Iowa Regents
Hispanic Institute
Valladolid, Spain
Iglesia de la Antigua |
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Program Information for Summer 2008
from May 19 to June 28, 2008
Program Description
The Iowa Regents Hispanic Institute in Valladolid is a six-week program in which students
live with a Spanish family and enroll in courses in the summer program for foreign students
(cursos para extranjeros) at the Universidad de Valladolid. Classes meet for five weeks,
and students spend the sixth week traveling within Spain while working on an individual
research project. Iowa students earn 7 s.h. resident credit, applicable to a Spanish major
or minor at any Iowa Regent University (i.e., University of Iowa, University of Northern
Iowa, and Iowa State University).
This summer course in Valladolid offers students a unique language learning experience,
studying with young and enthusiastic native professors. Students usually find their spoken
Spanish vastly improves over the course of this program, as they interact daily with native
speakers and gain confidence in their ability to communicate in Spanish. Students also learn
a great deal about Spanish culture by experiencing day-to-day life in Spain, sharing meals
and conversation with their family and conversation partners (regular Universidad de
Valladolid
students), exploring Valladolid night life, and traveling to other cities within
Spain. This program
enables students to experience Spain with a group of companions
from “home.”
Academic Program
Students take three courses in Spanish for a total of 7 credit hours. Depending on their level,
students take one course in Spanish Language and one course in Spanish Culture; or, one
course in Spanish Culture and one course in Spanish Literature. All students take Life in
Spain, a course designed to help prepare them for the week of independent travel, and write
a final paper (see samples of their work) about Spanish culture and their study-abroad
experience.
There are approximately 22 hours of classes each week. Classes meet each morning in two blocks, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m and from 11:50 a.m. to 1:50 p.m., with a 20-minute break in between. One afternoon per week, students meet with conversation partners (Spanish students who attend the Universidad de Valladolid). Grading is based on class participation, oral and written work, final exams and the final paper.
Classes are held in the Centro de Idiomas, the international language school of the Universidad de Valladolid. The Centro is a new building with modern facilities, including cafeterias, a computer lab and free Wi-Fi service. |
Centro de Idiomas |
Computer Lab
Break between classes
Plaza Mayor
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Valladolid is a modern city with a great historical and cultural heritage. The capital of Castile-León, it has a population of approximately 350,000. The center of city life is the Plaza Mayor, where once bullfights were held; now, shoppers frequent the sidewalk cafés during the day, while at night street artists and bar-hoppers fill the square. |
| Tourists flock to the nearby Museo Nacional de Escultura, the Casa de Colón (a museum
dedicated to Columbus’ voyages), and to the Teatro Calderón for plays and shows.
Valladolid is two hours north of Madrid. San Sebastián, Santiago de Compostela,
Barcelona, Portugal and Seville are close enough for weekend visits. |
Participants in the 2007 Valladolid Program,
at the Castle of Peñafiel (Valladolid)
Excursions
There are three Saturday excursions to nearby cities (in 2007 we went to Segovia (photo), Salamanca, and Madrid ), one afternoon excursion to Peñafiel (the best-preserved castle in Valladolid), and optional excursions within Valladolid province. June 6-8 is a long weekend; students can travel independently to more distant sites like Granada, Santiago de Compostela, or Barcelona. |
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Independent Travel Week
The highlight of this program is the week of independent travel, June 21-28, 2008. Students will work in groups to plan their week, select sites to visit based upon their cultural interest, and submit a detailed travel plan before they leave Valladolid for their week of cultural exploration! |
Accomodation
Students live with carefully-chosen Spanish families that provide living accommodations and three meals daily. Usually two students are placed with each family. Students find that they learn a lot about Spanish culture and language from their family! |
Cat & Emily with their madre |
Transportation
A group flight will be arranged so students can travel together to Valladolid. The estimated round trip cost from Chicago to Madrid is $950. More details on the group flight will be available in the Spring of 2008.
Costs
The program fee for summer 2007 are $3850 for UI, UNI, and ISU students who are Iowa residents, $4200 for non-residences. The program fee for summer 2008 will be set in January 2008. This fee includes instruction, lodging, insurance, laundry, three meals daily, and the required excursions. It does not include incidentals, travel and accommodations following the conclusion of classes, or transportation to and from Spain. 2007 students on average spent an additional $1500 on travel and other personal expenses while they were in Spain. Scholarships and financial aid information is available on the Office of Study Abroad website.
Eligibility and Application
The program is open to students who will have completed four semesters of college-level Spanish by May 2008 and have a good academic record. Participants include students from Iowa universities and from other universities and colleges. Applications are due to the Office for Study Abroad by February 15, 2008, along with a non-refundable $35 application fee. Late applications are accepted on a space available basis only.
Applications are available on-line.
For more information contact:
Professor Carlos-Eduardo Piñeros
Department of Spanish & Portuguese
451 Phillips Hall | The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
(319) 335-2988
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