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Spanish 4350, Spanish in the Community was developed as a service-learning course
to promote and develop the relationship between the University of North Texas at Dallas
and the surrounding Spanish-speaking community. Spanish 4350 promotes social justice
by providing a pathway for UNT Dallas students studying Spanish to apply their communication
skills in order to assist members of the Spanish-speaking community to achieve their
educational, economic, and/or social aspirations.
Spanish in the Community is a citizenship preparation course geared toward helping Spanish-speaking U.S. residents achieve their dream.
* All instruction and materials are free of charge for community participants.
For more information: citizenship@untdallas.edu
Authentic interaction with native speakers of Spanish
Practice of formal oral and written communication
Active community involvement
Service hours going toward graduation with honors
Extensive knowledge of the Social Studies components for teacher candidates
Immigration process awareness
Bilingual experience teaching adults
In the spring of 2017, Dr. Mara Queiroz Vaughn and Dr. Sheryl Santos-Hatchett piloted Spanish 4350, Spanish in the Community, as a service-learning program in partnership with Rey de los Santos, the Executive Director of the Dallas League of United Latin American Citizens National Education Service Center (LULAC – LNESC) at their Edgefield location.
The goal of the US Citizenship Course is to assist legal permanent residents (LPRs) in learning about the history, geography, culture, and government system of the United States to prepare for the citizenship exam administered by the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). The class had a unique structure, with whole-class instruction led by UNT Dallas professors followed by breakout groups led by teams of UNT Dallas students from the Department of Language, Linguistics, and Rhetoric.
Due to the success of the pilot semester, the course was moved to the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD) in Fall 2017 to accommodate more participants. The course now enrolls over 200 students annually in this free U.S. Citizenship preparation program.
For the academic year 2024 - 2025, the course will be held in-person and online. In addition to citizenship preparation, community participants enrolled in the U.S. Citizenship Preparation Program are also granted legal advice, as well as educational opportunities to improve their English skills, to obtain a high school equivalency diploma, and to pursue a vocational career of their choice. As always, all services are gratuitous, provided by UNT Dallas or community partners.
Currently, the course counts with the support of the following partners:
The course continues to be held free of charge to aspiring LPR community members.
For more information, questions, or concerns, please contact us at the following: