The student learns to focus on what is being said by native and near native speakers of Spanish so that he or she may respond clearly and logically. Vocabulary building is stressed. The entire series moves from Mexico to Spain to Argentina to Puerto Rico, etc. A contiguous story line keeps the students focused on the cultural material while the linguistic material is subtly woven into the fabric of the various episodes of the history of the main characters. Language laboratory work in required of the student on a weekly basis, and the laboratory material is an extension of the episodic material the class focuses on the four contact hours of the week.
Supplementary material is introduced when appropriate.
Also, the local language, Chamorro, has been influenced by the Spanish language and culture and is an inherited part of the Chamorro language. It is hoped that several students who live and work on Guam will some day be able to work knowledgeably with the Spanish documents housed in the Micronesia Area Research Center. The student should have a reasonably sound grasp of the English language, its grammatical and linguistic components. A student who is enrolled in EN085 is encouraged not to study a language other than English until he or she has finished the EN085 course requirements. No prior knowledge of Spanish is required or expected.