Intermediate Track
The Intermediate Track is designed for students who have completed 1.5 - 2 years (3 - 4 semesters) of college-level Spanish (or the equivalent). Students with 5 or more semesters of Spanish are welcome to participate in our standard direct-enrollment program.
Click here to watch a presentation about the Intermediate Track in ArgentinaPlease note that this track is not available to Middlebury College students.
The Intermediate Track allows students to increase their Spanish proficiency in an immersive environment, living and studying in Buenos Aires. All instruction is in Spanish and, along with a Spanish language course, students will take courses in area studies that will enable them to broaden their knowledge in a variety of liberal arts fields.
Two levels of the Intermediate Track will be offered: Low-Intermediate for students who have completed three semesters of college-level Spanish (Intermediate I) or the equivalent, and Intermediate for students who have completed four semesters of college-level Spanish (Intermediate II) or the equivalent.
Students in both levels will enroll in a Spanish language course through the Universidad Católica Argentina’s (UCA) Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE) program, in two content courses (taught in Spanish) through UCA’s Programa de Estudios Latinomericanos (PEL), and in a Middlebury-led course on Tango and Identity, which features an accompanying writing seminar. In certain cases, students may opt to replace one of their content courses with a for-credit internship.
Depending on the number of students enrolled in the Intermediate Track, UCA will either offer separate language courses for Middlebury program students, or the students will join a language course with other international students enrolled in UCA’s ELE program.
Students participate in the Middlebury Language Pledge®, in which they promise to communicate only in Spanish for the duration of their time with the School in Argentina. A hallmark of both the Middlebury Language Schools and the Middlebury Schools Abroad, the Language Pledge® is an integral part of the learning process and an invaluable tool that will help students strengthen their linguistic ability.
Track Structure
Students will earn a total of 4.5 units of Middlebury credit (typically equivalent to 15-16 semester hour credits) for the semester through either track option. The structure of the two intermediate tracks will be as follows, with adjustments made to ensure level-appropriate content:
| Low-Intermediate Track | Intermediate Track |
|---|---|
| Spanish language course at UCA (1 unit of credit) | Spanish language course at UCA (1 unit of credit) |
| Content course at UCA (in Spanish) (1 unit of credit) | Content course at UCA (in Spanish) (1 unit of credit) |
| Content course at UCA (in Spanish) (1 unit of credit) | Content course at UCA (in Spanish) or credit-bearing internship (1 unit of credit) |
| Content course at UCA in English or Spanish or credit-bearing internship (1 unit of credit) | Middlebury-led Tango and Identity course* (1 unit of credit) |
| Middlebury-led writing seminar with a special focus on Tango (0.5 units of credit) | Middlebury-led writing seminar (0.5 units of credit) |
*Students in the Intermediate Track will enroll in a section of the Tango and Identity course alongside advanced-level students participating in the Tango and Identity Track, with course requirements for these students adapted to reflect their current language level.
Full-Year Students
Studying abroad for an entire academic or calendar year has numerous advantages, not least of which is the linguistic progress that students can make. Students in both levels of the Intermediate Track who study at the Middlebury School in Argentina for a full year will have the opportunity to advance to the subsequent program level during the second semester. This means that students beginning in the Low-Intermediate Track could enroll in the Intermediate Track in their second semester, finishing the year at a high-intermediate/advanced level of Spanish, while students beginning in the Intermediate Track could progress to the advanced-level program and directly enroll at any of the School in Argentina’s three host universities during their second semester.
Sample Content Courses in the Programa de Estudios Latinoamericanos (PEL) at the Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA)
Students enrolled in the Intermediate Track will take two content courses in Spanish through UCA’s Programa de Estudios Latinoamericanos. Please note that course offerings will vary. A list of courses on offer will be made available to students shortly before the stat of the semester.
- Aprendizaje desde el Servicio
- Argentina Hoy
- La Argentina Peronista
- Arte Argentino Contemporáneo
- Arte, Arquitectura e Identidad en América Latina
- Deportes y Cultura: Fútbol en Argentina
- Historia Latinoamericana I: Conquista, Independencia y Estados Modernos
- Introducción a la Lingüística del Español
- Literaturas y Culturas en América Latina
- Microeconomía
- Periodismo y Literatura: Atrapa tu viaje
- Procesos y Sociales de América del Sur
- Registrar Buenos Aires: Cultura y Fotografía