Students consolidate their knowledge of French grammar, vocabulary, and phonetics through the exploration of thematic material. They will widen their appreciation of, and engagement with, the cultural, political and social particularities of Francophone life. Two principal themes will be: the city (from a broad human geographical perspective) and the environment (from a global perspective, drawing on situations from a range of Francophone countries).

French III-Honors is an advanced intermediate level course, which builds on and sharpens the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication skills that students acquired in French II. The class is conducted entirely in French. Students continue to improve their listening, speaking, writing and reading skills as they tackle a variety of authentic resources that include short stories, poems, songs, online publications, videos, news broadcasts, and a feature-length film.

Spanish IV is designed for students to continue to sharpen their communication skills while broadening their cultural base. Spanish IV students analyze various topics relevant to today’s globalized world, including the environment, urban life, health, the world of work and the arts. Through projects, presentations and exposure to level-appropriate authentic resources, we will consider these topics in relation to students’ immediate lives while at the same time examining these issues within the greater context of the Spanish-speaking world. Throughout the course, new vocabulary and grammar will be introduced in context, including through presentation of short reading selections, original songs and excerpts from local and international media sources.

The AP Spanish Language and Culture course takes on an interdisciplinary, thematic approach which engages student learning through the in-depth study of six principal themes: Personal and Public Identities, Families and Communities, Contemporary Life, World Challenges, Science and Technology and Beauty and Esthetics. The ultimate goal of the course is for students to be able to understand and make themselves understood in interactions with native speakers of distinct backgrounds in a variety of contexts.

Students learn about the six thematic areas as prescribed by the AP Board: las sociedades en contacto: pluralismo racial y desigualdad económica, la construcción del género, el tiempo y el espacio, las relaciones interpersonales, la dualidad del ser, la creación literaria. The students come to understand authentic text in relations the historic time and the literary genres. Throughout the year the students gain a better understanding of the overarching themes and concepts that are found in the different texts that they read. Through a focus on essential questions students come to be more aware of the Spanish culture.

Offered at Roland Park Country School, this course is designed to further students’ progress in the development of the four language skills, while deepening their insight into Hispanic culture through exposure to works by modern writers of the Spanish-speaking world. Some authors include Pablo Neruda, Amado Nervo and Gregorio López y Fuentes. Students study works from artists such as El Greco, Salvador Dalí and Frida Kahlo.

Offered at The Bryn Mawr School, this course explores the representation of women in the Francophone world. Readings, films, and songs will provide students with opportunities for discussion of women's roles, challenges, and opportunities in the francophone world, and will be the basis upon which students conduct cross-cultural comparisons.