Abstract
The impact of the current global pandemic on the health and sustainability on the humanities - and especially modern language programs -cannot go unaddressed without their viability in the long term. At Kalamazoo College, where language programs and study abroad are interconnected, and the liberal arts are central to the educational mission, the pandemic has also been the catalyst for thinking about new ways to revitalize our programs. Our Spanish program in particular engages students with diverse interests and affiliations with that language (second-language learners with conflicting motivations and first languages, heritage learners of different proficiency levels, bilingual learners and native speakers). The challenge has been how to continue to engage with these students as learners of language, literature and culture, while addressing the increasing focus on professionalization and career pathways in undergraduate education. Our project this year is to connect language and literature programs, study abroad and disciplines outside the humanities with global intercultural competencies in a more sustained, integrated and explicit way. This focus will inform a curriculum that moves away from a native-speaker model in favor of an intercultural speaker model that provides additional value for students with all connections to Spanish. Our initiative includes intensive faculty development on centering intercultural skills at all levels of the curriculum, the assessment of intercultural competencies before and after study abroad and the inclusion of more students in the mission of the department.
Presenters
Katie Mac LeanAssociate Provost and Department Chairperson, Spanish Department, Kalamazoo College, Michigan, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
SPANISH, STUDY ABROAD, INTERCULTURAL, SKILLS, CURRICULUM
