Español así! Curso de perfeccionamiento de lenguaje y metodología para docentes de español como lengua extranjera.

Español así! is a course designed for Spanish language instruction specialists who desire to improve their communicative and theoretical level in the language as well as their teaching techniques.  This intensive course reviews advanced grammar; the current use of the language in Spanish-speaking countries; regional and registry variations; the latest changes to the official grammar approved by the Royal Academy of Spanish; and affords participants practice in the latest teaching techniques which take advantage of strategies used in total immersion study-abroad programs for providing a real linguistic experience.

1. Communicative Spanish for teaching and networking with colleagues.
2. Advanced grammar topics.
3. Standard Spanish and regional variations.
4. Registry variations in Spanish.
5. Evolution of the Spanish language and the role of the Royal Academy of Spanish in the latest changes to the official grammar.
6. A constructivist approach to Spanish language instruction.
7. Differences in teaching Spanish as a second language in a non-speaking country and in a total immersion study abroad setting.
8. Total immersion program techniques and how they can be applied to in-country programs.
9. How to manage context and linguistically heterogeneous groups of students.
   

Duration: 3 weeks
Dates: June 4 – 21, 2012
Classes per week: Four classes per week (each class lasts 5 hours with a 20-minute break)
Class days: Monday through Thursday

The ITESO Foreign Language Center prides itself on its experienced and highly qualified faculty. Program faculty are professional educators in Spanish as a foreign and as a second language as well as bilingual specialists in specific content areas. The director and key staff members are bilingual.

ITESO is the Jesuit university of Guadalajara in Mexico. Founded in 1957, it belongs to the network of over 200 Jesuit universities around the world. It shares with them a 450-year-old educational tradition, and is historically located at the focal point of world thought and recognized for its preparation of leaders in all fields of the arts and sciences.

• 100 acres of land with 42 buildings, gardens and tree lined avenues
• Library with over 650 thousand volumes and access to digital data banks
• Infirmary
• Chapel
• Bank, travel agency, bookstore, stationery store, copy centers
• IT centers, audiovisual center and wireless Internet access
• Multimedia language laboratory
• 4 auditoriums with seating for 6,000
• Athletics and health center, fitness training, tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, track

A certificate of satisfactory course completion will be issued at the end of the course.

Selected Mexican families living close to the ITESO campus host participants on a private room basis. This living situation, where the visitor becomes another member of the family, will enhance your cultural experience in Mexico. The plan includes three meals per day from Monday through Friday and two meals on Saturday and Sunday. There is access to TV, cable TV, wireless Internet and laundry facilities. There is an additional fee for vegetarian meals or special dietary requests.

The course program includes two guided Friday morning tours selected by the group. The options include:

• The Franciscan Route, which follows the route taken by the Franciscans in the conquest of the New World, with visits to churches exemplifying the religious syncretism and to the shops of artisans along Cajititlán Lake.
• The Historic Center of Guadalajara known for its blend of colonial and modern buildings.
• The Chapala-Ajijic area along Mexico’s largest lake surrounded by mountains.
• San José Hacienda in Amatitán, Jalisco, with a tour of the Herradura distillery and lunch at the hacienda.
  

You are required to have medical and accident insurance during your stay in Mexico.  This program does not provide insurance coverage.  Be sure to bring a copy of your insurance coverage.

The university requires that all members of the university community have a medical certificate on file in case of emergencies. Be sure to have your physician fill it out and submit it on the first day of class. 

Students for this course only need a tourist visa. A student visa is required when the proposed period of stay is more than 180 days. A tourist visa can be obtained at your closest Mexican consulate.

The commercial airport in Guadalajara is Miguel Hidalgo International Airport (IATA code: GDL).

We can arrange for your airport pickup if you provide your arrival information at least a week prior to your arrival.

The course fee is $1,300 US dlls which includes course and material, access to university facilities, homestay, two tours and airport pickup.

To enroll, we require a deposit of $520.00 US Dlls by April 20, 2012. The balance of $780.00 US Dlls is due on May 28, 2012.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations made 30 days prior to the course start date qualify for a full refund of the deposit less a $100 US Dll administration fee. Thereafter, any cancellation made between 29 and 14 days prior to course start will qualify for a 50% refund. No refund will be issued for cancellations within 13 days of course start.

The university regrets that it cannot make exceptions to the cancellation policy for any reason, including personal emergencies.

Information and support will be provided by the Centro de Lenguas ITESO. Please contact Lourdes Cisneros, Coordinator of Spanish as a Foreign Language Programs, at:

mcisnero@iteso.mx

Phone: +52-33-3134-2930 or +52-33-3669-3434, extension 3612 Office Hours: Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. (CST) Fax: +52-33-3134-2931

Download Español así! brochure and registration forms here.