Semester in Santiago de Compostela

  Spain

• Santiago: 
Santiago

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring 
Dates: early Sept-mid Dec/early Jan-early May

Description: The University of Kansas (KU) program in Santiago de Compostela, Spain offers students the opportunity to take advanced level Spanish language, literature, and culture courses in a city of great historical and cultural significance. Students earn academic credit, improve their language skills and experience Spanish culture firsthand by living with local students and participating in program activities and excursions.

For more than a millennium, pilgrims have followed the Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela where, according to legend, Saint James' body miraculously appeared and is now entombed.

Located in the northwest corner of Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela is considered by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. With its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, the Old Town of Santiago is one of the world's most beautiful urban areas and boasts such masterpieces as the Cathedral of Santiago and the Hotel de los Reyes Cat?licos.

Present-day Santiago de Compostela is still a popular pilgrimage site as well as a university town. It is home to approximately 100,000 residents and an additional 30,000 university students. Like much of Galicia, it offers a cool, moist climate with beautiful countryside.

Academic Program
All students will take one high-intermedate or advanced Spanish language course offered through Cursos Intenacionales (CI) at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Placement is determined by a proficiency exam at the beginning of the semester. The CI class is credited by KU as a three-credit Spanish grammar course and a two-credit conversation course appropriate to each students academic level.

In addition to the CI class, students select three courses from the high-intermediate or advanced level. Classes are taught in Spanish by native program faculty, who hold advanced degrees from American and Spanish universities. Students with advanced Spanish language proficiency may be allowed to enroll in one regular semester course offered at the USC.

Courses offered during the Fall and Spring semesters:

All courses are subject to change.

Low-Intermediate-level Program
Students who have completed 2 or 3 semesters (or the equivalent) of college-level Spanish will enroll in three of the following courses:
SPAN 270 Hispanic Language, Culture, and Civilization II-A (3)
SPAN 346 (Spring only) Transatlantic Hispanic Cultures (3)
SPAN 370 Hispanic Language, Culture, and Civilization III-A (3)
SPAN 371 Hispanic Language, Culture, and Civilization III-B (3)

High-Intermediate-level Program
Students who have completed 4 semesters (or the equivalent) of college-level Spanish will enroll in three of the following courses:
SPAN 346 (Spring only) Transatlantic Hispanic Cultures (3)
SPAN 370 Hispanic Language, Culture, and Civilization III-A (3)
SPAN 371 Hispanic Language, Culture, and Civilization III-B (3)
SPAN 340 Textual Analysis and Critical Reading (3) (requires departmental approval)

Advanced-level Program
Students who have completed 5 semesters (or the equivalent) of college-level Spanish will enroll in three or four of the following courses:
SPAN 340 (Fall only)
SPAN 429 Spanish Phonetics (3)
SPAN 440 (Spring only; rotating basis with SPAN 453)
(Topic varies by semester) Hispanic Studies (3)
SPAN 453 (Spring only; rotating basis with SPAN 440) (Topic varies by semester) Twentieth-century Spanish Studies (3)
SPAN 446 (Spring only) Spanish Culture (3)
SPAN 448 (Spring only) Spanish Language and Culture for Business (3)

Additional courses may be offered each semester. Contact the Office of Study Abroad for more information.

Highlights: Two weekend excursions and one week-long excursion are included in the cost of the program. Group excursions complement the academic content by providing students the opportunity to view first-hand the cultural and historic sites of Spain. During the fall semester, students visit such sites as Madrid, Aranjuez, Toledo, Avila, and Salamanca, while in the spring term the group travels to Granada, Cordoba, and other historical sites in Andalucia. All excursions are guided by the Resident Director and program faculty.

Comments from past participants:

- I have learned an amazing amount of Spanish as well as culture. The people of Santiago are incredible. The small number of Americans in the city allows a much deeper experience than in more tourist areas.

- The classes were great. I got a good sense of the people, the culture, their history, politics and improved my language skills tremendously.

- I can't say enough good things about the staff in Santiago. I was very proud and impressed.

- The courses taught in the Santiago program were great and very helpful. I learned a lot of information that I used and practiced in my day-to-day living activities while in Spain.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Experience Required: no

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application