Online Courses Courses – 2021 Spring

Students will mainly focus on improving their Chinese pronunciation and tones, learning new grammar patterns and practicing the newly learned grammar and vocabulary. Organized in-class activities include daily dictation, quizzes, memorizing text and completing oral exercises such as retelling stories, making up dialogues, giving presentations, and performing skits. Students will study a variety of texts that reflect topics including culture, simple academic subjects, political issues, as well as controversial issues and events. Students will expand their vocabulary and enhance their grammar rapidly to handle these broad subjects.

Prerequisite: two semesters of college Chinese

Students will mainly focus on improving their Chinese pronunciation and tones, learning new grammar patterns and practicing the newly learned grammar and vocabulary. Organized in-class activities include daily dictation, quizzes, memorizing text and completing oral exercises such as retelling stories, making up dialogues, giving presentations, and performing skits. Students will study a variety of texts that reflect topics including culture, simple academic subjects, political issues, as well as controversial issues and events. Students will expand their vocabulary and enhance their grammar rapidly to handle these broad subjects.

Prerequisite: three semesters of college Chinese

A l'IEFE les cours sont dispensés sur le mode intensif. Les méthodologies mises en œuvre font appel aux pratiques pédagogiques les plus récentes. Chaque étudiant progresse à son rythme et tout est mis en œuvre pour qu'il tire le meilleur parti de son séjour et atteigne le meilleur niveau possible, sous réserve que l'étudiant fournisse un travail suffisant pour que cet objectif soit atteint.

Prerequisite: two semesters of college French

These courses involve a review and deeper study of the structure of the French language and the French culture. Practice of oral and written communication: speeches, discussions, interviews, role-playing, writing messages, statements, letters and stories. Practice of listening and reading comprehension through authentic materials such as news, films and literary texts.

Prerequisite: three semesters of college French

These courses emphasize learning the structure of the German language. Classes are divided into three components: structure, conversation and reading/writing, each of which is related by common topics. The courses include a rapid review of basic elements. Students will also begin to write short compositions regularly.

Intermediate levels of German language: listening, comprehending, speaking, reading and writing.

Students learn to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment); to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters; to describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

Prerequisite: two semesters of college German

This course is the second in a two-course sequence for students with limited experience in the German language. It is designed to teach students the fundamentals of German, focusing on basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through active preparation for/and participation in classroom activities. Grammar and vocabulary is taught in the context of modern German culture in an immersion environment. The courses follow the material as listed below.

Prerequisite: three semesters of college German

Intended to further develop Italian language skills, both oral and written. Conversation, reading, and writing focus on culture and modern literature. Particular emphasis on oral skills.

Prerequisite: two semesters of college Italian

Intended to further develop Italian language skills, both oral and written. Conversation, reading, and writing focus on culture and modern literature. Particular emphasis on oral skills.

Prerequisite: three semesters of college Italian

Elementary Portuguese I am an intensive, four-credit language course designed for students who have not taken any Portuguese courses at college-level before. This course helps non-native speakers of Portuguese acquire basic communicative competence. It offers the students the opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of a language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Grammar is taught in a communicative way. The main emphasis of this course is on communication and, therefore, class attendance and active participation are essential.

Elementary Portuguese II is a four-credit language course designed for students who completed Elementary Portuguese I or have successfully taken one semester of Portuguese at college-level before. This course helps non-native speakers of Portuguese advance their ability to express themselves verbally and in writing, expand their range of vocabulary, and learn to describe, define, compare, and sustain dialogues. It offers the students the opportunity to continue developing their ability to listen, speak, read, and write Portuguese. The emphasis of this course is on communication and, therefore, class attendance and active participation are essential.

Prerequisite: One (1) semester of college level Portuguese

This course is offered to students who have completed a year of college Spanish or its equivalent. They will learn to narrate in the main time-frames, as well as to use the subjunctive mood in the correct contexts. The second part of the track focuses on writing, familiarizing the student with the conventions of different types of written genres, such as descriptions, narrations in emails, blogs or journal articles, formal and informal letters, and expository academic essays.

Prerequisites: Two semesters of college level Spanish

This course is offered to students who have completed a year of college Spanish or its equivalent. They will learn to narrate in the main time-frames, as well as to use the subjunctive mood in the correct contexts. The second part of the track focuses on writing, familiarizing the student with the conventions of different types of written genres, such as descriptions, narrations in emails, blogs or journal articles, formal and informal letters, and expository academic essays.

Prerequisites: Three semesters of college level Spanish

Emphasis is placed in improving the students´ writing abilities with the analysis first, and the subsequent production of different types of texts. In addition, a number of grammatical topics are reviewed in order to enhance and improve learners´ grammatical competence. The extensive reading of short stories will accompany and strengthen the formal instruction.

Prerequisites: Four semesters of cellege level Spanish

Emphasis is placed in improving the students´ writing abilities with the analysis first, and the subsequent production of different types of texts. In addition, a number of grammatical topics are reviewed in order to enhance and improve learners´ grammatical competence. The extensive reading of short stories will accompany and strengthen the formal instruction.

Prerequisites: Five semesters of cellege level Spanish

Este curso de español de nivel avanzado ha sido diseñado para alumnos que ya hayan completado tres años de español y, aunque no presenten problemas de comunicación para realizar tareas cotidianas, precisen perfeccionar su control sobre los diferentes registros del español oral y escrito. Asimismo, este curso ofrece a los alumnos a la oportunidad de ampliar su vocabulario en ámbitos más específicos y técnicos y de mejorar la precisión gramatical en su producción tanto oral como escrita.

This advanced level course of Spanish has been designed for students who have completed three years of Spanish and although they may manage in completing daily tasks and interactions, they still need to improve their control over different oral and written registers. In addition, this course offers the students the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary in specific and technical areas, and to improve their grammatical accuracy in oral and written production.

Prerequisite: six semesters of college Spanish

This course is for the third-year students of modern Chinese language and the equivalent (i.e. those who have completed studying of basic Chinese language at elementary and intermediate level).

Prerequisite: Five (5) semesters of college level Chinese language

The use of Spanish in a business environment involves using variables as language develops in specific contexts. Thus, the dynamics in this course will enrich vocabulary within specific semantic fields related to business methods and therefore will be essential to student's immersion in public spaces in commercial transactions.

Prerequisite: six semesters of college Spanish

This course will provide students with the knowledge of the basic structures of the Spanish language, and the specialized medical vocabulary needed to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients in a variety of health care situations. Moreover, an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences in the health perceptions of Spanish-speaking patients will be developed. This course is appropriate for all health-related disciplines and requires some previous knowledge of Spanish.

Prerequisite: four semesters of college Spanish

This course examines global health issues and health systems from a comparative view. It will explore the health care systems and structures relative to their success in addressing health care delivery, quality, and costs. Students will acquire tools and concepts for analyzing health care systems and will apply them to various global examples. Important global health issues, such as healthy lifestyle, prevention programs, and ethic medical issues will be analyzed, and we will also look at the role of the media.

The course explores health attitudes, knowledge and behaviors of self and others with a goal of understanding the value and personal responsibility for a healthful lifestyle. It will include wide range of personal health topics such as the physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and environmental influences on personal health.

This course offers an introduction to the major issues related to intercultural communication. The main course objectives are to provide students with an understanding of the intercultural communication process, to develop the skills necessary to analyze intercultural interaction episodes, and to reflect on one’s own communicating behaviour in intercultural settings. Emphasis will also be placed on the host culture.

Mindfulness meditation and other similar contemplative practices have garnered significant attention from both scholars and practitioners in the past 15 years, especially as it relates to using mindfulness to treat a myriad of psychosocial concerns. This course will introduce students to the concept of mindfulness meditation, specifically as it relates to health, psychology, and other applications through both didactic and experiential learning. Students will study the varied applications of mindfulness-based interventions with special attention given to psychopathology. Students will also be asked to cultivate their own practice of daily meditation/contemplative exercises while also being led by the instructor on various contemplative exercises.

This course will provide students with the knowledge of the basic structures of the Spanish language, and the specialized medical vocabulary needed to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients in a variety of health care situations. Moreover, an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences in the health perceptions of Spanish-speaking patients will be developed. This course is appropriate for all health-related disciplines and requires some previous knowledge of Spanish.

Prerequisite: four semesters of college Spanish

Whether creating a new enterprise or exploring a new market, innovation and entrepreneurship are essential skills that are in high demand. In this course, you will develop skills in evaluating, planning, refining, measuring, and communicating new ideas within existing or new enterprises. You will learn to use design thinking, agility, and lean methods to solve real problems. You will explore novel/emerging technologies such as blockchain, IoT, and machine learning. You will measure risk, evaluate opportunities, and apply strategic frameworks aimed at driving change and enhancing performance. The course will be taught in cooperation with experienced entrepreneurs from the local community.

This course offers an introduction to the major issues related to intercultural communication. The main course objectives are to provide students with an understanding of the intercultural communication process, to develop the skills necessary to analyze intercultural interaction episodes, and to reflect on one’s own communicating behaviour in intercultural settings. Emphasis will also be placed on the host culture.

This course introduces the theory and practice of the fast-growing field of social entrepreneurship.

The course will focus on guiding students through the process of creating a social enterprise. Students will be challenged to identify solutions to social issues and then develop a business idea that both delivers social impact as well as financial returns. Students will learn how to screen solutions, develop value propositions, analyze their beneficiaries expected experience, identify required activities and capabilities necessary for delivering the promised solution, evaluate stakeholder impacts, frame and scope their venture as well as develop financial success indicators.

The approach to developing, testing, planning and launching a new social business utilized in this course is based on the work of Professors Ian McMillan and James Thompson from the Wharton Social Entrepreneurship Program as well as the Social Business Model Canvas developed by the Asia-based innovation company, Tandemic.

Throughout the course, students will be challenged to look beyond traditional boundaries and critically assess alternative ways of doing business that develop innovative approaches to some of today’s major social problems.

The use of Spanish in a business environment involves using variables as language develops in specific contexts. Thus, the dynamics in this course will enrich vocabulary within specific semantic fields related to business methods and therefore will be essential to student's immersion in public spaces in commercial transactions.

Prerequisite: six semesters of college Spanish

Through this experience, students will develop real-world competencies in new venture creation and business plan development as part of a team of 5-8 students.

The course is composed of two phases:

Phase I: New Venture Creation

1. Develop a business concept and write a business plan: In this stage, the team will assign differentiated roles to each member, including Sales Manager, Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, Office Manager, Human Resources Manager, Finance Manager, Operations and Product Manager, and Purchasing Manager. The team will then identify market opportunities, engage in market research, produce a product or service concept portfolio, design a marketing strategy, and write a financial business plan detailing the business concept, implementation strategy, an explanation of the product or service, and identify financing needs.

2. Raise virtual funding: In order to raise the needed funds to begin business operations, the team will present their business plan to a Board of Investors comprised of business faculty and local business professionals based in Bilbao. The team must convince the Board of Investors of the viability of their concept through a detailed and professional presentation. The Board of Investors will critically examine the business plan and determine the amount of virtual funds to invest in the business based on the persuasiveness of the presentation and viability of the business model.

Course Objectives: Students will explore the process of new venture creation, including opportunity recognition, determining feasibility, planning, securing capital, and team building. They will assess and develop entrepreneurial capacities and gain practical experience through applied entrepreneurship.

Phase II: Business Operations Practicum

Interacting with a network of more than 7,000 virtual enterprises, each member will participate in the management and operations of their virtual firm as an employee with a dedicated area of responsibility; including Sales Manager, Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, Office Manager, Human Resources Manager, Finance Manager, Operations and Product Manager, and Purchasing Manager. Working with an experienced instructor in a permanent office setting equipped with essential technologies to interact with other virtual firms through the Europen provided database, each enterprise will carry out the critical functions of business operations. such as regulatory compliance, developing advertising strategies, purchasing virtual inventory, managing logistics, marketing products or services, managing revenue and expenses, and maintaining financial records.

Course objectives: Students will gain practical, hands-on experience in business operations as well as more focused development in their specific area of responsibility. Through this experience, each team member will develop real-world competencies in international business operations, professional communications, leadership, public speaking, and team-building.

The social and structural hierarchy in India controlled the lives of its people throughout history. The Indian caste system has not only integrated itself into the culture, but it has also been the cause of inequality that has oppressed classes of people for centuries. This course will cover topics such as the history of the caste system, religion, politics, gender, and class inequality.

This introductory course offers an overview of the concepts and methods that allow for the systematic comparison of political phenomena across countries, including government structures, political institutions, ideologies, parties and party systems, elections and political behavior. The use of six case studies -Mexico, Italy, UK, Iran, Russia and Nigeria- will allow students to examine in depth the political life of each of these countries.

With new state-formation, democratization processes and economic transformation in Europe, a (re-) emergence of collective identities constructed along cultural, ethnic and religious lines across state boundaries can be observed. They have the inherent potential for profound processes of renewal as well as for violent conflicts. How do specific ethnic and religious groups, society and politics react? What are existing patterns for managing diversity and what new policy models and programs for management of cultural and social pluralism emerge? What happens to minorities involved in these change processes? In this class students will debate diversity and conflict in civil society to get a better understanding for peaceful and democratic decision-making.

The students will become familiar with basic concepts, techniques and approaches of involved disciplines (cultural anthropology, ethnographic research, migration studies and conflict research) to understand cultural processes and phenomena. Culture and identity in general terms will be defined: Surface and deeper levels of culture, stereotyping and prejudice, racism, and diversity. Students obtain practice in theoretical readings and debates as well as in data evaluation in relation to the study of cultural and social changes, transnationalism and social cohesion and conflict in a modern multicultural society.

For a better understanding we analyse the history of postcolonial Germany and Europe and its cultural and religious landscape, have a close look at migration history and trends in a globalized world. We will then compare political and policy approaches to cultural and religious diversity and conflict in Germany to those in other European countries and focus on different aspects covering migrant labor, political asylum, migration and illegality, migrant settlement structures, formation of cultural and religious communities, daily conflicts and crime.

This course offers an introduction to the major issues related to intercultural communication. The main course objectives are to provide students with an understanding of the intercultural communication process, to develop the skills necessary to analyze intercultural interaction episodes, and to reflect on one’s own communicating behaviour in intercultural settings. Emphasis will also be placed on the host culture.

Students will travel to two sites in Costa Rica to experience topics studied in the lecture. Students must be enrolled in Latin America and Its Cultures (3 credits) to enroll in this course. Students will explore topics including contemporary society, education, the role of gender, traditions, religion, and other cultural manifestations.

Fees will cover transportation, entrance fees, guides, lodging, and limited meals.

This course studies the history of Western European Art from Prehistoric times to the Renaissance. The course has a general introduction and six main topics: Prehistoric Art, Egyptian and Western Asian Art, Classical, Roman Art, Gothic Art, and the evolution of art at the time of the Renaissance.

This introductory course offers an overview of the concepts and methods that allow for the systematic comparison of political phenomena across countries, including government structures, political institutions, ideologies, parties and party systems, elections and political behavior. The use of six case studies -Mexico, Italy, UK, Iran, Russia and Nigeria- will allow students to examine in depth the political life of each of these countries.

The course explores health attitudes, knowledge and behaviors of self and others with a goal of understanding the value and personal responsibility for a healthful lifestyle. It will include wide range of personal health topics such as the physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and environmental influences on personal health.

Whether creating a new enterprise or exploring a new market, innovation and entrepreneurship are essential skills that are in high demand. In this course, you will develop skills in evaluating, planning, refining, measuring, and communicating new ideas within existing or new enterprises. You will learn to use design thinking, agility, and lean methods to solve real problems. You will explore novel/emerging technologies such as blockchain, IoT, and machine learning. You will measure risk, evaluate opportunities, and apply strategic frameworks aimed at driving change and enhancing performance. The course will be taught in cooperation with experienced entrepreneurs from the local community.

Students will travel to two sites in Costa Rica to experience topics studied in the lecture. Students must be enrolled in Latin America and Its Cultures (3 credits) to enroll in this course. Students will explore topics including contemporary society, education, the role of gender, traditions, religion, and other cultural manifestations.

Fees will cover transportation, entrance fees, guides, lodging, and limited meals.

This course studies the history of Western European Art from Prehistoric times to the Renaissance. The course has a general introduction and six main topics: Prehistoric Art, Egyptian and Western Asian Art, Classical, Roman Art, Gothic Art, and the evolution of art at the time of the Renaissance.