SPAN 9.02 Culture and Conversation: Spanish for Health Equity
This course serves as a transition between the first-year Spanish language sequence (Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3) and upper-level courses in Spanish. The goal is to expand foundational communication skills so that students can use Spanish in academic and professional settings in health and medical fields, and so that they can reflect critically on the role of linguistic and intercultural proficiency in health care access (particularly in the United States). Materials combine the study of vocabulary and communicative strategies, advanced grammar review, and culturally and thematically relevant materials to develop interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The course will emphasize real-life application of language skills through experiential and community-based components; it includes a Social Impact Practicum in collaboration with the Center for Social Impact. Throughout the term, students progress towards an intermediate to advanced level. In addition to a grammar reference, the course will draw on a variety of written and audiovisual sources: literary texts, films, podcasts, reports, or newspaper articles.