Program Description
Overview
During Spring Quarter 2023, Participants in this Spanish language, literature, and culture program will take courses at the University of León's Language Center at the appropriate level. In addition, students will participate in 1 credit of Service Learning, which will give them the opportunity to work with English teachers in local schools. Most classes will take place in the Palacio del Conde Luna, a 14th century palace that houses the UW León Center. An instructor will teach two 200 level language classes, SPAN 321 will be taught by Anthony Geist, and the other classes will be taught by local faculty. Outside of class, students will have the opportunity to participate in cooking and other cultural classes, and to go on excursions to nearby cities and provinces, thereby allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the culture in which they are immersed. Leon is a cosmopolitan city of about 137,000, located in the Northwestern part of Spain. It is known for its 13th century Gothic Cathedral and monumental buildings, its unique food culture, as well as for its fiestas. León is an important point along the "Camino de Santiago", and students will explore the history of the Camino. León is world-famous for its celebrations of Semana Santa during April. Every year people from all over the world visit to see and participate in its many processions and colorful traditions. The region of Castile and Leon is the birthplace of the Spanish language, and will provide students with unlimited opportunities to practice their oral, aural and written skills in Spanish, as they will be living in Spain and staying with Spanish families with whom they will speak only Spanish.
Dates
March 25, 2023 - June 7, 2023. The dates of the program will coincide approximately with Spring Quarter 2023 on campus.
To apply, please visit the UW Study Abroad Office program webpage and click on the purple "Apply Now" button in the middle of the page.
Courses
Program is 18 UW Credits. Specific courses taken will vary.
SPAN 102-203: Beginning through Intermediate Spanish (5-10 credits) A&H
The first and second-year language courses aim to expand the oral and written communication skills acquired in previous courses, and to broaden students' understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. In the courses, students will build proficiency in all 4 skills; reading, writing, listening and speaking through a variety of participation and project-based activities.
The UW Spanish language series is organized around five main areas:
- COMMUNICATION: To communicate with ease and confidence when dealing with everyday routine tasks and will have the skills to participate in conversations requiring an exchange of basic information related to common topics, such as work or school, or their personal interests.
- CULTURES: To gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
- CONNECTIONS. To acquire new information and reinforce knowledge of other disciplines through the Spanish language.
- COMPARISONS. To develop new insights into the nature of language and culture that will allow them to establish comparisons not only between languages, but also between the Hispanic cultures and their own.
- COMMUNITIES: To use the Spanish language to participate in Hispanic communities at home and around the world.
SPAN 301-303: Advanced Spanish (5-10 credits) A&H
This sequence of advanced Spanish includes oral, reading and composition skills. Course objectives include techniques and strategies for oral and written discourse. Students will produce academic and professional written texts in Spanish. Several types of texts will be read, analyzed and discussed in order hone students' communication skills in the language.
The goals of this course are: to understand various types of oral discourses, to participate in debates and discussions on a variety of topics, to give an academic presentation, to express their opinion about history, politics, and cultures in the Hispanic World, to expand vocabulary, and to be more self-sufficient in their learning of the Spanish language, To read, analyze and discuss a wide variety of written texts, to write academic and professional texts, to express opinions about history, politics, and cultures in the Hispanic World both orally and in writing. These goals will be assessed through essays, projects, presentations, quizzes, and tests.
SPAN 199, 299, 393, 493: Spanish Culture (5 credits) A&H
History and Culture of Spain. This course will provide a historical context for the city and region, from its beginnings as a home for the Roman VII Legion, through the Moorish conquest and occupation, to the Christian reconquest in the late Middle Ages, all the way to current history and politics.
The goals for this course are: for students to become familiar with the history and culture of the region and expand their language skills and cultural fluency. These goals will be assessed through essays, projects, presentations, quizzes, and tests.
SPAN 321: Introduction to Hispanic Literary Studies (5 credits) A&H
This course acquaints third-year students with elementary techniques of literary analysis, as applied to examples of narrative, poetry and theater, within the context of the Spanish and Latin American literary traditions.
The goals for this course are: for students to be able to critically analyze various genres of literature, such as short story, novel, poetry, and theatre, for students to have expanded their vocabulary, and for students to be more self sufficient in their analysis of Hispanic literature. These goals will be assessed through essays, projects, presentations, quizzes, and tests.
UPDATED – STUDY ABROAD POLICY
While students may earn more credits on a study abroad program, they can use (or count) a maximum of 15 credits towards the major in Spanish, a maximum of 12 credits towards the minor in Spanish, and 10 credits in Spanish for General Studies credit, through study abroad program. |
Excursions & Other Activities
An example of the types of excursions that may be included in the program are as follows (exact details/excursions forthcoming): local points of interest such as the World Heritage Site of Las Médulas where the Romans mined gold two thousand years ago, and the picturesque town of Astorga - whose history also dates back to Roman times. There may also be an overnight trip to Santiago de Compostela, with optional trekking on foot the last 8-15 kilometers along the centuries-old Way of Saint James pilgrimage route.
Visit our COVID-19 page for more information.
Housing Information
The students' primary housing will be with host families, who will provide them with a private room, 3 meals a day and laundry service. No more than one native English-speaking student will be placed in a home. Students will fill out a form indicating their preferences for characteristics of the family, as well as any allergies. This form will be given to FGULEM so that they can arrange the home stays.
Insurance
Participants must provide proof of health/accident insurance coverage. Please refer to the UW Study Abroad Office Health Insurance webpage for information regarding health insurance while studying abroad.
Eligibility & Application
Prerequisites and Language Requirements
The prerequisite for this program is successful completion of SPAN 101 or higher, or placement into SPAN 102 or higher. Heritage speakers (those having spoken Spanish at home or other settings but with no formal class experience) at any level are encouraged to apply. Students will earn Spanish credits at the appropriate level (all course options are listed below).
Application Procedure
To apply to the program, please visit the UW Study Abroad Office webpage for the program and click on the "Apply Now" button.
Financial & Enrollment Information
Program Fees
Please visit the Finances tab on the UW Study Abroad Office webpage for the program for more information.
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Undergraduates who intend to study abroad are encouraged to apply for the Fritz Undergraduate Scholarship for Study Abroad and the Global Opportunities Scholarship for Study Abroad.
Students seeking further information on financial aid and scholarships for foreign study should visit the the UW Study Abroad Office Financial Aid webpage, or request the Financial Aid outline from the UW Study Abroad Office. In addition, students may reference the UW Scholarship Office website for more information on general and foreign study scholarships. Students will maintain their eligibility to receive most forms of UW student financial aid while participating in this program, provided that they concurrently enroll.
Withdrawal
$350 of the total program fee and the UW Study Abroad Fee are non-refundable once you have submitted a contract. If you withdraw from a program after signing a contract, you are responsible for paying a percentage of the program fee based on the date of withdrawal. More details about the withdrawal policy will be in your payment contract. No part of the program fee is refundable once the program has begun. The date of withdrawal is considered the business day a withdrawal application is received by UW Study Abroad. Notice of withdrawal from the program must be made in writing by completing the following steps:
- Provide notice in writing to the program director that you will no longer be participating in the program.
- Submit a withdrawal application to UW Study Abroad.
Visit the Withdrawals section of the UW Study Abroad website for more information.
Contact Information
Questions about the program can be answered by:
| Tony Geist Padelford Hall, B-232 (206) 543-5629 tgeist@u.washington.edu |