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.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of this course is to provide the student with a systematic and organized view of current day Spain, to understand where we have come from and how we are.

PROGRAM
TOPIC 1--BASIC CONCEPTS
Political system, religion, the languages of Spain, economy and industry, educational system, social problems, Spanish topics, the value of the family

TOPIC 2--HOW TO BEHAVE IN SPANISH SOCIETY
Spanish social customs and cultural differences

TOPIC 3--OUR LOCATION
Spanish geography. Automous Regions of Spain: Andalucía, Castille and León, Catalunya, Galicia, Madrid and the Basque Country. Cultural diversity.

TOPIC 4--WHERE WE’VE COME FROM
Spanish history:
4.1. The Romans and Romanization.
4.2. Muslim Spain.
4.3. Los Reyes Católicos and the Discovery of the Americas.
4.4. The formation of the Spanish empire: Charles I and Phillip II
4.5. The Spanish Civil War, the Franco era and the Spanish democracy.

TOPIC 5--HOLIDAYS AND FOLKLORE
5.1. National holidays: Christmas, Three Kings Day, Holy Week
5.2. Local holidays: The Feria of Sevilla, The Fallas in Valencia , San Fermines
5.3. The bullfights of Valencia
5.4. Flamenco

TOPIC 6--FOOD
Typical regional dishes

TOPIC 7--SPANISH ART
Painting, architecture and film.

Note: The order of the contents of this program may be altered.

EVALUATION
30% midterm exam
40% final exam
30% homework, class participation, and attitude

ATTENDENCE
Attendance is mandatory.

CHANGES
Level changes are allowed only through the first week of the course. Dropping the class is not possible once the second week has started.