Spanish and Portuguese students have many exciting study abroad opportunities. Don’t restrict your Spanish or Portuguese education to just the classroom—get out into the Spanish and Lusophone-speaking worlds! Consider enrolling in the Latin American Studies Semester and traveling to Mexico or spending a summer studying in Spain.
Additionally, The Office of Education Abroad offers students an exciting array of opportunities to study abroad in Brazil and the Lusophone world by approved university programs.
Latin American Studies Semester (LASS)
Program Overview
Applications are now being accepted for LASS Spring 2025.
The Latin American Studies Semester has been offered every spring semester since 1973. This unique language immersion program provides you with an intensive experience studying the Spanish language in combination with an interdisciplinary study of life and contemporary issues in Latin America.
The prerequisite for participation in LASS is one semester of university-level Spanish or the equivalent (students with more advanced levels of course background are encouraged to participate in the program). LASS integrates several courses, totaling 18-semester-hour credits, and must be taken as a package. All courses are taught in Spanish from the first day of class on Temple’s main campus. An integral part of the LASS program is a two-week study trip to Latin America in February/March, during which students are placed in local homes where the only language of communication is Spanish. While abroad, students attend courses, make local friends, immerse themselves daily in the local culture and explore the country. The LASS program has taken place in Colombia, México, Costa Rica and Ecuador. All participants in the program may expect to achieve marked improvement in Spanish fluency in only one semester.
Courses
LASS courses combine Spanish language teachings studies of Latin America’s diverse cultures. The program is an integration of several courses, totaling 18-semester-hour credits, and must be taken as a package. Owing to the credit-hour load, the semester’s objective (immersion in Spanish and Latin American Studies), the study-abroad trip and LASS community engagement in Philadelphia, no other courses may be taken simultaneously. Students register for the following courses:
- Spanish 2098: Intensive Practice/Four Skills – 9 credits.
- LAS 2101 Latin American Film and Fiction – 3 credits.
- Spanish 3261: The Hispanic World – 3 credits.
- Latin American Studies 2220: LASS Seminar – 3 credits.
Morning sessions, held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday, offer Spanish language instruction and conversation practice at intermediate and advanced levels guided by native or near-native speakers. Afternoon sessions, held from 1 p.m. to 1:50 pm and 2 p.m. to 2:50 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, will focus on Latin American culture through film and highlight a series of topics in Latin American studies, including presentations by guest speakers. Afternoon sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. will offer information about Latin America’s history, geography, and contemporary events.
Accommodations
Living with host families gives students a truly immersive experience. The local families host one to two LASS student each for maximum cultural and language engagement. Students routinely rate the homestay experience as their favorite part of studying abroad.
All housing engages students in everyday life as they share meals, discuss their day and get to know their new extended families. Homestays include three meals a day and laundry. Every family has been carefully selected in order to ensure a comfortable, enjoyable, supportive living situation. Homestays are subject to change.
Cost
The 18-semester-hour credits program includes an additional fee of $1,400. Please note this fee is subject to change. The fee is incorporated into the tuition for one of the LASS courses and is paid as part of the student spring registration. The fee covers: housing, meals, courses and excursions while abroad. Students are responsible for the cost of their airline tickets.
Study Abroad Scholarship Application
LASS students are eligible to apply to some CLA awards.
Calendar
Please check back in for the LASS Spring 2025 calendar dates.
Eligibility And Application Process
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have successfully completed 1001 or the equivalent (a minimum of one semester of university-level Spanish), although preference will be given to students that have completed 1002.
- Possess a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale from all colleges/universities attended, although preference will be given to GPAs above 3.0.
- Be enrolled as a full-time matriculated student at the time of application.
- Not be on academic and/or disciplinary probation or warning.
- Students will be selected on the basis of their intellectual resolve, emotional maturity and commitment to the program. Successful candidates are usually notified within three weeks of receiving a completed application.
A passport is required for traveling outside of the country. If you do not already have a valid passport, you should apply for one immediately. All students will be asked to provide their passport information the first week of December. Further documentation may be necessary, and this information will be conveyed as it becomes available.
Additional Spanish Study Abroad Programs
Temple Spain Spring Semester Program
Are you committed to developing your Spanish language skills and understanding of Hispanic culture? The College of Liberal Arts’ (CLA) semester study abroad programs offer an unparalleled opportunity for you. Our programs provide an immersive linguistic and cultural experience, combining in-class language instruction with a home stay and daily interaction with local citizens.
CLA’s spring semester program in Spain was developed in 2008 in response to the success of its existing summer session in Oviedo. Based at the University of Oviedo, the semester program is designed for students who are committed to furthering their Spanish language skills and understanding of Spanish culture. For more information visit Temple in Spain Spring Semester.
Temple Spain Summer Program
The Temple in Spain summer program is based at the University of Oviedo in the province of Asturias, a beautiful region of ocean, mountains and Roman ruins in northwest Spain. For more information visit Temple in Spain Summer Session.
