Spanish
Spanish is a global language with approximately 559 million native speakers. Because it is the world’s second-most spoken language and the second-most spoken language in the United States, a little Spanish can improve your career opportunities in business, law, health-related fields, social work, hospitality/travel, and education. In an increasingly international marketplace, fluency in a second language such as Spanish can boost your resume, help you establish closer connections with customers and clients, and improve your ability to do your job better. All of this can lead to other rewards such as promotions and higher salaries. Imagine studying abroad, traveling internationally for work, and volunteering across borders to help those in need. Knowing a world language such as Spanish is a practical, rewarding, and exciting skill to have!
Course Types and Course Levels Offered
We offer elementary- to advanced-level grammar-based courses, conversation-based courses, as well as literature and culture/civilization courses.
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Dept. Chair Phone: (818) 947-2822 Email: @email |
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Spanish Division Coordinator Maria Zamudio Phone: (818) 947-2390 Email: @email |
| Office Location Foreign Language Building, Room 105 |
| Department Student Drop-In Hours Mondays-Thursdays 11am-1pm |
| Individual Instructor Student Drop-In Hours email for availability |
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Department |
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Pathway Humanities and Communication Career and Academic Pathway (CAP) |
Programs
Spanish Degrees and Certificates
Click the tabs below to find out about the Spanish degrees and certificates.
This degree provides a solid foundation in the study of the Spanish language and literature for those wishing to continue their education in Spanish. Students will be able to demonstrate effective skills in the four major areas of language study (reading, writing, speaking, listening comprehension), and demonstrate knowledge of the global society, and the role of Spanish-speaking nations, and of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures in the contemporary world. Students completing the Associate in Arts in Spanish for Transfer degree will have satisfied the lower division major preparation at most CSUs in Spanish. For more information on the Spanish AA-T such as required and elective courses, please click on the button below:
The Spanish Language Skills Certificate certifies that a student possesses the oral fluency of a Spanish native speaker, as well as the written and cultural skills necessary to effectively communicate in Spanish in the workplace, with the public, with community and government agencies, or in a professional environment in general without having to complete an AA degree in Spanish. The certificate requires a minimum of 13 units, and students must pass the written and oral exams given at the end of Spanish 37 with a C or better.
This degree is an alternative to the individual language major of Spanish, French, German, and Italian, and is especially suitable for those students with prior instruction in a foreign language. The student must complete Semester 4 or higher in a primary language (Spanish, French, German, or Italian), demonstrating effective skills in the four major areas of language study (reading, writing, speaking, listening comprehension) in that language, as well as cultural proficiency. The student must also complete two sequential courses in a secondary language (French, German, Italian, or Spanish), demonstrating a minimum of advanced elementary language and cultural knowledge in that language.
Spanish Program Flowchart: Heritage Speaker Track and Non-Native Speaker Track
Study Away
[This is information from our Summer 2024 Study Away Program in Spain.]
Granada, perched between the dazzling white peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the glistening blue Mediterranean of the Costa del Sol, has a certain cosmopolitan air, but still retains the feel of a small, Andalusian town. The people of Granada are friendly and welcoming. A direct legacy of three cultures living together in harmony—Christians, Moors and Jews—has formed the openness of the Andalusian personality.
Madrid’s non-stop marcha (rhythm) courses through its streets and beguiles with its welcoming and open character. As the capital of Spain, it is a cosmopolitan city of four million. It’s easy to feel at home here. It is a city of contrasts where royal palaces, medieval mansions and timeless plazas stand beside modern architectural gems and where you can enjoy traditional Spanish dishes that have endured for generations or be tempted by the new cuisine of Spain’s current food revolution.
With full-day excursions to Toledo, the Costa del Sol, and Cordoba, this will be a Spanish summer you won’t forget! Please contact Prof. Maria Zamudio (@email) for Zoom informational session dates. Deadline to apply: April 18, 2024.
Resources
World Languages and Cultures - Clubs and Events
To enhance your study of world languages and cultures, check out the World Languages Film Forum events and LAVC Spanish Club!
Every semester the Department of World Languages and Cultures screens movies as part of that semester's curriculum for our enrolled students. Please contact your instructor for more information.
Join the LAVC Spanish Club to get to know your fellow classmates and to build your social support network. We meet weekly to practice our Spanish and to talk about language and culture. Please email the Spanish Club Advisor, Prof. Maria Zamudio for more information: @email.
Start Learning A World Language
First Steps
Want to begin learning Spanish at Valley? Take these easy steps to enroll as a Valley College student:
If you’re already a Valley Student and want to study Spanish, take these easy steps:
1. If you’ve already previously studied Spanish, make an appointment to take the Spanish Prerequisite Challenge.
2. Register for your classes! If you’re a complete beginner, enroll in Spanish 1. That’s it!
If you’re a high school student, and want to study Spanish at Valley College, take these easy steps to sign up:
1. You will need to enroll as BOTH a “(i) New Student” AND a “(ii) High School Student (9-12) or a “Elementary/Middle School Student (K-8). You can find the enrollment information here: LAVC Admissions: K-12
2. If you’ve taken Spanish before, you’ll need to take the Spanish Prerequisite Challenge.
3. Register for your classes! If you’re a complete beginner, enroll in Spanish 1. That’s it!
You’ll need to be a currently enrolled Valley College student to take our language classes. To sign up for classes, you’ll need to apply and enroll. Click here for more information: LAVC Admissions
at Valley College. After you’ve finished enrolling, you can then sign up for your language class!
Prerequisite Challenge
If you’d like to take a Spanish course at Valley and you have previous experience with the language, you can enroll in a higher-level course by first taking the Spanish Prerequisite Challenge. This process will make sure that you’re enrolled in the appropriate level to begin your Spanish study at Valley.
You’ll have to take the Prerequisite Challenge if you already have some experience with Spanish, for example, you’ve previously studied Spanish or you are a native or heritage Spanish speaker (that is, you may have learned Spanish informally by being exposed to it at home as opposed to having learned it formally in school).
If you don’t have any experience with Spanish, you don’t have to take the Prerequisite Challenge, and you can enroll in Spanish 1.
One of our full-time faculty members. Please email the following instructors to make an appointment for the Spanish Prerequisite Challenge:
Spanish: Prof. Maria Zamudio: @email
1. The Prerequisite Challenge will assess your speaking, listening, reading, and writing proficiency in the language and usually takes at least 30 minutes.
2. There are different levels of the Prerequisite Challenge, depending on the level that you are planning to enroll in. For example, if you’d like to enroll in Level 4, you will be taking the Prerequisite Challenge to enroll in Level 4 of your chosen language. If you are unsure which level you are at, the faculty member will gladly advise you of your current approximately level and administer the appropriate level Prerequisite Challenge.
3. The Prerequisite Challenge cannot be taken to receive credit for a course.
Adjunct Faculty
Faculty Profiles
- Pronouns: he/him
- Degrees: B.A. History, Universidad de Holguín Oscar Lucero Moya; M.A. Spanish, California State University, Long Beach
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II, Spanish for Spanish Speakers I
- Fun Facts: Born in Cuba, I grew up loving literature and reciting poetry instead of watching cable and playing video games. As kids we would gather around the neighbor’s television to watch “The Adventures of Zorro.” I believe my childhood was full of magic because I could appreciate the things that really matter in life. That magical world has influenced me to do what I love most: teaching and writing fiction.
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II, Intermediate Spanish I, Spanish for Spanish Speakers I, Spanish for Spanish Speakers II
- Teaches Elementary Spanish I and Elementary Spanish II
- Teaches: Introduction to Spanish Translation
- Pronouns: he/him
- Degrees: M.A. Spanish, California State University, Northridge
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II, Intermediate Spanish II, Spanish for Spanish Speakers I
- Fun Facts: I also go by Javier Frederick Diaz. I live in Granada Hills. I also love to travel, and I enjoy reading, especially my favorite writers Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Márquez.
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II, Intermediate Spanish I
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II, Intermediate Spanish I
- Pronouns: he/him
- Degrees: B.A. Spanish, University of the West Indies; M.A. Spanish, State University of New York at Buffalo; Ph.D. Spanish, State University of New York at Buffalo
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I and Elementary Spanish II
- Fun Facts: I love to read about and visit other parts of the world and to learn about their culture, music, and food.
- Pronouns: she/her
- Degrees: B.A. English, Texas Woman's University; M.A. Spanish Literature, New York University; Post-graduate diploma in literary translation, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; M.A. Teaching Secondary Education, National Louis University; Ph.D. Hispanic Languages and Literatures, University of California, Los Angeles
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II, Intermediate Spanish I, Cultural Awareness through Conversation
- Fun Facts: I love cats!
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II
- Pronouns: she/her
- Degrees: A.A. Spanish, Shasta College; B.A. Spanish, University of California, Davis; M.A. Spanish, University of California, Los Angeles
- Teaches: Elementary Spanish I, Elementary Spanish II, Intermediate Spanish I, Intermediate Spanish II, Advanced Spanish through Latin American Literature, Advanced Spanish through Spanish Literature, Spanish for Spanish Speakers I, Spanish for Spanish Speakers II, Composition and Conversation for Spanish Speakers, Introduction to Spanish Translation
- Roles: Spanish Division Coordinator; Member, Work Environment Committee; Member, LACCD Social Justice Committee