What is it?
This three-quarter series is designed for students who grew up with Spanish as their home language and are comfortable speaking it. Leaning on all of their previous experience with the language, the program seeks to enrich and complement the students’ linguistic repertoire by exposing them to other language varieties, including Academic Spanish. Our goal is to foster students’ ability to be effective communicators within the global Spanish community, developing presentational and writing skills in a variety of genres, from the personal to the professional and academic. As part of the study of the language, we also analyze the socio-cultural context of Spanish-speakers in the United States through activities that promote engagement with the local community. By the end of the series, we hope that students will have gained increased confidence in the language and strengthened their identity as bilinguals, being able to interact with a more diverse group of speakers, pursue higher-level courses and/or apply this knowledge in their professional endeavors, inside or outside the United States.
Who are we?
The instructors in the series are a team of dedicated graduate students in the Spanish department with a commitment to serve the growing Chicanx/Latinx population at the university. In addition to their ample teaching experience, they participate in monthly training workshops that specifically address the needs of native speakers. The tutors, the most unique component of our program, are students that recently completed the series, serving as peer mentors who offer encouragement as well as academic support during weekly one-on-one meetings. The director of the program is Prof. Agustina Carando, a linguist who specializes in the Spanish of the United States and is passionate about working with bilingual students and teachers.