By Iara Roberto/reporter
NW Campus will offer two new Spanish classes in the fall for students who are native or heritage speakers that want to increase their knowledge of the Spanish language.
SPAN 2313 is a grammar-focused class specifically designed for students from Spanish-speaking communities who desire to professionalize their skills.
“They will be able to learn how to write in Spanish in a more academic and professional way since most of these students use Spanglish or false cognates when it comes to writing,” said NW Spanish associate professor Alicia Zavala Garcia, who will teach both of the new classes.
Since heritage speakers are constantly thinking in two languages, this can sometimes cause the mixing of those languages, called Spanglish. Some words look or sound similar but their meaning differs significantly in different languages, Zavala-Garcia said. The English word “embarrassed” and the Spanish “embarazada,” which means pregnant, are examples of this.
Students who want to achieve a higher level of language proficiency can take SPAN 2315, where they can learn more about the Latin American culture while becoming more proficient in speaking Spanish, she said.
This class aims to help improve critical thinking skills in Spanish while discussing culturally important movies in the Latin American world, such as the Spanish movie El Laberinto del Fauno and the Chilean movie No.
“The classes are a wonderful endeavor. I would like to take the SPAN 2315 class myself. But in general, these classes will greatly benefit those students interested in doing either a minor or major in Spanish,” said NW Spanish instructor Jesus Gonzalez Hernandez.
Since these new classes are requirements for Spanish majors and minors, NW students can get those credits at a more affordable price. According to Gonzalez, South will also offer a conversational class in Spanish during the fall.
SPAN 2313 will be offered Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30-10:50 a.m., and SPAN 2315 will also be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30-1:50 p.m.
