Release date: Oct. 21, 2005
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Students Learn Language of Service in Spanish Course

An intensive Spanish course at Emory University pushes students to soak up the language by immersing themselves in hands-on community service. The course requires at least six hours of service a week in programs serving Hispanics, which has brought dozens of Emory students into the Atlanta Latino community to provide vital services in literacy and tutoring. Many students say the class has deeply influenced their career paths and broadened their world.

“A lot of classes at Emory encourage community service, but this was the first course that truly made a connection between class lectures and the real world for me. We were able to really see the importance of what we're learning at Emory, and that it has relevance in the community,” says Emory senior Ashley Gleitman, who plans to teach after she graduates, and possibly pursue related policy work. She took the course, “Spanish 317: Writing, Context and Community,” last year and is continuing her literacy project at a local Atlanta school.

This fall, students are working as coaches and tutors for elderly immigrants with Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders). The Emory students help the immigrants practice their English or civics lessons so they can pass the exam for U.S. citizenship. Students also have worked with other community initiatives, including: Caminar Latino, a support program for families dealing with domestic violence; a mentoring and tutoring program for Hispanic students at Sutton Middle School; and a Spanish literacy program at Cary Reynolds Elementary School.

The Emory class was first offered three years ago by Vialla Hartfield-Mendez, a senior lecturer in Emory's Department of Spanish and Portuguese and director of the university's Theory Practice Learning Program. It is now offered year-round.

"By the end of the semester, I have seen my students blossom, not only in terms of their eloquence in speaking Spanish, but also in how they view themselves and their ability to make a difference," says Hartfield-Mendez.

Their work also is producing results for the communities they serve. For example, at Sutton Middle School, students have had tremendous success tutoring children in danger of dropping out by helping them pass required tests to move on to the next grade level. Last spring, several elders in Project SHINE successfully passed their citizenship requirements.

In addition to community service work, the Emory students hone their Spanish writing skills through a series of assignments focused on their community service. At the end of the semester, students present a polished portfolio of all their writing, a copy of which goes to the organization where the student served.

"Students are aware from the beginning of the class that these portfolios have a life of their own after the course, and are working toward that final product even as they write the first draft of the first assignment," says Hartfield-Mendez. One of the portfolios from the pilot semester of the course in 2002 was presented to the Mexican Consulate and included in a report on how educational materials provided by the Mexican government are being used. Other portfolios inspired Caminar Latino to revamp its orientation process for volunteer workers.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For nearly two decades Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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