LLRC Faculty Spotlight
Passion and Compassion of the Director of the Spanish Language Program
According to the Modern Language Association (MLA), Spanish currently holds the position
of being the most widely studied language in higher education across the United States.
As of 2020, 394,170 students are enrolled in Spanish courses in colleges in the United
States. At Stony Brook, 29 sections of SPN 111 are offered in Fall 2023. In general,
a total of 1,800 students are enrolled in SPN 111, 112, 211, and 212 each year.
Prof. Lilia Ruiz-Debbe coordinates the Spanish language courses. She has introduced a flipped classroom approach, wherein students independently study vocabulary and grammar at home as homework prior to class. This allows them to utilize their classroom time exclusively for using the target language for spontaneous communicative interaction, instead of being lectured about the target language. She also encourages students of SPN courses to participate in weekly Ventanas Culturales, where they can "open the window" to the cultures of Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean. With a smile, Prof. Ruiz-Debbe shares:
“Teaching is my passion. I genuinely feel it. I am at my happiest when I am in front of my class. The most fulfilling moments for me are when I witness my students' motivation and enthusiasm in the classroom, seeing them actively engaged in the language learning process.”
Prof. Ruiz-Debbe teaches SPN 691 (Practicum in Teaching of Spanish) every Fall. This class is designed to train new doctoral students in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures to teach Spanish alongside lecturers. Prof. Ruiz-Debbe acknowledges that the success of the SPN program is largely attributed to these graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs).
She happily reports that her department welcomed 10 new graduate TAs in Fall 2023, with most of them being international students. However, Prof. Ruiz-Debbe stresses that these TAs, who don't just assist courses but teach them, deserve to receive adequate financial support especially because the cost of living is very high on Long Island.
Her message to prospective students in Spanish courses is:
"Knowing another language not only helps you better understand the cultures of others but also fosters respect for their traditions and customs. Being bilingual provides us with an invaluable perspective on the world we all share."
Interviewed and written by Eriko Sato
October 18, 2023