“I am currently in my fourth year at Brock studying a combined major in Political Science and Hispanic and Latin American Studies (HLAS)… I took SPAN 1F00 in first year and within two weeks I was hooked. Thanks to the dedication of my professors, I found myself in a comfortable environment where I could really focus on my studies in the language.”

— Adam Cowan Year 4, Political Science and HLAS

“I took an introductory Spanish course as an elective during Spring 2014. I fell in love with the language [..]. A few weeks after the course ended, I had the incredible opportunity to do a one-month study abroad intensive-language program at the University of Alcalá de Henares, Spain. I am now pursuing a degree in Hispanic and Latin American Studies alongside in Sociology.”

My name is Rose Davies, and I’m a recent graduate of a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Hispanic and Latin American Studies. I took both the SPAN 3F80 and 4F80 courses.

I started out at Brock University in the Sociology Program. After taking an introductory Spanish course offered in spring semester as an elective credit, I was impressed with the program and the options available to students. I changed to a combined major in Sociology and Hispanic and Latin American studies in my third year at Brock and since then I’ve had the opportunity to travel to two different countries as part of the program – Spain and Mexico.

I had already been involved with migrant justice activist groups in the Niagara Region, and was happy to be a part of the first SPAN 3F80 course that was offered by the department, with the tireless work of Professors Blayer, Santos and Crowe Morey. The course entails a 60 hour internship component with local organizations that provide services to immigrants, migrant workers, and newcomers to Canada in a variety of capacities. There is a real encouragement for each student to design their own field of study, or focus of the internship and coursework components. Whether the student wants to work in the political, medical, linguistic, or social work side of im/migrant support organizations, there are options available to them.

The experience I gained in the 3F80 program led me to the opportunity for full time work with one of the organizations, and I continued to work as a volunteer for a few of the organizations after the course ended. Building upon the work and the final project in 3F80, I continued the same path through 4F80, which involved a final thesis type research project. I was able to focus in on a specific aspect of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program and the racialization of immigration policies in Canada. I had the opportunity to complete some of my internship in Mexico with an organization that works in education and microfinance in Indigenous communities. This work inspired and uplifted the community work and organization I have been doing, and led to my decision to accept a position with a non-profit in Nicaragua after graduation.

The opportunities in these two courses are extensive, and each student has the freedom to specialize in what interests them. These courses provided great opportunity for skills development and helped me focus my passion for community organization. I’m excited to see many other students achieving great things thanks to these amazing courses, and I am very appreciative of the bridges being built between the Brock and the broader community.

— Rose Davies, Sociology/ Hispanic and Latin American Studies