Tentative Curriculum
LEVEL A (2 full courses, or 6 credits):
Required:
- Español 201: Gramática, conversación y composición españolas. Review and refinement of grammatical structure, practical vocabulary and syntax. Special emphasis on the development of writing skills. Prof. Marta Vergara.
- Expañol 211: Cultura, arte y civilización españolas. Study of aspects of Spanish history, politics, society and the arts, with an emphasis on the development of conversational skills. Prof. Marta Vergara.
- Field work and practical assignments (afternoons).
LEVEL B (2 full courses, or 6 credits):
One required, except for natives:
Español 221: Gramática, conversación y composición avanzada. Study and review of Spanish on the advanced level, with particular emphasis on complications of syntax, “recto” and “dislocado” uses of the indicative or the subjunctive, ser and estar, conditional clauses, practical writing exercises and conversational practice at the advanced level. Prof. Noelia González Verdejo.
or
Español 321: Sintaxis, conversación y composición superior. Analysis and practice of Spanish at the most advanced level, with emphasis on subordinate clauses and refinements in the use of the subjunctive mode. The most significant and distinctive linguistic structures will be practiced until their use is automatic. Prof. María José García Gutiérrez.
Electives (choose one; two in the case of native speakers):
Español 231: Historia socio-económica y política de la España de hoy. Study of the rapid evolution of post-Franco Spain, with emphasis on contemporary political, economic and social changes, including an examination of the new Spanish government, education, youth, the family, religion, social mores, the role of women, and the country’s European political context. Field work and direct observation of social and institutional phenomena are included. Prof. María del Carmen Moro Luis.
Español 241: De las Cuevas de Altamira a Picasso. Study of selected monuments and masterpieces of Spanish art, including Romanesque and Gothic architecture and the works of the great painters (the anonymous paleolithic artists, El Greco, Valázquez, Goya and Picasso). The classes will coordinate with visits to museums and monuments in León, Madrid, and in northern, southern and central Spain. Prof. Ester González Couso.
Español 331: The Intercultural Way: El Camino de Santiago. Study of the intercultural phenomenon, visible and significant since medieval times, of the Road to Santiago. Theory (history, art, literature, religion) and practice (5-day walk). Prof. Javier Álvarez del Río.
Español 341: Maestros hispánicos contemporáneos. Careful study of 20th-21st Century writers from Spain and Latin America. Readings will include poems by Miguel de Unamuno, Rubén Darío, Antonio Machado, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Gabriela Mistral, Federico García Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Miguel Hernández, Blas de Otero or Gloria Fuertes, and longer works by Camilo José de Cela, and Gabriel García Márquez. Included are lectures and discussions with literature specialists. Prof. Lourdes Zapico..
Each course must have a minimum of six students. In all courses, professors offer weekly individual tutorials. The official list of offerings will be confirmed when the final group size is confirmed. The academic credentials of the faculty are published by separate announcement. While the SIHS utilizes the excellent facilities and selected faculty of the Universidad de León, all courses and professors are arranged by the program Directors exclusively for SIHS students.
INTERNSHIPS (1 full course, or 3 credits, at the end of SIHS)
Additional 3 week internship opportunities (60 hours minimum of real work besides academic duties) for students who have previously expressed interest in this post-SIHS course/activity, and who demonstrate during SIHS linguistic, cultural, academic, and personal commitment, competence and maturity. Internship participants may receive a third full course credit at the discretion of students’ institutions, since the “Práctica” is framed within an academic course (Español 411).