The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (DFLL) at University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) is home to a pioneer program in Spanish for the Professions and Specific Purposes (SPSP) in US higher education. For the last two decades (2000-18), its Spanish curricula have been carefully experimenting and evolving to adjust to the societal…

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, undergraduate institution that educates and trains its students (cadets) to become future leaders in the US Army officer corps. The Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) at West Point plays an integral role in developing cadets' cultural and linguistic competencies in preparation for…

Experiential learning has become an important part of the higher education curriculum in the United States. Due to the integration of a "Community Engagement" category in the Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2006, many colleges and universities have recently…

Total enrollments (undergraduate and graduate) in languages other than English dropped by 9.2% between fall 2013 and fall 2016, as reported in the Modern Language Association's twenty-fifth language enrollment census. Despite the overall drop, there were gains in nearly half of all language programs (45.5%) that mitigate somewhat the downward…

A survey was conducted of 508 universities to investigate the status of business Spanish courses in the modern language curriculum. The questionnaire solicited information on the number, size, and scheduling of business Spanish courses; students; course materials; methods of promotion; funding; language requirements; other business language…

The development of a Spanish for business course at Elmhurst College, a small undergraduate liberal arts college, is described. The course involves advanced conversation and composition focusing entirely on business and emphasizes vocabulary building and the function and composition of business documents. Another goal of the course is to provide…

The content and teaching methods of the commercial Spanish course at Indiana State University are detailed. The course emphasizes the conveyance of written information while improving the speaking skills of the less advanced students. Among the topics covered are employment correspondence, the job market for bilinguals, resumes, business…

The instructional approach of the Spanish for business course at Rollins College is described. The three-part approach includes (1) classroom instruction on business behavior in the Hispanic world, (2) the application of vocabulary and terminology, and (3) placement of students as unpaid interns in the international departments of local…

Describes a survey done to measure the extent to which courses in foreign languages for special purposes (FLSP) are part of the curriculum in higher education. Sixty-two percent of the responding colleges and universities offer FLSP courses. Survey results indicate growth potential of this relatively new field.

A survey designed to collect, analyze, and present information about the position of Spanish for business in the contemporary modern language curriculum showed that business Spanish is a growing field of particular interest to language and business majors. (EKN)

Foreign language departments at U.S. colleges have traditionally tended to limit their language for business offerings to one course per language. Attempts to expand the business foreign language curriculum may meet with resistance from traditional foreign language departments over the issue of academic priorities. Careful prior planning, specific…

Course content and teaching methods are proposed for a general course on Spanish for all professional or community needs. Such a course is offered at University of Idaho to upper level and graduate students of business. The course is comprised of self-contained modules on specific and general interest areas such as travel, communications,…

Foreign language skills are necessary not only in international commerce but also in domestic business with the growing Hispanic American population. Many Hispanics have only minimal English skills and prefer to do business in Spanish and use Spanish language media. Because Hispanic Americans account for a significant portion of the consumer…

The development of a marketing strategy for business Spanish courses by means of situational analysis is described. The planner of marketing strategy must consider demand for a course, institutional acceptance, and financial support. A survey of 508 universities revealed a low level of demand for business Spanish which could potentially be…

Rosary College, a small liberal arts college, has been expanding its foreign language and business programs. Among its new offerings is a professional Spanish course that can be taken following the advanced intermediate courses in speaking and writing. Advertising for the course has been directed at undergraduate international business majors,…