Alicante Courses – 2025 Summer Sessions I & II

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Studying abroad can be a more meaningful and invigorating learning experience than at home—both inside and outside of the classroom. You may be more curious and alert than you usually are so use this heightened energy to enhance your studies as well as your cultural and geographical explorations. You may also encounter different teaching styles and course processes; be prepared to adapt and to learn.

See below for Hospitality Internship Program details

Courses

You may take three and to seven credits in Session I and three to six credits in Session II. At least one 3-credit course is required each session you are enrolled. Course availability is contingent upon student enrollment and is subject to change.

Click the course title to view course details, description, and availability.

Spanish Language and Literature Studies

Summer language courses are intensive, with three to five credits of Spanish taught in each session. Language courses have a maximum enrollment of 15 students each. Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills is highly recommended to complement Intermediate Spanish I through Advanced Spanish II.

Session I and Session II

The following courses are typically offered during each summer session.

• Elementary Spanish I

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

• Elementary Spanish II

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Intermediate Spanish I

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 200-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 200-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

  Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Intermediate Spanish II

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 200-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 200-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

  Prerequisite: three semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Spanish Composition I

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  The focus of this course is to improve learners´ written abilities through the analysis and the production of different types of texts. In addition, several grammatical topics will be reviewed in order to enhance and refine the learners´ grammatical competence.

  Prerequisite: four semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Spanish Composition II

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  The focus of this course is to improve learners´ written abilities through the analysis and the production of different types of texts. In addition, several grammatical topics will be reviewed in order to enhance and refine the learners´ grammatical competence.

  Prerequisite: five semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Advanced Spanish I

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed for students who may manage in daily tasks and interactions, but still need to improve their control over different oral and written registers. In addition, these courses will offer them the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary in specific and technical areas, and to improve grammatical accuracy in their oral and written expression.

  Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Advanced Spanish II

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed for students who may manage in daily tasks and interactions, but still need to improve their control over different oral and written registers. In addition, these courses will offer them the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary in specific and technical areas, and to improve grammatical accuracy in their oral and written expression.

  Prerequisite: seven semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  Optional three-credit course that complements the development of linguistic competences facilitated at the three-hundred level Spanish courses, focusing in the oral skills in particular.

  Prerequisite: Two semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent, or instructor approval

European, Mediterranean, and Women's/Gender Studies

These elective courses are designed to familiarize you with the region and provide a multi-disciplinary perspective to your studies.

Session I

• Economic and Political Institutions of the European Union

  Summer Session I

  Economics History Political Science 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The subject aims to analyze the past, present and future of European integration, on the basis of historic and economic reasoning. The process of European integration and its effects will be assessed taking into account differences in European Member States economies as well as considering the EU as a whole at the international level.

• Human Rights and Global Development

  Summer Session I

  English 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course introduces the major themes and debates concerning the relationship between human rights and development. The course begins with an examination of the different conceptions of ‘development’, including its evolution in theory, policy, and practice, and its linkages with human rights. Participants analyze the human right to development, which treats development itself as a human right and not just a process which leads to improvement in human rights. The doctrinal and policy implications of adopting a ‘human rights-based approach to development’ based on the ‘right to development’, are discussed along with what such approaches mean, and what are the tools to implement them in the field. Participants will also explore the new streams of critique that have enabled a confluence as well as a questioning of the human rights-development linkages. These include a critical analysis of the successes and failures thus far of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. The role of strategic litigation in the interface between development and human rights is also looked at with the help of case studies from around the world. In the latter part of the course, selected current issues in the human rights-development interface that are salient from a policy perspective will be examined, including the role of trade, finance, investment, development aid, and aid for trade, why we need to address gender inequalities in the implementation of the SDGs and how climate change is addressed in the 2030 agenda and its inter-relationship with human rights and sustainable development.

• Sailing

  Summer Session I

  100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Spanish

  Summer Session II

  100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Spanish

  This class is co-produced by USAC and “Real Club de Regatas de Alicante”. Students will take ten three-hour sessions to learn the critical components of sailing with experienced teachers. All sailing sessions will take place during the warmer weather months of each semester, i.e., from September through October in the Fall and April through May in the Spring. The class will sometimes meet two times per week. Also, the programmed order of sessions is subject to changes for reasons beyond our control, such as inclement weather, waves, strong rip currents, etc.

  This course has an additional fee

• Spanish Culture and Civilization

  Summer Session I

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course will develop student understanding of topics related to contemporary Spanish culture and civilization. Students will build a strong theoretical and historical foundation to effectively analyze life in Spain in the present. This course will first introduce historical events during Franco’s dictatorship, the civil war, and the politics of Spain since the late 1970s. Then, students will have the opportunity to evaluate the changes that have taken place in society related politics, religion, economy, society, and LGBTQ rights. This course will also cover topics related to Spanish traditions, regionalism, and nationalism.

  Prerequisite: four semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Spanish for Hospitality and Tourism Professions

  Summer – Internship

  Spanish World Languages and Literatures 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course will help students improve linguistic proficiency and cultural knowledge relevant to the tourism industry in Spain. Students will develop verbal and nonverbal communication skills through course discussions, simulations, and cultural knowledge through course lectures and readings.

  Prerequisite: four semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Sustainable Development: Principles and Policies

  Summer Session I

  Environmental Science Geography Political Science 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course introduces the main elements of sustainability and its relationship with development and consumption. It provides a perspective of economic and human development in the definitions, scope, and global policies on sustainable development. There is a double focus: analyzing and fully understanding the climate emergency and its impact, on the one hand, and sustainable policies and procedures to set goals (such as SDGs) and measure improvement on the other. The course explores theories and tools for tackling climate change through sustainable consumption.

• Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Spanish Short Story

  Summer Session I

  Spanish World Languages and Literatures 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  The objective of the course is to become familiar with outstanding Spanish short-story writers and gain an appreciation for their most important literary works. Additionally, students will learn to conduct a literary analysis of the works read. To facilitate your literary analysis, there will be a series of questions that review content and provide discussion and essay topics.

  Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

Session II

• Intercultural Communication in Professional Contexts

  Summer Session II

  English Speech Communications 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  The course is designed to develop professional communication skills to enhance your performance in intercultural contexts in the workplace. Effective intercultural communication skills are important in a multicultural society, particularly for those individuals who would be in positions that require effective management of cultural conflicts.

  This course focuses on fundamental conceptual and practical dimensions of intercultural communication in everyday life in social interactions in multicultural environments. It aims at developing an individual’s intellectual appreciation for cultural differences and sensitivity regarding intercultural interactions.

• Sailing

  Summer Session I

  100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Spanish

  Summer Session II

  100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Spanish

  This class is co-produced by USAC and “Real Club de Regatas de Alicante”. Students will take ten three-hour sessions to learn the critical components of sailing with experienced teachers. All sailing sessions will take place during the warmer weather months of each semester, i.e., from September through October in the Fall and April through May in the Spring. The class will sometimes meet two times per week. Also, the programmed order of sessions is subject to changes for reasons beyond our control, such as inclement weather, waves, strong rip currents, etc.

  This course has an additional fee

• Spain Today: Politics, Government, and Society

  Summer Session II

  Political Science Sociology 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course is an introduction to the historical evolution of Spain and the political, social and economic changes that have shaped modern Spain. The course will examine the successful process that has taken Spain from the isolation and repression under the dictatorship of General Franco to become one of the most advanced and dynamic nations of Europe. Topics covered will include the legacy of Francoism the transition to democracy, the political system, and the economic, social and cultural transformations of Spain. The course will also address the challenges in the economy, job market, welfare state, feminism and the role of women in society, immigration, and youth emancipation.

• Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Spanish Poetry

  Summer Session II

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  In this course, students will learn about the most relevant authors and great masterworks of Spanish poetry, from the last decade of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century in Spain. Students will understand the immersion of the studied poets in their social, political, and historical situations. In addition to reading and interpreting the meaning of a broad selection of works, students will learn familiarity with the different poetic forms, learn to analyze meter, and will gain fluency in interpreting metaphoric language.

  Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu

Hospitality Internship Program

• Term: Summer Session I & II (8 weeks) Students must complete both summer sessions
• Deadline: March 15, 2025 (late applications may be considered)
• Program fee: See Summer Internship Budget Sheet

Apply Now

For more information on eligibility requirements and application process see the USAC internship page