The mission of the program in Spanish at IUPUI is to assist students in achieving proficiency in the Spanish language and to lead them to an understanding of and appreciation for the wide range of Hispanic cultural, literary, and linguistic manifestations. To meet this goal, the program in Spanish offers introductory and advanced instruction in language, linguistics, culture and civilization, literature, and applied language studies.
The introductory and intermediate sequences of courses are designed to provide nonmajors with an exploration into Spanish language and Hispanic culture as an essential component of a liberal arts education. The sequences aim to develop an interest in the language and the peoples who speak it, as well as to prepare students for a variety of careers with international dimensions.
The advanced curriculum prepares students to communicate orally and in writing on the different content areas that comprise the study of Spanish, providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve success in their future careers, to meet their academic and personal goals, and to prepare them for graduate work. The study of Spanish at IUPUI incorporates the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and gives students the ability to:
1. communicate with Spanish speakers in the United States and abroad;
2. understand better the cultural manifestations of other peoples;
3. gain greater insight into the nature of language itself as well as their own native language;
4. reinforce knowledge gained from other disciplines and connect it with the study of a second language; and
5. develop a sense of a multilingual international community of which they form an integral part
The curriculum in Spanish also incorporates most of the Principles of Undergraduate Learning and culminates in a capstone experience. For more information on the IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning, see the Web site:www.iport.iupui.edu/selfstudy/tl/puls/.
Considering the rapidly growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States , a major in Spanish is becoming increasingly desirable in the workplace. The major in Spanish can prepare students for a wide variety of careers in such fields as education, social services, international business and finance, government service, international communications and information services, and the travel and hospitality industry.