Heritage Language Programs - Spanish
Purdue University
Liberal Arts Department: Foreign Languages and Literatures
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Address: 640 Oval Drive West Lafayette, IN 47906
Contact: Sonia González
Assistant Professor
Email: songonza@purdue.edu
Languages taught: Spanish for Heritage Speakers
Program Description
The goals of the program are :
- To expand fluency in written and spoken Spanish
- The acquisition of standard Spanish spelling conventions
- The acquisition of academic Spanish
- The “identificación de diferentes registros/variantes del español en US”
Type of program : A heritage track within a foreign language program
The Spanish language program provides undergraduate and graduate level courses.
In the near future, we hope to have a sequential program for heritage speakers with two levels.
Program Origins :The program was founded in 2004 by Prof. González, who was specifically hired to establish the program and to train graduate students to teach Spanish to heritage learners.
Faculty's and administration's expectations for the program : To become a recognized and respected program and to prepare heritage students to use Spanish for personal and professional purposes.
Students
First-generation immigrants 10%
Second-generation immigrants 90%
Countries of origin: Mexico, Colombia, and Puerto Rico
Total student enrollment: 15
Age of students: 17-21
Identification of Heritage Speakers :
- Background questionnaire
- Placement test
Continuing students take upper-level courses with foreign language students.
Teachers/Admnistrators/Staff
Total number of faculty teaching in the program : 1
Number of tenure-track professors : 1
Languages in which faculty members are proficient : Spanish
Proficiency level : Native
Credentials : Doctorate in Chicano Literature and Teaching Spanish to heritage speakers
Courses
Student Grouping : The students are grouped according to level.
Face-to-face course title:
- Spanish 303, Intermediate Level
- 3 hours per week during one semester
Language Skills
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
Culture
- History
- Songs
- Cultural appropriateness
- Literature
Materials
Interactive tools
- Online resources
Assessment
- Mid-term tests
- Final exam
- Student self-assessment instrument
- Performance-based tasks
- Portfolios
All activities promote involvement
What the program has in place
Financial support
- Institutional/regular course
- Ethnic/cultural organizations
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