Engaging Hispanic Culture: Spanish Immersion Abroad

Live with a host family in Honduras, Mexico, Peru, or Spain, and be immersed in the life and culture of your host country.

In this three-week intensive course, which is taught onsite by a Calvin professor at one of the collaborating host institutions for the regular off-campus semester programs in Spanish (currently Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Mérida, México; Arequipa, Peru; Oviedo, Spain), students enrolled in the program for high school immersion students who have successfully completed SPAN 300 will be immersed in the life and culture of the Honduras/Mexico/Peru/Spain. Students live with host families and attend lecture and discussion classes focusing on aspects of Honduras/Mexican/Peruvian/Spanish culture and history. Particular attention will be placed on how history and culture inform important social systems such as the economy, political structures, education and health. Students also participate in excursions to important historical and cultural sites and attend religious and cultural events. Student learning objectives are to 1) improve oral and written proficiency in the Spanish language, 2) increase understanding of various cultural and religious phenomena of Honduras/Mexico/Peru/Spain and particularly the city of the host university, and 3) grow in personal maturity and awareness of cultural differences. Students keep a journal with personal observations on culture and on their own experiences. Evaluation is based on satisfactory achievement of course goals, including participation in course activities, and is assessed via a vocabulary journal, reflection papers, cultural reports based on interviews and observations, and a final oral presentation.

Eligibility

This program is open to students enrolled in the program for high school immersion students who have successfully completed SPAN 300.

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