Spanish for Heritage Speakers

Spanish 21 is for Heritage Speakers who are able to maintain an informal conversation in Spanish (use of some Spanish is fine) with little to no previous formal language experience:

• Less than a year of hig school Spanish
• No AP score, or an AP score of 1 or 2
• Less than a semester of college Spanish

• Distinguish and use formal/informal and academic Spanish.
• Use critical thinking skills to discuss readings and movies about Spanglish, Identity (Mexican-Americans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans) and dirty wars in Latin America.
• Identify and use different academic genres to analyze aspects of the Hispanic culture

In this class, you will develop and apply critical thinking skills through discussion, and by reading and writing about topics of Identity, Human Rights, Spanglish and Hispanics in the U.S. as presented in a variety of texts. This includes films, literary and non-literary prose, as well as Internet resources. You will build upon the language you already speak to develop formal/academic oral and written registers. Through the readings, you will learn about different aspects of the Hispanic culture within and outside of the U.S. and reflect on this content through diary and essay writing, discussions and presentations. You will also have writing workshops to learn the features of academic language and to prepare you for your final research paper and presentation. This course requires six hours of outside preparation per week in addition to your three hours in class. 

Students enrolled in Spanish 21 must be sufficiently fluent to carry on an informal conversation in Spanish about everyday topics. This course is for students who learned Spanish at home. It is not open to second language learners of Spanish.

Spanish 22 is for Heritage Speakers who are able to maintain formal and informal conversation in Spanish some previous formal language experience:

• At least one full year of high school Spanish.
• An AP score of 3 or 4 (an AP score of 5 would place students into Spanish 25 and / or 100)
• Up to 2 semesters of college Spanish.

• Use formal / academic Spanish in discussion and presentations.
• Use critical thinking skills to discuss readings and movies about different aspects of the Hispanic cultures within and outside the US.
• Use different genres to write about globalization, Identity, and prejudice.

In this course, you will continue to develop oral and written academic language beyond the level attained in Spanish 21 or in previous Spanish courses. You will also develop and apply critical thinking skills by having discussions and reading and writing about topics of Identity, Globalization, Spanglish and Prejudice as presented in a variety of texts. This includes films, literary and non-literary prose, as well as Internet resources. You will build upon the language you already speak to develop formal/academic oral and written registers as well as to use more sophisticated vocabulary and grammar structures. Through the reading, you will learn about different aspects of the Hispanic culture within and outside of the US and reflect on the content writing diaries, essays, discussions and presentations. You will also have writing workshops to learn the features of academic language and to prepare you for your final research paper and presentation. This course requires six hours of outside preparation per week in addition to your three hours in class. 

Students enrolled in Spanish 22 must be fluent enough to carry on an informal conversation in Spanish about everyday topics and identify formal from informal language. This course is for students who learned Spanish at home. It is not open to second language learners of Spanish.

You area heritage speaker if...

• You grew up in a home where Spanish was spoken and one or both of your parents are of Hispanic origin.
• You speak Spanish with your family, relatives, and / or friends.

• If you are a Heritage Speaker and you can have an informal conversation in Spanish, then Spanish 21 or 22 is a good class for you.
• If you are a native speaker that came to the US as a child and your first language was Spanish, Spanish 21 or 22 is also a good option for you.
• Contact the director of the Spanish language program Dr. Miriam Hernández-Rodriguez (mhernan@berkeley.edu) if you have questions about this.

Enroll in Spanish 21 if...

• You can have a conversation and use informal Spanish (using Spanglish is OK).
• You have not taken any previous Spanish classes.
• English grammar structures and vocabulary influence your Spanish.

Enroll in Spanish 22 if...

• You have taken one or more Spanish course in high school or community college
• You have taken the AP Language or Literature class and your score was 4 or lower.

Students in Spanish 21...

• Make frequent pauses to think about words in Spanish or use Spanglish, but the conversation flows.
• Need to learn and develop a variety of verb tenses, but can communicate using present and past tenses.
• Mostly use informal Spanish and find it difficult to distinguish between formal and informal language.

Students in Spanish 22...

• Can understand and use sophisticated vocabulary to talk and write.
• Can read and understand general ideas and complex academic texts
• Can write using a variety of verbal tenses and grammar structures.
• Still need to develop academic Spanish 
• Are aware of the use of Spanglish and still need to develop oral and written language proficiency.

Spanish 1-4 are courses for second language learners, which means students that learn Spanish at school. In most cases, students lack a Hispanic cultural background, speak slower and it’s harder for them to understand the spoken language. Imagine they have an empty space in the brain called Spanish where the teacher needs to put “boxes with information” (vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and culture) for them to be able to understand and use the language.

On the other hand, as a heritage learner, you already have all those “boxes with information”, and you just need to expand the Spanish you already have in your brain. Taking a Spanish 1-4 courses will not advance your language skills. You may think that taking Spanish 1-4 courses will help you to fill the gaps you have in Spanish, but that is not true. However, In Spanish 21 and 22 you will learn what you need to in a more personalized way, which includes filling the gaps you think you have, and you will be graded based on your individual progress.

• Yes. It is recommended to take Spanish 22 before Spanish 25. 
• However, if it is determined that your language and analytical skills are appropriate, you may be placed into Spanish 25. 
  • Contact the director of the Spanish language program Dr. Miriam Hernández-Rodriguez (mhernan@berkeley.edu) if you have questions about this.
• Spanish 25 is required for all upper division coursework in Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Culture.

• No. It is not recommended to take Spanish 22 and Spanish 25 at the same time.
• However, if it is determined that your language and analytical skills are appropriate, you may be placed into Spanish 25. 
  • Contact the director of the Spanish language program Dr. Miriam Hernández-Rodriguez (mhernan@berkeley.edu) if you have questions about this.

• To satisfy the L&S Foreign Language requirement you must complete the second semester or higher of a foreign language.
• Spanish 21 or higher will satisfy the L&S Foreign Language Requirement.
• If your program has an additional language requirement, the same principle should apply. 
  • For Example: If your program requires equivalent to the fourth semester, Spanish 22 or higher will satisfy the requirement.
  • However, you may need to begin in a lower level first, depending on your proficiency level.
• Review this guide carefully to identify the right level for you.
• Contact the Spanish & Portuguese Undergraduate Advisor with questions regarding language requirements.