foreign language

Foreign Language plays a large role in the JAGS program and for JAGS students the Brochure Project (or Folleto in Spanish) would be the most difficult project to date. Students were tasked with creating a comprehensive brochure on a Spanish speaking country of their choice. Then they would engage in a 10 minute oral presentation about the contents of their brochure followed with a short question and answer session, all in Spanish. Aligned with ISSN goals through the utilization of verbal language in the oral presentation and communicating nonverbally through the physical product.

With the goal of the project set as “persuading the audience to travel to your Spanish speaking country” it is clear that my folleto and paired artifact were effective because not only was I able to accurately convey ideas but also a representation of the culmination of Spanish skills over 4 years of continuous education. I looked to create the artifact by hand, to give it not only a personal touch but also to have clear effort placed into the project. I hoped to remove the corporate and sterile feeling that brochures normally have to create a more inviting project. With the larger size, I was able to utilize more room for pictures and larger, easier to read text. The creation of the artifact exposed me to global perspectives when looking at sources and local tips from Panamá to compile factual and interesting information.

I think that this could be the greatest allegory of my growth as a Jackson Academy for Global Studies student because four short years ago, I could not speak any Spanish. However, this project helped to prove to myself just how much Spanish I have learned in the years since joining the JAGS program.