The program, tentatively scheduled for July 5-24, 2004, is intended primarily for Spanish teachers. Application is open, however, to undergraduate and graduate students from Spanish and other disciplines who have a demonstrated ability in the use of the Spanish language and a need for this type of course. (Intensive Guaraní instruction may be of special interest to graduate students of Latin American studies.) Both native and non-native speakers of Spanish are invited to apply. 

The Summer Seminars Abroad for Spanish Teachers (SSAST) have been offered annually since 1991, moving to a different site every two years as a way of presenting as many faces as possible of the Spanish-speaking world to educators and students of Spanish. The move to Paraguay in 2003 further enhanced the already diverse ethnolinguistic and dialectological profile of program venues.  Previous locations have included Cuernavaca, Mexico (1991 and 1992); Quito, Ecuador (1993 and 1994); San José, Costa Rica (1995 and 1996); Valencia, Spain (1997 and 1998); Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic (1999 and 2000); Santiago, Chile (2001 and 2002); and Asunción, Paraguay (2003). 

The location of this year's program is Asunción, Paraguay.

Paraguay is a landlocked country in subtropical South America. The Paraguay River separates the sparsely inhabited Gran Chaco in the west from the grassy plains and forested hills of the east. At the intersection of the Paraguay and Pilcomayo rivers, across from Argentina, lies the national capital, Asunción. With a population of about a million, it is Paraguay's only large city.

Paraguay has been described as one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world. About 95% of the population is mestizo (that is, of Spanish and Amerindian ancestry) and almost all Paraguayans speak both Spanish and Guaraní. Their collective history is one of physical and cultural isolation, from the founding of the missions along the Paraná River to the fall of the last dictatorship in 1989. Catastropic wars with neighboring countries in the 19th and 20th centuries decimated the population and fixed the national borders as they are today.

Asunción provides a fascinating backdrop for linguistic and cultural immersion. It is the economic, political, and cultural center of Paraguay, and its mild July weather and modern amenities will make it a comfortable location for exploring a unique society. Within a few hours' drive are sites of enormous ecological and historical interest, including Iguassu Falls, many parks and preserves, and ruins of the Jesuit missions. Towns around Asunción are famous for the handiwork of their artisans. Photos of several of these places are posted online here. (Careful! The files are very large!)

For further information about Paraguay, visit the resource page maintained by the Center for Latin American Studies at http://oia.osu.edu/clas/cyberspace/paraguay.html or the links suggested by Prof. Teresa Méndez-Faith at http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/tmfaith/welcome.html.

In order to maximize the time available for group and individual contact with Paraguayans from a variety of backgrounds, participants will be housed in a downtown hotel. This change in policy from the usual family stay of past editions of the SSAST does not limit immersion opportunities or participants' independence to explore on their own; rather, it is intended to reduce the amount of time spent on public transportation and introduce us to more than one family and neighborhood. All sorts of immersion activities are held in Asunción and surrounding communities, including home visits, parties, cooking classes, tertulias, half-day excursions, and other events to which many Paraguayans will be invited as well.

Compliance with supervisory regulations of our host institutions and of The Ohio State University will be required of all students. Lodging will include two meals daily. Double occupancy is assumed unless arrangements are made for single rooms, which will be assigned, for an additional fee, as long as they are available.

While counseling in English is always available from the multilingual directorship, students will be expected to speak only Spanish (or Guaraní) in class and in virtually all of their day-to-day activities. 

This year's program offers the usual linguistics seminar as well as intensive Guaraní language instruction. Students may choose only one of the two course options. The courses are available for five (graduate or undergraduate) quarter credits only.

In Asunción, each class will be conducted four or five hours a day, for a total of ten days; time will be spent on organization and analysis of data in order to add a new perspective to the out-of-class language experience. In order to take better advantage of the linguistic and cultural resources once in Paraguay, students will be asked to begin reading course materials before July 5.

Graded credit for successful completion of the program will be issued on an official Ohio State transcript. Ungraded (S/U or Pass/Fail) credit is not available for these courses. The content and rigor of this program are consistent with the academic standards of The Ohio State University. Specific course content is summarized below. 

Seminar in Spanish Linguistics: Pronouns
(Professors Lunn and Morgan; 5 quarter credits)
From their very first course, learners of Spanish realize that the pronominal system of that language differs considerably from that of English: Spanish may use one pronoun where English has several; Spanish has at least twenty ways to translate English you; a Spanish sentence may lack an overt subject altogether where English requires a pronoun; and the list goes on. This course explores Spanish pronouns from a number of different perspectives: their morphology and syntax; socio-semantic considerations; dialectal variation and colloquialisms; contrasts with English; and both traditional and innovative approaches to organization of data for teaching. Included will be analyses of stressed vs. unstressed forms; subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions; types of reflexives; redundancy; the Latin American voseo; and the dreaded se. Students will study examples from texts (greeting cards, song lyrics, newspaper articles, literary excerpts, comic books, and more) as well as take advantage of the Spanish-speaking environment to poll residents about their usage. Most importantly, perhaps, they will gather real data and artifacts from their Paraguayan community to be used in their own classroom teaching.

Intensive Guaraní  
( 5 quarter credits)
No other indigenous language of the Americas enjoys the status that Guaraní does. A member of the Tupi-Guaraní family of languages (which gave us such words as jaguar, piranha, and coati-mundi), it is the vernacular of the Paraguayan people and claims a total of about 4 million speakers in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. This course will be taught by native Guaraní speakers who will cover grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary in such a way as to have students using the language from the very first day. Opportunities abound for practice outside of class, as well as for investigation of the pervasive Spanish-Guaraní bilingualism which is one of the most fascinating products of Paraguay's Spanish Colonial legacy.

Specific details about reduced-fare, group travel to Paraguay will be provided well in advance of the trip. While fares have tended to fluctuate dramatically, it has been suggested that applicants budget about $1000 for round-trip travel. Please click here for additional details.

A visa is needed to enter Paraguay. The Center for Latin American Studies will facilitate visa processing for participants whose application materials are received by March 31, 2004. Additional information, including a downloadable application form, is available from the Paraguayan government's website at http://www.paraguaygobierno.gov.py/.

The cost of five graduate OSU credits is currently $1210. To this amount, a program fee of $600 is added. There is also a non-refundable application fee of $100.

This total of $1910 includes five hours of OSU (graduate or undergraduate) tuition; room (double occupancy) and board (at least 2 meals daily); short excursions; a longer excursion to Iguassu Falls in Brazil and Argentina; course packets; supplemental travel health insurance; and airport pickup and drop-off in Asunción for those traveling with the group. The costs of round-trip air fare, standard medical insurance, visas, and personal expenditures will be additional.

Through special arrangement with the University, non-residents of Ohio are not required to pay any additional costs to cover out-of-state tuition for this program; these costs have been underwritten by the Graduate School.

This year, for the first time, the program will include, at no additional cost, a guided, three- or four-day excursion to places such as Itaipú Dam, Iguassu Falls and the Jesuit mission at Trinidad in Eastern Paraguay. Information about this longer tour will be made available well in advance of the trip. All of these events will take place between July 5 and July 24.

Non-OSU students will be required to enroll at Ohio State in order to attend--either through Continuing Education (undergraduate credit) or the Graduate School (graduate credit, non-degree unless accepted into a regular program). The program administrators will inform prospective participants of the necessary procedures and facilitate their enrollment. (The vast majority of the students who participate each year are not regular OSU students.)

Students will be registered for 5 quarter credits of SPANISH 697 through regular Summer Quarter (full-term) registration. Pass/fail and audit options are not available for these courses. 

For full consideration, completed applications and all supporting documents must be received no later than March 31, 2004, but early application is advised. After March 31, applications will be considered if space is available.

Click here for an application form and instructions.

Veterans of OSU's Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, Dominican Republic, and Chile seminar programs--1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, or 2003--need not send transcripts or letter of recommendation.