Note: A placement exam will be required when you arrive on site.

Advanced

This course is designed for students who have completed or tested out of a minimum of four semesters (or six quarters) of college-level Spanish. However, students must take a placement exam to determine the course level into which they will be able to enroll.

General Objective: To provide a general vision of the main aspects that form the present and past realities of Spain.

Overview:
1. Character and mentality of Spaniards. Spanish archetypes. The daily life and cultural habits. Body language and typical Spanish gestures.
2. Spain geography. Climate, landscape, and geographic comparisons. The Autonomous Provinces.
3. The Spain of the world. The languages of Spain. Diverse cultures. Nationalism
4. Population and society. The young, the women, “la tercera edad,” problems of the Spanish society.
5. Religion and superstition. “El camino de Santiago”
6. The growth of the economy. Products from the country. Livestock, fish, and hunting.
7. Political and administrative characteristics, the state of the law
8. The educational system
9. Contemporary culture. Methods of communication: press, radio, television
10. Sports, leisure, and music
11. Popular festivals, bulls, and religion
12. Gastronomy
13. Spain in the European Union
14. Brief review of Spanish history. Civil war, Franco, and the return to democracy.

**This course requires the active participation and the direct motivation of the students.
**The evaluation will consist of classroom participation, projects, and a final exam.