A MassLive article describes the evolution of the College’s Spanish program in recent years, with remarks from Professor Paul A. Schroeder Rodríguez and Professor Sara Brenneis, who chairs the department.
Traditionally, the article says, Spanish language instructors at Amherst and other U.S. schools have emphasized Iberian Spanish—the kind spoken in Spain—as more proper or pure than dialects spoken elsewhere. But Rodríguez, who sees the language as “a living organism that reflects richness and diversity,” has worked with Brenneis and other faculty members to broaden Amherst’s curriculum to include and celebrate Central American, South American and Caribbean versions of Spanish, and to link the language to cultures and identities.
In all its forms, “Spanish has become so visible, useful and important in our country,” says Brenneis. “I love hearing the different accents of the students.” Rodríguez mentions the course “Owning the Bilingual Self,” which focuses in part on students’ own experiences of speaking Spanish in their youth.
The MassLive piece addresses how COVID-19 has affected Spanish instruction at Amherst, and highlights how—both before the pandemic and in the foreseeable future—travel has been and will be an important component of the program.