BROWNWOOD, Texas — The inaugural Spanish for Law Enforcement and Social Work class concluded Dec. 5 at Howard Payne University with a special ceremony honoring the students’ completion of coursework.
The curriculum was designed to teach Spanish specifically for application in the law enforcement and social work fields. Although Spanish for Law Enforcement has been offered as a class in previous years, this was the first time the course’s content was expanded to include social work.
It is expected to be offered every other fall semester, taught by Dr. Danny Brunette-López, professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of Spanish and Hispanic Studies at HPU.
Brunette-López presented certificates to the students, which were offered by the Department of Spanish and Hispanic Studies in conjunction with the Department of Criminal Justice and the Department of Social Work.
Recognized for their achievement were Azelia Castorena, social work major; Jaden Elie, criminal justice major; Alli Harvey, jurisprudence and Guy D. Newman Honors Academy major; Taylor Hefner, criminal justice major; Charis Mayton, psychology and the Guy D. Newman Honors Academy; Max McPhee, history and Guy D. Newman Honors Academy major; Leslie Ramírez, social work major; Thomas Smallwood, general studies major; Kendall Watkins, criminal justice major; and Erin Wheeler, history major.
The course gives instruction for real-world language needed to communicate with limited or non-English-speaking persons of Hispanic origin in various law enforcement and social work settings. Class instruction emphasized the importance of future law enforcement officials and social workers creating a sense of goodwill in the Hispanic community. Although the course is designed for criminal justice and social work majors, it is open to students in any field and can be taken as fulfillment of an upper-level course for a Spanish minor.
For more information, visit hputx.edu.
