Spanish Heritage Program

Welcome to the Spanish Heritage Program! This program allows you to complete in 1 semester FSU’s foreign language requirement, which normally takes 3 semesters.

The courses in our program are designed for Spanish heritage language learners and heritage bilingual speakers. Heritage speakers are students who grew up in a Spanish-speaking home or grew up interacting with extended family and friends within a Spanish-speaking community. 

Are you a heritage language learner or heritage bilingual speaker?
If one or more of the following statements applies to you, then you probably are a heritage learner or a heritage bilingual speaker.                                  

  • My first language was Spanish (or both Spanish and English)
  • I grew up speaking and/or listening Spanish at home
  • I speak Spanish (or both Spanish and English) with my family
  • I lived in a Spanish-speaking country for three years or longer

The linguistic abilities of this diverse group of Spanish speakers/learners vary significantly depending on their language dominance, and their use and proficiency level in the heritage language (Spanish in this case). Heritage bilingual speakers may be highly proficient and be able to use the language fluently and confidently in diverse formal contexts (academic, professional, etc.). Heritage language learners can have basic speaking and listening skills and may not feel confident in their use of Spanish, even in familiar contexts!  

Still unsure, consider the following…                                                                      

Some Spanish heritage bilingual speakers may have (some) formal education in Spanish and may be able to speak and write well in both of their languages. However, others may be able to speak well but have a hard time reading and writing in Spanish. In the case of heritage language learners, they may even understand Spanish well but struggle to express themselves in Spanish!

If you fit any of the descriptions above, and you want to continue studying Spanish, then our Spanish heritage language courses are the right courses for you. The courses in our program are designed to further develop your bilingualism and your bicultural literacy. This does not mean our classes are harder or more advanced than the Basic Spanish classes; they are just designed differently. In our classes, your heritage language is considered an asset that needs to be preserved and developed further.  

If you have questions about our classes, please come talk to us. We are available at DIF 302A or email Dr. Brandl at abrandl@fsu.edu.

The two courses in the Spanish heritage program are:

  • SPN 2340 – Basic Spanish for Bilinguals/Heritage Learners
    This course fulfils the FSU Arts and Sciences Foreign Language Requirement, normally completed in three semesters. SPN 2340 counts towards the Spanish minor and it is a pre-requisite for the Spanish major.
     
  • SPN 3350 - Spanish for Heritage Speakers
    This course is equivalent to SPN 3300 and SPN 3400. It counts for minor or major credit.

Placement:
To be placed correctly into one of our two courses, you need to make an appointment with one of the heritage program professors listed below:

Dr. Anel Brandl

Dr. Delia Poey