Barcelona - Advanced Spanish Studies

Students relaxing on the Barcelona beach

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Overview

Quick Facts

City:

Barcelona [1]

Country:

Spain [2]

Program credits:

15-19 per semester (4-5 courses)

Language(s) of Instruction:

Spanish

Language prerequisites:

Four semesters of college-level Spanish

Barcelona—una ciudad llena de cultura e historia, cuna y musa de escritores, artistas y pensadores que han influido notoriamente en lo que hoy se entiende como cultura española, y también en la cultura hispánica. Te invitamos a mejorar tus habilidades en las calles en las que Picasso, Vargas Llosa, García Márquez, Gaudí y Carlos Ruiz Zafon, entre muchos, se nutrieron de inspiración. Ciudad cosmopolita y eje literario y cultural que marcará tu experiencia en el extranjero con las múltiples experiencias que te esperan.

This is your chance to directly enroll in a local university and speak, write, and understand Spanish to the best of your ability. Maybe you’ll even make some Spanish friends while you’re at it. You will take an advanced language course and choose from IES Abroad courses, local university courses, and internship opportunities to fully experience all Barcelona has to offer. The strengths of the academic and cultural experiences offered through the IES Abroad Center are among its most distinguishing characteristics.

Barcelona will also be your classroom. Here you can visit one of the city’s outdoor markets to practice your Spanish with the shop owners, order tapas while out to dinner with new friends, or take in a Spanish Opera at the world-renowned Gran Teatre del Liceu Opera House. All of these things (and more!) will help you take your Spanish to a whole new level-- welcome to study abroad!

We want you to feel at home in Barcelona, so we will do everything we can to help you integrate into life in Barcelona, from internships to cultural activities. You also have the option of living with a local resident, who can serve as your local host and resource to make the most of studying abroad in Barcelona.

Program Dates

These dates are preliminary and are subject to change. Students should not book flights according to these dates.

Academics

Our mission is simple: to provide you with the best study abroad program possible—which includes the highest quality academic and cultural experiences. We offer unique courses that explore Advanced Spanish Language, as well as other topics, through an in-depth and hands-on approach. Our world-class professors and course options at prestigious local universities enhance your academic experience and provide you with new perspectives each day in class.

While in Barcelona, you take 15–19 credit hours per semester. IES Abroad Barcelona offers a wide range of academic opportunities, which can be summarized into five course types:

Spanish language courses are worth 4 credits and are offered at the IES Abroad Center and range from the 300- to the 400-level.
Area studies courses are worth 3 credits and are offered at the IES Abroad Center in Spanish
Internships are worth 3 credits and combine project-based placements in business, non-profits, or at an educational organization with a required seminar.
Estudios Hispánicos (Hispanic studies) courses are worth 3 credits and are specifically designed for international students. They are available at local universities in a wide range of disciplines, and are taught in Spanish.
University courses at local universities are worth 3 or 4 credits and are also offered in Spanish. You take these classes alongside local Spanish students.

Courses

This is a list of planned course offerings. A final list of course offerings will be made available to you in your MyIESabroad account.

To learn more about IES Abroad’s innovative theoretical and pedagogical approaches to teaching language abroad, refer to the IES Abroad MAP for Language & Intercultural Communication [3].

Partner Institution(s)

You can enroll in courses at the following local partner institutions.

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
University Courses in Spanish

AH20046 Greek Art [4]
BS53204 Business Ethics [5]
EC21679 Economic History [6]
FI53202 Finance II [7]
HS20009 Ancient History [8]
HS20066 Prehistoric Europe [9]
HS20075 Topics of Cultural History of the Middle Ages (syllabus not available)
LW21000 Business Law: Antitrust and Industrial and Intellectual Property (syllabus not available)
LT20007 Classical Culture and Western Tradition [10]
LW21001 Collective Labor Law [11]
LW21086 Penalties and Sanctions Systems [12]
MG52202 Sales Management (syllabus not available)
PH20134 Modern and Contemporary Ethics [12]
ST21664 Qualitative Research Techniques [13]

Hispanic and European Studies in Spanish

Universidad Ramon Llull (URL)
University Courses in Spanish

HM208 IT and TIC systems in the Tourism Sector: E-distribution (syllabus not available)
HM209 Resources and Tourism Products: Tourism Types (syllabus not available)
PH211172 Ethics [19]
PS211061 Psychology [20]
PH212011 The Bible and Modern Philosophers [21]
LW300 Communication Law [22]
MG301 Advertising Business Management [23]
SL110152 Service Learning / Social Work Internship Seminar [24]

Internships

While adding study abroad to your resume is impressive enough, adding an internship is even more powerful, and can help distinguish your application for graduate school or a job opportunity in today’s competitive job market.

An internship provides an invaluable cultural experience, and helps you develop professional and personal skills. All IES Abroad internships are supervised and offered as academic options earning 3 IES Abroad credits.

Placement Examples

Business – Business development for a certification software company; working at the International Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona; assisting with marketing research.
Media & Communication – Working with a local publication that advertises leisure and cultural events in the city; designing advertising campaigns for a real estate agency.
Language Teaching – Working alongside teaching staff at schools in Barcelona and assisting in lesson planning to learn and improve language teaching methodology.
Volunteer Organizations & NGOs – Volunteering with children at a local children’s hospital; working with a local foundation for Latin American immigrants to develop a comparative research study on immigration integration.

Housing

Our job is to make sure that your greatest challenge is deciding what landmarks to see first or discovering the best café—not finding a place to live where you feel comfortable. We do our best to locate housing that is reflective of how the local students are living. Our goal is that when you leave Barcelona, it will feel like home.

Homestay – You are provided two meals a day (breakfast and dinner) while the IES Abroad Barcelona program is in session. Normally, two or three IES Abroad students live with a host family and share a double room.

Residence Halls and Colegios Mayores – Rooms in residence halls and Colegios Mayores are double and triple occupancy,
and you live with Spanish and/or other IES Abroad students. Meal plans vary among the different halls. Placements are limited and an additional fee applies for this housing option.

Student Life

Part of making you feel at home in Barcelona is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it is an orientation program that makes you feel prepared, house that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services. This is just one of the things we’re known for.

Orientation

The program begins with an orientation that introduces you to the IES Abroad Barcelona staff, your fellow students,
and the city of Barcelona. Topics such as academics, housing, transportation, and health and safety are covered during this time.

Additionally, CORE™, IES Abroad’s Comprehensive Orientation & Re-entry Experience, begins during orientation and
continues throughout the semester with activities focusing on cultural adjustment, goal achievement, and preparing for the return home. During the first week of the semester, intensive Spanish language courses meet daily in small groups to help develop language skills.

A study journey several weeks into the program is also included as a part of orientation; past destinations
have included Madrid and Valencia.

Extracurricular Activities & Cultural Events

Redefine the way you live and learn in Barcelona through our cultural events, such as:

Walking tours of the city
Spanish cooking classes and wine tasting sessions
Opera and concert performances

Field Trips

Although your adventure begins in Barcelona, our field trips take you to other great cities around Europe to provide contrast and context for what you are learning in Barcelona.

You take a study journey that is included in your program fee. And, additional field trips are available with a portion of the cost covered by IES Abroad. Trips are organized by language level and conducted in English or Spanish accordingly. Past destinations are listed below.

The South of France
3 DAYS
Visit the four castles of Châteaux de Lastours, take a guided boat cruise through Canal du Midi, and visit Fontfroide Abbey, a former Cistercian Monestary.

Madrid
3 DAYS
Visit one of Europe’s artistic centers also known as Spain’s financial and political hub.

Sitges
1 DAY
Experience this cultural and artistic vacation destination renowned for its beaches, LGBT nightlife, film festivals, and Carnival.

Rupit
1 DAY
Spend a day in this scenic Medieval town with a beautiful waterfall, and picturesque stone roads and houses.

Granada
3 DAYS
Explore this vibrant city with a youthful population that provides the clearest window into Spain’s unique historical symbiosis of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Center

IES Abroad Barcelona [25]

The IES Abroad Barcelona Center is located in the center of Barcelona near the Plaza Catalunya. Features include:

High-speed and wireless Internet access
Multimedia classrooms
Study lounges with printers
Large outdoor terrace with social and study space

Center staff:

Dr. Cèsar Alegre Alsina
IES Abroad Director
Originally from Barcelona, Dr. Alegre speaks Spanish, Catalan, and English fluently. He brings more than twenty years of experience in higher education to IES Abroad, including a distinguished teaching career in the United States, experience in student services, and a strong research portfolio. Dr. Alegre is a linguist specializing in second language acquisition, pedagogy, bilingualism and sociolinguistics. Previously, Dr. Alegre served as the Dean of Spanish for IES Abroad Barcelona, where he distinguished himself as the coordinator of language teaching by implementing numerous curricular and technological improvements. Notably, Dr. Alegre launched internet-based teaching tools and an on-line language placement test. Student evaluations of the Spanish language courses and the language faculty have been consistently high under his direction.

IES Abroad Staff

Jane Ewart
Head of Registration and Advising

Francesc Fontes
Administration Coordinator

Pilar Gracia
Administration Coordinator

Salvador Ortiz
Outside Courses and Customized Programs Coordinator

Noemí Polo
Student Affairs Coordinator - Health and Safety, Homestays

María Romero
Assistant Dean of Faculty

Olga Sánchez
Student Affairs Associate - Health and Safety

Beatriz Taberner
Coordinator of Educational Resources and Publications

Ferran Teres
Student Affairs Coordinator - Apartments

Betsey Tufano
General Manager and Director of Administration

Alex Walker
Director of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty

Margherita Mangini
Center Administrator

Matthew Clear
Area Faculty Advisor

María Mejías
Language Faculty Advisor

Ignasi Pérez
Area Faculty Advisor

Ataúlfo Portela
Language Faculty Advisor

Laura Vázquez
Language Faculty Advisor

Faculty
Cèsar Alegre
Spanish Language
Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics, University of Massachussets and Amherst

John Frederick Anderson
Master of Arts in Documentary Photography, University of Wales College Newport, UK Sandra Becerril
Spanish Language

Nieves Borrego
Spanish Language

Rosa Brion
Spanish Language
Ph.D. (in progress) Linguistics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Luis Cardona
Oceanography
Ph.D. in Biology, Universitat de Barcelona

Laura Cervi
PhD. in Political Science, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain- Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy

Alistair Charles
Internships
MBA, University of Brighton

Matthew Clear
Art History
Ph.D. in Mediterranean History, University of Sussex

Josep María Contreras
Spanish Language

Xavier De Pedro
Environmental Studies, Sociology
Ph.D. in Biology, Universitat de Barcelona

Gemma Draper
Master in Fine Arts. Cranbrook Academy of Art. Bloomfield Hills, MI

Alexander Walker
Urban Studies
Ph.D. in Planning Studies, University College London

Marina Díaz
History
Ph.D. in History, Tufts University

Verónica Fajardo
Literature

Laura Vázquez
Spanish Language
Ph.D. (in progress) in Teaching of Language and Literature, Universitat de Barcelona

Josep Grau
History
Ph.D. in History, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Dawn Hiscock
Anthropology, Sociology

Jeannine Horowitz
International Business
Ph.D. in Genetics/Biochemistry, University of East Anglia/John Innes Institute

Sinan Hosadam
Political Science
Ph.D. (in progress) in Political and Social Science, Graduate Center, City University of New York

Pep Inglés
Catalan
Ph.D. (in progress) in Spanish as a Second Language, Universitat de Barcelona

Christopher Kennet
PhD of Philosophy in Sports Management, Loughborough University, UK

Beth Kuhnlein
Management
Ph.D. (in progress) in Management Sciences, Universitat Ramon Llull

Camila Loew
Literature
Ph.D. in Humanities, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Raúl Lozano
Spanish Language
Ph.D. in Hispanic Philology, Universitat de Barcelona

Marga García Bolivar
Spanish Language
Ph.D. in Spanish Literature and Linguistics, Temple University

Meritxell Martín
Religious Studies
Ph.D. in History of Religions, University of Virginia

James McGlade
History, Archaeology
Ph.D. in Archaeology, Cambridge University

María Mejias
Spanish Language
Ph.D. (in progress) in Education Studies, Universitat de Barcelona

Wim Mellaerts
History
Ph.D. in History, University of East Anglia

Laura Mier
Ph.D. in Literature, 15th Century Spanish Literature, University of Salamanca

Mauricio Molina
PhD in Philosophy Music, City University of New York

Jay Moran
International Business
MBA, Emory University

Iolanda Nieves
Spanish Language

Nuria Plaza
Spanish Language
Ph.D. (in progress) in Philology, 17th Century Spanish Literature, Universitat de Barcelona

Ataúlfo Portela
Spanish
M.A. Spanish, Miami University, Oxford Ohio

Ignasi Pérez
History, Political Science
Ph.D. in Political Science with European Honors (Doctor Europeo), Universitat de Barcelona/University of Florence

Adil Qureshi
Psychology
Ph.D. in Counceling Psychology, University of Southern CA

Montserrat Suárez
Environmental Science
M.S. Marine Environmental Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York

Carles Roca
Communications
Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Manchester

Daniel Rodriguez
Máster Spanish Teaching as a Foreign Language, University of Granada

Carme Ruiz
Communications
Ph.D. in Archaeology, University if Texas at Austin

F. Javier San Julián Arrupe
PhD in History and Civilisation, European University Institute, Firenze

Isabel Sanchez
Art History

Nuria Silvestre
Spanish Language

Karen Smyth
Psychology
Ph.D. in Mental Health, Trinity College, Dublin

Anna Solé del Barrio
Master Degree in Economic History, Universitat de Barcelona

Ian Stephens
B.A. Sports and Recreation Studies, Madeley College of Physical Educattion, Staffordshire University, UK

Suzanne Strum
Urban Studies
Ph.D. (in progress) in Architectural Theory and History

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