Pars Omni® Spanish language programs have been designed for those who are serious about learning to speak and understand Spanish. By 'serious' we mean those having the intent to use Spanish to enrich their lives - as opposed to taking a course for 'credit' or for social reasons or from boredom. Ironically, students in our courses often say that they have more fun and make more friends in their Pars Omni® courses than in any others.

Prior to attending a Pars Omni® course, you will take a written placement test and participate in a personal interview to determine which course is best for you.

The primary emphasis of the Pars Omni® program is on developing a strong conversational ability. As you progress through the levels, you will find a growing reliance on writing and on reading various texts outside of class. The practice of writing and the reading of many literary and other types of texts enriches your vocabulary and strengthens your ability to formulate and understand complex thoughts in conversational contexts.

The Pars Omni® program consists of these courses:

Foundation Course

This course is for beginners. It lays a broad foundation in Spanish that includes a 2000+ word vocabulary plus 7 verb tenses in the past, present and future. At the end of the course, students can carry on conversations in Spanish about most every-day subjects and even about many professional and specialized subjects at a basic level, within the framework of vocabulary and grammar of the course.

Many people who have had 1-2 years or more of Spanish in school still test out at a beginning conversational level and are placed in the Foundation course. Much of what was learned in these courses may seem forgotten, especially if the courses were taken more than 2 or 3 years ago. However, the knowledge is still there at a passive level, though not accessible under ordinary conditions. The Foundation course will reactivate this 'lost' knowledge and add to it greatly.

It is not unusual to have a Foundation course where some of the students have never studied Spanish before and others have had one or more years of Spanish courses in High School or elsewhere. In the first few lessons, the difference between these two groups is often apparent. But usually by the 7th class session it is very difficult to tell which student belongs to which group; the large amount of material presented in the course and the accelerated nature of the instruction have erased the differences.

Proficiency Course

The Proficiency course presents students with an additional 2000+ words plus the entire grammatical structure, including all verb tenses, of Spanish. The same method that is so effective in the Foundation course is also used in the Proficiency course - but with some significant changes.

The major goals of the Proficiency course are:

• Teaching students to converse within the context of a 4000+ word vocabulary and the complete grammatical structure of Spanish
  
  
• Introducing students to using and understanding everyday idiomatic expressions and speech
  
  
• Getting students to the level of 'independence' where they are confident and able enough to easily learn more Spanish in life situations on their own

At the end of the course, students have a solid proficiency in speaking and understanding Spanish in any everyday context. The course can be customized to fit individual, professional needs.

Mastery Course

The Mastery course is a highly customized course where students get intensive practice in perfecting different aspects of their ability to communicate in Spanish. Each student, in concert with the instructor, works out his or her own custom program for the course. One student may want to develop her ability to communicate in medical situations for her work. Another may want to improve his use of particular grammatical elements (e.g. use of indirect and direct pronoun, switching among various verb tenses quickly and easily, etc.). And someone else might like to improve his general fluency in Spanish while learning many new hispanic songs.

The Mastery course is still a group course, with lots of interaction, very much like the Foundation Course or the Proficiency Course. It also includes a significant amount of outside, individual work, as well. Students may take the Mastery Course more than once; no two Mastery Courses are ever the same.

Integration Course

The Integration course takes place in a Spanish speaking country, usually in Mexico. It involves intensive instruction combined with daily interaction with native Spanish speakers. Students live with local families for the duration of the course. The purpose of the course is to provide students with an intensive, 10-day, immersion into the Spanish speaking world that can significanly improve their confidence, speaking fluidity and ability to understand Spanish in the real world.

Students may take the Integration Course more than once. Sometimes it is possible to customize the Integration course to meet particular professional needs; this possibility must be discussed with the Academic Director prior to enrolling in the course.

The Value of Lifetime Learning

Mastering any language - our own native language or a foreign language - is a lifelong process. Recent studies in Japan show that adults keep learning new vocabulary (without necessarily realizing it) well into their seventies and beyond, regardless of whether they participate in formal adult education or not. Our Pars Omni® courses are meant to faciliate the process of learning a new language so that you can rapidly approach your desired level of fluency and enjoy the magical world of another language and the people who speak it.