SPAN 2
Elementary Spanish
Description: Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Taught in Spanish. Laboratory is online. Introductory Spanish language and culture course that is proficiency-oriented, communicative, and task-based to help develop communicative competence in four skill areas (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), as well as cultural competence. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2021 - I very much enjoyed my experience with Cristina over the last two quarters. She is truly committed to making sure you're not only prepared for exams, but that you actually immerse yourself in the Spanish language and enjoy learning it. Her slides were always engaging and she is very accommodating. This class does have a required attendance component; there are only two lectures (1h 15min) a week that are mandatory in order to receive full credit for participation for that week. Usually, the class is structured so that you learn new material through an online homework system, MyLab, and then practice it in class with the professor and in breakout rooms. Although Cristina's lectures were always very clear, the MyLab component could be frustrating sometimes because of the sheer volume of assignments (sometimes up to 80 due before one class) and complex material. The attempts are unlimited, but I always had a hard time figuring out grammatical rules and weird structures over MyLab. I wish the course were structured so that the MyLab was used as a practice AFTER the professor teaches the lesson rather than the other way around, but I guess that's just the nature of the flipped-classroom and ultimately outside of the professor's control. The exams were very straightforward. There's a midterm and a final, each broken up into three parts--an oral, a written, and a reading/listening. I always felt I had adequate practice and performed relatively well on the written and reading/listening. I appreciate that Cristina is very generous while grading the oral exam (usually in a partner group or a 4-person group) given she understands we are new to the language and that speaking can be very difficult. Overall, I would highly recommend taking this course with Cristina if you have the opportunity--you will not regret it!
Spring 2021 - I very much enjoyed my experience with Cristina over the last two quarters. She is truly committed to making sure you're not only prepared for exams, but that you actually immerse yourself in the Spanish language and enjoy learning it. Her slides were always engaging and she is very accommodating. This class does have a required attendance component; there are only two lectures (1h 15min) a week that are mandatory in order to receive full credit for participation for that week. Usually, the class is structured so that you learn new material through an online homework system, MyLab, and then practice it in class with the professor and in breakout rooms. Although Cristina's lectures were always very clear, the MyLab component could be frustrating sometimes because of the sheer volume of assignments (sometimes up to 80 due before one class) and complex material. The attempts are unlimited, but I always had a hard time figuring out grammatical rules and weird structures over MyLab. I wish the course were structured so that the MyLab was used as a practice AFTER the professor teaches the lesson rather than the other way around, but I guess that's just the nature of the flipped-classroom and ultimately outside of the professor's control. The exams were very straightforward. There's a midterm and a final, each broken up into three parts--an oral, a written, and a reading/listening. I always felt I had adequate practice and performed relatively well on the written and reading/listening. I appreciate that Cristina is very generous while grading the oral exam (usually in a partner group or a 4-person group) given she understands we are new to the language and that speaking can be very difficult. Overall, I would highly recommend taking this course with Cristina if you have the opportunity--you will not regret it!
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2026 - I had Yesenia for Spanish 3. When I first enrolled in the class and saw her rating, I tried to switch out lol. I just wanted a Spanish class that would be easy -- I haven't taken Spanish since high school -- and was scared because she sounded strict and demanding. I ended up staying in her class with pass/no pass as my grading basis. To my surprise, and to my delight, Yesenia's personality did not resemble the negative rating or her intense syllabus at all. She came into class every day laughing, smiling, and encouraging every one. She seemed to understand that people were nervous or stressed to speak Spanish, and she never pressured anyone to participate beyond their abilities. I ended up changing my grading basis to a letter grade because I was so confident I could get an A in the class after the first few weeks. Yesenia cares about you doing well in her class. If you are struggling, approach her during office hours or after class, and she will work with you to make sure you get a good grade and understand the concepts. Quizzes - there was a quiz probably every other week on vocabulary and grammar we had learned through the homework. These quizzes were very easy, often multiple choice, and at the end of class after we reviewed (again) all of the material that would be on it. Oral assessment - this is what I was most scared about because I suck at speaking Spanish and have stage fright, but it was a piece of cake. You have a group of 2 or 3 and receive a prompt 10 minutes before your assessment. The prompt is nearly identical to in-class activities or quiz questions we already had. You have to speak for 5 minutes, but you are in a group so it ends up being like 6 sentences per person. She is a very generous grader here -- I think all groups but one got 100% and i know those mfs cannot speak Spanish. Performance assessment - again, these are so similar to the quizzes and in-class activities that they really aren't stressful. Just review vocabulary and grammar rules the night before and you will be fine. I recommend writing down a few example sentences from class so that you have a model for how to use grammar. The class is so repetitive that it is hard to do poorly unless you really aren't paying attention. The in-class activities you do translate directly to the content on the exams.
Winter 2026 - I had Yesenia for Spanish 3. When I first enrolled in the class and saw her rating, I tried to switch out lol. I just wanted a Spanish class that would be easy -- I haven't taken Spanish since high school -- and was scared because she sounded strict and demanding. I ended up staying in her class with pass/no pass as my grading basis. To my surprise, and to my delight, Yesenia's personality did not resemble the negative rating or her intense syllabus at all. She came into class every day laughing, smiling, and encouraging every one. She seemed to understand that people were nervous or stressed to speak Spanish, and she never pressured anyone to participate beyond their abilities. I ended up changing my grading basis to a letter grade because I was so confident I could get an A in the class after the first few weeks. Yesenia cares about you doing well in her class. If you are struggling, approach her during office hours or after class, and she will work with you to make sure you get a good grade and understand the concepts. Quizzes - there was a quiz probably every other week on vocabulary and grammar we had learned through the homework. These quizzes were very easy, often multiple choice, and at the end of class after we reviewed (again) all of the material that would be on it. Oral assessment - this is what I was most scared about because I suck at speaking Spanish and have stage fright, but it was a piece of cake. You have a group of 2 or 3 and receive a prompt 10 minutes before your assessment. The prompt is nearly identical to in-class activities or quiz questions we already had. You have to speak for 5 minutes, but you are in a group so it ends up being like 6 sentences per person. She is a very generous grader here -- I think all groups but one got 100% and i know those mfs cannot speak Spanish. Performance assessment - again, these are so similar to the quizzes and in-class activities that they really aren't stressful. Just review vocabulary and grammar rules the night before and you will be fine. I recommend writing down a few example sentences from class so that you have a model for how to use grammar. The class is so repetitive that it is hard to do poorly unless you really aren't paying attention. The in-class activities you do translate directly to the content on the exams.
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