Spanish at Duke

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<p>I've been studying Spanish for the equivalent of five high school years and I want to continue to study spanish (unless I decide to learn a new language, possibly arabic or italian). I've done two study abroads, so I'm definately pretty good, although my conversation skills are a bit weak. I'm a good writer and used to be good at grammar (minus the subjunctive, which I need to brush up on). Reading skills are getting better. I just didn't have a great teacher this year and took it easy compared to having the hardest teacher last year and learning so much (I got one of only 8 "a's" out of 90 students). I got a 710 on the reading SAT II. I'm taking the IB spanish test and I'm not sure how I'll do.</p>

<p>So basically, I'm wondering if I should take a 100-level course and which one? I really enjoy studying grammar. I don't want to do Spanish lit (when I reach that point, I will be done with Spanish), but I'm interested in history. I was thinking about doing Spanish 101 or 104 (advanced writing or advanced grammar). Maybe Spanish 105 to increase my oral skills. Then, I was thinking about taking Spanish 106S, the Making of Barcelona. I hope to do a study abroad my junior year. Do you think I should take the grammar/writing/oral 100-level courses first and then take Spanish 106S, maybe my sophomore year? Are there any other Spanish courses, as 106S seems the most interesting and the others not so much?</p>

<p>Thanks! I hope this makes sense. Any info on the Spanish classes in general would be helpful!</p>

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<p>Hey gcards,</p>

<p>I'm going for a Spanish minor, so I can help you a little bit, but I've only taken one class so far so I don't know how incredibly helpful I'll be. I signed up for 106S this past semester thinking that it looked very interesting, but dropped after a week because I didn't like how focused it seemed to be on the Catalan language. If you want to learn Catalan, go for it, but I wasn't expecting there to be such a huge focus on the language part. </p>

<p>I took Spanish 101 and it was basically what I expected - lots of writing. I would suggest taking 105 (I hear it's a good class from friends of mine who have taken it) UNLESS you are thinking of going for a major/minor, because it doesn't count for that and will basically just waste your time. But it doesn't sound like you'll be going for a major or minor, since you need lit classes for that, so if you just want to improve your speaking skills, 105 is definitely the way to go. </p>

<p>By the way - I think you're right in thinking that a 710 gets you placement into a 100-level class, but if you're unsure of your ability I would highly recommend taking 76 first to brush up. I entered 101 as an over-confident first-semester freshman coming from a high school where I was the "star Spanish student" that always got A+'s, won National Spanish awards, considered myself to be very proficient and even near-fluent, etc. And after my first Spanish 101 class, I called home sobbing that I couldn't speak Spanish and I felt like an idiot. I remember that class very distinctly, actually, as my first college reality-check experience...I don't think I'll ever forget it. Then again, with a lot of work and numerous revisions of papers, I ended up with an A- in the class - so I'm glad I didn't drop down to 76 like I had been considering. But it's still something worth noting - it's VERY different from high school.</p>

<p>Anyway, I really don't mean to scare you. To sum up - I thought that 101 was a good class and it definitely improved my Spanish skills, but it was a LOT of work. 106S is very focused on Catalan language, not necessarily traditional Spanish. Don't take 104 or 105 if you want a major or minor, but do take 105 if you don't and you want to improve speaking skills. Take 76 if you're not very confident in your Spanish abilities and want to get stronger before attempting a 100-level - midway through your first semester of college, you'll probably thank yourself for it if that's the right decision for you. And also, if you're really interested in the history, why don't you try some Latin American history classes? There are plenty that are conducted in English outside of the Spanish department. They don't count for the language requirement, but they look INCREDIBLY interesting - I was signed up for a couple for a while. I know that there's some in the History dept (Latin America in a Global Context), some in the LatAmer dept, some through ICS, etc. If you can stand to wake up for an 8:30, there's one in the CulAnth dept called "Culture/Politics in Latin America" that looked really interesting. Try taking one of those as an elective if you're interested in the history aspect - they definitely look worthwhile/cool.</p>

<p>Hope I helped!</p>

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<p>Thank you! It definately helped a lot. I won't be majoring or minoring since lit is needed and I'm tired of lit. Is 105 very difficult? I have zero accent and I'm pretty slow. I comprehend well though. </p>

<p>Hmm. Decision between 76 and 101. What are some examples of a lot of work? Lots of papers? Lots of reading? I guess I could start in 76 and see if it's to easy? I sort of want to take first semester gradually. However, i think I'll do that in math, and maybe challenge myself in something else.</p>

<p>I'm really excited to take history classes! History is my favorite subject.</p>

<p>Thanks for all your help! I really appreciate it.</p>

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<p>I don't really know anything about 105's difficulty since I didn't take it...sorry :(</p>

<p>As for 101, turns out I still have my syllabus...our grade was based on: </p>

<p>Class Participation (basically, keep your hand perpetually raised)
3 peer editings (revising classmates' papers, getting graded for our revisions)
Homework/Writing Folder (grammar activities, workbook stuff, etc)</p>

<p>6 Discussion Forums (250-300 word responses to Spanish-language news articles the prof gave us)</p>

<p>Narration Draft & Revision (3-4 page story)
Essay Draft & Revision (3-4 pages)
Literary Analysis (3-4 pages)</p>

<p>2 Tests (mostly grammar, questions on stuff we read, and essays)</p>

<p>Several stories in Spanish that we'd read & discuss in class</p>

<p>Final Research paper (~10-12 pages on any topic, as long as it pertains to some aspect of Latin American culture...I wrote mine on the influence of Reggaeton music in American pop culture, so obviously you can find an interesting topic).</p>

<p>It wasn't that bad once I sat down and really put the work into writing, revising, re-revising, etc. Honestly, in retrospect, it's probably the closest to a "high school" style class that you can get - the way that it's run with grammar workbook exercises, tests, etc. It just got hard near the end of the semester because on top of other finals and a 12-15 page paper for another class, I remember that during finals week I had to hand in the literary analysis, submit my last discussion forum, and hand in the final research paper. It really just became a matter of -- oh my god, there is SO MUCH DUE. It's definitely doable, though.</p>

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<p>Thank you! This is so helpful!</p>

<p>The class sounds really challenging, but really good at the same time. Writing a 10-12 page paper sounds intense. Haven't written all too many papers that long in english (I know the time will come!). I'll have to look into 76 a bit more since 101 looks like a ton of work. I think I'll end up starting in 101 depending on how I do on the IB test. I can always go into 76 if it just seems overwhelming before add/drop deadline.</p>

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<p>It's a lot of work, but as I said, definitely doable if you put the time into it. I remember thinking it was just a bit of a time commitment, as it is a writing intensive class (and counts towards the writing req for distribution requirements). Start in 101 - if you really don't think you can pull it off, you can always drop down to 76, and if that's not possible this fall, you can save Spanish for another semester. You have plenty of time. Also, don't undervalue your study abroad experience - that can really help with language level, and that's something that I didn't have.</p>

<p>I feel bad because I think I may have come across as very "DUKE IS SO MUCH WORK NO ONE CAN SUCCEED," when that isn't the case. Go for 101, and worse comes to worse you can drop down or drop Spanish for the semester altogether. I also hadn't written a paper that long, even in English, before coming to Duke. You'll adjust - everyone goes through the same thing. With that said, just a quick word of precaution about Math that goes against what I just said (sorry!) You mention that you're gonna "take first semester gradually" with Math. From my experience/people I've spoken to, no math class here is easy. Even the ones you think you should ace because you took BC Calc wind up being terrors. I don't want to scare you, but that's something to keep in mind - for some reason, math at Duke is just hell on earth. Don't be too worried - I feel like every member of my class that I spoke to took math 1st or 2nd semester freshman year, seriously, so it's veeeeeeery common - but it often gives people quite a challenge. Just a word of warning - if you're taking math, you may want to let that be your most challenging class. Even though I'm contradicting what I said before...</p>

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<p>Your not giving me the "Duke is so much work no one can succeed" feeling. It's just that I was going to go to USC if I didn't get in off the waiting list, so my mentality there was to load up and take really challenging courses. I know Duke will be tougher, so I want to make sure I go in with a better, more realistic mentality. I enjoy/love challenging myself, I just don't want to start off poorly with the whole experience and everything. </p>

<p>The math part I'm a little nervous about since my teacher this year was terrible. I'll probably do Math 31, or possibly look into statistics since I find that way more interesting then calculus (I want to be an econ major).</p>

<p>I think I'll go for 101. It will be a good challenge, and it seems it's a really useful class. I can't wait to improve my Spanish.</p>

<p>I can't tell you how much I appreciate your advice. Don't worry, I understand the contradictions. I do that a lot! I can't wait for orientation!</p>

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<p>Spanish 76 is SO MUCH BUSY WORK.
Take 100-level if you get into it-- it might be more focused, harder (not necessarily, but whatever), but it won't be as time consuming as 76 is.</p>

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<p>ugh. yay 76. not.</p>

<p>now im totally not looking forward to it.</p>

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<p>bluestar, is it hard, frustrating busy work that makes you want to pull your hair out or is it easy high school review stuff that is so easy it makes you want to do the same thing because you are wasting all your time?</p>

<p>I think I probably got a 4 on the span AP so I'm probably stuck, but hey i could always just take economics first semester instead.</p>

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<p>hard, frustrating busy-work. </p>

<p>i got a 4 on the AP, so i went into the class. my advice to you is that the easiest way to place into 100 level (which i thought was actually easier than spanish 76, and has seemed to be a consensus with most of my friends) is through your SAT II scores. i didn't realize that beforehand, but now i've heard stories of kids taking the SAT IIs in college just to place into the test (esp. because the duke placement test is hard, it's like 3 hrs long, and you still have to pay to take it-- maybe not during freshman orientation though, but i think there's a rule that by signing the test you MUST take spanish the semester immediately following your testing.)</p>

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<p>Yeah, i wish i had taken the SAT II for spanish because my 3 on the AP put me in 63, and I believe that I should have at least been in 76. I mean, I got a B in the class, but that was because I didn't take it seriously. Most of the time I would be doing work during the two hours I had before class.</p>

<p>Has anyone here taken 105? I really want to improve my oral skills, but I'm afraid that if I start off as a horrible spanish speaker that I'll end up with a bad grade and that there won't be much for me to do to improve it.</p>

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<p>I've taken 105.</p>

<p>Even though I can speak well, I was still nervous about the class for the same reason. Then I realized that the people who are the excellent Spanish speakers/native speakers won't be taking the class. BUT at least in my class, the professor understood that not everyone would speak with a great accent to begin the class with... and it was the truth. SO the professor saw where you started off the class and never penalized a student who sounded bad the first few days, they were just graded (as everyone else) on how they improved throughout the course of the semester to make it more fair.</p>

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<p>bluestar- do you think most professors are like that, or is it basically hit or miss? My spanish skills are honest to GOD horrendous, but I've never had a problem with grammar or writing at all. I want to improve my speaking skills, but I want to do well too, and since I don't want to major/minor in a language I'm kind of stuck as to what to take.</p>

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<p>i think with respect to 105, it's the norm rather than the exception for a professor to be like that. i think they all have to realize that while a student may have exceptional written/grammatical skills, actually verbally communicating really differs and a lot of ppl taking the class are taking it to improve in that area.</p>

<p>in other 100 level classes the prof is generally hit or miss whether its going to be easy or hard or accomodating or whatever</p>

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<p>alright well now I'm really not sure what I should do because I definitely want to continue with the Spanish because I would like to eventually join the International Honors Program for engineers and study abroad, but I also don't want to destroy myself 1st semester with having math 103x, chem23, and Eng53 already on my slate. Would you recommend just starting with something a little easier 1st semester for my fine art credit (intro to econ?) or will the Spanish 76 be doable? Too bad they don't offer SAT II's in the summer...</p>

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<p>As said previously, spanish 76 seems to be a lot of busy work. It's going to be a tough semester, and adding intro econ would, in my opinion, be crazy.</p>

<p>Personally, I'd find something completely off the wall and random to take...something not math/science/egr related at all. It seems like you can definitely afford it because you're already starting in 103 and Chem 23, so you're almost ahead of the game. Look around...like, right now I'm enrolled in an Art History course, and I know nothing about Art but I've never been so inhumanely excited about a course in my life. Just make sure it's nothing that will involve TOO much paper writing or something. Just search for random stuff you might like:)</p>

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<p>understood...how does maybe a comparative area study course like "intro to contemp. latin america" sound? I think its actually considered a history class (or at least that's what it's listed under)...does that imply a good deal of writing? Don't think I'll resort to art history yet but I follow you're logic.</p>

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<p>i'm pretty sure 105 is almost full-- as in, just waitlist left.</p>

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<p>biomed-- be prepared to write papers... i took a comp area study course and i thought it was really, really chill other than our two papers. it sounds like it could be pretty interesting-- is there some sort of synopsis or syllabus available. try looking up the prof on the duke homepage to see.</p>

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