This summer, Syracuse University students will have the opportunity to experience Spanish immersion through a course being offered by the SU Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics.

SU students, as well as high school juniors and seniors, will have the option to earn three credits by taking the two-week course, which is being offered through a grant funded by University College Innovation.

The course is designed to focus on practical language application, rather than emphasizing reading and grammar like traditional courses, said Catherine Nock, assistant Spanish language coordinator.

Approximately 1,800 students enroll in Spanish courses at SU every year, said Gail Bulman, chair of languages, literatures and linguistics.

“We know that there’s a lot of interest in learning Spanish around the world and around the nation, so for years, we’ve been thinking about creating interesting summer programs that would attract students that would help to immerse students in the language,” Bulman said.

Since the department received the grant funding in January, SU Spanish instructors, including Nock, have developed the course with an emphasis on hands-on experience. Examples of activities include theater, film, sports, interactive exercises online and other cultural activities, like cooking and salsa dancing.

“You never really know what’s going to grab someone’s attention. Some of these (students) might be at the point in their language career where they’re just exploring Spanish, only had maybe one or two semesters, but we want them to be exposed to the culture and civilization rather than just the verbs,” Nock said.

Aaron Liebman, a freshman television, radio and film major who is currently taking his second semester of Spanish at SU, said the idea behind the course was enticing. He noted that while he gets along OK in his classes, he doesn’t feel comfortable speaking Spanish outside of the classroom because he’s not confident enough in his speaking abilities.

“(Classes) wouldn’t be the same as total immersion,” Liebman said.

Students who take the course will be given a pre-test, post-test and oral assessment, which Nock said will allow students to see how they have improved and the areas they need to focus on.

Students are required to have taken at least a semester of Spanish at SU or one year of a high school course. But Bulman, chair of the department, said the program is most attractive to students who are motivated to improve their language abilities or are considering studying abroad.

“We’ll give students much more confidence at the level that they’re at,” Bulman said.

“It will reinforce some of the concepts they’ve recently learned.”

While instructors do not expect students to become fluent speakers within two weeks, Katie Clinton, a Spanish professor who wrote the grant proposal for the course, said the intention is to expose students to as many cultural aspects of the language as they can.

“You can study the language and the grammar all day, every day for years, and you still don’t come out with the confidence and strength to speak. So our goal and vision is that people feel like they have the base to confidently communicate in a Spanish-speaking culture,” Clinton said.

Clinton said the program is guaranteed for two years, but there are plans to continue the program if it is successful.

Ideally, the department would like to see the course model replicated and expanded to other languages that students express interest in, such as French, Arabic or Italian.

The organizers encourage students interested in the program to visit summeratsyracuse.syr.edu/spanish-immersion for more information.

Published on February 17, 2013 at 10:53 pm

Contact Michelle: mlsczpan@syr.edu