Are you someone who can understand Spanish when it is spoken but you can’t seem to speak it or write it as well as you would like? Perhaps your abuelos only spoke to you in Spanish while you responded to them English? Or perhaps you are the child of immigrants and your parents have relied on you in the past to translate and interpret between Spanish and English. In any of these cases, it’s possible that you are a Heritage learner of Spanish and may benefit from a course especially designed to help you connect with your Spanish language cultural identity.
A 3 credit course is being offered this Spring 2025, Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SPAN203). A heritage learner is someone who was raised speaking Spanish in the United States, or exposed to the language during their childhood. Heritage learners have a cultural connection with the language, and are bilingual to some degree. Many heritage speaker’s dominant language is English, and this course will help students who identify as Spanish heritage learner effectively build on the language skills they already have, and learn how to manage their Spanish in professional or formal settings. The course will focus on various topics such as grammar, spelling, phonetics and metalinguistic awareness. In addition, we’ll reflect on the differing uses of the Spanish language and the varied cultures of the Caribbean, Central America, Spain, South America and the United States. This class will also focus on heritage speaker identity and bicultural issues.
This class will be taught by Alessandra Parry and will meet Mon/Wed/Fri 11:40am-12:30pm. Consultation with the professor is encouraged upon course enrollment to determine level of bilingualism. This class is open to any Spanish speaking bicultural student or staff member who is interested in connecting with their family’s cultural heritage; being Latino or Hispanic is not a requirement. For students who are interested in a Spanish minor track, this class can be considered an alternative to Spanish 201. Please contact anp40@case.edu with any questions.