How are foreign language & Spanish classes @ Yale?

midnightstar
Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:53:38 +0000

First of all, congrats on your Yale acceptance! :)

I don’t have many anecdotal details on Spanish, but I can say that Yale’s language department is absolutely outstanding. I’m taking two languages right now (at L2 and L5), and I’ll be taking on a third through Directed Independent Language Study next year. I adore my language classes (in fact, they take up the majority of my schedule!), and I would say that most Yalies enjoy theirs. If anything, I think the main complaint is that the classes cover too much material!

From my experiences (and the stories I’ve heard from my friends), most Yale language classes are a mix of grammar drills, vocabulary quizzes, immersion speaking, and analysis of culturally relevant texts/videos/songs/etc.

For example, a typical day in my L5 Japanese class would begin with a short vocabulary/character quiz, followed by a student presentation about something Japanese, in Japanese (we take turns). Then, we’d start discussing that day’s assignment (for example, a newspaper article or a famous short story) in Japanese. The questions we cover usually range from simple subject matter questions (“Who is the narrator?”) to literary analysis (“How might the man feel when the girl accepts his bad habit?”). We discuss for about an hour. Then we might look at a clip or pass around some object relevant to the story for a moment. Finally, class ends and we pass in our homework (worksheets, essays, etc.).
Generally, classes are stimulating and relevant to real-world language use, and in just one year my language ability has improved exponentially.

I don’t know too much about Spanish specifically, but I peeked at the course offerings in the Blue Book.
If you took the AP Spanish test and scored a 5, you’ll automatically place into L5 Spanish, which gives you a lot of options. There’s a conversational Spanish class, advanced Spanish grammar, and then a variety of subject-oriented classes taught in Spanish (legal, medical, creative writing, etc.).
If you place into L5 but decide you’re tired of Spanish, you still only have to take one year of a different language. Yale offers 52 of them, so you should be able to find something you like.
Even if you don’t place into the highest level, it really isn’t the end of the world. The mid-level Spanish classes should be very similar, except the class discussion will be naturally limited by everybody’s language ability. I know I’ve had some pretty great halting conversations with the members of my L2 class!

Finally, if you’re interested in using language as part of a career, I’d definitely look into Yale’s special programs for language learning. Directed Independent Language Study (DILS) allows Yale students to study any language for academic purposes, even if it isn’t traditionally offered at Yale. And the Fields Program offers career-specific language training for students at L5 ability and above.

There’s more info on the Center for Language Study website: [Center for Language Study | Yale Center for Language Study](http://cls.yale.edu/)

Hope this answers some of your questions!