Academics (immersion)
Students in the Immersion Program typically take 3-4 courses plus the required SPA 304 during a semester in Salamanca.
Students must enroll in no fewer than 12 local credit hours. Registering for more than 17 credit hours requires permission for an overload.
SPA 304. Selected Topics in Spanish Language and Hispanic Culture (3h) is required and includes the group excursions to sites around Spain. This course is graded and is team-taught by the Resident Professor and the Salamanca Cultural Instructor.
All courses are taught in Spanish.
All academic courses are scheduled Monday through Thursday, leaving three-day weekends for exploring the city or travel to other destinations. During the first two weeks (SPA 304) the classes are scheduled Monday through Friday with classes in the mornings and activities in the afternoon.
*may be adjusted according to program needs.
Students may also elect to do an internship (SPA 199). SPA 199 is Pass/Fail and does not count towards a Spanish major or minor. Remaining courses are chosen from the course list below.
The Salamanca Program follows the Class Attendance policy listed in the WF Bulletin:
- Attendance is mandatory.
- Two sick days are permitted, no justification required (Tip: it would be wise to reserve these absences for illness).
- Each additional absence will lower the final course grade by 2/100 points.
- In case of hospitalization or a doctor’s bed rest orders for prolonged illness, send documentation to your semester RP, who will notify your professors.
- Absences from academic trips are not permitted. Each day (partial or complete) of absence from an academic trip will lower the final SPA 304 grade by 10 points.
- Internships require full participation through the last day of classes.
Class changes once students have been registered for Salamanca courses are generally not permitted.
- An Add may be permitted if there is space in a class and the change will not enroll the student in more than 17 credit hours per semester.
- A Drop will be permitted only in the event that the student has discovered an error on his/her transcript since registering for the program abroad and a different course is needed to meet major/minor/concentration requirements. (documentation required).
- Students must remain enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours of locally-taught courses.
- Add/drop request form
Rules for pass/fail:
- Students are limited to electing to take one course (4h, maximum) per semester pass/fail.
- The criteria for a passing grade is established by the professor.
- The last day to change from grade mode to pass/fail mode is the drop date.
- The last day to change from pass/fail mode to grade mode is the Friday of the twelfth week of the semester.
- The change requires written or electronic permission of the academic adviser and the course instructor.
Protocol/procedure:
- The student obtains email approval from his/her academic adviser to take a particular course pass/fail.
- The student forwards the written approval from the academic advisor to the Salamanca On-site Director (Javier) and the course instructor, and requests approval from the instructor to take the course pass/fail.
- The instructor, copying Javier, sends the student written permission that establishes the criteria for a passing grade.
- Javier, copying the student, notifies the Abroad Registrar (Sarah Dale).
- The Registrar confirms the change, copying the student and On-site Director (Javier).
- The grading scale in Salamanca is the same as the Spanish Department’s on Wake Forest Campus:
| 93-100 = A | 73-77 = C |
| A 90-92 = A- | 70-72 = C- |
| 88-9 = B+ | 68-69 = D+ |
| 83-87 = B | 63-67 = D |
| 80-82 = B- | 60-62 = D- |
| 78-9 = C+ | < 60 = F |
- Spanish universities follow a different calendar of assessment.
- Evaluations of class participation will take into account your class behavior and attitude (see class participation rubrics).
- Daily homework checks and quizzes are less common in Spanish university courses than in American ones. The norm is a midterm, a final, and several essays.
- Deadlines and times are firm. Late papers, presentations, missed exams, will be marked down 30% per day late.
- Changes will not be made to the final exam schedule.
- Assistance from tutors or other native speakers is permitted but they are not to help you do assignments to be turned in for a grade. Doing so will constitute an infraction of the Honor Code.
Throughout the semester you are bound to note cultural differences in your Salamanca professors´ styles of teaching. This is part of the experience of studying abroad. However, just as your professors on campus articulate their expectations clearly, provide you with timely feedback, and grade your work fairly, so also will your professors in Salamanca.
If at some point you should have a complaint about a professor’s performance or grading, use the following procedure:
- As soon as possible and no later than fifteen days after the event, talk personally with or send a written message explaining the concern directly to the professor. Should you need assistance writing this message, your Resident Professor may be of help. (If your complaint regards the Resident Professor, move directly to step 2) The Resident Professor will not take a position or write a message for you, but s/he can help you find the vocabulary to communicate your complaint.
- If your complaint is not resolved, you may appeal to the Program Director for assistance. The Program Director will communicate with you and the professor, seek to understand your individual perspectives, reach a conclusion, and share it with you and the professor.
- If your complaint is still not resolved by these procedures, you should consult with the Office of Academic Advising for assistance.
- Finally, you may appeal to the Committee on Academic Affairs which will study the matter, solicit input from all parties, and reach a final decision concerning resolution.
Again, a complaint should be directed as soon as possible to the professor whose actions or inactions have given rise to the problem. In no case will a complaint be considered later than fifteen days after the event.”
Honor Code
WFU Honor Code: https://studentconduct.wfu.edu/undergraduate-student-handbook-2/#20230228212512
Honor Code
The Wake Forest Undergraduate Honor Code prohibits “plagiarism, stealing, cheating, and deception.” In academic terms, this means turning in, as your own, wording, text, or ideas that are not your own.
To avoid plagiarizing, cite your sources when quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing works (print or online) by other authors. To avoid cheating and deception, do not use tutors, friends, collaborators, contractors, translators, grammar checks, or artificial intelligence generators for work that must be your own.
Any sign of plagiarism, stealing, cheating or deception will be regarded as a violation of the Honor Code and will be awarded a grade of 0 and submission to the Judicial Council.
Wake Forest will pay for all your books. You will be notified when and where to collect them.
Find the link for your USAL Gmail account here http://gmail.usal.es/
- Your USAL account username will be your email address (example: i_c000000@usal.es; you can find yours below your picture on your USAL ID card).
- Your passport number will be your password.
- Use your USAL credentials to access the USAL Canvas, called STUDIUM can be accessed here with http://studium.usal.es/
Make sure that you log into your USAL account to activate it. It must be done at least once before classes start. Please let us know immediately if you are unable to log in.
