summer spanish language

Quick Info

By Term

• Summer 2013
• Summer 2014

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Program Overview

Spend your summer in the “Paris of Latin America,” improving your Spanish language skills and immersing yourself in local Argentine and Rio de la Plata culture.

Through homestays, student clubs and interest groups, cultural excursions, and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)-based testing, placement, and instruction that allows you to measure the development of your language skills, summer study abroad in Argentina offers you a truly unique academic and cultural experience.

Study abroad in Buenos Aires and you will:

• Improve your Spanish language through placement and intensive instruction based on ACTFL ( standards
• Experience and learn the unique Spanish of the Rio de la Plata region; learn outside the classroom on CIEE class-based and extracurricular trips to cultural destinations within and outside of Buenos Aires
• Enjoy a special overnight educational language trip to Uruguay; visit museums, festivals, and soccer matches
• Immerse yourself in the local community by living with an Argentine family

The CIEE Difference

Coursework

Whether you’re just beginning your study of Spanish, or you’re an intermediate language student, CIEE study abroad in Buenos Aires has four levels of instruction to suit your particular needs and abilities.

Excursions

Enjoy a number of day-long and extended field trips and excursions to various points of cultural interest in and around Buenos Aires.

Travel to Uruguay by boat for a three-night stay in the cities of Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento. In both cities, you’ll visit the historic waterfronts, attend cultural and musical events, and learn about the linguistic particularities of the Uruguayan side of the Rio de la Plata region. Cultural activities are organized and conducted by language level in order to better support language learning and ensure small group experiences.

Immersion

Take part in various cultural groups which provide opportunities to meet other young Argentines and participate in cultural activities organized around a common interest. Current special interest groups include the Fútbol and the Conversation Clubs.

Dates, Deadlines & Fees

We want to make sure you get the most out of your experience when you study abroad with CIEE, which is why we offer the most inclusions in our fees.

• Tuition and housing
• Pre-departure advising and optional on-site airport meet and greet
• Full-time program leadership and support
• Field trips and cultural activities
• CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits

Please note, program dates are subject to change. Please contact your CIEE Study Abroad Advisor before purchasing airfare. Click the button to view more detailed information about dates and fees as well as estimated additional costs. Please talk with your University Study Abroad Advisor about additional fees that may be charged by your home institution when participating in a program abroad.

Program

Application Due

Start Date

End Date

Costs

Summer 2013 (7 wks)

Extended to: 05/01/2013

06/12/2013

07/28/2013

$6,650

Program Date Notes

Program Fees

In addition to the items outlined below, the CIEE program fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, field trips, pre-departure advising, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Participation Confirmation *

$300

Educational Costs **

$4,848

Housing ***

$1,400

Insurance

$102

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

* non-refundable

** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students

*** includes two meals per day

Estimated Additional Costs

Meals not included in program fee

$500

International Airfare *

$1,300

Local Transportation

$125

Books & Supplies

$100

Local government registration/entrance fees

$160

Personal expenses

$750

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

* round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure

Summer 2014

04/01/2014

TBA

TBA

Program Date Notes

Program Fees

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

Estimated Additional Costs

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

Eligibility

• Overall GPA 2.75
• 1–3 semesters of college-level Spanish or equivalent

Recommended Credit

Course contact hours are 45 hours and recommended credit is 3 semester/4.5 quarter hours per course, unless otherwise indicated. Total recommended credit for the summer is 6 semester/9 quarter hours.

Program Requirements

Study abroad students are required to enroll in two Spanish language classes at their level, based upon the results of a Spanish language placement exam given upon arrival.

About The City

Founded in 1536, Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, is often referred to as “the Paris of Latin America.” Within this large and dynamic, yet surprisingly navigable Latin American metropolis, elegant 19th century buildings and café life offer glimpses of a rich history and notable cultural influence from both Europe and the Middle East. With a population of 13 million, Buenos Aires offers its visitors the chance to experience the perpetual cultural intrigue that can only be found in a city of this size and prestige.

Meet The Staff

Andrea Rizzotti

Andrea Rizzotti, Resident Director, supervises the administrative and academic aspects of the study abroad program. She has a Masters degree in Sociology from Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and a Masters degree from FLACSO in Social Sciences and Public Health. Andrea’s academic interests include public health, gender and women, adolescents, children, and family. She has done consulting work and binational research between Argentina and Uruguay, focusing on community empowerment and social participation in dengue prevention and mosquito eradication in the region. Andrea has worked with CIEE since 1994.

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Buenos Aires, a captivating and vibrant port city, is the capital of Argentina. It is known as the “City of Books” for its abundant libraries and bookstores, and as the “Paris of Latin America,” for its mixture of colonial, neo-classical, and modern architecture as well as its ubiquitous theaters and art galleries. The city is a major cultural center of South America’s southern cone. It is world famous for its fútbol (soccer) fans and world-class players. Buenos Aires is also an academic and intellectual center, renowned for the excellence of its many universities, and its long intellectual tradition. All of this takes place in a bustling daytime metropolis with a vibrant nightlife. For all these reasons and many more, Buenos Aires is widely regarded as one of the most intriguing, cosmopolitan, and personable cities in Latin America. Come see why Buenos Aires is such a perfect place to live, to explore, and to become the Spanish speaker you have always wanted to be!

— Andrea Rizzotti, Resident Director

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Carolina Alba Merlo

Carolina Alba Merlo, Associate Director, has worked with CIEE since 1996. Carolina works with the Resident Director to design, develop, and manage the study abroad program. She earned a B.A. in Communications and Social Psychology at the Pichón Riviere Institute, and is currently obtaining a Masters in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with her research interests focused on international education and adaptation processes.

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Vera Cerqueiras

Vera Cerqueiras, Spanish Language Academic Coordinator, earned her B.A. in Literature and Linguistics from UBA and an M.A. from the Universidad de Barcelona in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She is currently pursuing her doctorate. Before joining CIEE, Vera worked as the Academic Coordinator of the Spanish as a Foreign Language Department at UBA.

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Where You'll Study

The CIEE Study Center and offices are located within the urban campus of the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO), an international, inter-governmental organization devoted to research, development, and education in the social sciences fields. The CIEE-FLACSO partnership provides a dynamic academic base for CIEE students, and serves as your home campus in Buenos Aires as well as the place where many of your classes and program events are held.

Housing & Meals

This program offers study abroad students the opportunity to live with an Argentine host family. The home stay option in Buenos Aires includes traditional and nontraditional families including nuclear families with young children, single professionals, young couples with no children, and older couples whose children visit but do not live at home. Housing includes two meals per day—breakfast, and either lunch or dinner. Host families and students arrange their own meal schedules.

Orientations

A three-day orientation session at the beginning of the program will introduce you to the city of Buenos Aires, Argentine culture, and the program. The orientation includes specially-designed sessions on health and safety, local living logistics, and community engagement opportunities. All orientation activities are based on the Spanish profiles of students and are run by the CIEE Study Center student coordinators who use the orientation sessions as an opportunity to create direct relationships with the individual students which each of them monitor and support during the term.

Internet

You are encouraged to bring a wireless-enabled laptop. While not guaranteed, many host families have Internet access in their homes. You will have wireless internet access at the CIEE Study Center and Internet cafés throughout the city. While local connection speeds may not match up to typical U.S. standards, internet is relatively reliable throughout the city. The Study Center also has a computer lab with internet access and printers for your use.

Culture

Cultural Activities

The academic program is supplemented by field trips and excursions to various points of cultural interest such as a day trip to an Estancia and the historic town of San Antonio de Areco where you will share traditional foods, learn about dressage, gaucho skills, and folk dances. You will also travel to Uruguay by boat for a three-night stay in the cities of Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento. In both cities, you'll visit the historic waterfronts, attend cultural and musical events, and learn about the linguistic particularities of the Uruguayan side of the Rio de la Plata region. Cultural activities are organized and conducted by language level in order to better support your language learning and ensure small group experiences. Trips are typically led by language instruction staff that use distinct aspects of the local culture as vehicles for facilitating language learning goals of students and the Program.

Immersion

Cultural Immersion Groups

These groups provide an opportunity to meet other young Argentines and participate in cultural activities organized around a common interest. Current special interest groups include the Fútbol and the Conversation Clubs.

Academics

This intensive summer study abroad program lasts six weeks. All academic activities are dedicated to Spanish language acquisition through formal classroom instruction combined with experiential and cultural education activities aimed at facilitating language learning through active engagement with the local culture. Students complete 15 hours of class per week, delivered entirely in Spanish. Students are divided into different language level groups (profiles) according to their language ability as determined by ACTFL-based pre-program assessments. Participants are evaluated using two methods—the first, an online assessment prior to leaving the U.S., which provides an initial indicator of language skills to be completed and returned to resident staff in Buenos Aires, the second, completed upon arrival to Buenos Aires, consists of written and oral exams in person. Students within any given Spanish profile (level) must complete two mandatory three-credit courses. Content and teaching methods are supervised by the CIEE Spanish Language Academic Coordinator.

Academic Culture

Instructional methods and teaching standards will be familiar to most students who have studied foreign languages on typical U.S. college campuses. All instructors are local Argentines versed in delivery of second language instruction and in ACTFL standards of the levels they teach. Program staff and resources are available to assist students in navigating any challenges faced in adapting to differences in academic culture. Students are introduced to and prepared for the academic life of the program through orientation activities and materials, ongoing advising, and contact and language exchange with local students.

Nature of Classes

Classes are specially designed for CIEE study abroad students only, following ACTFL proficiency standards.

CIEE Community Language Commitment

Students take part in the CIEE Community Language Commitment by speaking Spanish at all times (except in emergencies). This fosters a learning community that contributes to both Spanish language proficiency and understanding of Argentine society.

Grading System

Letter grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, and F are given. Students are assessed based on a combination of participation, papers, oral presentations, and a final exam. Attendance is mandatory and Incompletes are not accepted.

Language of Instruction

Spanish

Faculty

All courses are taught by CIEE and faculty members of FLACSO.

Course Description

Program Blog

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