A College Career in Courses and Samples

 These are the classes that set out to teach the fundamentals of language acquisition such as grammar, composition and conversation:

• Intermediate Spanish Conversation/Composition I

  • After having exempted the first four Spanish classes of the modern language curriculum, this is the first language class in Spanish that I took. This class paralleles the english composition and rhetoric class as it teaches is students similar skills but applied to the target language. 

• Intro Linguistics 

  • This course was taught in English yet was focused on teaching the science of how language operates on the global stage. Taking this course allowed me to better understand how language and its acquisition works on a mechanical, neurological, and psychological level. 

• Spanish Composition for Medical Professionals

  • This class is taught in Spanish and places an emphasis on teaching science/medicine based vocabulary/composition in spanish. The class is engineered to teach scientific and medical vocabulary and then how to later apply it in Spanish writing.  This was one of my favorite courses as it merged my passions for language and science a long side teaching me how to properly articulate complex scientific topics in spanish. 

• Medical Interpretation and Translation 

  • This class is taught in Spanish but requires near fluency in both languages. The class is structured on how to process both the English and Spanish language to be able to translate/interpret from one to another. I was one of the first ever students to take this class at Clemson University and found it to be extremely fulfilling. The course requires precise command over both languages, by the end of the semester I felt equally proficient in Spanish as I did English. 

These are the classes that set out to teach the more intricate topics of language acquisition such as how a specific language ties to culture and literature:

• South American History Since 1800s

  • This class is taught in english but places an emphasis on the culture and history of the South American continent beginning from the 1800s. Having taken this class allowed me to better understand the place of South America and the global stage as both a cultural and political entity. 

• Intro to Hispanic Literary Forms

  • This course is taught in Spanish and places an emphasis an all things Hispanic culture and writing. This was the first departure away from Spanish grammar fundamentals as it was more focused on the cultural significance of hispanic literature. After taking the course I became much more well versed in the world of Spanish Language academia and its importance to its respective culture.

• Spanish Narrative Fiction

  • This course is taught in Spanish and seems to be the continuation of the aforementioned course. This course put an emphasis of precise and surgical analysis of hispanic literature and its themes. By then end of the semester I was able to read intricate and academic classical literature while being able to disect its themes and motiffs. 

These are supplementary courses that teaches fundemantal and/or adjacent content to the central coursework of the modern language curriculum:

• Intro Communication:

  • This course is taught in English. Places an emphasis on composition and public speaking. Taking the class taught me how to condense information and how to deliver it to an audience in an impactful manner through public speaking

• Composition and Rhetoric:

  • This course is taught in English. Structured around the gathering of academic sources/materials and how to use them in several distinct styles of writing. Taking the class allowed me to strengthen my skills in fundamentals such as reading, processing of information, and writing. 

• Theater History I

  • This course is taught in English.  Focused on teaching several world cultures through the art form of acting and theater. Taking this class allowed me to foster a feeling of interconnectedness to the global community as I was able to draw parallels between my culture and that of others through the art of theater. 

• Studies in Humanities:

  • This course is taught in English and is centered around a better understanding of society through the lense of power and those who control it. I found this class to be extremely informative and engaging as it challenged to think in a critical and political manner while requiring sharp writing skills.