Professor Ronald Friis Writes Spanish Book to Help Students Reach Advanced Levels
3/5/2011
GREENVILLE, S.C.—Ronald J. Friis, associate professor of Spanish at Furman University, has written a Spanish conversation book that helps students bridge the gap from intermediate to advanced levels of proficiency in Spanish.
Doble vía: Communicación en español, published by Heinle Cengage Learning, is co-authored by Tatiana Séeligman, a former Spanish professor at Campbell University.
Doble vía was written to help students reach advanced proficiency levels in Spanish. The book uses a stepped approach to prepare students for global citizenship through self-reflection and exploration of Hispanic cultures and communities.
A video program and online practice extend the topics and structures covered in the text to provide personalized contexts in which students can sustain conversations and improve their accuracy before taking a culture and civilization course or studying abroad.
According to Friis, Doble vía is based on activities he has developed over the past six years teaching Spanish 215 (Conversation) at Furman. The book is a culmination of his study abroad experiences with Furman students and feedback from other professors who have used the text materials in recent years.
“This kind of textbook writing is actually an interesting blend of teaching, research and study abroad,” Friis said. “It was a really fun way to pull together some of the main things we do as language professors into one project.”
Friis joined the Furman faculty in 1999. His academic interests include Mexican poetry, modern Latin American literature and theories of literary influence. Friis holds a master’s and doctorate in Latin American Poetry from Pennsylvania State University.
Doble vía is available from Heinle Cengage Learning at http://www.cengagebrain.com.
For more information, contact Friis in Furman’s Modern Languages department, 864-294-2227 or ron.friis@furman.edu.