Extracurricular Activities

Service learning (also referred to as APPLES) is an integral part of certain courses, taking students out into the community where they engage in activities through which their language skills benefit others. Opportunities include tutoring, interpreting, assisting in classrooms, etc. Students commit to serving thirty hours per semester in courses with a service-learning component.

In recent semesters, APPLES students have participated in numerous service-learning projects which have provided them with a unique opportunity to get to know the local Hispanic community. Students have volunteered with ISLA Spanish immersion Saturday school and contributed to their website redesign. In addition, many students have dedicated their volunteer hours to collaborating with Farmer Foodshare, Kidzu museum, the Orange County Department on Aging, El Centro Hispano’s mobile medical and dental clinics, health clinics at the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh, the Spanish Reading Partner program at Carrboro Elementary and FPG Dual-Language schools and Rainbow Soccer. Students have also created bilingual books and board games which they have taken to the local dual-language schools to read, play and donate to the dual-language elementary school students.

In an additional community outreach initiative, The Department of Romance Studies collaborates with the Dual Language (DL) Program at Jordan Matthews High School (JMHS) in Siler City, North Carolina by inviting seniors in the program to attend remotely select Spanish classes at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Extracurricular opportunities are found through various language clubs, language conversation tables, language or course-specific performances, and publications. Film series, some of which are organized by students, provide learners with a chance to share their special interests with their peers. The language honor societies also bring together students with similar interests for activities. Students in Spanish may choose to enhance learning by residing in the Spanish House living-learning community.