The Semester in Spain program is designed to offer curricular experiences for students to study in Salamanca for the fall, spring, or summer semesters. Fall and spring participants will be required to take a total of 16-credits and Summer participants will be required to take 10-credits. For all terms, students enroll in a 1-credit University Studies course as part of the total credit requirements. 

All of JMU's courses meet in classrooms at the university. Classes are taught by the faculty of the University of Salamanca and the JMU faculty member in residence. Students are enrolled in all aspects of the academic program at the University of Salamanca and have complete access to student facilities.

In addition, students may also choose to complete a 3-credit internship course (fall, spring, and summer semesters, beginning in 2024) in a variety of fields.

Fall and Summer Curriculum - Taught in Spanish

The curriculum has been created to allow students to meet specific General Education credits and earn Spanish credits toward a minor or major in Spanish. The program also meets the international travel requirement for all International Business majors.

Fall Semester	Summer Semester
5 SPAN Courses (3 credits each)	3 SPAN Courses (3 credits each)
+ UNST 390 (1 credit)	+ UNST 390 (1 credit)
16 credits total	10 credits total

Language Requirements
All students who participate must meet the intermediate Spanish level (SPAN 232) before they travel. During fall semester, all students will take a three-credit intensive language class (SPAN 400S) at the level appropriate to their needs. This class permits students time to adapt to the Spanish language and culture before entering the regular semester courses. All courses offered during the fall and summer are taught in Spanish.

Spring Curriculum - Taught in English

Spring semester is a special term designed for first-years and sophomores looking to complete general education requirements*. Students will select four of the six general education courses offered, plus an elementary or intermediate Spanish course, and UNST 390. Spanish majors or minors may choose a fifth Gen Ed course instead of the SPAN course. All courses are taught in English.

Spring Semester

4 General Education Courses (3 credits each)

1 SPAN elective (3 credits)

+ UNST 390 (1 credit)

16 credits total

*See the full course list for Spring 2024 below. All general education coursework is still pending and has been granted temporary approval.

POSC 200 Global Politics

HUM 252 Global Cultures

ART 200 Art in General Culture

GEOL 102 Environment: Earth

HTH 100 Personal Wellness

SOCI 140 Microsociology: the Individual in Society

Internships

The SIS program offers internships in a variety of disciplines, including:

• Practical experience assisting teachers in classrooms at a local secondary school and providing English/Spanish instructions to K-12 levels (Fall semester only, beginning 2024).
• Interning at the University of Salamanca and providing administrative support within the Department of History or Department of English (Fall and summer semesters, beginning 2024).
• For students in the Health Sciences, Medical Spanish and Nursing fields, an internship with Dr. Jesús Cuadrado, SIS's health practitioner for students, is available (Fall and summer semesters, beginning 2024).
• A four-week internship in Valencia, following the summer SIS term. Students can intern in several industries, such as business, education, communication, law, engineering, and non-profit management, and will be placed with an internship provider for 5 days a week for approximately 30-40 hours a week (Students earn credit as SPAN 490, SPAN 493, and/or IBUS 294)

At the completion of their internships, students will earn 3 credits for SPAN 490: Internship and Field Experience.

See Sample Internship Placements

Courses

ART 200: Art in General Culture (Arts and Humanities)
A survey of art in Spain from prehistoric cave painting through 20th-century art. Emphasis is given to 17th-18th century Baroque and modern artists including El Greco, Velasquez, Goya, Gaudi and Picasso. Visits to Altamira, the Alhambra, the Prado, Toledo, Santillana del Mar and other sites.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

SOCI 140: Microsociology: the Individual and Society (Sociocultural and Wellness)
This course introduces the discipline of sociology and the subfield of microsociology. We examine the mutually constitutive relationship between the individual and society. Questions addressed include: How does society influence how we think, feel, believe, act, and interact with others? What influences the self, social identity, shared social meanings, social roles, and one’s position in society? How do we, as individuals and as members of social groups, recreate, contest, and change society? May be used for general education credit.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

HUM 252: Global Cultures (Arts and Humanities)
This course is an inter-disciplinary study of cultures or regions commonly referred to as non-Western. Students examine diverse responses to enduring human questions at the intersection of local and global cultures. The course offers ways to critically engage comparative views on global cultures and in so doing broaden students’ understanding of those cultures and their own. Sections may address themes that span multiple cultural spaces (such as sports or the environment) or focus on regions.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

POSC 200 (American and Global Perspectives): Global Politics (American and Global Perspectives)
An exploration of political, social and economic issues and structures existing within and between states in the contemporary global community. Students are introduced to alternative approaches to analyzing these issues in diverse cultures and political settings. May be used for general education credit.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

GEOL 102: Environment: Earth (The Natural World)
A study of geological processes causing global change and their impact on human thought. The relationship between some geological processes and life on the Earth is also considered. Not available for major or minor credit in geology. Students may not receive credit for both GEOL 102 and ISCI 102.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

HTH 100: Personal Wellness (Sociocultural and Wellness Area)
Emphasizes lifestyle behaviors contributing to health promotion and disease prevention. General areas affecting health status are identified. Suggestions are made as to how health-related behaviors, self-care and individual decisions contribute to health and influence dimensions of wellness. May be used for general education credit.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

SPAN 101: Elementary Spanish I
The fundamentals of Spanish through listening, speaking, reading and writing. Practice in pronunciation and development of comprehension. Students will work one hour per week in the language laboratory.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

SPAN 102: Elementary Spanish II
This is the second course in the progress of learning the fundamentals of Spanish through listening, speaking, reading and writing. Practice in pronunciation and development of comprehension. Students will work one hour per week in the language laboratory. Prerequisite: SPAN 101.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

SPAN 231: Intermediate Spanish I
A thorough review of grammar, vocabulary building, conversation, composition and reading. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 102 / SPAN 109 / SPAN 111 or sufficient score on FL Spanish Placement Exam. A student cannot earn credit for SPAN 231 after completing SPAN 232.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

SPAN 232: Intermediate Spanish II
A thorough review of grammar, vocabulary building, conversation, composition and reading. Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: SPAN 231 or sufficient score on FL Spanish Placement Exam.
Credits: 3
Offered: Spring

SPAN 300S: Spanish Grammar and Communication
Intensive training in grammatical structures and their application to oral and written communication. Instruction is in Spanish. Fulfills the College of Arts and Letters writing-intensive requirement for the major. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 232 or equivalent.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 307S: Spanish Civilization
Study of Spanish life and culture from ancient time to the present. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 308S: Latin American Civilization - Salamanca
Study of the geographical, historical and cultural development of Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 320S: Spanish Oral and Written Communication
Intensive training in the use of modern, everyday Spanish with emphasis on conversation and composition. Readings in Spanish will provide a context for discussion and writing. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 330S: Business Spanish
Study of commercial and technical vocabulary and trade customs in conjunction with practice in the art of commercial communication including interviews, letter writing and simultaneous interpretation. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 335S: Introduction to Spanish Literature
This course is designed to prepare students in literary analysis of the novel as well as short stories, poetry and drama. All necessary terminology will be studied. Mandatory for all Spanish majors before taking any other literature class. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 365S: Medical Spanish
This course focuses on the concepts, vocabulary and linguistic use of Spanish in the applied field of medicine for future practical application in the professional and volunteered contexts. Students will learn the cultural differences between the medical environment in the U.S. and the Hispanic countries. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 385S: Latin American Drama and Short Stories
Readings and analysis of representative plays and short stories from Latin America. Student reports on selected authors. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 335. SPAN 385S fulfills the requirement for General Education Area: Arts and Humanities, Literature.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 400S: Advanced Conversation and Composition
Discussions deal with topics of current interest. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 320.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 446S: Special Topics in Spanish Literature: Trabajos dirigidos
Students work of any aspect of Spanish Literature under the supervision of USAL faculty. Topics and work vary, ranging from the case study of a work, the treatment of a given topic in Spanish literature, the analysis of a literary movement, the systematic study of the author's work, or a comparative analysis of several writers. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 335.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 465S: Spanish Cinema and Literature
Studies of the structure of the cinema and its relations to literature. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 335.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 477: Culture and Medicine in Spain
This course enables students to acquire greater linguistic proficiency and cultural competence in the medical context through classroom discussions and reading comprehensions. Students analyze historical and contemporary medical discoveries and examine popular and religious beliefs applied to medicine in Spanish cultures. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 485S: Business and Society in Latin America
This course explores the development of Latin American Society in the business and economic contexts and investigates areas such as importation and exportation, the health and education systems, banking and financial industries. Prerequisite: SPAN 300
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 486: Business and Society in Spain
This course investigates several sectors of the Spanish economy, including industry and business related to agriculture, food, wine, tourism, education, retail, and manufacturing in Spain. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 490T/ARTH 314: Spanish Art
A study of the art and architecture of Spain from medieval times through present. Concentration on specific artists, as well as general movements in the history of Spanish art. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300. Art History 314 fulfills the requirement for General Education Area: Arts and Humanities, Visual and Performing Arts.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

SPAN 490/SPAN 493: Internship and Field Experience
This course gives student the opportunity to integrate in the Spanish society through a JMU sponsored internship/field experience. Students will have the chance to work in local schools, universities, medical practices, or in the field of their choice. The experience will allow students to interact with the community through conversation and their assigned responsibilities. PREREQUISITE or CO-REQUISITE: SPAN 300.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Summer

UNST 390: Special Studies in University Studies
This 1-credit course, in which all Semester in Spain students enroll, encourages critical engagement with Salamanca and broader Spanish environments. Students reflect on the meaning of their study abroad experience and its relationship to their academic, professional, and personal development.
Credits: 1
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer