UC Davis Study Abroad, Summer Abroad Spain, Language & Culture in Madrid Program, Header Image, Overview Page

Summer Abroad Spain - Courses

Language and Culture in Spain

On this Quarter Abroad program, you can:

  • Earn 15-18 quarter units
  • Enroll in UC Davis courses to fulfill degree, major, minor, or GE requirements
  • Experience academic coursework enriched by both the program’s location(s) and activities

Note to Non-UC Davis Students:

Students from other UC campuses should consult with their home campus to determine whether courses may be used to fulfill their specific academic requirements.

Host Institution

This Quarter Abroad program is offered in partnership with Accent Global Learning, an international education organization that works with over 50 American colleges and universities to provide high quality study abroad programs. Accent Global Learning students come from all over the U.S. and represent a wide range of ages, education levels and academic interests.

The Accent Madrid Center is located at the Instituto Internacional in the heart of the traditional Castilian neighborhood of Chamberi, near the Castellana and Madrid's financial district. The Instituto Internacional en España was founded in 1892 by a Bostonian, Alice Gordon Gulick. Recently declared a national monument of historic interest, the Instituto Internacional has an excellent lending library, cafeteria, auditorium, adjacent gardens and rooftop terrace.

The neighborhood surrounding the Accent Madrid Center, Chamberí, is a middle-class neighborhood lined with a perfect mixture of broad and narrow streets, all shaded by plenty of trees. A walk around this quiet area in Madrid leads students to such places as the Museo Sorolla, and the sunny Plaza de Chamberi with its 19th century style market. Also, just a short block from the Accent Madrid Center, students and faculty can find the open air museum, Museo de la Escultura Abstracta, featuring sculptures by Miró, Chillida and Colombian artist Botero.

Earn GE credit! Some courses on this program offer GE credit. Expand the sections below to view course descriptions and type of credit offered.

Courses (15-18 units)

You will enroll in the course set below. Auditing is not an option. UC Davis programs are academic programs so participants should expect a substantial amount of course work.

Level 1 - Total Units: 15-16

Introduction to Spanish grammar and development of all language skills in a cultural context with special emphasis on communication.*

  • Spanish (SPA) 1S. Elementary Spanish (5 units)
  • Spanish (SPA) 1S - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Lecture/Discussion—5 hour(s). Introduction to Spanish grammar and development of all language skills in a cultural context with special emphasis on communication. May be taught abroad in a Spanish speaking country under the supervision of a UC Davis faculty/lecturer. Not open for credit to students who have taken equivalent SPA 001. GE credit: AH, WC.
  • Spanish (SPA) 2S. Elementary Spanish (5 units)
  • Spanish (SPA) 2S - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Lecture/Discussion—5 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): SPA 001 or SPA 001S or SPA 001Y. Continuation of SPA 001 and SPA 001S in the areas of grammar and basic language skills. May be taught abroad in a Spanish speaking country under the supervision of UC Davis faculty/lecturer. Not open for credit to students who have taken SPA 002, SPA 002V or SPA 002Y. GE credit: AH, WC.
  • Spanish (SPA) 141S. Introduction to Spanish Culture (4 units)
  • Spanish (SPA) 141S - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Lecture—3 hour(s); Extensive Writing/Discussion—1 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): SPA 024 or SPA 024S or SPA 033. Introduction to history, geography and culture of Spain. Art, history of ideas, and everyday cultural manifestations. Introduction to critical reading and textual analysis. May be taught abroad in a Spanish speaking country under the supervision of UC Davis faculty. Not open to students who have taken equivalent SPA 141. GE credit: AH, VL, WC.
  • Spanish (SPA) 198. Directed Group Study (1 unit, Pass/No Pass grading only)
  • Spanish (SPA) 198 - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    This course includes participation on excursions and tours and attendance to guest lectures. Students are often asked to write reflective pieces. Assignment topics vary by program.

    Directed group study. May be taught abroad.  (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: AH, WC, WE.
  • Spanish (SPA) 192I. Internship in Spanish (1 unit, optional, Pass/No Pass)**
  • Spanish (SPA) 192I - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    * Students may participate in one-unit internships as teaching assistants in English classes in a local elementary school and possibly other fields. A limited number of positions are available. Placements will require a minimum of 6 hours per week commitment on the part of the students. There is a cost associated with this option that will be paid directly by the student to the provider. The 1-unit of internship credit is in addition to the coursework taken through Level 1.

    Independent Study. Internships in fields where Spanish language skills can be used and perfected (teaching, counseling, translating-interpreting). May be taught abroad. May be repeated up to 8 unit(s) however, units do not count toward the Spanish major. (P/NP grading only.)

    **Optional 1-unit internship

Level 2 - Total Units: 17-18

Study of Spanish literature and culture, along with the major developments in the arts and social institutions of Spain. Readings, lectures, and discussions will be in Spanish.*

  • Spanish (SPA) 100S. Principles of Hispanic Literature and Criticism (4 units)
  • Spanish (SPA) 100S - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Principles of literary criticism applied to the study of fiction, drama, poetry and essay of major literary writers of the Hispanic world. Offered in a Spanish speaking country under the supervision of a UC Davis faculty/lecturer. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 100. GE credit: ArtHum | AH, OL, WC, WE.—III. Prerequisite: course 24 or 33.
  • Spanish (SPA) 141S. Introduction to Spanish Culture (4 units)
  • Spanish (SPA) 141S - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Offered in a Spanish speaking country under the supervision of UC Davis faculty. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 141. GE credit: ArtHum, Div | AH, VL, WC.—III. (III.) Prerequisite: course 24, 24S, or 33.
  • Spanish (SPA) 143. Spanish Art (4 units)
  • Spanish (SPA) 143 - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Spanish art and the different historical, sociological and political manifestations that frame it. History of art, including Paleolithic, Roman, Visigothic, Romanesque, Goth, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassic and Contemporary art. GE credit: ArtHum | AH, VL, WC.—IV. (IV.)
  • Spanish (SPA) 148S. Cinema in the Spanish Speaking World in Translation (4 units)
  • Spanish (SPA) 148S - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Analysis of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world through film in translation. Emphasis on the cultural information illustrated by the films; no prior knowledge of cinematography required. Films with subtitles. Offered in a Spanish speaking country, in Spanish, under the supervision of UC Davis faculty. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 148. GE credit: ArtHum, Div | AH, VL, WC.—III. (III.) Prerequisite: course 24 or 33.
  • Spanish (SPA) 198. Directed Group Study (1 unit, Pass/No Pass grading only)
  • Spanish (SPA) 198 - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    This course includes participation on excursions and tours and attendance to guest lectures. Students are often asked to write reflective pieces. Assignment topics vary by program.

    Directed group study. May be taught abroad.  (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: AH, WC, WE.
  • Spanish (SPA) 192I. Internship in Spanish (1 unit, optional, Pass/No Pass grading only)**
  • Spanish (SPA) 192I - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
    Students may participate in one-unit internships as teaching assistants in English classes in a local elementary school and possibly other fields. A limited number of positions are available. Placements will require a minimum of 6 hours per week commitment on the part of the students. There is a cost associated with this option that will be paid directly by the student to the provider. The 1-unit of internship credit is in addition to the coursework taken through Level 2.

Eligibility

This program is open to students who meet the eligibility requirements

Prerequisites

Level 1

No Spanish coursework may be taken before the program begins. Exception only by approval from faculty leader.

Level 2

Completion of Spanish 24, Spanish 33, or the equivalent*

*Equivalents may include a placement exam (into SPA 100) or an interview with the Faculty Program Leader if you are a native speaker of Spanish.

  • Prerequisite Equivalents for Students from Other UC's
  • Level 1: No Spanish coursework may be taken before the program begins. Exception only by approval from faculty leader.

    Level 2:
    UC Berkeley: SPA 4 (Intermediate Spanish 4th semester) or SPA 22 (2nd course for bilingual speakers)
    UC Irvine: Spanish 3B Composition and Grammar (second composition class)
    UCLA: Spanish 25 (Advanced Conversation and Composition)
    UC Merced: Spanish 103 (Spanish Composition and Conversation)
    UC Riverside: Spanish 101B (Advanced Oral and Written Composition)
    UC Santa Barbara: Spanish 25 (Advanced Grammar and Composition)
    UC Santa Cruz: Spanish 114 (Advanced Conversation and Composition)
    UC San Diego: LTSP 2C (Intermediate Spanish III: Cultural Topics and Composition)