If you are planning a career in the field of social services, or already work for a social service agency, and want to help Spanish-speaking individuals by communicating sensitively and effectively with them, then the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, has a class for you.
A growing Hispanic population in southwest Arkansas region means an increase in the number of people seeking social services whose primary or only language is Spanish.
Beginning in the fall of 2006, SAU will offer a class for social service professionals who need to better communicate with their clients.
“For the social service professional whose job is to assess, reassure, educate, and treat people, a basic knowledge of conversational Spanish and an awareness of Hispanic culture in a social service context are growing necessities,” said Dr. Elba Birmingham-Pokorny, professor of Spanish at SAU.
The purpose of this course is to introduce and refine basic skills in Spanish (speaking, reading, writing, listening) to facilitate communication between English speaking human services and criminal justice personnel and non-English speaking Hispanic clients.
The course will focus on language fundamentals, as well as the role of culture in the assessment of client’s needs and services provided. Specifically, the course outcomes are the development of cross-cultural skills; the acquisition of social work Spanish vocabulary and useful phrases; and the development of oral proficiency in the context of service provision.
Instruction will cover customs, service vocabulary and phrases, and practice oral exchanges that will assist the student to both understand Spanish immediately and interact sensitively with Spanish speakers. Each course session includes several Spanish dialogues about specific practice situations related to community, mental health and health, and common problem situations.
Pokorny, the course instructor, has had extensive experience in the field of social work. She worked as a case worker with the Comprehensive Employment Training Act Consortium in Portland, Oregon, from 1975-77.
For more information regarding the new class, call 870-235-4206.
