Spanish Program
Our Spanish staff recognizes the vital need for our students to become world citizens and fulfill the biblical mandate to welcome the foreigners among us. To do so, we offer courses designed to help you gain language proficiency for your chosen field of work, at home or overseas.
Our program emphasizes:
- The unique relationship between culture and language
- The acquisition of analytical skills
- Familiarity with historically important works of literature
- A four-skill approach to language proficiency: reading, writing, listening and speaking
Why Study Spanish?
A knowledge of the Spanish language is a valuable asset in today's job market. It is the third-most spoken language in the world, with more than 346 million speakers in 26 countries on five continents.
Spanish is also the second-most-widely spoken language in the United States, with more than 20 million speakers across the nation. The numbers make it clear that learning Spanish now is a solid investment for the future, whatever your career aspirations may be.
Minor in Spanish
We offer a Spanish minor designed to help you gain proficiency in Spanish for your chosen field of work, at home or overseas. In it, we emphasize:
- The unique relationship between culture and language
- The acquisition of analytical skills
- Familiarity with historically important works of literature
- A four-skill (reading, writing, listening and speaking) approach to language proficiency
Our classes are small, allowing for individual attention. As a Spanish minor, you are required to interact and practice Spanish with another more advanced or native speaker.
To find out what class you would likely place in, take our free placement exam. For information on AP or IB credit, see this Alternative College Credit page.
Current students may earn lower-division credit by a CLEP exam during their first semester at George Fox. Students with advanced Spanish proficiency can earn credit for SPAN 301 & 302 through a departmental challenge exam.
Minor in Hispanic Cultural Studies
In addition to the Spanish minor, we offer a Hispanic Cultural Studies minor that explores both the Spanish language and its cultural contexts. You’ll take a course in Latinx studies and have the opportunity to study topics ranging from Hispanic literature and art history to cultural anthropology and Latin American culture and civilization.
Studying Spanish Abroad
As a student at George Fox, you’ll have many options if you wish to travel abroad to learn in Spanish-speaking countries. The university offers programs in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru and Spain.
Click the links below to learn more about each of these unique experiences:
- Latin American Studies Program - San Jose, Costa Rica
- Veritas Christian Study Abroad - Cuzco, Peru
- Semester in Spain - Sevilla, España
- Semester in Quito, Ecuador
To find out more about the study abroad programs offered through George Fox, contact David Martinez, director of the Center for Study Abroad, or visit the Semester Abroad Program website.
Spanish on Campus
Spanish Chapel is a student-led worship gathering, all in Spanish! We currently meet every Wednesday evening, but the schedule may vary. You may earn elective chapel credit by attending.
We also host Reacting to the Past, a learning game that Professor David Martínez uses in several classes. Students study a specific period of the history of Spain or Latin America, assume the role of a historical figure, research him or her, and come to class ready to pursue that figure’s objectives. Speeches, murder plots, reversals, elections … outcomes in class may or may not repeat history!
Finally, we offer Tertulia, a Spanish-language lunch table in Canyon Commons. Anyone in the George Fox community – students, staff, faculty or alumni – is welcome to come and chat in Spanish over lunch.