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San Sebastián Courses – 2026 Summer Session II

Academics

San Sebastián offers an immersive environment for Spanish language acquisition, supported by the city’s rich cultural traditions and strong academic infrastructure. Its location in the Basque Country provides unique opportunities to study regional identity, intercultural dynamics, and the relationship between culture and human behavior. The city’s diverse social settings and high quality of life create an ideal context for applied learning in psychology and cultural studies.

You will enroll in three to seven credits in Session I and/or three to six credits in Session II. At least one 3-credit course is required each session you are enrolled. No prior knowledge of Spanish is required for the program, though taking a language course while you are abroad is encouraged for a richer cross-cultural experience.

SUMMER SESSION I COURSES SUMMER SESSION II COURSES

Courses Offered

Course availability is contingent upon scheduling constraints, meeting enrollment minimums, and is subject to change. View course details and descriptions.

Courses marked with an asterisk* are taught in Spanish

Summer Session I

Spanish Language

  • Elementary Spanish I*
  • Elementary Spanish II*
  • Intermediate Spanish I*
  • Intermediate Spanish II*
  • Spanish Composition I*
  • Spanish Composition II*
  • Advanced Spanish I*
  • Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills*

Psychology, Basque & Spanish Studies

  • Basque Language and Culture
  • Contemporary Spain: 1970-Present*
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Food and Culture
  • Spanish Culture and Civilization*
  • Surfing

Summer Session II

Spanish Language

  • Elementary Spanish I*
  • Elementary Spanish II*
  • Intermediate Spanish I*
  • Intermediate Spanish II*
  • Spanish Composition I*
  • Spanish Composition II*
  • Advanced Spanish I*
  • Advanced Spanish II*
  • Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills*

Psychology, Basque & Spanish Studies

  • Intercultural Communication
  • Positive Psychology
  • Surfing
  • Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Spanish Poetry*

U.S. Visiting Professors

While most USAC courses are taught by local faculty, the following U.S. professors will also teach in this program:

Summer Session I, 2026

Course: Food and Culture

Mariann Vaczi, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno

Dr. Vaczi is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno where she has taught courses on Sport, Culture, Society, and Communication from the Anthropological perspective. She has lived abroad in 5 different countries and can speak 7 languages while also studying abroad 3 times during school. Dr. Vaczi has earned Honorable Mention Award on her first book and is the 2025 William A. Douglass Chair of Etxepare Institute. These experiences have provided her a passion for showing global perspectives to students in the classroom.

Summer Session II, 2026

Course: Positive Psychology

Andres Garcia-Penagos, Ph.D., California State University, Chico

Andres Garcia-Penagos is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at California State University, Chico where he teaches School Psychology, Psychology of Food and Eating, and other courses. His research emphasizes collaboration with his colleagues in Kinesiology, Nutrition, etc. Professor Garcia-Penagos has taught seminars and presented in Columbia, Mexico, and Brazil. He is passionate about offering students the unique opportunity to learn through cultural immersion and global engagement.

USAC Course Descriptions

Click the course title to view course details, description and availability. To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu

  • 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

  • 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

  • Summer Session I
    Anthropology Basque 300-level 3 credits Taught in English and Basque

    This course will touch on the history and evolution of one of the oldest languages in the world, the mythology and symbolism of the Basques, and their traditions and culture. General notions of the language will be presented, explaining why this language is of such interest today to linguists and anthropologists. Basic conversational Basque skills will be studied, and students will have the opportunity outside of class to interview and practice with local native speakers.

  • Summer Session I
    Sociology Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

    This course focuses on the complexity of contemporary Spanish life and the profound political, economic, social, and cultural changes that Spain has undergone in the last century. Special attention will be paid to the Franco regime, the post-Franco transition to democracy, and Spain's integration into the European Union.

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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Summer Session I
    Psychology 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

    Students will explore the concept of emotional intelligence, its definition, and its historical and empirical constitution. We will study the skills that form the emotional intelligence ability model and the relevance of this kind of intelligence to use emotional information for people´s daily lives and the development of groups. In addition, we will analyze the bases that sustain the growth of the field and the aspects that favor its suitable development through the different stages of life. Finally, the course includes cases and situations to analyze how emotional intelligence can promote a person´s adaptation to different circumstances and emotional experiences. Students will focus on practical orientations to improve emotional abilities, both in themselves and others.

  • Summer Session I
    Anthropology Nutrition 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

    Food is a topic with which every student of every ethnicity has personal experience; it is so common that its cultural connotations tend to be overlooked. Food is often an area related to strong identity, whether positive or negative, of one’s ancestry. Cuisines are not just about sustenance, but also about cultural symbols that bind together people in ritual and as a community. How one participates in the act of eating (when/how) and why certain foods are to be prepared are learned and understood at the table.

    This course explores connections between what we eat and who we are through cross-cultural study of how personal identities and social groups are formed via food production, preparation, and consumption. Several films will be used to discuss specific topics, such as festivals/rituals and food as family/community. Moreover, our topics and readings will be eclectic: food taboos; gender and kinship, voice and identity, symbolic and expressive culture, feasts, festivals, fasts, famine, religion and spirituality, race and ethnicity, nationalism, class and social stratification, politics of globalization, among others. Then, we will focus on foodways in Italy, using the tools of anthropology, history, geography, sociology, journalism, and marketing.

  • Summer Session II
    Speech Communications 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

    This course explores the complexities of intercultural communication, examining how cultural identities shape and influence human interaction. Drawing on insights from foundational texts in the field, students will investigate cultural norms, communication patterns, and barriers to intercultural understanding. Through case studies, discussions, reflective and theoretical analysis, the course emphasizes the impact of language, history, values, politics, economy, or beliefs and practices on verbal and nonverbal intercultural communication. Students will develop skills in cultural empathy, critical self-reflection, and adaptive communication, preparing them to navigate diverse cultural settings effectively.

  • 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

  • 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

  • Summer Session II
    Psychology 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

    This course will focus on the field of research termed Positive Psychology, that studies how to thrive. The focus of this research is on the development of positive emotions, including happiness. This course will help students examine the science to answer fundamental questions of fulfillment – including values assessment, mindfulness, relationships and creativity. The course will address how humans find meaning and wellbeing, as well as explore how cultural influences shape happiness and meaning in different countries. We will explore the up-to-date scientific research on what makes individuals live more meaningful and more satisfying lives.

  • 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

  • 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

  • Summer Session I
    Spanish 300-level 1-3 credits Taught in Spanish
    Summer Session II
    Spanish 300-level 1-3 credits Taught in Spanish

    This course is designed to improve the knowledge, listening, and expressive capabilities of language students. Students will not only learn necessary vocabulary to express themselves in daily situations, but they will also learn to navigate more complex situations through conversation and free discussion of contemporary topics, using visual material, listening comprehension exercises, articles, and other course materials. The objective of the course is to facilitate the acquisition of language necessary to express oneself in daily situations.

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

  • Summer Session I
    Anthropology Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

    This course will develop student knowledge of significant geographic, historical, social, economic, and artistic events that have taken place in Spain, starting with the settlers of the Iberian Peninsula. Students will develop a solid theoretical and historical foundation to analyze events throughout Spain’s history effectively. Some topics include the Christian-Islamic cohabitation, the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Neoclassic period, and significant events from the nineteenth/twentieth centuries and the modern period.

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

  • 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 course will introduce students to the sport of surfing. Students will meet twice a week for three-hour sessions. No equipment required.

    This course has an additional fee

  • Summer Session II
    Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

    This course offers the study of selected poems from the most relevant contemporary Spanish poets, from the Generation of 98 to the latest publications of the 21st Century. We will view the poets and their poems in their social, political and historical contexts. Throughout the course, we will study different poetic responses to similar historical circumstances to understand not only the poets themselves, but also to understand the aesthetic pleasure of poetry.

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

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