SPANISH Major

Anderson’s Spanish major prepares you to engage and serve others no matter your career choice. Be prepared to connect with others through the Spanish language — one of the world’s most widely spoken languages.

Overview

The Spanish major at Anderson University prepares students to be ready to work with members of Latino or Spanish communities. This begins during the language placement process, and continues as we help students build the skills needed to function in cross-cultural settings. Each of our courses is taught from a task-based methodology, where students learn language while investigating cultural practices and perspectives. Beginning in Spanish Conversation, students have the opportunity to get first-hand experience building their speaking skills by volunteering with local organizations that work with Spanish speakers. Past placements have included after school programs, churches, and social services.

At AU, this in-person practice continues for students in the program as they may choose whether to study abroad or complete an Intensive Experience. Students who study abroad spend at least 5-6 weeks earning 6 credit hours at universities around the world. The most popular destinations for Ravens include Costa Rica and Spain, where they usually take a culture course and an advanced conversation class.

Students who choose to stay local will work with their advisor to find an Intensive Experience in Anderson or in their hometown. Popular placements have included paid work at Latino owned companies, shadowing interpreters in local hospitals, and volunteering as translation buddies in K-12 schools. Additionally, these students take one hour of Strategies for Advanced Spanish Proficiency, which helps them be ready for the language and cultural demands of their placement.

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EXPLORE THE Spanish Major

Most of our graduates pair a complementary major with another full major in a profession geared towards service; as a result we also offer classes such as Spanish for health care, ministry, business, social work, criminal justice, and pre-law. These classes, along with the real-world preparation that our minors and majors complete, produces graduates who are more than prepared to work with Spanish-speakers on the job.

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4-Year Major

The major is offered as a three-year or four-year track for graduation.
A complementary major gives students the strength and exposure of the full major, but without the requirement of additional study in a third language. It also requires completion of a study abroad experience. Many students in pre-med, nursing, business, global business, computer science, ministry, and other majors complete this complementary major, as well. This gives our students additional marketability after graduation.
The minor requires students to take 18 hours of courses beyond the Elementary Spanish level, including Spanish Composition, and Spanish Conversation.

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Career Pathways

Bilingual Social Worker
Bilingual Health Care Professional
Ministry Partner with the Latino Community
Marketing/Management for Global Business Firms

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Classroom

Spanish Conversation
Latin American Culture
Spanish for the Professions
- Healthcare, Ministry
- Business
- Criminal Justice
- Social Work
Advanced Grammar and Translation

View the courses required for the Spanish Major.

View the courses required for the Spanish Complementary Major.

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Experience

Study Abroad programming with more than 30 locations around the world.
Trips through Tri-S Global (a short-term learning service program).
Local opportunities to interact with members of the community.
Language opportunities with Spanish chapel services and immersion nights (social events where no English is spoken).

Brooklyn’s story — learning through experience makes a difference.

Brooklyn completed the Intensive Experience and spent a semester as a translation buddy for two students who had recently moved to the U.S. from Latin America. She spent time translating a biology and health class with them — read a question-and-answer interview about her experience!

Brooklyn DenOuden, Spanish and Psychology double major

Q: What was the most impactful thing you learned or experienced during your Intensive Experience?
A: The most impactful thing I learned is that I was actually the one learning the most, rather than the students. I got to learn about their learning styles, what worked as far as communication, what didn’t work, and how to communicate across what might seem like impossible barriers sometimes

Q: Would you recommend students participate in an Intensive Experience as part of their Spanish classes?
A: Yes, because it taught me a lot of patience with using the language, and it was so fulfilling when the students would succeed after I helped them

Q: What was your greatest challenge during the Intensive Experience?
A: My greatest challenge was coming out of my own shell. When communicating with the students in their classrooms, I didn’t have time to write down conjugation or think about sentence structure. You have to try, and eventually you’ll get there

Q: What was your favorite part of the Intensive Experience?
A: My favorite part was watching the students get more comfortable with me, and the times we could joke with each other, especially with my student in biology. Neither of us are science-oriented, so we often laughed with each other at our blundering mistakes