WHY STUDY SPANISH?
Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world after Mandarin and English, with approximately 380 million speakers. It is the official language of 20 countries.
It is spoken by almost 20 million people in the United States and used daily in the Philippines, Australia, Morocco, Western Sahara and Belize. Learning Spanish then facilitates access to these communities and allows one to tap into their culturally diverse reservoirs including their colourful music, flavourful cuisine, passionate literature and festive traditions.
In Trinidad and Tobago, learning Spanish is especially vital due to our geographical location: we are surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries with which we have many economic, political and social interests.
Moreover, Spanish is our country’s First Foreign Language; a fact we are reminded of by the bilingual signs along the highways and on the streets of Port of Spain. Finally, Trinidad and Tobago’s own culture and history has been greatly influenced by Spanish-speakers as evidenced in our Parang singing at Christmas time and place names such as Las Cuevas, Sangre Grande, Sangre Chiquito, etc.,
Delivery
Classes are conducted as far as possible in Spanish to give learners maximum exposure to the new language and culture.
During the course, students develop an ability to communicate in Spanish in situations relating to familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. as well as to produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
At the higher levels students will begin to work on understanding and producing complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.
Learners are expected to spend time on self-study preparing for classes and reviewing and consolidating work done in class. Students are also encouraged to develop a repertoire of strategies to promote their autonomy as language learners. At each level, 100% in-course testing is the form of assessment.
Courses for companies and public and private organizations can be specially designed if needed.
Schedule
There are 52-contact hours per semester. Classes meet for four 50-minute sessions per week, with classes beginning on the hour and ending ten minutes before the hour (e.g. 11:00 to 11:50).
Course Overview
Spanish is offered at four levels (subject to demand):
- Level 1 (A & B) – Beginner
- Level 2 (A & B) – Lower Intermediate
- Level 3 (A & B) – Intermediate
- Level 4 (A & B) – Upper Intermediate