Academic Information for U.S. Students

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AFFILIATIONS
We ensure the quality of our programs and service through our own internal monitoring and through external accreditation.
Estudio Sampere Madrid has been inspected by CEELE and is qualified by the University of Alcalá. Estudio Sampere has been accredited by the Cervantes Institute.
Estudio Sampere is a founding member of the International Association of Language Centres (IALC) as well as an active member of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP).

CREDITS
Credits for the courses taken at any Estudio Sampere school may be obtained directly from Estudio Sampere as they are now
accepted by a majority of universities and colleges in the US. The transcript is included in the fees.

I. CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY ESTUDIO SAMPERE
All students who are enrolled in Estudio Sampere Schools will receive an Estudio Sampere certificate indicating how many
weeks a student has attended the Program and how many contact hours per week the student has received as well as the dates of attendance. Additionally, the student's grades are included on the certificate. The certificate is given to the student directly on the last day of classes at each Estudio Sampere
School. It must be noted that this certificate is not considered a transcript or a substitute transcript by U.S. universities or colleges. In order to have an official transcript sent directly to your college/university, you must follow one of the two procedures below.

II. TRANSCRIPTS THAT ARE ISSUED TO U.S. STUDENTS DIRECTLY TO THE STUDENTS' COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES
For students currently enrolled in U.S.institutions of higher learning (colleges and universities) who would like to have a transcript from Estudio Sampere sent to their university,
the following procedure must be followed. Before you apply to the Estudio Sampere, you should consult with your study abroad
advisor/faculty advisor/ chairperson of your major department on your home campus and obtain written approval for overseas study. Approval from your home institution should be completed in a timely manner: i.e. by the end of the first week of the Fall Semester in order to attend the Spring Semester abroad and by the f irst week of the Spring Semester in order to attend the Fall Semester or Summer Session(s) abroad. The approval is important by making clear in advance any special institutional
requirements and how credit will be applied at your home institution. You should include this approval along with your Estudio Sampere application. Write the name of the contact
person at your college/university to whom the transcript should be sent together with the exact mailing address and zip code of your home institution in the appropriate space on the
application form. Fax/phone/e-mail information of the contact person should also be included. If you do want to receive university credits, this information must be stated with your
application submission. The Estudio Sampere transcript will include an overall grade (A,B,C,D,F) for the course(s) in which you have matriculated as well as a comment about your effort in the courses. Absences, attendances and the number of contact hours are indicated on the transcript as well. There is no additional charge for this service.

LESSONS
Each class or lesson has a duration of 45 minutes and lessons are normally in blocks of two. Learning Spanish at Estudio Sampere is both enjoyable and serious: punctuality, classroom participation and homework are essential to your success. Groups are small - there are never more than nine students in any group and there are fewer students in many courses.

COURSES

FIRST SEMESTER SPANISH SPN 101 A-B 3 CREDITS EACH
For students with no previous experience in Spanish. A first semester course for beginners which develops the students’ ability to communicate in the language through listening and speaking, reading and writing. Students learn to use the Present Indicative tense to speak and write about themselves and
others. Students acquire basic vocabulary such as days of week, family members, numbers, names of basic objects, etc.

SECOND SEMESTER SPANISH SPN 102 A-B 3 CREDITS EACH
For students with little experience in the language. The course develops the students’ ability to communicate in the language through listening and speaking, reading and writing. Students learn to use the Indicative including the Past tenses. At the end of the course the students are able to provide simple descriptions and narration of present, past and future events. Can write simple short compositions on familiar topics and can read some uncomplicated texts.

SECOND YEAR SPANISH I SPN 201 A-B 3 CREDITS EACH
An intermediate - level course to review basic concepts, to introduce more advanced concepts and vocabulary and to acquaint the students with historical, cultural and geographical information through listening, speaking, reading and writing. The student can use the Indicative tenses, including the Past tenses
with the differences between the Preterite and the Imperfect. They can use Imperative forms and can recognize the Subjunctive forms.

SECOND YEAR SPANISH II SPN 202 A-B 3 CREDITS EACH
An intermediate level course to review basic concepts and vocabulary, to introduce more advanced concepts and vocabulary. At the end of the semester student can narrate, describe and explain in the Present, Past, Future and Conditional. Can use the Imperative and Subjunctive forms with ease. Can understand face to face speech, as well as tapes and radio broadcasts in standard Spanish spoken at a normal rate by a native speaker.

FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN SPAIN SPN 300 3 CREDITS
Survey of Spanish Civilization from pre-Roman times to the present. Includes major historical, political, social, artistic and intellectual events and characteristics distinctive to Spanish culture. Study the civilization of a foreign country in the native language of the country affords the language student further opportunity for practice and development of linguistic skills.

INTERMEDIATE GRAMMAR AND WRITING SPN 325 3 CREDITS
Practice in communication skills in written Spanish, including review of Grammar. It offers the students the opportunity to improve and polish language skills beyond the second-year level. The course will focus in particular on writing communication. Students will acquire various strategies that will allow them to
improve their command of Spanish syntax. In addition, students will engage in a variety of activities to help them develop their writing skills.

INTERMEDIATE CONVERSATION SPN 330 3 CREDITS
With emphasis on pronunciation and oral expression. This course is designed to help the student to develop further the four language skills with emphasis on communication in the target language.

(1) PHONETICS SPN 340 3 CREDITS
The course provides a comparative overview of the Spanish and English sound systems, along with an introduction to the basic concepts and principles of phonetics and phonology. Through the study and analysis of Spanish phonetics, students will discover ways to manipulate their own speech habits so as to improve their pronunciation of Spanish. Course work includes daily reading and written assignments, as well as intensivse oral pronunciation practice.

(1) SPANISH FILM SPN 349 3 CREDITS
A survey of films in Spanish illustrating cultural tendencies in the Hispancic world. Examines major films by Buñuel, Berlanga, Saura... Study of cinematographic technique in Spanish films from 1930 to 1975, in relationship to European aesthetic trends, problems of censorship, production and distribution, and the social context. The films that form the corpus of the couse will be identified, studied, analyzed and contextualized in class.

(1) READINGS IN LITERARY GENRES SPN 350 3 CREDIT
The course seeks to familiarize students with basic methods of literary analysis and with an appraisal of figurative and poetic language. The course includes selected reading materials from each of the major literary genres (Narrative, Poetry, Drama and Essay) and trends in Spain and Latin America.

(1) COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL SPANISH SPN 371 A-B 3 CREDITS EACH
The course offers vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, business letters and customs common to the Spanish-speaking commercial milieu, for students who would like to apply their language knowledge to careers in the business world. The course includes an overview of Hispanic social management and political
developments in Spanish-speaking countries.

(1) INTRODUCTION TO TRANSLATION SPN 385 A-B 3 CREDITS EACH
This course is for students with no previous experience in translation. Students will learn the basis of general translation and review intermediate grammar through adapted short texts. Stylistics concepts, idiomatic and colloquial use of the language.

(1) SURVEY OF SPANISH LITERATURE SPN 400 3 CREDITS
A chronological survey of Spanish peninsular literature, from its origins to the present. Analysis of selected texts from major literary trends and styles. Students will try to define in what ways the individual works are particularly representative of the period in which they are created, in an effort to discern the
principal literary currents contributing to the formation of Spanish culture over the years.

ADVANCED GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION SPN 425 3 CREDITS
A course designed to develop students’ understanding of the most difficult grammatical concepts of the Spanish language. Analysis and practice of advanced grammatical and stylistic concepts, including idiomatic and colloquial usage. Intended to help advanced students achieve a high level of proficiency in written and spoken Spanish.

(1) SPANISH CIVILIZATION SPN 430 3 CREDITS
Spanish milieu: geographical, political and cultural aspects of Spanish civilization. Readings and assignments are designed to create a sequential development of concepts and generalizations about Spanish civilization. Students will write a research paper about Hispanic culture.

CONVERSATION AND WRITING SKILLS SPN 450 3 CREDITS
The course develops speaking skills at the advanced level through a wide range of activities. Students will be able to read at the advanced level, to discuss concrete and abstract topics in Spanish, and to write a research paper about selected topics analyzed in class.

SOME COURSES ARE NOT OFFERED IN EVERY LOCATION
(1) CLASSES ELIGIBLE ONLY FOR SPRING AND FALL SEMESTERS AND SUMMER SESSIONS (JUNE & JULY)

FALL AND SPRING SEMESTERS (SPAIN)

A Semester in Spain serves as excellent preparation for a
professional career in a multicultural world. The immersion in
both the culture and its language challenges the student and
requires that he/she has the ability to adapt to his/her new
surroundings. Estudio Sampere has always very successfully
organized Fall and Spring Semesters in Spain and now the
Semester in Spain is offered in all four Estudio Sampere
schools. Students spending their Semester in Spain can obtain up to 18 credits per Semester. The list of courses, which is very extensive, are in this brochure.
Estudio Sampere offers three or four cycles and each cycle consists of four weeks, with a few vacation days between each cycle, which add up to a total of 12 or 16 weeks to comprise the semester.
The class structure (two or three sessions of 90 minutes daily
from Monday to Friday) and the contact hours remain the
same as indicated in the course title and description in the
course syllabi.
This program is the only one in Spain that allows the student
to change the location of a School (i.e. Madrid, Salamanca,
Alicante) every time he/she changes a "ciclo".
Students may study in a different city during each cycle.
Travel/relocation between sites (Madrid, Salamanca and Alicante) is at the student's expense and is not included
in the overall cost for participants. Additionally, this program
also permits the student to experience living and studying in
three or four diverse regions of the country.

I.- 12 WEEK OPTION: (NO student visa required).
- A 12 week Intensive Spring Semester and Intensive Fall Semester
which include the following:
- An average of 27 contact hours of classroom instruction per week (Mon-Fri).
- Dates: Fall: August to November. Spring: January to April.
- Contact hours per week: 25-30 hours. Three cycles, each cycle
consisting of four weeks.
- Two or three classes per cycle. Up to to 18 credits.

II.- 16 week option: (a student visa IS REQUIRED).
- A 16 week Intensive Spring Semester and Intensive Fall Semester
which include the following:
- An average of 20 contact hours of classroom instruction per week (Mon-Fri).
- Dates: Fall: August to December. Spring: January to May.
- Contact hours per week: 20-22 hours. Four cycles, each cycle
consisting of four weeks.
- One or two classes per cycle. Up to 18 credits.

Both options include the following:
1.- A colloquium of lectures covering selected topics in Spanish culture, society and history, a series of at least eight cultural events (museums, monuments) and at least five field trips, to cities of cultural interest.
2.- A homestay with full board (three meals per day), in double room (shared with another Estudio Sampere student), in a private Spanish home for the duration of the Program.
3.- Full coverage health insurance with Europ Asistance for the duration of the program.
4.- Pick-up at the Madrid/Jeréz/Alicante airport and transportation to the homestay sites on arrival from the US.

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Dates & Prices 2008