The C2 Proficiency Topics is an English conversation course designed for students who have achieved a C2 level and wish to attend classes to keep their skills sharp.

During the course students will be presented with a range of authentic materials created for an American audience (news, podcasts, videos, etc.). This provides students with the opportunity to interpret the cultural implications and discuss their ideas with their classmates, with guidance from the instructor.

Materials are provided on our online Moodle platform so that students can review them in advance of each class in order to maximize speaking opportunities during their lessons.

Course fees include access to resources in English and Spanish from the extensive library at the International Institute, as well as all of its services (lending books, magazines, DVDs, etc.). Also, students enrolled in IIE courses have priority access to activities at the Institute.

C2 Proficiency Topics is an advanced-level course designed to give students extensive conversation practice and expand their vocabulary on topics related to current events, science, art, and literature.   Students are active collaborators in this learner-centered approach class. In partnership with the instructor, the course is designed to meet their interests by electing the themes for discussion and activities and materials on the topics that interest them.  Each trimester, the topics and activities vary according to the participants’ backgrounds and interests.  

The students will also have the option of leaving the Institute to visit Art spaces in Madrid to discuss the exhibitions. In New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, gallery-going is a traditional Saturday morning activity.

Class materials will consist of authentic content written for an English-speaking audience with an emphasis on North American culture, but inclusive of Spanish and global perspectives.

At the end of the trimester, students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Listen for general content, detail, and inference; handle rapid and natural speech, interruptions, and regional American accents
• Analyze contemporary issues in order to express opinions, build arguments, and propose solutions.
• Survey texts to anticipate content, skim for main ideas, and scan for details; analyze and summarize texts to determine information, attitudes, and what is at stake.
• Consolidate grammar and vocabulary by completing a variety of writing and speaking tasks.