莉娜·琼斯·米切尔，24岁
Choosing to be a 西班牙语 major was a seemingly simple decision.
I knew that I wanted to refine my conversational 西班牙语 and that my 西班牙语-speaking skills would be enriched by taking at least one 西班牙语 class each semester. 然而, 在不知情的情况下, this was not my sole impetus for choosing the 西班牙语 major, as the classes I took and the professors who taught me offered much more than I imagined. 很大程度上, the required classes for the major weave socio-历史 context into early modern literature analysis. These classes fueled my absorption into the material. 我最喜欢的必修课之一是中世纪 & Early Modern Literature: Licentious Laments to Life is a Dream, 由jos
Furthermore, I have always wanted to assist 西班牙语-speakers in the United States to some capacity. 然而, 我从来没有学过, 从学术角度看, about the 历史 context that underlies the 西班牙语 language, nor the trials and tribulations of 历史ly undervalued Latino populations (i.e., Chicanos and Afro-Latinos), until I started pursuing a 西班牙语 major. Another requirement is a Hispanic 语言学 course. I took 西班牙语 Phonetics and Phonology with Professor David Divita. There I learned about the prejudicial nature of the United States 西班牙语 education system, which values 西班牙语 from northern regions in Spain over regions in Latin America. 另外, I learned there is bigotry both within Latin America and in the United States against regional 西班牙语 that elides that -s at the end of words such as in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. 这些启示, among other interesting dialectal features that characterize the 西班牙语 language, aided my perception of 西班牙语 as a complex and multifaceted language. The class also led me to listen 意图ly to native 西班牙语 speakers and silently note the phonetic differences 经常 indicative of their region of origin.
Overall, the 西班牙语 major offers so much more than conversational practice. 我学会了如何批判性地阅读, 深入分析, listen 意图ly and do so skillfully in a language that is not my native one. This is all thanks to the wonderful professors and classes of the 西班牙语 Department.
马克斯·欧博 ' 22
As I browsed the major offerings before attending 皇冠体育, the Romance Languages & Literature (RLL) major stood out to me as the ideal of what I wanted to get out of a liberal arts education. The major–which sits at the intersection of literature, 电影, 语言学, 政治, 历史, and culture more broadly–allowed me to appreciate language as a “passport” to a wider body of study.
另外, 作为一个英语母语者, the major allowed me to broaden my horizons past anglophone literature and the American and Western cultural canons. 通过选择RLL专业, I was able to expand my knowledge in both 法国- and 西班牙语-speaking contexts. 也, 国际关系双学位, the RLL major was the perfect complement in that I easily fulfilled the language requirement and enriched my IR studies with the cultural context that is 经常 missing from political science classes.
RLL最关键的方面之一, 西班牙语, 或者是皇冠体育的法语专业, 然而, is the way I learned to read and think critically on a much deeper level. Professor Susana Chávez-Silverman is a champion of “slow reading” in her classes. 大致类似于细读, this method of reading teaches you to appreciate the 深度, 意图, and delicate construction of prose and poetry in a way that examines the heart of a piece and avoids blithe generalizations. 因为她的课, I developed a deep love for poetry and genuinely felt that I had learned how to read for a second time.
The same type of revelation happened for me in Professor Jack Abecassis’s 法国电影 class. 就像所有的RLL教授一样, 他知识渊博，充满激情, and it’s particularly true when he is discussing films. He teaches the critical principles of film analysis and how to apply them so that students learn to appreciate the nuance, 深度, 以及每个场景的意义, 拍摄, 和框架. The course is also a wonderful overview of the 历史 of 法国 电影 and, 和任何RLL类一样, is imbued with additional layers of information at the political, 历史, 语言水平. 维吉妮·杜泽教授的 法国人，1968年5月-2018年5月 对Profa. Chavez-Silverman的 热带条件 class, there is a huge wealth of knowledge in the department and so much to learn for those with a passion!