Salamanca

Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain

Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter

Four, Six and Ten-Week Program

The Study Abroad Programme in Spain offers Dalhousie students the possibility of studying four, six, or ten-week programs in one of the oldest universities in Europe, the prestigious Universidad de Salamanca, founded in 1218. The program offers an intensive study of the Spanish language and classes in Spanish language, culture, literature, history, art, business, and cinema. Students have the option to live with host families in university residence halls or apartments.

To apply, students must have completed an intermediate level of Spanish (SPAN 2021.03 and SPAN 2022.03, SPAN 2035 or equivalent) with at least a standing grade of B-. Dalhousie University will grant to those students who successfully complete their classes in Spain up to:

• eighteen credit hours to those students who successfully complete their classes in Spain for ten-week,
• twelve credit hours for the six-week and,
• six credit hours for the four-week program.

Why Salamanca:

Salamanca is an ancient university town situated in the west of Spain in the Autonomous Communities of Castilla and León. Among the various virtues of this city, the study abroad program in Salamanca, run by Cursos Internacionales, intends to highlight its lively, young, and dynamic atmosphere. It has one of the first universities in Europe, which makes it a unique location to learn Spanish.

 Watch a video of Salamanca city.

Salamanca is vibrant. You can feel it as you walk down its streets, full of young people at any time of day or night throughout the year. Salamanca was one of the first cities to understand that bars and night-time establishments were also venues to relax, meet people, and experience different emotions and that the aesthetic of the bar plays a significant role in this.

Mysterious venues are full of fantasy that is well worth discovering. Salamanca is a pioneer when it comes to its concert calendar. An unending array of local, national, and international artists and groups have played at its many musical venues. This is one of the characteristics of the city’s nightlife.

All the students of Cursos Internacionales will enjoy the best conditions and many benefits when accessing different services offered by Salamanca City Hall, thanks to the Salamanca Ciudad del Español student card.

To enjoy all these benefits, students can obtain their cards at the Salamanca Ciudad del Español Student Service Ofice (18 Main Square, Salamanca).

Description of the Courses:

The courses follow a methodology based on communication and active learning of Spanish in small groups of students.

Compulsory course For Four, Six, And Ten-Week Program (2 Hours Daily):

• Spanish Language / Lengua Española

This course aims to improve students’ fluency in Spanish, paying special attention to grammar and vocabulary. Following a communicative and functional approach, the course offers students a wide range of tasks and activities that familiarize them with real communicative contexts.

At least ten days before the start of the course, the student will have to take an online classification test that they will receive by email.

Optional Subjects

For the four-week program, in addition to the Spanish Language/ Lengua española class (compulsory), Dalhousie students can choose up to one optional course. Do the same with up to two optional courses. from a wide range of courses for a total of 6 Dalhousie credits.

For the six-week program, in addition to the Spanish Language/ Lengua española class (compulsory), Dalhousie students can choose up to two optional courses from a wide range of courses for a total of 12 Dalhousie credits.

For the ten-week program, in addition to the Spanish Language/Lengua española class (compulsory), Dalhousie students can choose up to three optional courses from a wide range of options for a total of 18 Dalhousie credits.

Group 1

• Conversation and Composition / Conversación y Redacción

During this course, students work on their writing and speaking skills by analyzing and producing different written and oral texts.

• Spanish History/ Historia de España

This course introduces and analyses the different periods, facts, and relevant figures that, from Prehistory to current days, have been building the multicultural History of Spain. Practical approach through images, texts, and documents.

• Contemporary Spanish History / Historia de la España Contemporánea (Only in the Summer – 6 weeks) 

In this course, students analyze the most relevant events and figures from the 20th century and understand their repercussions on modern Spain.

• Spanish For Business / Español de los Negocios (Only in the Summer – 6 weeks)

This course is designed for students who need to go deep into Spanish, more specifically, focusing on the variety of languages used for business. Particular emphasis on specific vocabulary regarding this area and the main language skills within this domain.

Group 2

• Spanish Culture / Cultura Española

This course aims to help the student understand the different aspects of Spanish culture. The program includes information about geographic, political, and historical aspects and the customs, behavior, and values that form a part of the Spanish character.

• Oral Skills Practice / Prácticas de Destrezas Orales

During this course, students will develop their listening and speaking skills through guided activities which reproduce a variety of real communicative contexts.

• Spanish and Latin American Literature / Literatura Española e Hispanoamericana

This course offers a general overview of Spanish and Latin American literature. Along this course, students get familiar with the different literary movements and the works of the most relevant writers.

Group 3

• Written Skills Practice/ Prácticas de Destrezas Escritas

With this class, students will learn to use their writing skills as a communicative tool. They will improve their writing through reading comprehension and the production of different exts.

• Spanish and Latin American Cinema / Cine Español e Hispanoamericano

This course aims to analyze in detail the narrative strategies thanks to which cinema can be defined as an artistic expression. For that purpose, students will view and study a set of films from Spain and Latin America, fillmed in different periods.

• Spanish Art / Arte Español

With this course, students learn the main periods and trends of Spanish art through History. During the course, students analyze the most important artworks (paintings, sculptures, and architecture) of the Spanish heritage.

Course Equivalencies Examples:

The following is an example of the equivalences; however, it can be changed depending on what the student is pursuing:

Courses	Credit hours	Equivalence
Spanish Language	9 credit hours	Spanish language 3000 and 2000 levels like 2005, 3005, 3035, or 3036
Conversation and Composition	3 credit hours	Spanish language 3000 level like 3005, 3190.
Spanish History or Contemporary Spanish History	3 credit hours	Spanish civilization at 2000 level, like 2100
Spanish Culture	3 credit hours	Spanish Culture at 3000 and 2000 levels like 3520, 3000, or 2105.
Spanish and Latin American Literature	3 credit hours	Spanish and American culture or civilization at the 2000 level. This is not equivalent to any of the literature courses we have in our programs.
Oral Skills Practice	3 credit hours	Spanish language at the 3000, like 3190 or 3005 level.
Written Skills Practice	3 credit hours	Spanish language at the 3000 level, like 3005.
Spanish and Latin American Cinema	3 credit hours	Spanish culture or 2150 or 2155.
Spanish for Business	3 credit hours	2140
Spanish Art	3 credit hour	Spanish Culture at 2000 level

Registration:

• Choose the courses you would like to take and the duration of the program ( four, six, or then weeks).
• Check with the Spanish and Latin American Advisor if the courses and the equivalences you choose are the best to suit your degree. Contact the Spanish Advisor, Cristina Ráfales.
• Prepare the LOP ( Letter of Permission). Be sure to follow all the steps: 
• Send the LOP
• Register in the courses at Cursos Internacionales. Click here to register and select only the FOUR, SIX or TEN WEEKS option.

Accommodation 2022 /2023:

As a mere intermediary, Cursos Internacionales helps the students who so wish with their accommodation management. Cursos Internacionales carefully selects families from Salamanca who host students in a single or double room and provide a full board homestay in accordance with their terms. For more information about this and prices Click here.

Before going to Salamanca:

Before coming to Salamanca, students will have to register and send a request for accommodation. Students must pay tuition fees before the beginning of the course. Students also must check if they need a visa to visit Spain.

Click here for further information.

Undergraduate Academic Supervisor:

Cristina Ráfales

Phone: 902-981-8140
Email: crafales@dal.ca, Spanadv@dal.ca