Spanish

¡Hola! Welcome to the KPU Spanish homepage

The academic Spanish Program at KPU has been around since the early 1980s. It started with one section of Basic Spanish, and it has grown to meet the increasing needs of language students of the 21st century. We presently offer Basic Spanish courses at the Richmond and Surrey campuses, and Intermediate Spanish and Advanced Spanish at the Surrey campus.

Why should I learn Spanish?

    Spanish is a global language! It is spoken by over 400 million people around the world and is the official language in 21 countries of which 19 are located in South America! This makes Spanish a fun language to learn as it feeds a diverse group of Spanish-speaking countries with their own vibrant and rich cultures. Here are some other reasons why you should consider choosing Spanish:

    • Spanish is among the fastest-growing language in Canada and this is important to growing Canada’s economy.
    • In the USA alone there are more than 40 million Spanish speakers and predictions estimate that it will grow to 160 million by 2050.
    • Spanish has two names: Español and Castellano. By taking Spanish at KPU you will be able to learn about the history and use of these two names.
    • Spanish is easy to learn as its vocabulary is closely related to English, so if you speak English it´s relatively easy to start learning Spanish.
    • Spanish is a language from the same group as French, Italian, and Portuguese, to name a few, so if you speak these languages Spanish is also pretty easy to learn. 
    • Spanish makes travelling easier! Especially if you enjoy travelling and your heart is set in Latin America, but it is also a very popular language to use in Europe as Spanish is the official language of Spain.
    • Spanish is taught in BC schools from Grades 5 through 12, so teachers with competency in Spanish are in high demand in BC schools.
    • Spanish is part of other immigrant languages spoken in Vancouver and The Lower Mainland, so you will find plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish while you study it at KPU!

    Why should I take Spanish at KPU?

      What textbooks are being used? 

      What is the course format and content?

      • Spanish classes meet either once a week or twice a week both with a total of 3 hours a week.
      • We offer morning, afternoon and night classes.
      • Due to recent events around COVID-19 Spanish classes will be fully online in fall 2020.
      • Whether it is face to face or online, the Spanish language faculty team uses Moodle as the learning platform of all our courses. To learn more about KPU Moodle visit https://www.kpu.ca/teaching-and-learning/technology/moodle/student
      • All of our Spanish classes use a learner-centered approach around a curriculum that focuses on achieving clearly language and intercultural learning outcomes relevant to using the Spanish language with cultural awareness.
      • NO EXAMS! None of our Spanish classes have traditional exams! The Spanish language faculty team uses a method of assessment tasks focusing on each unit learned by creating opportunities for students to demonstrate individual and collaborative processes of learning and applying.
      • Not all Spanish courses are offered in every semester or on every campus. To make sure of the Spanish offering per academic year please visit https://www.kpu.ca/arts/languages-cultures/fall-2013-course-schedule or directly contact any of the instructors from our Spanish language faculty team below.

      Instructions in case you need to contact the instructor for an assessment:

      • Spanish 1100 is a 1st-semester beginner course with no prerequisites. However, it is designed for students with no or little knowledge of Spanish. Students with competence beyond Spanish 1100 are not permitted to register for this course and may be required to withdraw.

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