¡Oye! The Language Requirement!
Emma tells us about how she learned Spanish at Carleton.
Emma tells us about how she learned Spanish at Carleton.
Carleton promises its students a rigorous and well-rounded liberal arts education, and the language requirement is a key part of that equation. All Carleton students graduate with proficiency in one foreign language. Carls either test out of the language requirement before arriving or will study one of the languages that Carleton offers. Lucky for us, students have plenty of options: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Russian, or Spanish.
Spanish at Carleton
My language requirement journey started my freshman winter with Spanish 102. I had taken some Spanish in high school and was able to skip over 101, but I was nervous that taking time off would make doing well in the class much more difficult for me. And while I overestimated how much of an uphill battle it would be, I wasn’t entirely wrong. All Spanish classes are taught in Spanish, and I found it really difficult to understand my professor those first few weeks. Even though it was difficult, by the end of the term, and many office hours appointments later, my Spanish improved a lot.
Support Outside the Classroom
Of course, Carleton understands that learning a language is difficult, so there are tons of opportunities to practice outside the classroom! The office that helped me the most is the Language Center. They have many services that help students with their language classes, including the Language TAs! The TAs are other Carleton students who help you in your language learning journey. Some are native speakers while others became proficient through Carleton classes.
The TAs are also responsible for leading biweekly sessions for 100 level language classes. In the Spanish department, these sessions are required, so students practice their Spanish every day. The groups are heavily focused on conversation, and I got really close with tons of other students in my TA sessions. My TAs really helped me be able to have conversations in Spanish– shout out Charlie and Jose!
Practice through Conversation
Other people who can help with language classes are the Language Associates. Each language department has one Language Associate; they’re generally native speakers and can help students improve their skills. They also run the language tables! Every Tuesday and Thursday, LDC fills up with students practicing having conversations in only their target language. La mesa de español was a great resource for me to practice outside of class. My favorite thing the Language Associates do, though, is run practice sessions. The Spanish LA my freshman year, Marco, threw really fun practice sessions before big exams.
From Challenge to Favorite
Even though the language requirement was a big challenge for me initially, it ended up being one of my favorite parts of my freshman year. Not only did it help me learn to speak a new language, it helped me build community on campus and get more involved with other students. I’m currently in Spanish 204, the last class before I finish the requirement, and I can say with confidence that I’m able to hold a pretty decent conversation in Spanish. I even got to test my skills when I traveled to Spain this Fall, and I was able to joke with locals in a way that would have never been possible if not for the language requirement.
El principal argumento en favor del requisito de idioma es que ahora puedo hablar e interactuar con más miembros de mi comunidad. Aprender español ha sido una de las partes más importantes de mi experiencia aquí en Carleton. ¡Nos vemos en la mesa de español!
Emma (she/her/hers) is a sophomore prospective Art History major/European Studies minor from Attleboro, Massachusetts. When she’s not in class, you can probably find Emma engrossed in a terribly long conversation in Burton Dining Hall, knitting at a Bald Spot picnic table, or perusing the museum studies stacks on third libe. Beyond blogging, she works for the Registrar’s Office, teaches adult tap dance classes downtown, and loves submitting to student publications like babyteeth and No Fidelity. She loves Carleton for the number of opportunities it offers and the close connections she’s formed with professors, not to mention proximity to coffee from Goodbye Blue Monday and early morning walks through the neighborhoods.