Spanish Spring Term Abroad
Spanish 227 (Conversation and Culture) in Spain
Spring 2008
Twenty-four students (freshmen through seniors, all with a minimum preparation of Spanish 218) traveled to Spain with Professors Reyes and Dollmeyer for four weeks during spring term. During the first 19 days in Alcalá de Henares (birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quijote de la Mancha), students lived with families and attended classes daily. They studied various aspects of contemporary Spanish culture with professors from the University of Alcalá de Henares's Center for Spanish Language and Culture.
With Professor Reyes they read a contemporary Spanish play that they later saw performed live at a theater in Madrid. They studied Spanish art history with Professor Dollmeyer to prepare for visits to monuments throughout Spain. From Alcalá de Henares, the group embarked on day excursions to the cities of Toledo (a medieval cultural center for Jews, Christians and Moslems) and Segovia (site of a palace/fortress and a Roman aqueduct).
The group spent several afternoons in Madrid where they viewed masterpieces at the Prado Art Museum and the Reina Sofía Art Center, took a walking tour of the historical center and attended a bullfight. With a hotel in the city of Granada as the home base, students spent the final week in Andalucía, a region in the south, rich in vestiges of Spain's Moorish past. While there, they visited the mosque of Córdoba, the cathedral in Sevilla and the Alhambra palaces in Granada. On their final free day, the students opted for an excursion to the Mediterranean to enjoy the beach near Málaga.
