The Spanish minor program at IUPUI seeks to create students that are culturally knowledgeable and have a strong ability to communicate with foreign speakers. Through the minor program it is a requirement to take three-hundred leveled classes that focus on grammar, diction and conversation, as well as two upper level classes of the student’s choice. This program has made me more comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone and speaking the language. I decided to minor in Spanish after acknowledging my desire to travel and communicate with others. Along with religious studies, obtaining a Spanish minor was a great way to increase my cultural awareness and be able to successfully relate with people of different cultures. My in-class skills were tested when I complete the Spanish Language cultural exploration study abroad trip through IUPUI. More information about this trip can be found at the bottom of this page

Below are my Spanish compositions from a few upper-level classes.

Research Paper: Santeria

To combine my interest in both of my minors, I completed my research paper for Introduction to Spanish Culture on the topic of Santeria, which is a Afro-diasporan syncretic religion. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the origens, dieties, beliefs, practices, and leaders of the religion. The paper was constructed using almost completely all text resources, as a requirement of the class, which increased my skills using various source formatting. 

Final Portfolio

I invite you to read over my final portfolio constructed in my Spanish writing course. This includes all of my compositions from the start to finish of the semester, so it highlights the progression of my writing skills. There are also a variety of types of compositions and topics included, creating a very dynamic writing portfolio. For the final research paper, I conducted my research over a topic that I had directly witnessed the effects of: the 36 year Guatemalan Civil War. This was a topic that was dear to my heart after having visited Guatemala twice and I attempted to compose the paper in a light that not many Americans get to see. After taking this class, I feel more comforable composing papers on many topics while being precise and accurate. 

Study Abroad 

To obtain my final credit of my Spanish minor, I decided to test my classroom knowledge of the language and study abroad. I searched for a course that offered a short term travel window and found the Dominican Republic Spanish Language trip that offered three credits for a Spanish culture course. Starting on June 6, 2016 our group of twenty students met our professor in Santo Domingo, located in the south of the Dominican Republic. For the first few days, we explored the colonial section of old Santo Domingo. This area is full of original New World artifacts, such as the first Cathedral of the New World, the petrified tree that Christopher Columbus tied his boat to, and the jail that he died in. The next area that we visited was the urban area of Santiago, where we got to see many artifacts from the reign of Trujillo and visit the presidential palace. Next, we traveled to the coastal cities of Puerto Plata and Semana where we focused on interacting with locals and integrating within the culture. 

At the beginning of this trip I was fearful to travel without family and to rely on my language skills but I returned more confident and able to use the language in every day instances. Being in situations where speaking Spanish was the only option, such as asking directions to get back to our hotel, really tested my knowledge and made me critically think. This trip was not only an outlet to learn the language, but also the culture. I was able to sit down and talk with various people, from shop owners, to museum curators, and military officials, that provided me with an opportunity to get a first-hand story from a native. The culture in the various places we visited was dynamic and varied especially when in the major cities versus the coastal citites. Studying abroad let me interact with very diverse people in an unfamiliar, but welcoming setting, as well as experience a different worldview. These are priceless experiences that will help me suceed in my studies and career that involves interacting with a multitude of people.