Penn-in-Buenos Aires, Argentina

Thrive in Argentina this summer as you strengthen Spanish language skills and explore the lively urban culture of Buenos Aires.

All courses in this intensive 5-week program offer University of Pennsylvania credits and are taught in Spanish. The program includes a 3-day excursion to Salta in northern Argentina and various cultural activities in Buenos Aires. Students live with Argentine families to experience linguistic and cultural immersion.

Program Calendar

Course Information

All students register for a total of 2 course units (CUs). Course offerings are subject to change.

Note for Visiting Students: One CU is generally considered to be equivalent to three semester hours when Penn coursework is transferred to another institution.

Courses

Accelerated Intermediate Spanish 
SPANISH 134 (2 CU)
Fulfills the Language Requirement in Spanish. Prerequisite: 1 year college Spanish or equivalent. Taught by Jorge Salessi, University of Pennsylvania 

Spanish 134 combines the two semesters of second-year Spanish at Penn. Taking advantage of the program’s cultural and linguistic immersion, this course fosters speaking, listening, reading and writing skills by providing instruction in a lively and motivating cultural context. A variety of communicative and analytical teaching methods are implemented in the classroom. Students learn to use Spanish in increasingly complex ways, in class as well as in real life.

Argentine Literature in a Cultural Context
SPANISH 224 (1CU)
Fulfills General Education Requirement: Cross-cultural Analysis. Prerequisite: two semesters of Spanish beyond 140. Exceptions made only for students fully functional in Spanish.
Taught by Diego Peller, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella

Spanish 224 is a survey of major works of contemporary Argentine literature relating to the political, social and cultural developments that have defined the modern profile of the country. The course focuses on the way literary works reflect the tensions of Argentine modernity; the conflicts between the interests of Buenos Aires and those of the provinces, between agricultural and industrial groups, neoliberalism and protectionism, ecology and sustainable development. Taught in Spanish.

History of Argentina
SPANISH 229 (1CU)
Fulfills General Education Requirement: Cross-cultural Analysis. Prerequisite: two semesters of Spanish beyond 140. Exceptions can only be made for students fully functional in Spanish. 
Taught by Ernesto Cussianovich, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella 

While focusing on economic, political and social developments, the class will explore the tensions and paradoxes of Argentina from the XIX Century to the present: the wars of independence and the lengthy conflict for dominance between centralist and federalist interests; the emergence of the modern nation and its integration to the world economy after 1880; immigration, the “alluvial society”, the effects of rapid cultural modernization and the dramatic years of Juan and Eva Peron; military dictatorships and the neoliberal democracy at the end of the XX century; the XXI century, economic default, recuperation, and the challenges of the Argentine cultural and economic integration to Latin America, the A.L.C.A., MERCOSUR, and A.L.B.A. Taught in Spanish.

Housing

Students live with Argentine families in order to experience full linguistic and cultural immersion. Housing is prearranged through a local coordinator and all students will be asked to complete a host family accommodation form to list any special dietary needs or allergies. Weekday breakfast and dinner are provided by the family.

Contact Information

Program Director
for details about the program, courses, or location including academic advising, travel dates, housing and orientation

Jorge Salessi (profile)
Associate Professor, Romance Languages
Director of Spanish Programs Abroad
University of Pennsylvania
E-mail: jsalessi@sas.upenn.edu
Tel: 215-573-0239

Penn Summer Abroad Office
for assistance with application, financial questions, pre-departure, or other general information

Penn Summer Abroad
College of Liberal & Professional Studies (LPS)
University of Pennsylvania
3440 Market Street, Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3335
Tel: 215-573-7537
Fax: 215-573-2053
E-mail: summerabroad@sas.upenn.edu