Glendale Community College’s Foreign Language Department offers various language classes for students.
“Our college has a very strong foreign language program with highly qualified professors who bring their knowledge and expertise day in and day out,” said Armenian instructor Nick Sahakyan.
Students may choose from a number of different language courses designed around Armenian, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish. These classes range from beginner to intermediate levels.This provides students with the option to enroll in a beginner class if they’re completely new to a language, or a more advanced one if they have some experience.
According to the college’s website, classes are taught using the immersion technique, a style that seeks to aid students in fully understanding their language of choice and the culture to which it belongs. The immersion technique leans more into speaking a language and hearing others speak it, rather focusing entirely on reading and writing.
“In every language, not just Italian, we introduce various aspects of the culture of the language being taught including information about customs, traditions, food, art, history, literature, regions, etc. In my classes I try to not only teach the language skills, but also information about the Italian culture, as I want them to have the opportunity to have a window into other cultures and ways of life,” explained Italian Instructor Flavio Frontini.
Taking a foreign language class can be highly beneficial to students, regardless of major. “Knowing multiple languages enriches one’s life in many ways. Having strong connections to different cultures not only provides students a competitive edge in the workforce, it also provides them with deeper cultural connections and a greater respect and understanding in celebrating each other’s differences that unite us all as Americans,” said Sahakyan. Additionally, these classes provide transferable units that can meet both major and GE requirements.
“I’m taking Korean 101 because of the 5 units it gives and also because out of the different languages the school offers, I’m most interested in Korea’s culture,” said sophomore student Daniel Eliasian.
Frontini also noted that students can participate in Study Abroad programs. “Students are able to have the opportunity to put into practice their newly acquired language skills by participating in the various Study Abroad programs that GCC offers both for Winter and Summer intersessions,” These programs let students learn about different countries’ traditions in far more personal and interactive ways than standard classes do.
Frontini detailed that soon there will be courses added for the Filipino language. He added that these courses will give Filipino students a way of advancing their language skills while also gaining a deeper understanding of their heritage, and give non-Filipino students the chance to learn a new language and learn about a culture different from their own.
Students may look to enroll in a language course for either the upcoming winter or spring terms via the MyGCC student enrollment portal.
Lucas Lignini can be reached at [email protected].