Spain

Spanish Language, Literature and Film

Program

About Oviedo

Courses

Faculty

Accommodation & Student Life

Field Trips

Cost

Calendar

General Summer Program Information

Eligibility and Application Procedures

Application Deadline

PROGRAM

The Temple in Spain summer program is designed for students with at least one year of university-level Spanish. The program is based at the University of Oviedo in the province of Asturias, a beautiful region of ocean, mountains and Roman ruins in northwest Spain. The program is comprised of coursework in Spanish language, literature and film taught at the University of Oviedo by native Spanish-speaking professors and by Temple University professors Jaime Durán and Jonathan Holmquist. Students enroll in a total of six credits: three credits of language and three credits of literature or film studies. The first five days of the program take place in Madrid, where faculty conduct an orientation program, and where students have the opportunity to explore Spain’s capital city and its environs before traveling to Oviedo to begin classes. The period in Madrid also includes day excursions to such nearby cities as Avila, Segovia and Toledo.

ABOUT OVIEDO

Oviedo is the capital of the province of Asturias, one of the most culturally significant regions in Spain. As the administrative, commercial and cultural center of the region, Oviedo is a lively and vigorous city with a population of 220,000. Just 21 miles from the coast, Oviedo is a gateway for great scenery and beaches.

While the city has an impressive old-town center, museums and significant historic architectural sites, it is also a modern city with an active cultural life featuring concerts, opera, theater and exhibitions. As there are relatively few English-speaking visitors, Oviedo is also an excellent location to improve language skills. Home to the Universidad de Oviedo with more than 45,000 students and 1,600 faculty members, Oviedo is a university town, as it has been for four centuries.

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COURSES

The academic program is comprised of courses in Spanish language, literature and film studies. Students choose two of three courses offered, one of which must be the appropriate level of Spanish language study. In order to be eligible for the program, students are required to have completed Spanish 1002 or the equivalent (at least one year of college Spanish).

Language classes are given mornings, Monday through Friday, at the University of Oviedo by native Spanish-speaking professors, and are designed to improve the students’ understanding of Spanish and to strengthen their speaking and writing skills. A placement exam is given upon arrival in Oviedo to determine the appropriate Spanish language level. Depending on background and proficiency, students are placed into one of the following: Spanish 1003: Intermediate I (3 cr); Spanish 2001: Conversational Review (3 cr), or Spanish 3001: Advanced Composition and Conversation (3 cr).

Note: Students who wish to earn credit for Spanish 3001 must have already successfully completed Spanish 2001.

In the afternoons, students take either a film studies course (Spanish 3222/English 2712) or a Spanish literature course (Spanish 2002/4183):

Spanish 3222: Contemporary Spain through Film/English 2712: International Film (3 cr)

This course focuses on contemporary Spanish cinema and the works of Oscar-winning Pedro Almodóvar. Assignments are in Spanish and/or English, depending on the level of the student. Students who enroll in the Spanish 3222 section are expected to do all assignments in Spanish.

Spanish 2002: Hispanic Readings I/Spanish 4183: Directed Readings (3 cr)
Students read short stories (cuentos) of Clarin and La Dama del Alba by Alejandro Casona, as well as selected sociolinguistic texts characterizing local speech. Taught in Spanish.

FACULTY

Dr. Jaime Durán is a native of Oviedo and Asturias. He studied as an undergraduate at the University of Oviedo and obtained his PhD in Spanish from Temple University. He currently teaches at Temple University and directs Temple's spring semester program in Oviedo.

Dr. Jonathan Holmquist received his PhD from Princeton University and is currently an associate professor of Spanish at Temple University. Dr. Holmquist’s research has been based largely on sociolinguistic field investigation in the region of Cantabria in northern Spain and in west-central Puerto Rico.

ACCOMMODATION & STUDENT LIFE

Students live either with host families or in a university residence. Host families provide three meals a day. Students living in the university residence have breakfast daily in the university dining hall and are provided tickets for 18 additional meals, which can be used for either lunch or dinner in the university dining hall.

Living with a family provides students with more opportunities to practice Spanish in a natural setting and experience the local culture, and we therefore encourage students to consider this option. During the summer, few Spanish university students live at the university residence; most are students from the United States and other countries who have come to Spain to learn Spanish. However, there usually are some Spanish students studying for exams who are in the residence in the summer. Some of the dorm rooms have their own bathroom; others share a floor bathroom.

FIELD TRIPS

Field trips led by faculty are an integral part of the learning experience in Spain. Students spend the first several days of the program in Madrid, exploring the capital of Spain and its environs, including Toledo, Segovia and Avila. Program participants often independently visit locations including Gijón and the beach, Santander, Santiana del Mar and elsewhere.

ESTIMATED 2010 COSTS

Notes:

All estimated costs are subject to change. They should be used as a guideline only. Accepted students will receive updated, detailed cost information as soon as it is available after the application deadline.

*The Spain fee includes: housing in a university dorm or with a family, all meals in Madrid (except for lunch on arrival day); housing and excursions in Madrid; and local travel from Madrid to Oviedo (but not from Oviedo to Madrid). For students in homestays, the fee includes three meals a day provided by the host family. For students living in the university residence, the fee includes breakfast daily and tickets for 18 additional meals (lunch or dinner) at the university dining hall. Please note that this fee is based on last year's fee and will be updated.

**Applicable to students living in the university residence. For students in homestays, three meals a day are provided.

Students may find that it is less expensive to leave from JFK airport in New York or Newark airport in New Jersey than from Philadelphia.

In addition to the items above, students should budget money for health insurance, local and personal travel, and any additional personal expenses.

We recommend that students follow the exchange rate prior to and during their summer abroad, either through the newspaper or a currency exchange web site (such as www.oanda.com).

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2010 CALENDAR (Summer II)

Dates are tentative and subject to change

Note: In 2010, the date students must depart the U.S. for Spain is the last day of Temple's summer session I (June 28).

GENERAL SUMMER PROGRAM INFORMATION

Please see General Summer Information to read about pre-departure information and orientation; passports and visas; scholarships; costs and payment policies; accreditation; and transfer of credits.

ELIGIBILITY & APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Please see Eligibility and Application Procedures for program eligibility, application requirements, and application procedures that apply to all summer programs. In addition, for the Spain program, the following is required:

• Students are required to have successfully completed Spanish 1002 or the equivalent (one year of college Spanish).

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15

For more information, please contact Dr. Jaime Durán, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Temple University, jduran@temple.edu, or International Programs, 215-204-0720, study.abroad@temple.edu.