Kichwa (Quechua)-Language Instruction
The LAI is committed to supporting the instruction of less commonly taught Latin American languages as a means of training the next generation of Latin America specialists. The LAI has supported the teaching of Kichwa (Quechua) at UCLA for over 20 years.
Luz Maria De la Torre, Kichwa Lecturer of Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Latin American Institute
Students sharing their knowledge of the Kichwa language and culture to conference attendees (Spring 2013).
Kichwa students (Spring 2014) participating in an academic and cultural activity.
Kichwa, the variety of the Quechua language spoken in Ecuador, has been offered at UCLA for over two decades. Since 2009, courses have been offered in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, taught by Luz Maria de la Torre (http: //www.spanport.ucla.edu/people/322-luz-maria-de-la-torre.html).
The Quechuan languages were the predominant languages spoken in the Inca Empire and are still spoken by around 10 million people in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Together with Spanish and Shwar, Kichwa is an official language for intercultural relations in Ecuador. The Kichwa program offers a three-course sequence in Elementary Kichwa and a three-course sequence in intermediate/advanced Kichwa in which students learn about the indigenous Quechua/Kichwa culture through language acquisition. In addition, students learn through creative projects such as translation, writing poetry, analyzing music, film-making, gastronomy, and campus events.
Published: Friday, September 7, 2012