Courses

In this course students will develop intercultural communicative skills by becoming familiar with the social, political, and cultural identities of hispanic and latino communities in the United States. Some of the themes that will be explored include immigration, linguistic identity, bilingualism, education, work, and health. In addition to weekly volunteering at community organizations (local clinics, community centers, after school and mentoring programs, schools, welcome centers, immigrant coalitions) that serve the hispanic and latino communities of Richmond, students will also engage in bilingual projects with and for the community. In the past these projects have included: bilingual tours of UR’s museums, curated exhibitions at the International Center, campus tours for latinx students, and online exhibitions to name a few.

In this course students will begin by familiarizing themselves with the specific vocabulary related to the world of health and medicine. They will also acquire the knowledge about historical and cultural barriers for the hispanic/latino and immigrant communities in the United States in accessing medical and health services. Aside from in-class seminars, students will volunteer weekly in the greater Richmond community at medical clinics, domestic violence centers, vaccination clinics, food banks, physical therapy clinics, and mental health centers that serve a high population of Spanish speakers. Students will work directly with nurses, doctors, lab technicians, and medical interpreters. There are also special lectures from scientists, doctors, and mental health professionals. This class also counts as elective credit towards health studies.  

In this course students will acquire the skills to listen to and process, from an intercultural perspective, information related to illness or the situations that lead to or are caused by a specific condition. Students will also learn to listen to, tell, and elaborate on actions and reactions from life stories related to disease (symptom, diagnosis, treatment, care, prognosis), connecting critically with emotions, emotional ties with family and friends, and relationships with doctors and nurses.

In this class students the methodology and pedagogy of translating and interpreting. Students will collaborate with real clients to carry out translations over 18 completed translations in the legal, education/academic, medical, and social service fields. Students will also receive interpretation training by professional interpreters. Students will take what they learned from these training sessions to carry out real interpretation services for community partners and their clients.

This course explores the world of work by analyzing topics such as leadership and solidarity, gender and class identity, spaces of sociability, and oppression and emancipation . This course not only looks at the idea of work from a contemporary perspective but also a historical perspective to better understand how the work world of today has been shaped. A unique aspect of this course is that throughout the semester students will not only focus on theory, but on their own professional development. Through workshops with Career Services students will learn how to refine their resumes and CVs, develop a professional profile, and practice their interview skills, all while learning how to leverage their bilingual capabilities and intercultural communicative skills as they enter the workforce. This course also partners with the Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center where students take the job skills they learned in the workshops to help the latino/hispanic communities of the greater Richmond area in their job search. In this way students can have a better understanding of how they fit into the world of work, and what work really means in their lives.