Spanish Minor

Program Descriptions and Student Learning Outcomes:

Rationale and Objectives: A minor in Spanish can give students a competitive edge on a resume and increase their earning potential. There are almost half a billion Spanish-speakers in 21 countries worldwide and over 55 million in the US making Spanish a highly marketable skill everywhere for business, education, health care, law enforcement and social work. The main objectives of the minor are to develop skills at the Intermediate Mid to Intermediate High level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines in writing, reading, listening and speaking Spanish. However, the principal focus of the minor is to develop speaking proficiency and cultural understanding through a total immersion study abroad experience in Costa Rica or another Spanish-speaking location.

Learning outcomes of the Minor in Spanish: Upon completion of the minor, students will be able to:

• Engage in formal and informal conversations in Spanish about any topic
• Read and discuss written Spanish in most of its forms: Internet news and articles, newspapers, magazines, literature (poetry, short stories) 
• Discuss ideas of visual productions in Spanish: the media, movies and documentaries
• Express feelings and emotions and exchange opinions in Spanish using socio-cultural nuances
• Demonstrate knowledge of any grammatical aspect in the Spanish language
• Discuss Spanish and Latin American cultural concepts in Spanish, including character and cultural identity, their value systems, attitudes, and beliefs and their patterns of social interaction, i.e., what to do, when, where and how
• Discuss the history of immigration in the United States and issues pertaining to economic migration and the human rights of refugees

Admission Requirements: 

• A minimum of 2 years of a foreign language in high school