I would like to learn Castillian Spanish online -- I would like a list
of Universites that offer an online course in Castillian Spanish I
(beginning Spanish) for college credit beginning in or soon after
January 2004.  Here are my priorities, in order of importance:

(1) The course should be exclusively or primarily Castillian (Spain)
Spanish
(2) I would like official college credit for the course
(3)  Universities in Spain that offer an online program would be
preferable to US universities.
(4) Community colleges are acceptable
(5) Correspondence courses are acceptable to the extent that they are
given by an accredited University.

I submitted this question some time ago, and am offering more for the
question as some of my priorities have changed, and I have been
unsuccessful in locating a course that meets at least the top 2
criteria.

Hi tadams,

I have been researching your question all day, and have unable to meet
all your criteria for online Castillian classes. I found a few online
classes, but they did not specify "Castillian" Spanish, and did not
offer college credit. Most anything that originates in the US will be
Latin American Spanish, and not Castillian Spanish.

I learned Castellano as a child, while living 3 years in the 
Andalucia region of Spain. After I returned to the US, I lost most of
the beautiful Castillian accent (though for some odd reason, I still
say ?corathon? for heart!)  After living in Venezuela, and now in an
area largely influenced by Mexican Spanish, my accent no longer has
that sweet Castillian sound. I am pleased you want to learn
Castillian! Because of the 700 year Arab influence in Spain,
approximately 25% of Castillian vocabulary has Arabic roots. When
Spanish arrived in the Americas, the language became fragmented,
mixing with the various indigenous languages. Even though I am fluent
in Spanish, I am often perplexed at words I hear from native Mexican
speakers. (I don?t speak or know any indigenous languages, such as
Nahuatl.) Some of my Mexican patients do not even know the Castillian
terms for ordinary words such as corn, tonsils, turkey, flea market
and monkey; they still use the Nahuatl words, and believe they are
speaking Spanish. Castillian Spanish will be free of this lexicon. I
believe there are advantages to learning both ?versions? however.

Have you ever considered taking a course IN Spain? Learning and living
the culture will give you "gracia", pronounced "grathia" . A Spanish
professor from Spain once told me you can only truly learn Castillian
if you have "grathia". (Translated into "Grace" but meaning "a feel
for".)

If you decide to visit Spain for a course, I can help you, but I was
unable to find an online course that meets all your requirements.

Regards,
crabcakes-ga