Spain (Canary Islands): Business Spanish and Literature

The Canary Islands is an autonomous region of Spain located in the Atlantic Ocean 100 kilometres (62 miles) off the northwestern coast of the African continent. It is considered a bridge between three continents: Africa, America and Europe. Cosmopolitan, safe and affordable, it has been the set of international movies (Exodus, Star Wars, Fast&Furious, Jason Bourne, Allied…) due to the beauty of its unspoiled nature and picturesque villages (5 World Heritage Sites).

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the university location, is the main city of the archipelago with a population of more than 380,000 inhabitants and a very intense cultural life. The subtropical climate is pleasant and allows for the practice of outdoor sports all year round.

Spanish for Business and Economics

This course, Spanish for Business and Economics, meets the growing demand for Spanish skills in professional settings. It equips students with advanced language skills tailored to business, providing them with tools to succeed in global markets, especially in the U.S. On site in the Canary Islands, the course will draw upon resources in-country to focus on language for hotels, restaurants, and tourism, which students can later apply to similar bilingual contexts in New York City and around the globe.

Canarias y América: Conexiones literarias y culturales

The course entitled “The Canary Islands and the Americas: Literary and cultural connections” focuses on the formation of the cultural, literary and national identity of Canary Islanders from the indigenous period to our days, in relationship with the American continent. In order to examine this process, students will learn about the Literature, History and Geography of The Canary Islands in a Transatlantic context, particularly with Latin American nations. The Canary Islands were the first colonial experiment of Spain and a major geographical factor in Columbus’ arrival to the Americas. The islands became a laboratory for the colonization of America, including the introduction of slavery and sugar plantations.

The study of this exciting archipelago will help us understand the importance of a hybrid and complex region that is tied politically to Spain, geographically to Africa and emotionally to the Caribbean region. Furthermore, this course will challenge students to question the definition of fixed national identities.

The course will have a combination of class sessions, lectures, and field trips in the island of Gran Canaria.

Prerequisites

For both courses: Students must have completed SPAN 202 or SPAN 208. For inquiries about waiving the pre-requisites, please contact the faculty directly – see below for contact details.

All applicants must fulfill the general eligibility requirements along with this program’s prerequisites.

Credits & Grades

Students in this program will receive both credits and letter grades. Grades will count toward their Hunter GPA.