Need a plug-in to watch the multimedia? Get a Flash player here
The growing and diverse Latino population in North Carolina, which
has increased 400 percent statewide since 1990 and 500 percent in
Durham, includes Mexicans, Ecuadorians, Spaniards, Cubans,
Venezuelans, Argentineans, and Guatemalans. For students studying
Spanish at Duke, their Durham neighbors provide an opportunity to
use their language skills in an authentic Spanish-speaking
environment. Faculty members in the Spanish Language Program, whose
research and volunteering connects with the Latino community, have
developed a range of service-learning courses that allow students
to use their Spanish skills and learn about the cultures and issues
of the Latino community.
Assistant Professor of the Practice Liliana Paredes, who directs the Spanish Language Program, studies bilingualism, Spanish, and identity in North Carolina and the United States. In spring 2004 she established the first service-learning Spanish course, “Spanish for Health Professions.” One of the course’s goals is to address the communication problems between English-speaking health-care providers and Spanish-speaking patients. As part of the course, students volunteered at a local Durham health facility.
Visiting Assistant Professor Joan Clifford, who teaches the course “Issues of Education and Immigration,” documents Spanish-speaking immigrants in North Carolina in her digital oral history project, “Voices from the Latino Community in North Carolina,” and also volunteers in the local Latino community. In her course, students explore issues of cultural assimilation, literacy, and access to educational opportunities for the growing Latino community, and places students in Durham partner schools to work with Limited English-Proficiency students. “By committing to service with the Latino community,” Clifford noted, “each student broadens his/her understanding of the complex issues of immigration and acculturation while gaining new language skills.”
In Fall 2005, Melissa Simmermeyer offered one section of Advanced Oral Communication with a service-learning component. She described the impact of the students’ work in the Durham Latino community on their Spanish-language skills: “Students who otherwise would have been less engaged and more reserved took an active and informed role in the classroom because of their experiences outside it. Students whose confidence in their spoken Spanish was at first shaky soon stepped to the fore because they witnessed the great need for their skills.”
Along with these courses, student organizations such as Mi Gente and GANO connect students with the Latino community.
Related Links:
Spanish Service Learning Courses
Voices from the Latino Community in North Carolina
GANO - Gente Aprendiendo por Nuevas Oportunidades
Mi Gente – Service Page
Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership
Campus Compact
Assistant Professor of the Practice Liliana Paredes, who directs the Spanish Language Program, studies bilingualism, Spanish, and identity in North Carolina and the United States. In spring 2004 she established the first service-learning Spanish course, “Spanish for Health Professions.” One of the course’s goals is to address the communication problems between English-speaking health-care providers and Spanish-speaking patients. As part of the course, students volunteered at a local Durham health facility.
Visiting Assistant Professor Joan Clifford, who teaches the course “Issues of Education and Immigration,” documents Spanish-speaking immigrants in North Carolina in her digital oral history project, “Voices from the Latino Community in North Carolina,” and also volunteers in the local Latino community. In her course, students explore issues of cultural assimilation, literacy, and access to educational opportunities for the growing Latino community, and places students in Durham partner schools to work with Limited English-Proficiency students. “By committing to service with the Latino community,” Clifford noted, “each student broadens his/her understanding of the complex issues of immigration and acculturation while gaining new language skills.”
In Fall 2005, Melissa Simmermeyer offered one section of Advanced Oral Communication with a service-learning component. She described the impact of the students’ work in the Durham Latino community on their Spanish-language skills: “Students who otherwise would have been less engaged and more reserved took an active and informed role in the classroom because of their experiences outside it. Students whose confidence in their spoken Spanish was at first shaky soon stepped to the fore because they witnessed the great need for their skills.”
Along with these courses, student organizations such as Mi Gente and GANO connect students with the Latino community.
Related Links:
Spanish Service Learning Courses
Voices from the Latino Community in North Carolina
GANO - Gente Aprendiendo por Nuevas Oportunidades
Mi Gente – Service Page
Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership
Campus Compact