and hopes to one day become a college professor.
In addition to learning the Spanish language, Bartels has also studied abroad in Spain. He said the journey was one of the most formative experiences in his Spanish career.