World Languages Department

In Spanish, we expose students to the daily use of the language in the many spanish-speaking countries and territories in Latin America and the world. As well as exposing students to the grammar that unites these countries and territories under one language, our goal is to introduce students to the diversity in cultures and lifestyles that make each place or area unique. Literature, films, classroom activities, lectures, presentations, and essays will immerse students in the common language and highlight the cultural differences within the Spanish-speaking world. We hope that the exposure to the language and cultures of the spanish-speaking world in the classroom will encourage students to one day travel abroad and continue their lifelong learning of Spanish and the many cultures that surround this language as the Hispanic population in the US continues to grow and Latin American countries evolve into key economic markets of the 21st century.

Ancient Rome has influenced many modern civilizations, including America, through its legal system, government, and philosophy. Therefore, a knowledge of Latin (and the Greco-Roman world) will help you better understand the world and nation we live in today. By learning to translate, you will develop your brain in ways that will help you in any number of subjects, and you will begin to see connections to Latin in all of your studies. Latin words remain present in fields like medicine, law and some English language expressions taken over directly into English from Latin. There has been a significant influence of the Roman Empire on our culture- not only in language but in history, art, literature and civil society. Due to the influence of the West on the shaping of the present world reality this impact is still in evidence today.