Linguists are social scientists who seek answers to questions related to our knowledge and use of language. For example, what is "language" and how is it different from "a language" like Spanish? How do we organize sounds, words, and sentences when we communicate? How did Spanish evolve over time and develop in different places? How does the social context influence how we speak?

SPAN 322 introduces students to the major subfields of Hispanic Linguistics in relation to these questions. These include phonetics and phonology (the study of sounds), morphology (the study of words), syntax (the study of phrases and sentences) and linguistic variation (history of Spanish, language contact, dialectology, and sociolinguistics). Students play a central role in their learning in SPAN 322 and are expected to consciously and critically experiment with the ideas presented throughout the course. In addition to being active participants in class, students are responsible for reading assigned texts, completing the various assignments , and reflecting on the relevance of linguistics for various career paths and understanding our experiences as Spanish speakers. The class was designed to provide spaces where students can affirm their agency as a critically minded citizens, community members, and sociocultural beings.