Courses at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas (CLM)

International Marketing

This subject will lead the student to become familiar with the characteristics of the process of internationalization, the market entry strategies into the international markets, the process of selection of the target international markets, the process of segmentation and positioning in the international markets, and the decisions regarding the standardization and adaptation of the international marketing mix. 

This course was previously approved as a major course for Business, Business Administration and Economics.

Spain and Latin America through Contemporary Cinema (spring only) 

This subject approaches the contemporary historical development of these countries. It will cover Spanish history from the Post-war period (50s), an overview of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. It will also cover Latin American history from the Populist movements of the 50s to the migratory movements of the late 20th century, and include a reflection on the first decade of the 21st century.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Communications and Spanish. 

A Social and Ideological Perspective of Contemporary European Films

This subject approaches European society through contemporary European films. It attempts to provide a perspective of the social, economic and ideological changes, taking the main directors and films dealing with these themes as a reference.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as major course for Communications, English, Film & TV, Spanish and Theater.

Current Spain in the Media

This course approaches current represenations of Spain and Spanish culture in various media outlets, providing opportunities for historical review and comparison. 

This course was previously approved as a major course for Communications. 

Marketing Communication

This subject attempts to provide the student with a complete and integrated vision of the different forms of business communication presently available. In this sense, it brings to light both the difficulties and the wealth of communication possibilities that can be developed. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a Communications major course.

Spanish Civilization and Culture

The syllabus of this course has been programmed from an anthropological global perspective, so that students will be able to gain an overall view of Spanish culture, of the Spanish way of life, throughout history and in the present-day, and in its diverse manifestations. 

This course was previously approved as a major course for Anthropology, Communications, History, International Political Economy, and Spanish. 

Latin American Civilization and Culture

The objectives of this course are, mainly, the initiation and understanding of this discipline by the students through the principal stylistic languages which have defined Latin American reality. The wealth and extension of which make it necessary for us to delimit the sections in direct correspondence with the cultural environment which allows us, on the one hand, a greater understanding of the artistic events, and on the other, a better assimilation of the historical content which surround the artistic production and which are of a priority nature in the syllabus.

This course was previously approved as a History and Sociology major course. 

Islamic Culture in Spain

The aims of this course are to explain to students the history, society, art and other cultural manifestations of Al-Andalus from its birth in the year 711 to its disappearance in 1492. But the course will not be limited to this period nor to the geographical frame of Al-Andalus. An ample introduction to the Islamic world will be given, and Al-Andalus will be related to the Omeya and Abbasi empires and in general the historical evolution of the Islam, the configuration of the Christian kingdoms of the north peninsular will be studied and the course will finish with an introduction to the Mudejars and the Moriscos (Moslem converts to Christianity). 

This course was previously approved as a major course for Anthropology, History, International Studies, Political Science, and Spanish. 

The Art of Flamenco in Society and Culture

Through the study of a significant number of songs, as well as articles, books, films and documentaries, this course will explore the poetic language of the lyrics, the association of these with high culture (principally poetry and music), the artistic nature of this musical expression and the links between flamenco and the society and culture that are its origin and end. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Spanish.

Spanish Music as an Artistic and Social Phenomenon: Tradition and Vanguard

Outstanding Spanish music from Arabic-Andalusian music to the 13th century, Renacimiento schools, 17th century court music, the Zarzuela, 19th century nationalism and modern trends. Music and illustrations are used.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Communications and Spanish.

Teaching Spanish in Bilingual Schools (fall only)

The main objective is to familiarize the student with basic questions related to bilingual education. Three main aspects are addressed:

- What is bilingualism?

- Different models of bilingual education

- Bilingual Classroom Management in the integrated learning model

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Applied Linguistics to Teaching Spanish (spring only)

This course has a twofold objective: first, to serve as practice and improvement of the Spanish language and secondly, to develop the skills and teaching techniques, theoretical knowledge and research awareness of a teacher of E/LE. These two aims are developed through a predominantly practical approach, with special attention to linguistic content that is more difficult, both in learning and teaching. Also advantage shall be taken of several opportunities to practice offered by the CLM and its learning environment as well as all linguistic production involved in the work in the classroom sessions and independent study course. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency. 

Health Sciences and Public Health in Spain

This course is intended to offer a generic view of the most important aspects of the Spanish health system and its comparison with other European systems, as well as their institutions and to cover some specific aspects of diseases of interest, in a context of scientific and technical vocabulary. The course also aims to identify what factors, together with the health system, determine the level of health of a population. The relative importance of these factors will be analyzed on the basis of the socioeconomic characteristics of a country, as well as the interventions that are made for prevention and control by the public health system. 

This course was previously approved as a major course for Environmental Studies and Spanish.

Ecology and the Environment in Spain (spring only)

The course provides a a theoretical understanding, via analysis, of the major environmental problems in Spain, outlining the causes of the current situation as well as future perspectives and possible forms of intervention. Case studies are used to enable the student to understand the potential, risks, opportunities and impact of the Spanish environmental framework. Objectives will be achieved through both lectures and a series of field trips.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Environmental Studies.

Climate Change: Causes and Effects from a Mutlidisciplinary Approach (spring only)

The course aims to be an approach to the problems associated with climate change to raise awareness of the important role played by human beings. Under an interdisciplinary approach, aspects such as global warming, the exploitation of natural resources, environmental education, green chemistry, soil, sea level, climate denialism, legal protection of the
environment, the sustainable development goals or the circular economy. Different areas of knowledge will investigate the causes and effects of climate change, analyzing how citizens can mobilize around the challenges presented by rapid climate change, which at the same time affects the social wellbeing of citizens while negatively affecting the well-being of ecosystems and the balance of life cycles of essential elements for life on our planet.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Spanish History from 18th Century to the Civil War and Franco

The main objective of this subject is to study the most important political, economic, social and cultural developments that took place over more than two centuries. The starting point is the establishment of the House of Bourbon in Spain and it ends with the installation of the Franco regime. This period is of utmost importance in understanding Spain today. More specific objectives of this course include acquisition of concepts and a basic understanding of Spain: demographic evolution, economic development, social changes and movements, alterations in the political systems and the succession of proposals and cultural movements. Students will have to become familiar with the main historical processes in Spain in the 18th century and in more contemporary times, and also with the specific historical vocabulary used. 

This course was previously approved as a major course for History, IPE, Political Science, and Spanish. 

History of Spain 

The aim of this subject is to offer a general view of the History of Spain. Students will study the
most important political, economical, social and cultural aspects of Spanish History, starting with Prehistory and Ancient History in the Iberian Peninsula. The course will then continue with the fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoth Kingdom, AI-Andalus, the 'Reconquista', the Catholic Kings and the Habsburg dynasty, the crisis of the Spanish empire and the Bourbon Reformism. Students will also learn about late Spanish modern history, including the Ancient Regime Crisis, the Liberal Revolution, the Restoration, the Primo de Rivera Dictatorship, the II Republic, the Civil War, Francoism and, of course, the Transition to Democracy.

This course was previously approved as a major course for History. 

The Transition: from Franco's Dictatorshop to the Democracy of Today's Spain 

This course reviews the political development throughout Spain, understanding how today's democracy developed. Students will have the opportunity to discuss and compare democratic systems throughout the European Union. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Political Science and Spanish. 

Spanish Art (Renaissance and Baroque)

This subject deals with the study of the forms of artistic expression in Spain between the 16th and end of the 18th centuries, in two differentiated blocks: Renaissance Art and Baroque Art. The analysis of these two blocks explains the main lines of artistic expression of the period and their evolution, giving attention – for reasons of brevity – to the principal figures of each epoch. The specific aims of the subject are, on the one hand, to understand the essential trends of Spanish artistic expression of the Modern Age, integrating them in their historical, social and ideological context; on the other hand, to develop the linguistic competence of the student in the Spanish language. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Art History and Spanish.

Contemporary Spanish Art

This subject analyzes the historical evolution of Spanish art during the contemporary era, including the art of the end of the Ancien Régime, with the study of neoclassicism and the work of Francisco Goya; the art of the 19th century, with the analysis of the principal trends in painting and sculpture (romanticism, realism, impressionism, modernism), as well as the historicist, eclectic and modernist architectural styles, especially focusing on the works of Antonio Gaudí; and the art of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st, analyzing both the art of the historic avant-garde – particularly the work of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró – and the evolution of the plastic arts from the post-war period to today, as well as the development of Spanish architecture during this period. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Art History, Spanish, and Visual Arts.

History of Art in Spain 

The aim of the subject is to appreciate and recognize several interpretations and values of the work of art in different historic contexts. Students will explore the most important processes of the artistic change and cultural transformations of Western art (especially in Spain). This class will teach students to understand works of art as exponents of creativity and value them
as a document from one period and one culture.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Spanish. 

Traditional Song and the Spanish Society: Flamenco, Folklore, and Sephardic Song 

Through the study of a significant number of songs, articles, and documentary and cinematic material, this course will explore the importance of the old, traditional song in our society. We will give special attention to the poetic language of the lyrics; we will provide the student with the basic tools to handle this rich material and we will analyze the links between song and society that is its origin and at the same time its end. Our exploration will be constructed out of the understanding of song as cultural object and vehicle of culture, fundamental part of our sentimental memory and privileged base from which to access knowledge of a society.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Communications. 

History of Spanish Cinema (fall only)

The cinema constitutes the most popular artistic expression of the 20th century. Its expressive strength and narrative capacity have converted it into the most important means of moving the sensitivity of the modern spectator. In the case of the Spanish cinema, film productioncprovides us with a splendid opportunity to fully understand the reality of our country in our century, from two of the most interesting viewpoints, as historical documentary and as aesthetic expression. In this way, objective reality, critical attitude, ideological postulations, and artistic creativity, etc. are elements to be discussed and studied in the realms of this course, all dealt with from a temporal evolution which begins with the origins of the complexity of Spanish cinematographic creation to the present-day.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Comparative Literature. 

Contemporary Spanish Literature

This subject covers the most prominent Spanish literary works of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. This course also deals with the relationship between literature and other cultural aspects such as visual arts, music, popular culture, religion and philosophy. Literary works and essays will be read throughout the course. The students are expected to link previous knowledge with what is learned in class, and analyze the information received in a critical way. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for English and Spanish. 

Spanish Literature Pre 19th Century

The aim of this course is to acquaint the student with Spanish Literature from its origins up to the modern day, analyzing movements, authors and significant works from each period in the historical and social context they were written.

Spanish Literature from the 19th Century to Present

This course will study the most important moments of Spanish literature from the inception of romanticism, at the beginning of the 19th century, through all the changes of the 20th century and ending in the literary movements of the early years of the 21st century. There will be a historical, social and literary approach to the most outstanding movements and authors. But the fundamental aim of the course is reading, analysis, and commentary on the texts to be chosen from amongst the most significant of each periods.

Latin American Literature

The objective of this course is to study the literary production in Latin America. The course will include the study of a selection of authors and works while at the same time trying to transmit to the student the reality, and diversity, of the vast literary production. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Spanish. 

Image of Women in Spanish Literature: 18th to 21st Centuries

This course will examine Spanish Literature from its "radical historicity", through images of the women who produce the texts, as well as the different configurations of femininity in virtue of the consolidation of the patriarchal bourgeois society in Spain. Students will also study the possible influence of gender of the male or female author in the construction of the imaginary feminine. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

This course was previously approved as a Spanish major course.

Female Spanish Writers of the 20th Century

In this course we will focus on the most significant authors in Spanish in the last and in the present century.A historical, social and literary approach will focus on the most outstanding movements and authors, based on the reading, analysis and commentary of the texts to be studied.

This course was previously approved as a Spanish major course.

Spanish Theater and Social Change (spring only)

This course provides an overview of the main ideological and social changes taking the theatrical approach to the Spanish stage as a reference. Students will receive an introduction to the most outstanding Spanish authors and plays in comparison with the European scene. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Spanish Literature (Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Realism)

This course will deal with Spanish literature produced during the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries, in two sections focused comparatively with respect to the same tendencies in other countries. The first section will be on the characteristics which the Age of Enlightenment presented in Spain and the continuity of a type of Baroque literature coexisting with Enlightenment literature. The second block will be focused on 19th century literature in its two main lines, romanticism and realism. With this orientation the students are expected to obtain a dynamic vision of Spanish literature with which they can interconnect the knowledge they may already possess, or with the knowledge they may possess in the future.

Federico García Lorca: Life and Work 

García Lorca is not only the most translated Spanish poet and dramatist in the 20 th Century, since that title could lead to misunderstandings. As many readers and critics state, he is a modern classic: the most renowned classic in the recent Spanish literature, whose work has been gaining influence and value. Lorca, the man, is also a literary giant in the sense that he was a extraordinary person who lived an extraordinary life. His life, as exceptional as it was, and his death, as symbolic as it was, do matter. This course aims to dissect the study of his literary work and his life.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Fantastical Literature and Magical Realism 

This course aims to be an approach to fantasy literature and the so-called magic realist in Spanish and Latin American literature from the 18th Century to current times. Throughout the semester, we will cover the different historic, social and cultural contexts that influenced the evolution of this literature in the Spanish and Latin American traditions. We will investigate the critical and theoretical contributions as well as the formal and style contributions of these narratives by studying the most representative texts.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Life Written by Women in Latin America 

syllabus forthcoming

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Renewable Energies (spring only)

A general theoretical-practical knowledge of specific technological contents in the sector of energy resources is sought and, in particular, knowledge of renewable technologies. This course is aimed at the application of the different alternative energy systems for the generation of electrical energy, specifically with renewable energies. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Civil Engineering and Territory (fall only)

Knowledge of the role of civil engineering infrastructures in the transformation and development of Spanish territories. Theoretical-practical knowledge is intended by approaching the history of civil engineering works, as well as by analyzing the location of public works in the territory and their territorial impact. Infrastructure development will be attended from the knowledge of the foundations of sectoral planning and its relationship with territorial planning. The incidence of civil engineering infrastructure in the different Spanish territorial and urban models will be assessed. It will show the need for landscape integration of infrastructure in its environment, as well as urban infrastructure and services as building elements of the city and its public spaces. In metropolitan areas, the role of transport and mobility infrastructures and current technological applications will be studied, giving rise to the “Smart Cities”. Through the study of national and international cases, students will be given a global vision of the role of civil engineering infrastructure in the transformation and development of different territories. In addition, field visits will be carried out to illustrate the theoretical and practical contents in situ. 

Mathematics and Reality 

The aim is to provide the student with a theoretical and practical knowledge of some aspects of mathematics whose presence in pre-university teaching is usually scarce, null, or of a purely formal approach, but which contribute to improving not only the mathematical culture in general but also the capacity to understand and solve a great diversity of real problems and
modern technical applications of mathematics. Emphasis will be made on a practical approach involving numerical computations and programming as means for exploring the proposed topics. 

Spain's Evolving Social & Demographic Landscape

This course offers a general approach to the demographic and socio-economic changes that have taken place in Spanish society, giving special attention to the last 50 years and the economic recession. Students will acquire holistic knowledge on the main environmental, economic and political factors that have had an impact on population structure; national and international mobility; economic production processes; consumption patterns and lifestyles; and relations within the community and international political framework. Students will also be provided with information to help them understand the keys to the recent problems in Spanish society such as: the financial crisis, the role of Spain in the community and international geopolitical context, migrations, nationalisms, etc.

Current Sociopolitical Topics in Spain

This course aims to offer a general introduction to the basics of the political system and government of Spain. Throughout the course, students will analyze both the institutional and dynamic aspects of the political process. Specifically, students will study the form of government in Spain, the democratic institutions, the model of territorial organization by the State, the political party system, electoral evolution in Spain and the political culture of the Spanish people. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiencies.

This course was previously approved as a major course for International Studies, IPE, Political Science, Sociology, and Spanish.

Spanish and Latin American Economies

This course is aimed at those students who wish to learn the general language of economics along with the study of Spanish economics and of the main Latin American countries through a great variety of activities. Also, the differences in culture and protocol for doing business with the Spanish and with the Latin Americans will be studied. Finally, material will be included related to the subjects analyzed in each unit to develop tasks on the Internet. 

This course was previously approved as a major course for Economics, International Studies, IPE, and Latin American Studies.

The Political System of the European Union

The aims of this course are to cover the fundamental aspects of the political system of the European Union. From certain theoretical fundaments which allow students to classify the different forms of democracy, an historical evolution will be presented of the European construction process. Students will also study the group of institutions which make up the European Union’s political system as well as detailing the basic principals of functioning and the principal agents who intervene in the process. 

This course was previously approved as a major course for International Studies, Latin American Studies, Political Science, and Spanish.

The Arab World and the West: Past and Future

This course is reviews the relationship between the Arab and Western Worlds, discussing effects of increasingly intertwined economies, cultures, and governements in the wake of globalization. 

This course was previously approved as an Arabic minor course. 

Sustainability in the Mediterranean: Approaching Local Self-Sustainable Development

This survey course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive approach to local self-sustainable practices, models and cultures in the Mediterranean region. Through revising bibliographic references and local case studies, students will understand the basics of traditional and innovative local self-sustainable projects in the Mediterranean context. Students will also identify and compare the community practices and local governance in the Mediterranean region, contrasting the city and rural landscape configurations in the Mediterranean region, especially those related to the local self-sustainable development. They also will identify and explain in situ the processes and resistances that are influencing the local sustainability of Granada and its surroundings. 

Environmental Politics of the European Union

This course is designed to present the current situation and the challenges of the Environmental Policy of the European Union, particularly problems of enforcement due to the different national interests and commitments of EU Member States. The EU goals and approaches for environmental protection are compared with those of the USA and/or other countries, through discussions and seminars. 

Grammar, writing, and oral Spanish courses available at various levels.

The Diversity of Spanish Language in the World

This course intends that the student from a higher advanced and proficient level of Spanish acquires a deep theoretical and practical knowledge of the different linguistic varieties that occur in different linguistic registers: academic language versus informal language, taking into account the study of its historic, geographical and social setting, as well as contact with other languages of Spain. Likewise, the student will thoroughly investigate and study the most relevant aspects that differentiate the current Spanish norms of Spain against the Spanish in America and elsewhere in the world, paying special attention to the grammatical, lexical, phonetic and pragmatic aspects.

This course was previously approved as a major course for Communications. 

Spanish Linguistics

This subject attempts to familiarize students with the most important topics in Linguistics as a science of the language in general and more specifically, with Spanish Linguistics. During the course we will learn that human language, the most perfect sign system that exists today, is a complex and fascinating system, in constant evolution. In the first part of this subject, we will study some of the main aspects of the Spanish language as a system, and its peculiarities as a means of social communication. We will also define the units of the linguistic system, and learn the terminology necessary to remove any barriers in the study of general and Spanish linguistics. In the second part of this course, we will cover topics related to Spanish linguistic diversity. We will explore the world of linguistic universals and analyze the relationship between language and the worldview. We will also talk about dignity of languages and, the prejudices and clichés that exist in some of them. We will take a brief tour through the evolution of general and Spanish Linguistics, and their methods. 

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Tranlation English to Spanish 

General Themes deals with the new approaches to language learning that view the activities of translation and interpreting as a tool for the development of communicative ability and mediation skills. Therefore, during this course the students will carry out written and oral tasks to transmit a particular piece of information to speakers and students of Spanish who are not
fluent in the English language. The informative content and the type of texts on the course will be related to different, real situations of communication, attempting to include different registers of the language, textual typologies and a balance between oral and written expression, always within the areas of information of a general type. On the other hand, this context of translation will serve to cover a second objective: students will develop the skills for the translation process by means of the analysis and practice of aspects relative to the use of documentation, translation strategies, the tools and recourses for the translator, pragmatic and textual considerations, among others.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Introduction to Business Spanish

Aimed at students who have a more rudimentary understanding of Spanish with the goal of familiarizing students with the world of business, trade, and economy from a linguistic perspective. 

Business Spanish 

Aimed at students who have an intermediate level of Spanish. This course enables the student to get to know the world of business, trade and economy from a theoretical and practical viewpoint. The essence of this course is divided into three different areas: the business world, commercial correspondence and vocabulary. This course is designed for students who wish to acquire a general understanding of the topics involved in the business world, as well as those wishing to acquire the necessary knowledge to work in this area. The programmed activities will help the student to prepare the exam for the basic certificate in business Spanish offered by the Official Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Madrid.

This course requires advanced Spanish proficiency.

Spanish Sign Language

The student will be able to linguistically act as a social agent in daily life actions, in social interactions and with different types of text with enough autonomy to carry out most of the tasks that imply the use of the language in a Spanish speaking country.

Introduction to Arabic

This introductory course to the Arabic language aims offering a general vision of this language. Students will learn linguistic components as its origin and evolution, its geographical diversity, differences between classic and standard Arabic, on one side; and instrumental aspects of the language as the alphabet, calligraphy, and a basic knowledge of the language to communicate, on the other.