Introduction to Spanish Phonetics and Pronunciation In this course we will study the sound system of Spanish with the aims of introducing the fields of phonetics and phonology while improving pronunciation. Students will become familiar with phonetic transcription, comparing and contrasting articulatory and acoustic characteristics of Spanish as well as English in order to understand and implement different phonological patterns produced by native speakers of Spanish. Additionally, we will discuss major pronunciation differences across the Spanish-speaking world.

Intermediate Spanish II A course for students seeking to perfect their academic writing skills in Spanish. The course is also an introduction to literary analysis and critical writing and will include reading and oral discussion of literary texts. The course will also include a thorough review of grammar at a fairly advanced level. This course may be used to fulfill the foreign languages distribution requirement.

Introduction to Spanish Phonetics and Pronunciation In this course we will study the sound system of Spanish with the aims of introducing the fields of phonetics and phonology while improving pronunciation. Students will become familiar with phonetic transcription, comparing and contrasting articulatory and acoustic characteristics of Spanish as well as English in order to understand and implement different phonological patterns produced by native speakers of Spanish. This analysis is both phonetic and social, in that students learn the social meanings of different pronunciation patterns across these Spanish-speaking countries as they relate to race, ethnicity, class, education, gender, age, and other social factors. Additionally, we will discuss major pronunciation differences across the Spanish-speaking world.

Beginning Spanish I This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of grammar and focuses on the development of four skills in Spanish: comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis will be placed on active communication aimed at the development of oral and comprehension skills. This course is for students who have not previously studied Spanish. Students are expected to continue with SPAN 0102 and SPAN 0103 after successful completion of SPAN 0101.

Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics This course is an introduction to the theory and methodology of linguistics as applied to the study of Spanish. The course’s goals are to understand the basic characteristics of human language (and of Spanish in particular), and to learn the techniques used to describe and explain linguistic phenomena. We will study the sound system (phonetics/phonology), the structure of words (morphology), the construction of sentences (syntax), as well as the history and sociolinguistic variation of the Spanish language, as spoken in communities in Europe, Latin America, and Northern America. We will examine texts, speech samples, and songs, illustrating these linguistic phenomena.

Advanced Conversation In this course we will focus on the development of oral skills in Spanish at the advanced level. Students will also be exposed to cultural context in Spanish, through which they will be introduced to social and political trends in the Spanish-speaking world. Through oral exams, presentations, debates, and other forms of oral assessment, students will deepen their oral skills, as well as their understanding and production of oral expression in the target language. The course will give special attention to communicative skills in Spanish, particularly speaking (including pronunciation) and listening. The instructor may choose specific grammar points for review when necessary.

Marcos Rohena-Madrazo

Reviews and ratings for Marcos Rohena-Madrazo at Middlebury College.Marcos Rohena-Madrazo teaches Intro Span Phonetics/Pronunc., Intermediate Spanish II, Beginning Spanish I and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Marcos Rohena-Madrazo good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Marcos is very accommodating. He would be willing to remove one of these essays if folks get too stressful with work. I also loved his way of teaching grammar. I found his charts illustrating tenses very effective. Definitely recommend taking this course with Marcos.

Marcos is great, I love his energy. The course itself is definitely a department structured grammar course, so it was definitely boring and dense at times, but Marcos tried to keep it as interesting as possible.  I enjoyed class discussions and assignments, although writing the essays was certainly challenging.  My Spanish definitely improved.

This was a grammar class, which can be inherently boring, but Marcos was very enthusiastic and did his best to make the class environment interesting and engaging. The papers took me a long time, but were helpful for assessing my understanding of the material. 