All students enroll in four courses for a total of 16 units during their time in Madrid.
Students must enroll in a required Spanish language or content course, depending on students’ proficiency. Students may then take three science courses at the UAM, all taught in English, or they make take two science courses and one elective course at the Instituto. Electives are taught in both Spanish and English.
Note: Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin. Non-STEM elective course offerings vary and may not be offered every term.
Required Language Course
All students are required to enroll in one Spanish language course from the list below, based on their proficiency level. Students with prior Spanish Language experience will be placed into a higher-level content course, based on their ability. All language courses are taught at the Instituto Internacional.
CAS LS 111 First-Semester Spanish
For students who have never studied Spanish, or by placement test results. Introduction to grammatical structures. Emphasis on aural comprehension, speaking, and pronunciation. Introduction to Hispanic culture.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS LS 112 Second-Semester Spanish
Prerequisite: one term of college-level Spanish or the equivalent
Completes study of basic grammatical structures. Emphasis on speaking and aural comprehension with readings on contemporary Hispanic culture and writing assignments.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS LS 211 Third-Semester Spanish
Prerequisite: two terms of college-level Spanish or the equivalent
Completes study of grammatical structures of Spanish. Use of spoken language in conversation. Reading in Hispanic civilization and of contemporary short stories. Writing exercises involving more complex grammatical and syntactical patterns.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS LS 212 Fourth-Semester Spanish
Prerequisite: three terms of college-level Spanish or the equivalent
Review of the structures of Spanish. Intensive practice of spoken language. More advanced readings from Hispanic culture with frequent compositions.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Individual in Community
CAS LS 306 Spanish Through Translation*
Prerequisite: four terms of college-level Spanish or the equivalent
Advanced study of the Spanish language through the translation of written texts. Analysis of the theory and practice of translation as a catalyst of cultural transfer. Taught in Spanish.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Oral and/or Signed Communication
STEM Courses
All students must enroll in two or three of the following STEM courses. These courses are all taught in English at the local university, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM).
CAS BI 203 Cell Biology
Prerequisites: (CASBI108 OR CASNE102) and CAS CH 102 or equivalent
Principles of cellular organization and function: biological molecules, flow of genetic information, membranes and subcellular organelles, and cell regulation. Students may receive credit for only one course, either CAS BI 203, 213, or 218.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Scientific Inquiry II
Quantitative Reasoning II
Critical Thinking
CAS CH 203 Organic Chemistry I
Prerequisites: CAS CH 102 or CAS CH 110 or CAS CH 112, or the equivalent.
Fundamentals of contemporary organic chemistry, including electronic structure, stereochemistry, and reactions of important functional groups. Environmental problems, action of drugs, chemical warfare agents, insecticides, and chemical causes of disease.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Scientific Inquiry I
Quantitative Reasoning I
CAS MA 213 Basic Statistics and Probability
Prerequisite: good background in high school algebra.
Students may receive course units for not more than one of the following courses:
CAS MA 113
CAS MA 115
CAS MA 213
Elementary treatment of probability densities, means, variances, correlation, independence, the binomial distribution, the central limit theorem. Stresses understanding and theoretical manipulation of statistical concepts.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Teamwork/Collaboration
Quantitative Reasoning II
Additional Electives
If students decide to take only two STEM courses, they must enroll in one of the following electives, for a total of four courses. Electives are taught at the Instituto Internacional in English and Spanish, as indicated.
CAS LS 241 Cultures of Spain: Past and Present
An introduction to Spanish civilization with special emphasis on history, art, and literature. Instruction begins in English and shifts gradually into Spanish as students’ fluency increases. Course content is enriched by visits to the Prado Museum, Segovia, Toledo, and others.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Historical Consciousness
CAS PH 251 Medical Ethics
Taught in English.
This course will survey ethical issues that arise in connection with medicine and emerging biotechnologies. It will examine topics such as the right to healthcare, research on human subjects, euthanasia, abortion, cloning, genetic selection, disabilities, and the biomedical enhancement of human capacities.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Critical Thinking
Ethical Reasoning
Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings
CAS AH 364 Art and Architecture in Madrid: 1561-Today
Survey of architecture, sculpture, and painting in Madrid, and how these fit in the broader frame of European styles and historical context, 1561–present. Key theories in art history are introduced, giving students a broader perspective on critical approaches to art.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Creativity and Innovation
Aesthetic Exploration
CAS CI/LS 477/COM CI 477 Contemporary Spanish Cinema
An overview of Spanish contemporary cinema and the variety of genres that have emerged in the last decades. Using different resources from films and literature, students will be able to better understand the diversity of Spanish society, which they will experience for themselves on the streets of Madrid. This course also explores how the technical elements of film (camera shots, angles, etc.) can express emotions as well as cultural and social values.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Research and Information Literacy
CAS LS 449 Contemporary Spanish Novel: From “La Movida” to 15-M
An overview of contemporary Spanish novels from the time of Franco’s death in 1975 to the present day. This class explores cultural issues within the literary, political, and social contexts of contemporary Spain.
