By Mark Ebert, Academic Advisor at CAC

Central Arizona College will offer intensive 8-week Spanish classes in spring 2022.

The college’s beginning Spanish class (SPA 101), which normally runs 16 weeks, will be taught in only eight weeks, from January 18 to March 10, 2022. Students will then have the option to move immediately into the second class (SPA 102), which will run from March 14 to May 12, 2022.

“We implemented this intensive format as a response to the heavy fall 2021 enrollment in Spanish classes,” said Karen Hindhede, chair of the Literary Arts and Languages Division.

CAC will continue to waive in-state tuition for the spring 2022 semester for Pinal County residents. Additionally, out of county residents are eligible for six free credits this spring. The college has seen an overwhelming community response to these incentives, and Spanish class enrollment has reached a six-year high.

“Many people have always wanted to learn Spanish, and the free tuition has been just the motivation for them to register,” Hindhede said. “We expect the demand for Spanish to continue in the spring. The intensive format enables more students to be eligible to begin second-year Spanish in fall 2022 and move closer to fluency.”

The intensive Spanish classes will be offered online, a format initiated in 2017. Pronunciation is checked using periodic synchronous online meetings with the instructor. Intensive classes are ideal for beginners, as well as those who need a refresher perhaps from high school classes previously completed.

“After four semesters of Spanish at CAC, a student can expect to be able to handle successfully a variety of communicative tasks in straightforward social situations as well as converse and respond to a variety of topics,” said Michael Owens, Spanish faculty member explained. “The speaker can participate and manage predictable and concrete exchanges necessary for survival in Spanish-speaking cultures such as personal information related to self, family, home, daily activities, interests and personal preferences, as well as physical and social needs (food, shopping, travel, and lodging). Speakers are also capable of asking a variety of questions when necessary to obtain simple information to satisfy basic needs, such as directions, prices, and services.”

Spring registration will begin Oct. 11, 2021. To enroll or register for classes visit www.centralaz.edu. 

For more than 50 years, Central Arizona College has been serving and educating the diverse communities of Pinal County. With five campuses and three centers located in the county, CAC provides accessible, educational, economic, cultural and personal growth opportunities for students of all ages.