Learn to use Spanish in agricultural and veterinary settings
There is increasing awareness of the need for basic, field-specific communication skills in Spanish on the part of animal science and veterinary professionals working with livestock workers and Spanish-speaking pet owners. To ensure operations run smoothly, employees can communicate, and animals get the care they need, it's important for those who work in farm and veterinary settings to learn basic, field-specific Spanish.
This course is ideal for livestock farm managers and owners, veterinary professionals, or students who plan to pursue a career in related fields. If this applies to you, this online course will teach you intermediate-level Spanish language skills to effectively communicate with workers, clients, and others about the animals you manage and care for.
Build practical communication skills
This course is different than typical Spanish language courses. The material covered is applied and task-focused rather than grammar-driven. Lessons focus on functional vocabulary and real-life communication skills necessary for field-specific work interactions. Watch videos, listen to audio recordings, complete interactive hands-on materials, and read selected texts to learn to converse about subjects.
You will learn to:
- Describe common livestock, equine, and small animal breeds and their anatomy.
- Issue and follow basic instructions in Spanish for animal care and handling.
- Describe different areas of animal housing and care facilities.
- Identify and describe animal health status and irregular behavior.
- Issue and follow basic instructions about vaccination and drug administration.
- Issue and follow basic instructions about safety guidelines regarding animal care.
- Explain the rationale behind preventive animal care.
Earn a digital badge to illustrate your knowledge
In addition to gaining valuable skills, when you successfully complete this course, you also earn a digital badge to share among your professional and personal network. Display it on your resume, online portfolio, website, and social media pages to demonstrate your knowledge and skills. Badges expire after three years from the date earned to ensure up-to-date knowledge of practices in the industry.
Learn more about digital badges.
Prerequisite
You must have at least novice- to mid-level proficiency in Spanish, or the equivalent of three semesters of study. Heritage speakers or people who have had Spanish immersion experiences may also qualify. A placement exam can substitute for course prerequisite. For questions, please contact the instructors.
Noncredit courses do not produce academic credit nor appear on a Colorado State University academic transcript.
Important Information
This course is also available as a credit option. See the LSPA 340 course page if you are obtaining an undergraduate degree and need the credits.
Instructors
Maura Velazquez-Castillo
(970) 491-6979
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maura.velazquez-castillo@colostate.edu
Professor of Spanish linguistics. B.A., Languages and Literatures, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay; M.A., Linguistics, University of Kansas; Ph.D., Linguistics, University of California, San Diego. Taught Spanish language courses at the University of California, San Diego, and Spanish Linguistics at Florida Atlantic University, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Colorado State University. She is a faculty member at Colorado State University since 1998; teaches Spanish language and linguistics upper division courses, and graduate courses in Spanish and applied linguistics, including Spanish for Heritage Speakers, Spanish Syntax, Phonology, Vocabulary and Word Formation, Historical Linguistics, Spanish in Contact with Other Languages, and Foreign Language Teaching Methods. Her research interests include functional and cognitive linguistics applied to Spanish and Guarani, the contact and interference between these two languages, and the pedagogy and acquisition of grammar in a second language. She has published several articles in these areas; her book, The Grammar of Possession, was published by John Benjamins in 1996.
Shannon Zeller
(970) 492-4686
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shannon.zeller@colostate.edu
Instructor of both Spanish and English as a Second/Foreign language, Shannon received M.A. degrees in both English and Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture from Colorado State University and a B.A. degree in Dramatic Arts from the University of New Mexico. Though born in the United States, Shannon was raised in Colima, Mexico from age 10. Having faced being immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment as a monolingual English speaker, Shannon has an avid passion for teaching language and fostering productive communication across languages and cultures. Shannon’s graduate work focused on teaching languages for specific purposes, specifically Spanish for Animal Health and Care. She is passionate about creating and teaching classes that address language needs that affect the well-being of both animals and stakeholders in the animal care professions in a positive and inclusive manner.
