Minor DescriptionÂ
During my sophomore year at Ohio State, I was struggling to find a minor that I thought could enhance my coursework with agricultural communication. Because agriculture is a global industry, I started to think what minors could help me succeed in a global market. I had considered international relations as my minor, but as I looked into it, there were only a handful of classes that I thought I would enjoy. However, I had remembered that I really enjoyed my Spanish classes in high school and had previously considered minoring in the language. Once this decision was made, I started my minor in Autumn 2018.
The Spanish minor begins with the learning of the language, which proved to be a lot of review for me. After that, I transitioned to more specific classes, such as pronunciation, literature, linguistics or composition. Overall, my favorite Spanish course has been pronunciation, where I could easily tell a difference in how my language improved over the semester. Overall, I feel that this minor will help me be the best communicator within a global industry.
Class Reflection
Through my Spanish minor, I feel that I have gained a lot of respect for other cultures and empathy for those travelling or moving to a new nation. In many of my courses, especially those initial classes, there is a lot of time spent learning about Hispanic cultures. I had traveled to Costa Rica, but really knew little to nothing about these nations, their values, or history. I loved learning about these cultures through their native language, as there is much that is lost in translation. Getting a deeper look into these nations allowed me to gain a different perspective from what is portrayed in the media. In my opinion, a lot of the portrays of many Hispanic nations is of poor, crime-ridden countries where their citizens are desperate for an escape. However, these courses allowed me to see the rich histories of these countries, whether it be through literature, film and even language. These courses pushed my thinking and forced me to reconsider my perspectives. Yes, the U.S.’s culture is dominate in many places throughout the world, but the culture of these nations is rich and tells their own story-much of which is still waiting to be discovered.
In addition, one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had through this minor is being able to relate to those who are communicating in a second language. I have always loved reading and if I had the time, could probably finish a 200 page book in a day. On the other hand, reading my Spanish assignments can take me up to double the time it would take to read those assignments in English. In addition, I consider myself to be an effective communicator, but many times in my Spanish courses, I am struggling to find the words for everyday things. Being in this situation, I have realized that there is much that international students or non-native English visitors struggle with when coming to the U.S. Although they may be proficient in English and understand everything, sometimes it takes additional time to process something or think of a response. These courses made me realize how brave international students are for coming to the United States to complete a degree in their second language. Also, I have traveled abroad, but there are only a few times where I really struggled to get my message across without translation. For those visiting the U.S., there is very little that is not in English. I can’t imagine what it must be like to try and communicate in your second language where few people understand your native language. Of course, I have learned a lot in the classroom with my Spanish coursework, but these classes have pushed me to consider my perspectives and think critically about being in someone else’s shoes.