Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Build persuasive spoken Spanish through the Rassias Method in this two-week Dartmouth academy for high school students.
Course Description
How do you make a convincing point when every word, response, and cultural cue matters? Students strengthen spoken Spanish through the Rassias Method, which uses dramatic techniques, rhythmic drills, rapid reinforcement, and an error-tolerant classroom to encourage natural speech.
Lead classes, reinforcement sessions, group lunches in Spanish, cultural programming, debates, negotiations, and presentations place grammar and vocabulary inside active communication. Students practice forming arguments, responding to counterarguments, and adapting persuasive choices to Spanish-speaking contexts. The emphasis stays on oral comprehension and spontaneous speech.
Because the method depends on frequent participation, students keep returning to the language under different conditions. A phrase first practiced in a drill may reappear in a discussion, negotiation, cultural session, or unscripted response.
The academy builds toward an approximately 15-minute verbal presentation on a topic each student has studied or cares about, followed by questions and answers. Students must organize an argument, speak with clarity, and respond in the moment.
This two-week, full-day intensive academy is part of Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars in Hanover, New Hampshire. The academy is fully developed and run by Dartmouth and taught by Dartmouth faculty and expert instructors. Residential and commuter students participate throughout the day, pairing focused academic work with campus life and growing independence.
What Will You Do?
• Leverage a unique method, Rassias, which was developed by Dartmouth to quicken learning
• Build persuasive vocabulary for business, politics, law, and leadership
• Practice spontaneous Spanish during dialogues, discussions, and group lunches
• Form and defend arguments in debates, negotiations, and presentations
• Respond to counterarguments and questions in real time
• Adapt persuasive choices to Spanish-speaking cultural contexts
• Deliver an approximately 15-minute verbal presentation with questions and answers
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Communicate persuasively in spoken Spanish using relevant vocabulary and rhetorical strategies
• Formulate arguments and respond to questions or counterarguments in real time
• Deliver a sustained verbal presentation adapted to a Spanish-speaking context
Students leave with a completed oral presentation, stronger fluency and intercultural communication skills, and clearer direction about continued Spanish study and globally oriented fields.
Why Persuasive Spanish Skills Matter
Persuasive Spanish requires more than translating an argument word for word. Speakers must choose vocabulary, organize ideas, listen closely, respond quickly, and account for cultural context.
The Rassias Method develops those abilities through repeated speech, rhythmic drills, dramatic reinforcement, and an atmosphere where mistakes are part of learning. Debates, negotiations, and presentations then give students a reason to use the language with purpose. These skills support advanced language study and strengthen communication for international relations, business, law, medicine, education, journalism, government, and global service.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and want to improve spoken Spanish through active, sustained participation. It is especially relevant to students interested in language, culture, debate, public speaking, international relations, business, law, leadership, or global service.
Participants should be ready to speak often, join rapid drills, make mistakes, respond to classmates, and present in Spanish. The source does not state a formal proficiency prerequisite. Students should expect an oral-intensive environment focused more on listening and speaking than on extended reading or writing.
Recommended by 9 out of 10 Students
Based on students surveyed in the Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars program (2026)
Why Dartmouth?
Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars gives high school students a concentrated introduction to college-level learning in Hanover, New Hampshire. The intensive, noncredit academies are fully developed and run by Dartmouth and taught by Dartmouth faculty and expert instructors. Students explore current ideas through discussion, projects, and sustained work that helps them test an academic interest in depth.
Residential students live in Dartmouth residence halls, eat at 53 Commons, and can join workshops and counselor-supported evening and weekend activities. Time in Hanover and the Upper Valley adds a distinctive New England setting, while the broader experience helps students build independence and clarify what they may want to study next.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive