Programs - Highlights

Spanish

(Salisbury University in Ecuador '08)

Acting globally, acting locally:

Department study abroad programs:  We are the only department on campus to say “Welcome to SU . . . now please go away!”  We require study abroad as a part of being a Spanish major.  We have many programs and resources to help you get to where you want to go.  Our Málaga, Spain Summer Study Abroad (SPAN 309) program runs for five weeks in this beautiful Mediterranean city.  Our Cuenca, Ecuador Winter Term Study abroad program takes you to the Andes mountains in the land of “eternal Spring” for four weeks.  One of your SU professors will join you on these department programs.  Other exciting abroad programs and additional resources can be found at SU’s Center for International Education.       

SALE (Spanish Applied Learning Experience) Internships with local partners:  “SALE,” from the verb “salir,” means that someone is leaving or going out, and this is exactly what this internship experience is designed to do—to get you out of the classroom to apply your skills and knowledge to “real world” settings.  SALE partners have included the Telemon Corporation, a local immigration law firm, and the Wicomico Family Support Center, to name a few. 

Talking up Spanish:

The Spanish Club:  This club is a campus organization run by students under the guidance of a faculty mentor.  The Spanish club at SU is very active and student-driven.  It hosts a yearly film festival which features some of the latest films being produced in the Spanish-speaking world.  The Cinco de Mayo celebration is one of the more popular events on campus each Spring.  Additional activities include monthly meetings and Spanish-only “tertulias” at local restaurants.

Dedicated Gateway Courses
Making connections through speaking and writing:

Spanish Oral and Written Composition (SPAN 310):  Our dedicated oral and written composition course is designed, in part, to introduce students to various national standards—such as the Five Cs—and to make linkages between these standards and the Liberal Arts.  All majors are required to take this course in order to prepare them for upper-level courses in literature and culture (SPAN 310 is a pre-requisite for all courses above SPAN 202).    

Spanish for Heritage speakers (SPAN 313):  SU’s Hispanic/Latin@ students can take advantage of a course specifically designed for heritage or native speakers of Spanish.  Spanish 313 is offered each Spring, and provides a practical alternative to our bridge course, Spanish 310.  This course fulfills an important need as more and more Latin@ students decide to major in Spanish at Salisbury University.

Discovering 21 Spanish-speaking countries through our major:

Just taking a few courses in Spanish?  This means that you are missing out on the chance to conceptually travel through coursework to many of the 21 countries which make up the Spanish-speaking world!  Our major program focuses on culture for this very reason.  You are required to take two culture and civilization courses, and nearly all of our elective courses center upon a cultural topic, such as “Hispanic Culture Through Literature” or “Latinos in the US” or “Hispanic Film.”  In your two required literature courses, you will read many Nobel Prize winning authors, such as Gabriela Mistral and Juan Ramón Jiménez.