Spanish Major with Inclusive Early Childhood/Childhood Education Major

The purpose of the Spanish Major Program with Inclusive Early Childhood/Childhood Education is to prepare students to think in an informed manner and critically about the Spanish language, its evolutions, and its cultural uses in contemporary Spanish-speaking societies, including the United States, with the goal of becoming effective teachers. It is now documented that the languages that human beings speak impact the ways in which they think. An important focus of our program is the multilayered connections between Spanish-speaking countries and the United States, which might illuminate the reasons behind the presence of Latinx people in the United States. By critically analyzing texts, movies, songs, websites, paintings, art, and different cultural artifacts, students will learn the language while gaining a better understanding of these neighboring Spanish-speaking societies, in order to become inspiring change-makers who will strive for making a difference in our world. Through our program, students are given opportunities to participate in various community engagement projects with migrants, providing experiences that have been qualified by students as “life-changing” and “incredibly fulfilling.” Our program also encourages students to establish connections between our class discussion and what they are learning in other disciplines, in a true cross-disciplinary manner, in Spanish.

Course options include: Conversational Spanish; Spanish for the Health Professions; Business Spanish; Short Stories; Culture of Spanish-Speaking societies (with a focus in the relationship between Latin America and the U.S., which explains the presence of Latinos in the United States); Towards Proficiency in Spanish; Foundational Stories of Latin America; Women, Film, and Literature; Testimonial Narratives; Migrant Voices; Exploring the Latin American City; and Intercultural Cyber-Pals (which provides the opportunity to work bilingually, in English and Spanish, with students from Universidad de Concepción in Chile). In addition, the Spanish Program offers students the opportunity to participate in deeply transformational experiences with migrant communities in the area with whom we have community engagement projects. Furthermore, students will find internship opportunities in Spanish both abroad and locally.

Through the Emerson Foreign Language Laboratory, students use technology and media at all language levels to communicate effectively in the target language by using the most updated software for language acquisition, an experience that includes interactions with native speakers both locally and abroad.

Students seeking initial certification at the early childhood and childhood levels may double major in Spanish and Inclusive Early Childhood/Childhood Education. Students in this double major are required to have a minimum overall GPA of 2.7 before moving into INCH coursework which typically begins fall semester of the junior year.