CIEE Advanced Liberal Arts Program in Seville, Spain

  Spain

• Seville: 
Seville (Sevilla)

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring 
Dates: Fall 16 or 21 weeks: early September-mid-December or mid/late January; Spring 18 or 21 weeks: mid-January-late May or mid/late June; Academic Year- 31 weeks: early September- late April Academic Year 34 or 42 weeks: early September-late May or mid/late

Description: The Advanced Liberal Arts program is designed to enable students to achieve fluency in spoken and written Spanish and to pursue a wide variety of academic fields, gaining a deeper understanding of these fields from a Spanish perspective. These goals are achieved through direct matriculation in University courses, a homestay or residencia living situation, local and overnight excursions, a conversation exchange program, volunteer opportunities, and independent study options.

Academic Program
Founded in 1994, the CIEE Advanced Liberal Arts program is designed for students with advanced Spanish language skills and a strong academic background. Students take the majority of their classes with Spanish students at the Universidad de Sevilla and/or the Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO), supplemented by a variety of courses offered by CIEE.

Online Placement Exam
Prior to departure for Seville, all students are required to take a CIEE online placement exam during the scheduled exam period: mid-November to mid-December for the spring semester and mid-May to mid-June for the fall semester. The purpose of this exam is to determine the students level of Spanish so that he or she is placed in appropriate language courses. Students should take this exam seriously, as placement in many upper-level courses depends upon a high online placement exam score.

Academic Culture
Courses in law, geography, history, and philology meet in the Universidad de Sevilla's main building, the Tabacalera. Classes from the other schools meet at different campuses located around the city of Sevilla. UPO classes are held on the UPO campus. All courses meet two times a week for 90 minutes or three times a week for 45 minutes. Classes are held Monday through Friday. Instruction is usually lecture style.

Keep in mind that Spanish students begin to study in their area of concentration from the first day of their university career. They are specialists, not generalists. Spain does not have a liberal arts educational tradition, and different degrees do not have survey-type classes as in the United States.

Both fall semester and academic year students may take their final exams prior to the Christmas break, or take them during the official University exam period in late January. For those choosing to take their exams in January, there is a two-week break in between Christmas and January 6th (the holiday called Reyes). December exams are arranged on an individual basis with the professor; all dates for official University exams are published early in the semester.

In the spring, final exams for regular University classes at UPO may be taken the last week of May. At the Universidad de Sevilla, exams take place in June. In some cases, professors may be willing to administer the final exam earlier than the officially scheduled date, but CIEE cannot be responsible for arranging or guaranteeing early exams.

During the spring semester, two vacation periods take place: Semana Santa and Feria de Abril. The dates are not fixed, but students are normally free the week before Easter (Holy Week) and then again for a week approximately two weeks after Easter.

Students are required to review their exams (called a revisión) with their professors before leaving Seville so they know how well they performed and what grade to expect.

Highlights:

• Direct enrollment in regular University coursesideal for meeting Spanish students and improving your advanced Spanish; classes in a wide variety of disciplines, from history and languages, to anthropology and Arabic studies
  
• Weekly cultural activities and excursions to sites of cultural importance
  
• Writing center and tutorials, Tertulia lecture series, personal development workshops, a conversation exchange, and volunteer opportunities
  
• Homestay and residencia housing options allow cultural and linguistic integration

Every week students receive an e-newsletter, Noticias desde Sevilla, via email. The e-newsletter, which is also posted on our website, announces happenings around Seville and the cultural activities CIEE has planned to complement academic work.

Cultural Reimbursement Program
CIEE reimburses participants for tickets purchased for theater, ballet, opera, and special events taking place in and around Seville and Spain. The goal of this program is to encourage students enrolled in the Spanish University to enjoy local cultural activities with Spanish peers in a Spanish environment.

Immersion
Intercambios
A conversation exchange program with Spanish students is an important part of the program. Intercambios give students the chance to practice what they are learning in language courses, as well as help them become more integrated into Spanish student life, and sevillano life and culture.

Tertulia Series and Personal Development Workshops
CIEE staff organize a series of informal lectures and workshops dedicated to personal development while living abroad. Workshops address a variety of themes such as culture shock, dating across cultures, eating well, stress management, organizational skills, and re-entry into the U.S.

Community Involvement
Students have the opportunity to work with children and the elderly, as well as other humanitarian associations. Students may also become involved in international organizations such as Amnesty International. Volunteer teaching opportunities in local schools are also available for future teachers.

Student Publication, Mas+Menos
The CIEE Study Center in Seville publishes a magazine each semester, Mas+Menos, as part of the course Communication and Editorial Projects in Context: Writing and Designing for Today's World. Each magazine adopts a different theme- fiestas in Spain, the Guadalquivir River, Women in Spain, immigration, and home are past themes. Students work closely with professors to choose topics, write articles, conduct interviews, take photographs, and contribute to the design and layout. Participants also work with Spanish students who translate the original articles into Spanish. This is a fun, challenging, and rewarding project, and students are highly encouraged to participate.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Please check the CIEE website for current program pricing

Experience Required: yes