Spanish in Costa Rica

June 28 – July 30, 2009

Program Cost: $2,500.00

Modern Language Studies Abroad (MLSA) and the University of Memphis are working in conjunction to offer an undergraduate and graduate program for students interested in studying the language, literature, culture and civilization of Latin America. The host university will be the University of Costa Rica, which has an enrollment of 33,000 students, and is located on the east side of the city of San Jose.

The program is open to students, teachers and individuals who will benefit from the cultural experience.  Evidence of good health will be required.

All courses are taught by faculty members of the Universidad de Costa Rica.  A program director will be in residence to counsel, supervise and assist U of M students.

Classes
All classes will be conducted in the morning; Monday through Friday from 8-1pm.  Classes will accommodate students at the following levels; beginner, intermediate, advanced, graduate and undergraduate.

Graduate-undergraduate credits
Students can receive a maximum of six graduate or undergraduate credits during the summer program.  Students can take classes for credit or non-credit.  The fee will be the same.

Housing and meals
Students will be housed in Costa Rican families in San Jose.  Families provide two meals a day, laundry service, and conversation in a Spanish-speaking environment.  Students will be placed with families close to the University or areas with easy transportation access to the University.

Activities
Students are free in the afternoon, however, the program will organize some visits to museums and other activities for interested students.  The program will also organize one-day excursions to beaches and a volcanic site, etc.  (cost of optional tours is approximately $100-200)

Program Price
The program price is $2,500. The price includes tuition and 6 credit hours at the University of San Jose, application fee, home-stay with single room, 2 meals a day, some tours and filed trips. The price does not include round trip airfare to Costa Rica, medical insurance and personal expenses.

Application Deadline
Applications are due on March 15, 2009. Late applications will be accepted if there are available spots.

Course Description
All classes meet from 8:00am to 1:00pm

Beginning Spanish 101 (6 credits): Equivalent of the first and second semester Spanish for college Spanish. Designed for students with no formal training in Spanish. Students will study basic aspects of Spanish grammar and structure with emphasis in speaking.

Beginning Spanish II I02 – (6 credits): Second and third semester of college Spanish. Designed for students with at least one semester of Spanish or the equivalent with a minimum C grade. Students will study the basic structure and grammar of Spanish language to achieve competency in written and oral form.

Intermediate Spanish I 203 – (6 credits): The equivalent of third and fourth semester of college Spanish. Further development of audio-lingual skills, increased command of written Spanish, and acquisition of greater reading speed and comprehension.  Further acquisition of grammatical principles combined with varied readings and lectures on literary and cultural topics.

Intermediate Spanish II – 204 (6 credits): It is the equivalent of the fourth and fifth semester of college Spanish.

Spanish Composition I - 315 (3 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 204. The essentials of Spanish grammar as applied in composition ore studied.

Spanish Composition II – 415 (3 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 315. Class can be taken simultaneously with 320 or 420. Students further develop writing skills and learn to apply more complex grammar and vocabulary in composition with emphasis on refinement and precision. Includes theory, practice and evaluation.

Spanish Conversation I – 320 (3 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 204. Intensive practice in Spanish conversation. Pattern practice, preparation and delivery of dialogues and topical talks. Basic phonetics and practice in pronunciation.

Spanish Conversation II 420 – (3 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 320. Continued and more advanced practice in Spanish conversation. Student are encouraged to study contemporary culture as a basis for their conversations.

Advanced Spanish 410 – (6 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 204
Intensive practice in Spanish conversation. Drill in syntax, idiomatic constructions.  Concentrates on the development of greater fluency and oral comprehension, conversation skills and grammar.

Latin American Culture and Civilization – 430 (3 credits): Prerequisites: Spanish 315 or 320. Spanish-American cultural heritage and the development of social and political institutions. Cultural heritage from Spain and pre-Colombian civilizations.

Introduction to Latin-American Literature – 450  (3 credits): Prerequisites: Spanish 204, 315 or 320. Introductory study of the development of Spanish American literature from the early chronicles to contemporary authors. 

Graduate Classes
Students should have a B.A degree in Spanish to enroll in these courses.

Spanish 510 – (6 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 410
Intensive practice in Spanish conversation at the graduate level. Drill in syntax, idiomatic constructions. It consists of grammar and conversation.

Advanced Composition – 515 (3 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 315, 415
Advanced training in composition. Topics will include nature, travel humor, fiction, poetry, drama.

Advanced Conversation – 520 (3 credits): More advanced practice in conversation. Talks based on material given in class. Students are encouraged to study contemporary culture and literature as basis for their topics of conversations and to promote class discussions. Emphasis on colloquial Spanish.

Spanish American Literature – 550 (3 credits): Prerequisite: Spanish 450
An intensive study of particular literary movements. Selected representative major works of classical and contemporary Latin American authors are studied.

Topics in Latin American Civilization I, II, III – 530 (3 credits): Prerequisites: Spanish 430. The study of modern Latin American life with regard to the social institutions and customs. The development of the cultural life of the Latin American people, as reflected in the geography, history, music, art, literature, government and political institutions.

Literature of Costa Rica – 560 (3 credits): Major works and authors’ representative of the literature of Costa Rica will be studied.

The Novels of Gabriel Garcia Marquez – 5261 (3 credits)
The most representative works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez will be studied.

The Poems of Jorge Luis Borges – 5263 (3 credits): In-depth study of the poetry of Jorge Luis Borges

Spanish Linguistics –  580 (3 credits): In-depth study of the Spanish in Latin America: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Lexicon.

Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language - 585 (3 credits)
Comprehensive study of the techniques and approaches to teaching of Spanish as a second language.

Literature and Grammar for AP Spanish Instructors – 590
Hispanic literature for teachers of AP. This course is designed for high school teachers of Spanish in the AP literature program.

Women in Latin American Literature –595 (3 credits)
Students will examine two fundamental aspects of Hispanic-American literature; on the one hand, the representations of femininity in selected texts of renowned male and female authors of the 20th Century, and, on the other hand, the aesthetics, social and cultural aspects related to feminine authorship.