Spanish
CNU's Spanish program develops your cross-cultural awareness and proficiency in Spanish through the study of the Spanish language and Hispanic literatures and cultures. Here you'll hone your critical and creative thinking skills and your ability to communicate in Spanish through the following:
- Real-life experiences through business applications, translation and digital media
- Community outreach
- Study abroad and immersion in Spanish-speaking communities
- Language and cultural studies with other academic disciplines and professions
Sample Courses
(courses below are conducted in Spanish)
This course focuses on contemporary issues related to new communication media and is designed to review advanced Spanish grammatical structures through reading and composition. The course and assignments are structured around digital platforms. The students elaborate different types of writing associated with a specific digital format, such as: Google docs, blogs, social media, I-movies and digital portfolios. The digital format allows a creative and open space for creation, reviewing, and editing. Thus, collective and collaborative work is essential in this class.
This course develops speaking proficiency through community service and classroom reflection. Students work with Hampton Roads organizations that provide services to the Spanish-speaking community. Learners serve in Spanish and thus develop skills in language, leadership and cross-cultural communication.
This seminar explores how a playscript and non-written elements work together to create a performance. In the first half of the semester, students read one-act plays with the goals of visualizing how they can be staged and understanding their historical, social and cultural frameworks. In the second half of the semester, the class plans, rehearses, and performs one of the plays. In Spring 2015, the students staged the Costa Rican play Carnaval de manso rebaño salvaje with the guidance of the dramatist Miguel Rojas during his two-week artistic residency on CNU’s campus.
Beyond the Classroom
Our faculty have led seminars abroad in Costa Rica and Spain. Students can have also study overseas through a wide array of non-CNU programs. Our students also undertake comprehensive internships in local schools, assisting with classroom instruction as well as outreach to parents and families to help ESL students.