The Summer Language Institute and the MA in Spanish Language Teaching program has a unique curriculum designed to strengthen your language proficiency, teaching expertise and cultural understanding, and to maximize your potential as a language teacher. The curriculum includes:
- Core required courses in areas such as second language acquisition theory, assessment, and teaching for proficiency.
- Hispanic language and culture electives.
- Pedagogy courses which accompany each language or culture elective and focus on practical application of various pedagogical practices.
- For master's candidates, a unique final Action Research project that develops reflective teaching practices.
The descriptions below provide more details on our curriculum, and on each of these types of courses.
Syllabi are posted within individual course descriptions and at the bottom of this page each spring, as they are received and we prepare for the summer sessions.
SLI Curriulum Overview
The Summer Institute for Spanish Teachers offers you the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts in Spanish Language Teaching over three summers. Completion of the MA degree program requires a total of 48 quarter credits, primarily earned over five three-week summer sessions. You may earn up to 18 credits each summer (up to 9 credits in each three-week session).
See below for information about our courses and the breakdown of credits required for the MA degree. You may also view curriculum information and general course descriptions in the SOU catalog.
A Minimum of 16 Credits in Core Pedagogy Courses:
Our core pedagogy courses are taught in English.
- FL 511 - Second Language Acquisition: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
- FL 512 - Teaching for Proficiency: Methods and Strategies (3 credits)
- FL 513 - Second Language Assessment: Principles and Strategies (3 credits)
- FL 514 - Action Research (3 credits)
- FL 515 - Technology in the Classroom (3 credits)
- FL 515 is offered online during SOU's winter term. It is typically taken by MA candidates between their first and second summers in the program.
- FL 501 - Data Analysis (1 credit)
- FL 501 is offered online in a five-week session during SOU's spring term. It is taken by MA candidates immediately prior to the summer in which they would take FL 514.
A Minimum of 28 Elective Credits in Hispanic Language and Culture:
Our elective courses are taught in Spanish and vary each summer, providing students with a variety of options. They are designed to build students' linguistic and cultural knowledge and enhance their pedagogical skills.
Each of these 3-credit courses is accompanied by a 2-credit SPAN 516 pedagogy course.
The following are our rotating elective subject areas, with examples of topics courses taught in recent years.
- SPAN 520 - Topics in Spanish or Latin American Film
- Diversity in Latin America: Race and Gender in Hispanic Film and Video, paired with: Implementation of Authentic Video in the Spanish Language Classroom: Theory and Practice
- Emotional People: Compassion, Indignation, and Anxiety in Latin American Film, paired with: Writing about Emotions and their Representations in the Spanish Classroom
- "Growing Up" in Latin American Contemporary Films, paired with: On Teaching Coming-of-Age Narratives in the Spanish Classroom
- SPAN 521 - Selected Genre or Historical Period Studies
- Spanish Theater and Society, paired with: Theatre in Language Teaching
- SPAN 522 - Major Literary Figures
- Literature and Culture in the AP Literature Class, paired with: The Role of Classroom Discourse in L2 Teaching & Learning
- Don Quixote and the Modern World, paired with: Don Quixote, an Old Superhero for the New Generations
- SPAN 525 - Topics in Contemporary Hispanic Literature and Society
- Cortos pero Grandes: Contemporary Short Stories and Films of Mexico, paired with: Incorporating Literature, Film and Culture in Spanish Teaching
- SPAN 532 - Communicative Grammar, paired with: Teaching Grammar in Context
- SPAN 541 - Topics in Hispanic Culture
- Art and Architecture of Latin America, paired with: Incorporating Art in Language Teaching
- Conquistadors, Convents and Golden Cups of Chocolate: The Gastronomical Relationship Between Spain and Mexico, paired with: Eat Your Words: A Culinary Approach to Teaching Culture and Language
- La Locura en América Latina, paired with: Bringing Place-Based Education Into the Spanish Classroom
- Technology and Resistance in the Post-NAFTA Mexican Nations, paired with: Bringing Chicanx and U.S. Latinx Culture into the Classroom
- Tourism and National Identity in Mexico, paired with: Digital Tourism in the L2 Classroom
- Youth in Latin American/Mexican Culture, paired with: Issues of Diversity in the L2 Classroom
- Latin American Music in Context: The Experience of Listening, paired with: Music in the Spanish Language Classroom
- Afro-Hispanic Identity: Race, Nation, and the American African Diaspora, paired with: Teaching for Social Justice in the Spanish Language Classroom
- The Myth of Mestizaje in Postrevolutionary Mexico, paired with: Teaching Mexican and Guanajuatense Legends: Beyond Día de los Muertos
- SPAN 581 - Topics in Theoretical and Applied Spanish Linguistics
- Bilingualism, paired with: Multilingualism and Task-Based Language Teaching
- Technology and Intercultural Communication, paired with: Hybrid/Flipped Classroom
- Bilingualism in the Spanish Speaking World, paired with: Issues in Second Language Writing
- Spanish in the U.S. paired with Methods for Heritage Language Learners
- Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics, paired with: Applied Linguistics in the Spanish Language Classroom
- Spanish Phonetics, paired with: How to Teach Pronunciation
- Spanish Pragmatics, paired with: Teaching Spanish Pragmatics
- Implicit and Explicit L2 Language Learning, paired with: Processing Instruction: A Focus on Form Approach to Teaching L2 Grammar
- Spanish Sociolinguistics, paired with: Enacting Multiliteracies Pedagogy in the World Language Classroom
- SPAN 582 - Topics in Writing and Translation
- Translation and Cultural Encounters in Latin Lamerica, paired with: Cultural Encounters in the Spanish Classroom
We also offer the following optional courses. No more than three credits of these may count toward fulfillment of the 48 credits required for graduation. Please note: students who are accepted into the program with an ACTFL oral proficiency level of Intermediate High (IH) are required to take these classes each session until they test at the Advanced Low (AL) proficiency level.
- SPAN 510 - Advanced Spanish Conversation (1 credit)
- SPAN 511 - Advanced Spanish Grammar (1 credit)
A Minimum of 4 Credits Action Research Project - Development and Presentation:
- SPAN 503 - Thesis (1 credit, repeated)
- SPAN 504 - Action Research Presentation (1 credit)
- Culmination of Action Research conducted in the student’s classroom. Consists of a presentation to faculty and students of the final version of the paper, which will also be submitted for digital storage in the library. The final written project must be approved before being presented to faculty and students.
- Culmination of Action Research conducted in the student’s classroom. Consists of a presentation to faculty and students of the final version of the paper, which will also be submitted for digital storage in the library. The final written project must be approved before being presented to faculty and students.
If you are a master's candidate, you will conduct an action research project with your own students/at your own school during the school year prior to your final summer in the SLI program, and will write a 30-40 page paper (with a bibliography and appendices) documenting the project. The action research project, presentation and paper take the place of a traditional thesis paper, and are graded based on the AR Project Rubric and the AR Presentation Rubric.
Students take the FL 514 Action Research class during the second summer. While working on their Action Research Project during the following school year, they must enroll for 1 credit of SPAN 503 per term (fall, winter, spring). Then, during their final summer, they must register for 1 credit of SPAN 504 in order to present their Action Research project.
Students who do not finish the Action Research project must register for 1 credit of SPAN 503 each term that they continue working on the project, until it is completed. If the Action Research project has not been completed after three years, FL 514 must be retaken.
2023-2024 Core Courses
Summer Session 1 (June 23- July 12, 2024)
FL 511 - Second Language Acquisition Theory and Practice
Dr. Brianna Janssen Sánchez - 3 credits
Provides students with an overview of the most current theories of second language acquisition and the teaching methodologies that result from these approaches. Students will detail differences between and similarities among the various models of second language acquisition as they learn how to identify and integrate them into the world language classroom.
8:00-9:50 AM, MTWRF
FL 514 - Action Research
Dr. Jeremy Bachelor - 3 credits
Introduces students to research methodologies that pursue action (change) and research (understanding) concurrently. Students will learn how to do a systematic inquiry into the teaching/learning environment of a classroom with the goal of developing reflective teaching practices. This course is intended as preparation for an action research project that students will conduct over the course of the following year.
8:00-9:50 AM, MTWRF
SPAN 504 - Action Research: Presentation, Session 1
Dr. Jeremy Bachelor - 1 credit
Culmination of Action Research conducted in the student’s classroom. Consists of a presentation to faculty and students of the final version of the paper, which will also be submitted for digital storage in the library. These course components are graded based on the Spanish Action Research Project Rubric and the Spanish Action Research Presentation Rubric. The final written project must be approved before being presented to faculty and students.
This credit should be registered for during the session in which a student presents their Action Research project.
Summer Session 2 (July 14 - August 2, 2024)
FL 512 - Teaching for Proficiency: Methods and Strategies
Dr. Brian Olovson - 3 credits
Explores how proficiency standards can be applied in the classroom in conjunction with state and local standards based on the national standards for foreign language education as established by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Students learn how to integrate the five Cs of world language education: communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities, with clearly defined proficiency standards for foreign language performance.
8:00-9:50 AM, MTWRF
FL 513 - Second Language Assessment: Principles and Strategies
Dr. Rachel Shively - 3 credits
Equips participants with up-to-date knowledge of best practices in assessing foreign language development and provides them with meaningful opportunities to practice creating assessment tools and evaluation criteria in a collaborative setting. The approach to assessment emphasized in this course is multidimensional and Standards-based. Course participants complete a portfolio of assessment tools for classroom use.
8:00-9:50 AM, MTWRF
SPAN 504 - Action Research: Presentation, Session 2
Dr. Jeremy Bachelor - 1 credit
Culmination of Action Research conducted in the student’s classroom. Consists of a presentation to faculty and students of the final version of the paper, which will also be submitted for digital storage in the library. These course components are graded based on the Spanish Action Research Project Rubric and the Spanish Action Research Presentation Rubric. The final written project must be approved before being presented to faculty and students.
This credit should be registered for during the session in which a student presents their Action Research project.
Online Courses (2023-2024 Academic Year)
FL 515 - Technology in the Classroom (Winter Term: January 8 - March 22)
Dr. Brianna Janssen Sánchez - 3 credits
Transforms knowledge into practice about Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and pedagogy, while focusing on the use of technology in the foreign language classroom. Fosters professional development as students formulate critical skills for creating, integrating, and assessing technology into the classroom. Topics may include interactive and non-interactive hypermedia technologies, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), language testing and technology, distance learning, online discussions, and software selection.
FL 501 - Data Exploration and Analysis (Spring Term, First Five Week Session: April 1 - May 5)
Dr. Jeremy Bachelor - 1 credit
Provides an introduction to the data analysis process with the goal of helping participants analyze the data to be gathered for their Action Research Projects. Requires participants to actively think about their Action Research project design in regard to the data to be obtained and how this data will be examined in order to answer their research questions. Examples of topics to be covered include numerical and graphical summaries of data (e.g. bar graphs, pie charts, scatterplots, etc.), hypothesis testing (t-tests), and descriptive statistical procedures
Online/asynchronous course.
SPAN 503 - Thesis (Fall, Winter, and Spring Terms)
Dr. Jeremy Bachelor - 1 credit each term
Students who have completed FL 514 must enroll for 1 credit per term of SPAN 503 while working on their Action Research Project during the following school year (prior to registering for 1 credit of SPAN 504 - Action Research Presentation - during their final summer). Students who do not finish their Action Research Project during that academic year must register for 1 credit of SPAN 503 each term they continue working on the project until it is completed.
Summer 2024 Electives
Students must choose both "a" and "b" of one course pairing.
Summer Session 1 (June 23 - July 12, 2024)
1a. SPAN 541 - Identidad en la mesa: La creación del nacionalismo mexicano a través de la gastronomía.
El objetivo de este curso es reflexionar sobre la importancia de la comida en la cultura y la historia de México. El curso observará momentos importantes en la historia de México en el que la identidad nacional, se va definiendo para diferenciarse de los lazos coloniales. Al igual que otros elementos de la cultura mexicana, como la literatura, la música y la noción de raza; la comida jugó un rol muy importante en la definición de lo que significa la nueva nación y la identidad diferenciada de otras naciones. Este curso incluirá una amplia variedad de textos teóricos, históricos, literarios y algunos recetarios de cocina.
10:00-11:50 AM, MTWRF
1b. SPAN 516 - El español en la mesa: La enseñanza del idioma a través de la comida
El curso se centrará en la práctica, pero seguiremos ejemplos de publicaciones relevantes para el tema. Se explorarán las diversas oportunidades que la gastronomía ofrece para generar actividades de enseñanza del español. Se planificarán y evaluarán distintas actividades que utilicen la comida como medio para la enseñanza de lengua y la cultura, teniendo en cuenta la importancia que la comida tiene para la cultura.
El curso se centrará en dos aspectos fundamentales: 1) Lectura y discusión de artículos académicos relevantes al tema y 2) Actividades prácticas que impliquen materiales pertinentes para los niveles que cada persona esté enseñando. A lo largo de la clase, los estudiantes no sólo ampliarán sus conocimientos sobre las potencialidades educativas de los alimentos, sino que también desarrollarán un extenso repertorio de actividades para implementar en el aula.
4:15-6:15 PM, MWF
2a. SPAN 522 - Women Writers in Latin American Literature. An Alternative Canon
Dr. María Julia Rossi - 3 credits
Although not always visible, women writers have existed and worked for centuries in Latin America, producing a solid canon of underestimated works. In this course, students will read literature wrote by women writers and engage in meaningful discussions about gender inequalities in literature, literary studies, and Latin America at large. Starting in the 17th century and reaching our days, the course will be organized in three main sections: poetry and essays, stories, a short novel and film. By examining a wide range of works created by women through the centuries, this course will expose students to diverse styles, themes, and techniques that women from different countries have used in their writing. This course will also study the often-overlooked but powerful role of women as leaders and influencers in cultural movements via literary circles and international networks. By the end of the course, students will have a nuanced comprehension of the role of Latin American women in literature, will critically understand gender dynamics and its impact on canon formation trends, as well as a clear map of key women writers in Latin America.
SPAN 522 - Syllabus Summer 2024
10:00-11:50 AM, MTWRF
2b. SPAN 516 - Language Teacher Leadership
Dr. Brianna Janssen Sánchez - 2 credits
This course explores concepts in world language teacher leadership such as leadership skills and identity development, teacher leader mindset, mentorship and community, professional development, resources and support for teachers, and advocacy (for self, for the profession, and for multilingualism). Through course readings, interactions and assignments, students orient toward action in their school and teaching context, going beyond classroom action research. Students will reflect on leadership in their classroom, school, and community, develop an action plan for continuing their development as a professional and language teacher leader, and plan a class lesson around advocacy for language learning and teaching.
SPAN 516 - Syllabus Summer 2024
4:15-6:15 PM, MWF
3a. SPAN 520 - Emotional People: Compassion, Indignation, and Anxieties in Latin American Film
Dr. Martín Gaspar - 3 credits
Stereotypically, Latin Americans are viewed as “emotional people”—often a euphemism to mean irrational, impulsive, wildly heroic, fickle. This course takes this expression at face value to ask: Are there particular emotions that identify Latin Americans? And, conversely, do these “people” become such because they share certain emotions? Can we find a correlation between emotions and political trajectories? To answer these questions, we will explore three types of films that seem to have, at different times, taken hold of the Latin American imagination and feelings: melodramas (1930s-1950s), documentaries (since the 1960s), and what we may call “anxious” narratives (in the 21st century.)
SPAN 520 - Summer 2024 Syllabus
12:00-1:50 PM, MTWRF
3b. SPAN 516 - Language Teaching and Emotions
Dr. Martín Gaspar - 2 credits
This course explores ways to incorporate emotions into the teaching of Spanish writing, both through self-examination (considering the emotions that certain situations and texts provoke) and by examining characters in films, songs and literary texts (the emotions that are represented in and through certain characters). We will begin with exercises to awaken speculative thinking (what makes me feel...?) Then we will deal with issues such as identification with the characters and the emotional relationship with them, the two initial emotional reactions to the texts. Then we will plan exercises that ask for reflections on emotions and their impact. Part of the conversation will involve thinking about the relationship between emotions and technology, and how the latter acts as a mediator. As a final product, we will design different writing exercises and discuss their strengths and problems in a workshop format.
SPAN 516 - Summer Syllabus 2024
4:15-6:15 PM, MWF
Summer Session 2 (July 14 - August 2, 2024)
4a. SPAN 525 - Memory and Fiction: Politics, Human Rights and Citizenship
Dr. Enrique Cortez - 3 credits
This course explores the last 50 years of work on memory by writers and documentary filmmakers from Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. The construction of memory is essential to avoid forgetting processes of dictatorship and political violence experienced there, a way to provide justice to victims. Specifically, we will analyze two types of literary and visual materials in this course. First, we will study short stories and documentaries by authors who experienced or witnessed the processes of political violence in their countries as adults, or what we will call testimonial fiction. Then, we will study the production of the younger generation, those who did not directly experience violence or were very young during this period but still experienced the psychological and cultural traumas of dictatorships and political violence. At the end of this class, students will understand the importance of the work of memory, the defense of Human Rights, and the construction of citizenship in countries such as Argentina, Chile, and Mexico.
SPAN 525 - Summer 2024 Syllabus
12:00-1:50 PM, MTWRF
4b- SPAN 516 - Writing and Second Language Acquisition
Dr. Brian Olovson - 2 credits
This course is a workshop and exploration of the relationship between writing and second
language learning. In the first part of the course, we will explore theoretical and practical issues
related to second language (L2) writing including: second language writers and teaching
contexts, using texts and authentic materials, designing writing tasks, new technologies/L2
digital literacies, responding to student writing/feedback, and assessing student writing.
Furthermore, we will discuss/analyze how recent investigations about L2 writing can inform
these classroom practices. In the second part of the course, students will create a portfolio of a
variety of writing-focused activities, tasks, assessments, and feedback strategies.
SPAN 516 - Summer 2024 Syllabus
4:15-6:15 PM, MWF
5a. SPAN 581 - Bilingualism
Dr. Julio Torres - 3 credits
In this course students will examine a number of bilingual contexts in which Spanish comes into contact with other languages. Students will explore historical and political factors that contribute to different forms of societal bilingualism in the Spanish-speaking world, and how this can affect bilingualism at an individual level. Along these lines, students will also examine grammatical, psycholinguistic, and acquisition phenomena associated with the Spanish of bilingual individuals. The course begins with defining who is bilingual and the variables that can make an impact on the degree of bilingualism of an individual. Social and psycholinguistic bilingualism research will also be considered. Then, students will explore bilingual contexts in Spain and Latin America. The course will end with a focus on the bilingual situation in the United States and heritage speakers of Spanish.
SPAN 581 - Syllabus Summer 2024PAN 581 - Syllabus Summer 2024
10:00-11:50 AM, MTWRF
5b. SPAN 516 - Multilingualism & Critical Task-based Language Teaching
Dr. Julio Torres - 2 credits
This course is designed as a workshop in which students will create lessons following a task-based language teaching framework in conjunction with critical pedagogy that challenge ideologies of normative monolingualism, standardized language, and/or raciolinguistics. Students will explore a multi-competence approach to multilingualism, sociolinguistic principles, and critical language awareness as frameworks to promote transformative views and practices among their Spanish students with the primary goal of considering the well-being of multilingual individuals in connection to their dynamic linguistic practices.
SPAN 516 - Syllabus Summer 2024
4:15-6:15 PM, MWF
Summer 2024 Optional Courses
Session 1: SPAN 510 - Conversación Avanzada (June 23 - July 12, 2024)
University of Guanajuato Staff - 1 credit
Designed to improve Spanish conversational skills. Students will learn about and discuss a wide variety of current topics, including historical influences on contemporary culture; art and media; and societal, religious, and political institutions.
New topics each year - syllabus will vary by instructor. No text purchase required.
4:15-6:15 PM, TR
Session 2: SPAN 511 - Gramática Avanzada (July 14 - August 2, 2024)
Dr. Rachel Shively - 1 credit
Addresses selected topics in Spanish grammar, with particular focus on grammatical difficulties for English speakers with the goal of helping students improve proficiency in the language. Course conducted entirely in Spanish.
New topics each year - syllabus will vary by instructor. No text purchase required.
SPAN 511 - Summer 2024 Syllabus
4:15-6:15 PM, TR
