Southern State Community College has announced the launch of its new online French and Spanish language courses, designed for individuals seeking to learn a new language from the comfort and convenience of their own homes. These courses begin on Aug. 21 — the start of the fall semester.
In today’s interconnected world, being multilingual is increasingly advantageous for personal growth, career prospects and fostering cultural understanding.
These courses will offer a dynamic and interactive learning experience for the students. Learners will have the opportunity to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills through engaging lessons and interactive exercises all while being led by qualified and experienced instructors.
Teaching French online courses is Danielle Coulson of Montana. She is a certified French and psychology instructor originally from Ohio. This upcoming school year marks her ninth year of teaching overall. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with her master’s degree in French in 2017. At UC, Coulson taught introductory French courses for two years and did private tutoring. Before UC, she attended The Ohio State University and received her bachelor’s degree in French. She has had the pleasure of studying abroad in Nantes, France, and hopes to one day go back to visit there in the summer months. In her free time, she enjoys cycling classes. Coulson and her husband live active lifestyles, so you will catch them doing anything fun and outdoors.
Teaching Spanish online courses is professor Germán Alejandro-Díaz of Maryland. Alejandro-Díaz was born in Guayama, a city on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. He holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a minor in history and a master’s degree in curriculum and teaching in history from the University of Puerto Rico. He also holds a Master of Arts degree in romance languages with a concentration in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of New Orleans. Alejandro-Díaz has 24 years of experience teaching in high school and 22 years as a university professor. He is currently an assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), serves as a Spanish instructor for Xtenfer Consulting, Inc. DBA Feature Languages, and collaborates with the Baltimore Curriculum Project teaching Spanish to parents and teachers in the Baltimore area.
“I am very pleased and excited to bring back a variety of world languages to the college,” said Southern State Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Erika Goodwin. “With the opportunity to do these completely online, we have the advantage of offering a diverse set of instructors to teach these courses.”
The college will continue to also offer American Sign Language online, face-to-face, and through the College Credit Plus Program as another language course option.
Those interested in learning more about these courses and signing up are encouraged to call Southern State at 800.628.7722, ext. 2825.
Submitted by Elizabeth Burkard, director of marketing, SSCC.
