MLO 2: LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE
The student develops an understanding of the structure of the Spanish language and is able to use an appropriate level of formality according to the situation, whether in writing or in speech.
The student completes between two and six courses (depending on his or her choice of emphasis, as either language and linguistics knowledge or literary and cultural knowledge) related to the Spanish language and linguistics. These courses deal with: the sound system of Spanish, the history of Spanish, advanced grammar, Spanish-English translation, a general introduction to Spanish linguistics, Spanish for professional application (medical, legal, etc. spheres), composition and conversation.
The courses which fulfill this Major Learning Outcome are SPAN 301 and SPAN 303.
The courses which fulfilled this outcome focused more on the language portion rather than the literary aspect of the program. A great deal of class time was spent going over grammatical structures and their purpose. This helped me gain a core understanding of the language and allowed me to improve my writing skills.
Being a native speaker I already had a firm understanding of the different levels of formality in the language. These courses helped me gain insight into why Spanish is structured in the way its structured. They allowed me to see that even though I could speak Spanish fluently, I still had plenty of room for growth.
One of my most memorable experiences on campus occurred during one of these early language courses. We were asked by our instructor to write a sentence in English, it was a simple sentence that asked us to explain something about ourselves. Then we were asked to translate it to English. I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn’t quite think of the right word. I had a word in mind but it didn’t seem like the most appropriate. This sort of exercise made me realize that even though my language skills were advanced I still had to work hard to improve them.
One regret I have is not taking more language classes. Not to say that the courses I took did not prepare me well enough but I know that it’s going to be hard to find such specialized courses in other settings.
The student completes between two and six courses (depending on his or her choice of emphasis, as either language and linguistics knowledge or literary and cultural knowledge) related to the Spanish language and linguistics. These courses deal with: the sound system of Spanish, the history of Spanish, advanced grammar, Spanish-English translation, a general introduction to Spanish linguistics, Spanish for professional application (medical, legal, etc. spheres), composition and conversation.
The courses which fulfill this Major Learning Outcome are SPAN 301 and SPAN 303.
The courses which fulfilled this outcome focused more on the language portion rather than the literary aspect of the program. A great deal of class time was spent going over grammatical structures and their purpose. This helped me gain a core understanding of the language and allowed me to improve my writing skills.
Being a native speaker I already had a firm understanding of the different levels of formality in the language. These courses helped me gain insight into why Spanish is structured in the way its structured. They allowed me to see that even though I could speak Spanish fluently, I still had plenty of room for growth.
One of my most memorable experiences on campus occurred during one of these early language courses. We were asked by our instructor to write a sentence in English, it was a simple sentence that asked us to explain something about ourselves. Then we were asked to translate it to English. I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn’t quite think of the right word. I had a word in mind but it didn’t seem like the most appropriate. This sort of exercise made me realize that even though my language skills were advanced I still had to work hard to improve them.
One regret I have is not taking more language classes. Not to say that the courses I took did not prepare me well enough but I know that it’s going to be hard to find such specialized courses in other settings.