Advanced Beginning Spanish: From Déjà Vu to Hablo Como Tú

This course is designed for students who have had some Spanish before but have forgotten most of it. Grounded in a thorough overview of essential grammatical, lexical, and syntactical structures, students will work with short texts, videos, and songs by a broad array of authors and artists from both Spain and Latin America—ranging from Alfonsina Storni, Jorge Luis Borges, and Augusto Monterroso to Gloria Fuertes, Enrique Buenaventura, and Elena Garro, among others. The objective is to expose students to the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world and, as much as possible, to “real” rather than “textbook” language. Much of the work will be done online, so students should be prepared to use their laptops; class work will focus on communication, while grammar exercises will be integrated with the texts they are reading. Through role-play and guided group activities, students will gain increased language proficiency in Spanish.  Weekly one-hour meetings with a language tutor are required, and students will have to attend some film screenings. Advanced beginning level. This course is taught entirely in Spanish. It is strongly recommended that interested students take the Spanish placement test in addition to interviewing with the instructor.