TO THE EDITOR:
I came to Carolina to be challenged academically. I did not expect the academic rigor to come with a lack of personal connection and concern for students. Of course not all professors and departments are like this. I have had wonderful professors who appreciate class participation and attendance in office hours, but the Spanish department at UNC and the classes I have taken for my minor in Spanish for the professions have been deficient in their attention to students.
The Spanish department prefers testing students on what they do not know as opposed to what they do know. The department most often assesses students’ knowledge through “fill in the blank” tests. But in what settings will we ever have to “fill in the blank”? We are being taught with the purpose of speaking and writing on our own — therefore test us in that capacity!
Even when the Spanish department conducts these tests and the majority of the class struggles, the topic is never addressed. If so many students are struggling with the format of the current test, then why not take that as a signal to improve the format or re-address the topic?
As young professionals, we will be writing and conversing in Spanish, therefore test us in that manner! Test us on what we do know — let us prove to you that we comprehend the language.
Meredith James Allen ’16
Political science
Peace, war and defense
