New Spanish Course for Fall 2017!
SPA 115-335A
Intensive Beginning Spanish I
Course # 37786 (5 Credits)
Tuesdays & Thursdays
11:00 a.m. – 1:35 p.m.
14-week course begins September 5
An intensive review of Spanish 101 and 102, this course is designed for students who have had some Spanish instruction or exposure to the language. Upon successful completion of the course students may take Intermediate Spanish I (SPA 201).
Questions?
Contact Prof. Martha Davis
mdavis@nvcc.edu
Here are just a few reasons why it is well worth your time:
Learning a foreign language revealed a world I never knew existed
In Defense of the College Foreign Language Requirement
S.A.L.S.A. is hosting its annual SALSAgiving celebration Thursday, November 17th in the cafeteria from 6-10 p.m. There will be a DJ, dancing and food!
Please bring a non-perishable food item. All food collected will be donated to the Women’s Center.
The Divisions of Liberal Arts and Mathematics, Science & Engineering Present:
The Butterfly Effect: Cajal as Catalyst
by Rebecca Kamen
Artist and Former NOVA Professor
Tuesday, November 8
11:00 AM-12:15 PM
AA196
A Presentation of Art Inspired by Spanish Neuroscientist and 1906 Nobel Laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal.
For more information contact Prof. Martha Davis at mdavis@nvcc.edu.
The Hodge Language Center at NOVA Alexandria proudly presents Spanish Language Conversation Groups.
Come to the Hodge Language Center to meet Alejandra González!
A native of Mexico and Professor of Spanish as a Second Language, Prof. González has volunteered to help students learn, review, and practice speaking this semester.
Beginner group 10:00-11:00 AM
Intermediate group 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Friday, September 30
Friday, October 14
Friday, November 11
Hodge Language Center (AA 160)
Contact Prof. Martha Davis for more information mdavis@nvcc.edu
NOVA Alexandria will host a second annual Spanish and Latin American Film Festival, September 20-28, 2016. This has been made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain and an NVCC Educational Foundation grant. We look forward to building on the success of last year’s festival, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students, faculty and staff who attended. We hope to see you there!
Included below is general information about each film with links to trailers and more details. All the films are award-winning or nominated and have had limited release in the U.S. Please contact Prof. Martha Davis (mdavis@nvcc.edu) with questions. All films will be screened in the Bisdorf Building (5000 Dawes Ave.), include English subtitles and will be followed by a post-screening discussion.
Tuesday, September 20, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in AA160
BAD HAIR
Venezuela / 2013 / 93 mins
“A nine-year-old boy’s preening obsession with straightening his hair elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother, in this tender but clear-eyed coming-of-age tale.”
https://pragda.com/film/bad-hair/
Wednesday, September 21, 2-4:30 p.m. in AA196
THE COUNTRY OF FEAR
Spain / 2015 / 102 mins
“A festival favorite, The Country of Fear is a must see for high school and college level students. The film touches upon one of the most talk about behavioral issues happening on campus these days.”
https://pragda.com/film/the-country-of-fear/
Thursday, September 22, 1-3:30 p.m. in AA196
THE TRAVEL AGENT
Spain, Italy / 2015 / 87 mins
“From her tiny office overlooking the U.S. Interests Section, 58-year old Lourdes counsels thousands of Cubans seeking a U.S. travel visa. She coaches them on answering tricky questions, fine-tuning their stories so they have a better chance of succeeding. They come from every walk of life and from all over Cuba to unveil their own life stories at the “Oficina del amor” (Office of Love), as she’s baptized it.”
https://pragda.com/film/the-travel-agent/
Tuesday, September 27, 12:30-3:00 p.m. in AA196
SOUTHERN DISTRICT
Bolivia / 2011/ 109 mins
“La Paz’s Zona Sur neighborhood is Bolivia’s most exclusive enclave and has housed the country’s affluent elite for generations. In an adobe-tile-roofed castle, a statuesque matriarch reigns over her spoiled offspring and indigenous servants. But social change, however unwelcome, is on its way.”
https://pragda.com/film/southern-district/
Wednesday, September 28, 2-4:00 p.m. in AA196
IXCANUL, VOLCANO
France, Guatemala/ 2015 / 62 min
“Maria, a 17-year-old Mayan girl, lives and works with her parents on a coffee plantation in the foothills of an active volcano in Guatemala. An arranged marriage awaits her: her parents have promised her to Ignacio, the plantation overseer. But Maria doesn’t sit back and accept her destiny.”
https://pragda.com/film/ixcanul-volcano/
SPA 205 – Spanish for Heritage Speakers
(español para Bilingües)
Fall 2016, M/W 5:00-6:30pm
14-week (starts 9/6/16)
3 credits (Class ID 12570)
“Spanish for Heritage Speakers” is a course designed for students who already have some background in the language. The main objectives for the course are to (re-)familiarize yourself with the written form of the language and to expand on your existing knowledge of Spanish-speaking cultures. The course also focuses on reading comprehension, spelling, and key grammatical structures that will help students to strategically construct well-written texts tailored to their needs.
Students will explore the past and present of Spanish-speaking societies in order to further enrich their knowledge of this heritage. Students should have completed through Spanish 202 or have the equivalent ability in Spanish. Concurrent enrollment with SPA 201 and 205 are possible with instructor approval. This course is also an ideal option for students who have completed an AP or IB course in Spanish in high school. Non-heritage speakers with the appropriate level are also welcome!
For more information: contact Professor Arana at earana@nvcc.edu or call(703)933-3986
Please join the Spanish Conversation Group on Wednesdays in April from 5-6 p.m. in the conference room of the Academic Success Center (AA229). Beginners welcome. We hope to see you there!
The International Studies Committee of NOVA Alexandria presents its annual Spring Seminar on Migrations the week of March 28-31.
Please join us on Thursday, March 31 from 12-2:00 p.m. in AA196 for a screening and discussion of the Mexican film, La misma luna (Under the Same Moon). Questions? Please contact mdavis@nvcc.edu.
As part of Celebrate Language Week, on Tuesday, March 15 the World Languages Department held an International Poetry Reading, featuring poems in Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
Pictured below are the student readers, who brought the poets’ verses to life.
The International Poetry Reading also featured the dedication of a new collection to NOVA Alexandria’s library donated in honor of former NOVA student, Patrick Hamm, an avid reader and caring friend who took pride in his Mexican heritage. After Patrick died suddenly on October 9, 2015 at the age of 32, his friends from his Fall 2014 Spanish 202 class raised $500 to purchase Mexican and Mexican-American literature and non-fiction, in Spanish and English. Each book contains a bilingual bookplate indicating that it was donated in Patrick’s honor. Patrick’s friends take comfort in knowing that the the books will be enjoyed by generations of students to come.
Pictured below with a sample of the collection of the donated books are L to R: Matt Todd (Library Director), Patricia Escamilla-Hamm (Patrick’s mother) and Martha Davis (Assistant Dean, World Languages).
Pictured below with Patricia Escamilla-Hamm is Marcy Delos, who dedicated her reading of Libro de segunda mano by Antonio Deltoro in memory of Patrick Hamm.
Thursday, March 17 featured three events. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Terry Nealon, Alexandria resident, native of County Mayo, Ireland, and CEO of Fishtree presented a Celebration of Irish Culture and Language. Among the aspects he highlighted were Ireland’s economic achievements, the “troubles,” world-renowned writers and musicians as well as common Irish phrases and sayings.
Pictured above, left to right, with Terry Nealon are Shon Grant (Lead Assistant Dean, Liberal Arts) and Martha Davis (Assistant Dean, World Languages).
An International Karaoke Contest followed. Pictured below with Prof. Amanda Trostle (Spanish), who hosted the event, are the three winners, who sang in French, Chinese and Spanish and were presented with gift cards. Congratulations, singers!
The Chinese and Spanish Boardgames event began with a performance by Alan Morris, who sang in Chinese and played the ukelele. Alan has taken nearly every Spanish course offered at NOVA and is now a student of Chinese 102.
“Happy Birthday” was sung in Chinese and Spanish to one lucky student.
And, as Spanish custom dictates, the birthday boy’s ears were pulled 20 times, once for each year.
Let the games of Scrabble en español and mah jongg begin!
Thank you to all who made Celebrate Languages possible, especially Professors Dali Tan, Laura Franklin, Amanda Trostle, Eddy Arana, Lama Hamdan and Nadya Malagò-Blackburn of the World Languages Department and NOVA Alexandria’s World Languages student participants, and for the support of Matt Todd, Library Director, Lexi Franklin, Coordinator of the Hodge Language Center, and Patricia Escamilla-Hamm.