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SPANISH and Latin American Studies for Business

 

 

As the number of Spanish speakers in the United States grows and as business ties between the United States and Latin America such as those outlined by NAFTA and DR-CAFTA expand, the need for a work force with knowledge of the Spanish language and Latin American culture grows commensurately. Banks, insurance agencies, import and export firms, pharmaceutical companies, automobile manufacturers, travel companies, only to name a few are among the employers seeking educated personnel with bilingual, bicultural background.

Objectives

The objective of the Certificate in Spanish and Latin American Studies for Business is to allow Temple students in business and liberal arts programs to develop skills and knowledge in these two complementary areas so that they may compete more successfully in this growing job market.

This is an interdisciplinary certificate that combines the study of the Spanish language and Latin American societies. In the area of Spanish language study, course work will focus on the development of communicative skills in conjunction with specialized knowledge of vocabulary and communicative strategies for business. In the area of Latin American Studies, preparation will provide perspectives of Latin American societies in combination with more advanced work focusing on economic and political development.

It should be noted that work in these combined areas is, indeed, advantageous in practical ways. Knowledge of the regions of Latin America without the ability to communicate with their inhabitants in their own language typically leads to frustration. Similarly, knowledge of the Spanish language without appreciation for the society in which it is used leads to limited success in business dealings or in dealings of any kind. Moreover, numerous studies show that the most successful students of language, in general, are those that have developed a genuine interest in the people and culture whose language they are learning.

Population Served

It is projected that this certificate and the specialized preparation it provides will benefit students from many of the schools and colleges of Temple University, from students in the School of Business and those in the colleges of Science and Engineering and Liberal Arts to those in the School of Hospitality and Tourism.

The diverse countries of Latin America constitute an important regional trading partner of the U.S. Brazil is globally recognized as one fo the four most important emerging markets; Mexico alone is the U.S.'s third most influential trading partner, representing nearly 12% of the total U.S. trade activity in 2007; and Chile, with a 2007 GDP growth rate of nearly 6%, is taking center stage in the integration of Latin and global markets through both economic and political initiatives.

Because the certificate is intended to benefit students of differing interests and backgrounds in the area of Spanish-language study, the program will allow for a degree of flexibility. Based on their knowledge of Spanish, students will select three courses from a menu of Spanish skills courses. In addition, they will be required to take a specialized course: Spanish for the Business Professions. As will be seen below, the specific course requirements for the certificate are weighted more heavily toward Spanish (four courses from a total of six), but the Spanish language courses listed also include aspects of culture normally focusing primarily on Latin America or Latinos in the United States.

Course Requirements

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Staffing of Certificate Coursess

In the Spanish area, the first six courses of the menu are offered each semester and the last two each Spring. All are taught by faculty members or graduate students of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

In the Latin American Studies area, the Perspectives on Latin America course is taught each semester by the Latin American Studies faculty.

The advisors to the program will be Dr. Ronald Webb, Chair of the Latin American Studies Program and Deeksha Singh of the Fox School of Business.