Spanish

The Spanish program of the Summer Language Institute offers a unique intensive program in which you can complete beginning and intermediate levels of Spanish instruction in nine weeks - two years of coursework (SPAN 1010-2020) in one summer! This fast-paced program is unique in that all students sign a pledge to speak Spanish only throughout the entire program. As a result, participants leave the program with a high level of fluency and comprehension of the language.

SLI classes meet from Monday through Friday for seven and a half hours a day with three different University of Virginia Spanish instructors. Students meet from 9:00-12:00 in the morning for grammar and vocabulary instruction; in the afternoon class from 1:00-4:00, students receive in-depth practice of the material they learned during the morning class; and in the evening class from 6:00-7:30 students learn about Hispanic cultures and participate in communicative activities.

Attendance in all three sessions (morning, afternoon, and evening) is required of all students, regardless of whether they are enrolled for credit or non-credit. Furthermore, every student, regardless of type of enrollment, must earn a passing grade in each class of the first half of the SLI in order to participate in the second half of the program.

Class time is devoted to the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, conversation practice and interactive activities, and work in the media center and computer classrooms using internet resources, CD-ROM exercises, and videos. The intensive student-centered approach to learning Spanish makes the Summer Language Institute different from most summer language programs. SLI participants find the experience rewarding. However, the SLI program is rigorous and demanding and may not be appropriate for students who have struggled with foreign language learning in the past. Any questions to this regard should be addressed to Professor Scida.

 

Placement:

College policy states that all students who have had previous experience in
Spanish present a placement score before enrolling in a Spanish course. If
you do not have an AP Exam score or a SAT II Exam score, you are required
to take the Spanish placement exam offered at U.Va. You must take the exam
before applying for the Spanish Summer Language Institute. The exam is
available online at:
www.virginia.edu/span-ital-port/spa_und_spa101_stud.htm#placement

In your SLI application, please list your Spanish placement exam score, SAT
II Exam score, or AP Exam score, if you have had prior experience in
Spanish. Applications that fail to do so will not be considered.

For more information about placement in Spanish courses, please consult the
Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese Web site or contact
spa-pla@virginia.edu.

Contact information for the
Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese:
Director: Professor Emily E. Scida
Wilson Hall 130
924-4646
escida@virginia.edu