Spanish Language Program Mission Statement

The Spanish Basic Language Program at Tulane University focuses on acquisition of the language and the development of communicative competency through a sequenced series of courses: Spanish 101, 102, 112 and 203 are the courses administered at this level.  This program views language as a form of social activity.  The main objectives guiding the program are (1) to introduce students to the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world; (2) to promote the development of their communicative competence in the Spanish language; and (3) to develop intercultural understanding and social conscience of problems that affect this cultural complex.

In keeping with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning developed in the 1990s by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the selected textbooks and related materials focus on an integrated approach to the five identified goal areas of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons and Communities.  To this end, the program seeks to assist students in communicating in their new language, understanding the cultures of the Hispanic world, connecting the study of foreign language with their other university studies, making informed comparisons of language and culture as a whole, and participating in a community of Spanish speakers.

The classroom serves as a space in which students are able to practice and apply the skills they are studying.  All courses are administered in Spanish and students are expected to communicate utilizing their newly acquired structures.  This program fosters students' collaborative construction of knowledge, mediated by cultural artifacts from the target culture as well as their active exposure to and use of the language.  By considering their individual preferences and by promoting self-reflective and critical thinking activities with regards to the language, students are actively involved in their language learning process.  Furthermore, the courses focus on developing an understanding of the sociocultural environment of the language, with strong focus on the Hispanic community in the area.

The main foundations for instruction in the program are content- and task-based teaching and experiential learning. The activities in each class require students to make use of the different skills of  speaking, listening, writing, and reading by working individually, in pairs, and in groups in the completion of tasks whose main focus is on meaning, instead of on form.  This may include role plays, simulations, scenarios, chat discussions, cultural presentations, interviews with and research in the Hispanic community in the area or other activities at the instructors' discretion.  However, the formal aspects of the language are not ignored, as students are expected to complete a series of activities with specific linguistic objectives.  In addition, the program makes provisions for the metalinguistic analysis of particular aspects of the language as needed.  As well as a textbook and workbook, students might utilize any number of cultural artifacts including paintings, literary pieces, texts from mass and alternative media, comic strips, TV programs, movies, songs, recordings of interviews with native speakers, and web sites, reflecting different cultural settings and dialects in the Spanish-speaking world. These rescourses will be available at the Language Learning Center, located in 402 Newcomb Hall.

The strong focus on the functional use of the language and on the target culture that prevails in classroom instruction is also evident in the way students are evaluated.  Throughout the semester, students participate in a pair-based oral exam in which they need to use their target language to solve a real-life situation (e.g., having dinner at a restaurant, changing a ticket reservation, etc.).  In addition, students collaborate in group work with a particular emphasis on the culture of and/or on social problems affecting the Spanish-speaking world.  These activities not only require students to synthesize their linguistic knowledge and to activate their skills, but also provide them with other opportunities to immerse themselves in the Spanish language.

Finally, we strongly recommend that students also consider enrolling in Portuguese classes, which typically provide more intimate and individualized language-learning experiences. Learning Portuguese will also provide students with a competitive edge as they pursue careers that demand communication skills in foreign languages. Students who have already learned Spanish typically learn Portuguese quickly and it is a fallacy that learning Portuguese will interfere with the process of learning Spanish. The two languages can be easily learned simulataneously.

Language Program Director: Amy George-Hirons