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After four years of teaching POLSCI 347: Latin American Politics and Society, Edgar Franco-Vivanco, assistant professor of political science, will offer a discussion section in Spanish. Led by Rackham student Franshelly Martinez-Ortiz, this is the first time the University of Michigan’s Political Science Department has ever offered a discussion section taught in Spanish.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Franco-Vivanco said he saw a need for students to learn about Latin American politics in the language in which the content of the class originated.
“There were a number of students who either spoke Spanish as their first language or were learning Spanish, and they were interested in the class because of this reason,” Franco-Vivanco said. “However, all the material was in English and the class was assigned in English. It is very useful for many students to learn about Latin America from a different approach, like not only the material itself but also connecting it to the language.”
Franco-Vivanco said he proposed the idea for the Spanish-speaking section and received positive feedback from the department. After this response, the next step was finding a Graduate Student Instructor to lead the discussion.
Martinez-Ortiz told The Daily in an interview that the discussion section consists of students who are native Spanish speakers, those who have learned Spanish through a classroom setting and those who are looking to improve their Spanish skills. She says that students of all skill levels are able to engage with the content of the course in Spanish.
“I’m really proud of them because you can see the effort that they’re trying to engage with Spanish literature in Spanish,” Martinez-Ortiz said. “Honestly, I was a little bit worried that, you know, not everybody was at the same Spanish-speaking level. I try my best to accommodate everyone. But so far, everybody has been very proactive. They’re only learning a lot and I’m very impressed with everyone. I am encouraging them to push themselves to try to understand and immerse themselves within the culture of Latin America.”
In an interview with The Daily, LSA senior Kel Rodriguez-Diaz, a student in the Spanish section of POLSCI 347, said they find Martinez-Ortiz’s teaching style to be inclusive of all levels of speakers. Kel is a native speaker from Puerto Rico.
“There’s a lot of people like me who were born in our countries and were raised in the U.S.,” Rodriguez-Diaz said. “Since there’s a range of abilities, (Martinez-Ortiz) made sure that she talks a little bit slower, not in a way that infantilizes anyone, but just a slower speed, just to make sure everyone’s gathering every word that she is saying.”
Franco-Vivanco said one of the benefits of a Spanish-language section is that it allows students to better understand the complex history of Latin-American politics.
“Latin America is a very complex region in the world and it has a lot of challenges, but also a lot of positives and a very rich culture,” Franco-Vivanco said. “For many of these elements, it was really hard to convey these ideas with the readings that we have in English.”
Martinez-Ortiz also said discussing the topics of Latin-American politics in Spanish helps her students be more engaged in the course material.
“In English, it’s a different vibe,” Martinex-Ortiz said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but in Spanish, because most of us are Latino descendants or are primarily Spanish-speaking people, it’s more familiar, and it becomes safer in that sense. Although there are students who are not necessarily Latino students or not Spanish primary speakers, they are still engaging.”
Moving forward, Franco-Vivanco hopes to keep the Spanish section of his class running to give students the chance to learn in Spanish. He also hopes to introduce a section in Portuguese, another important language in Latin America.
“It is really important because this is not only about the language but also the things you can communicate without language,” Franco-Vivano said. “To understand the challenges they had, you also need to understand how people speak about these issues. I think teaching or learning some of these concepts in Spanish gives the opportunity to understand these things better.”
Daily Staff Reporter Arielle Levine can be reached at ariellel@umich.edu.
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