LATS 209
Spanish for Heritage Speakers: Introduction to Latina/o Cultural Production Fall 2009
Division II
Cross-listed RLSP 209
This is not the current course catalog

This course emphasizes the acquisition and/or improvement of critical communication and analytical skills in Spanish for use both in and outside of the United States. We address all four of the primary language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking), with particular attention to the unique needs of students who have received a majority of their exposure to the Spanish language in an informal/domestic environment. Through the use of meaningful materials and vocabulary taken from a variety of Spanish-language contexts–but with primary emphasis on the numerous U.S. Latina/o communities–this course aims to sharpen heritage speakers’ sociolinguistic competency and ability to interpret Spanish-language musical, cinematic, and literary texts in the target language. Ultimately, students will be prepared for a variety of “real-world,” cross-cultural contexts and will be more knowledgeable regarding Latina/o cultural production.