¡Bienvenidos! Whether you have previously studied Spanish or are a beginner, a Spanish major at Grace College will help you expand your linguistic and cultural horizons while giving you an advantage in virtually any career.
With more than 41 million native speakers in the United States and 480 million native speakers in the world, Spanish is rapidly becoming an essential language for business, healthcare, education, politics and diplomacy, missions, and nonprofit work.
Our Spanish major finds its roots in the idea that all cultures reflect the truth about who God is and how He designed us. When we study other languages, we’re studying other image-bearers and their communities. At Grace, we equip our learners to work as bridge-builders across diverse communities, bringing cultural competency as well as linguistic knowledge to further God’s Kingdom.
You’ll begin with intermediate and beginner classes, where you’ll receive a mix of language, culture, listening, writing, speaking, reading, and history. As you progress onto advanced, specialized courses, you’ll focus on one discipline, such as speaking and listening, culture and civilization, or literature. You can expect smaller, discussion-based class periods where you’ll engage in conversation from start to finish.
Each of our Spanish classes is focused on language exposure, so you’ll be immersed in the language through videos, Bible verses, short readings, advertisements, and other media.
The cornerstone of our Spanish major is our Study Abroad program, in which you’ll spend a semester or summer in Argentina or Spain for an immersive, cross-cultural experience. It’s this period in which you’ll hit the ground running with your Spanish, engaging in settings such as museums, cafés, and churches.
We offer a variety of on-campus opportunities to study Spanish language and Hispanic culture, literature, and film. Interested in watching movies and baking empanadas? Consider joining Grace’s Spanish club, where you’ll practice speaking the language with other learners.
You’ll also give back to the Hispanic community through translating at community and charity events. When you visit local Hispanic churches for your courses, you’ll experience the beauty of worshipping in Spanish with native speakers.
When you graduate with a Spanish degree, you’ll be equipped with a high degree of competency in Spanish, written and verbal communication skills, critical thinking skills, and cultural understanding. Graduates have progressed on to work in language education, tourism, the U.S. government, copywriting, business or nonprofit services for immigrants, or any position that engages with and serves the Spanish-speaking population at large.
