Barcelona, Spain General Education Academic Program
Rock Creek Bldg. 3, Rm. 223 | 971-722-7152| FAX: 603-614-7170 | studyabroad@pcc.edu
General Coursework Description
Students will sign up for a total of 12-14 general education credits. All program participants are required to enroll in a Spanish language course for 4 credits and the Spanish Life and Culture course for 2 credits. In addition to these courses, students will be required to enroll in two additional 3 or 4 credit classes that are listed under "Additional Course Offerings. Immersion into the Spanish culture setting will occur with active participation in a language course, lecture classes and culturally-focused field trips, as required by course instructors.
Required Course Offerings
Students are required to enroll in both courses listed below, for a total of 6 credits.
Spanish
Students are required to enroll in one of the two Spanish language courses listed below. Upon arrival in Barcelona, students take classes at the Barcelona International College. Courses are designed to encourage language practice and development in every aspect of the study abroad program. From Spanish classes to excursions, students will have numerous opportunities to use Spanish in their day-to-day life. All students are required to have completed SPA 101, or the equivalent, prior their departure on the international portion of the program.
- SPA 103 - First Year Spanish - Third Term(4 credits)
- SPA 203 - 2nd Year Spanish - Third Term (4 credits)
Spanish Life and Culture
Students will gain a broad overview of contemporary Spanish society by examining cultural traditions and values. Besides topical lectures by native guest lecturers, the course engages students in experiential learning through field trips to such historic and cultural sites as Gaudi's Barcelona, the Gothic quarter, and the Dali museum.
- SPA 199 -Culture in Context (2 credits)
Elective Course Offerings
Students are required to enroll in two of the courses listed below for a total of 6-8 credits.
HST 103: Western Civilization: Modern Europe
Introductory survey of European history from the French Revolution to the present day, with special attention to Spain’s role in European History. Spain has for centuries been a flashpoint between Islam and Christianity, starting with the Moorish invasion in the Middle Ages which established a glittering civilization that was in nearly constant conflict with Spain’s Christians. This centuries-long Reconquista continues to influence Spanish culture to this day. Specific topics also include the French Revolution; European imperialism; industrialization; and European ideologies. In fact, the Spanish Civil War in the twentieth century, as a prequel to World War II, involved a bloody clash of liberal democracy, fascism, as well as different strains of socialism and communism. In the thick of Civil War fighting, Barcelona was the last major left-leaning Republican city to fall to Nationalist forces, and as a result had to endure especially rigid repression under the Franco regime. Excellent resources for history students are the Museum of the History of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Museum, and the Picasso Museum. Assigned readings include Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia and Western Civilizations by Judith Coffin, et al.
- HST 103: Western Civilization/History of Modern Europe (4 credits)
Media, Communication, Society
History of American news media, their impact upon American society, and media ethics. In Barcelona, the course would consider the history of Spain’s news and entertainment media, which often developed quite differently from those in the U.S. One significant difference is freedom of the press, which was written into the U.S. Constitution, but was much less protected in Europe, especially in the eighteenth century. Another outcome of this course is to encourage critical thinking regarding a student’s own consumption of media, such as how to detect political or cultural bias in news sources. An excellent exercise for American students in Europe is to compare how American media outlets cover particular news stories compared to European sources. In Barcelona, students have access to traditional American print sources such as the European edition of Time and the venerable International Herald Tribune, as well as a wealth of online sources from OregonLive.com to CNN.com to the Gresham Outlook. The majority of English-language print publications in Barcelona are aimed at the British expatriate community, but online students can access Barcelona Reporter, Barcelona Metropolitan, Catalonia Today, and Time Out Barcelona as well as numerous English-language publications such as the olive press from the rest of Spain. Students will also have access to Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), which offers numerous exhibitions and online resources that include mass media, such as contemporary film and photojournalism. Thus, I would include the study of such directors as Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar.
- COMM 228: Mass Communication (4 credits)
If enrollment reaches 20 students, OIEC will be able to send a second instructor and offer the following set of courses listed below:
Readings in Spanish Literature
This is an introductory survey of Spain's renowned literature ,in English translation. Throughout the readings, students will explore themes of personal and national identity, intertwined with lessons on the texts' historical background. Although the course is conducted in English, students may complete readings and assignments in Spanish, if preferred. The course will begin with selections from the Golden Age, including Celestina by Fernando de Rojas and Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Through these famous texts, the topics of the inquisition, gender identity, and how these texts birthed two of the archetypes still used by Hollywood today will be discussed. Next, students will explore 19th century Spanish realism through selections from texts by Pérez Galdós (Miau and Misericordia). Considered the greatest Spanish novelist after Miguel de Cervantes, reading Benito Pérez Galdós will prompt discussions of social classes and the role of the clergy in Spain in the late 1800's. Then, students will read selections from two of the most well-known Spanish writers from the 20th century: Federico Garcia Lorca and Antonio Machado. We'll read one of Garcia Lorca's most famous plays, La casa de Bernarda Alba, and two of Machado's best-known poems, "Caminante, son tus huellas" and "He andado muchos caminos". Through these works, the class will continue to explore themes of identity amidst Spain's divided society in the early 1900's.
- SPAN 272: Readings in Spanish Literature (3 credits)
Spanish Composition
This class will supplement students' language learning by emphasizing written communication skills. Students will prepare responses (in Spanish) to specific writing prompts in weekly journals. In these journals, students will reflect on their daily experiences living in Barcelona, the weekly cultural activities organized by SAE, and the topics covered in their concurrent courses in history and communication. Students will select a few of these journal entries to revise and expand upon to create longer, narrative essays about particular aspects of their study-abroad experience. Through the revision process, students will focus not only on improving their Spanish grammar, but on writing technique such as the thesis statement, organization, and readability. The textbook for this course will be an instructor-created packet. Each student will work at his or her individual proficiency level. Students at beginning levels of Spanish proficiency will practice expressing and condensing their ideas within the limits of the grammar they have studied. Students at more advanced levels will focus on fine-tuning their grammar mastery to more clearly and accurately articulate their thoughts, with special focus on mastering the subjunctive. Recommended prerequisite: completion of Span 103, placement at Span 201, or instructor permission.
- SPAN 290: Spanish Composition (3 credits)
Please Note:
Students will register for their study abroad classes during the mandatory, program pre-departure orientation session. As such, students will NOT have to enroll in any regular PCC courses during the regularly scheduled summer course registration period that occurs during the prior spring term.
Faculty Leader Information
The faculty leader of this Oregon International Education Consortium study abroad program changes each year. The Spring 2013 program advisors and general education elective course instructors are:
Pat Casey, Mount Hood Community College, pat.casey@mhcc.edu
With Master’s degrees in History and in Journalism, Pat has worked for a number of media outlets including The Oregonian, The Bend Bulletin and the Cottage Grove Sentinel, and has been a freelance photographer for over forty years. He first visited Europe during his own high school, and later when teaching high school he helped to organize and lead three student tours to Germany and Austria. He has also made multiple trips to other European countries, Asia, and the far reaches of North America, most recently in summer 2011. He has taught history at Mt. Hood since 1999, including U.S. and European History courses, as well as History of the Middle East, History of the Vietnam War, and America in the 1960s. His special academic interests are American popular culture, modern European history, World War II, and 20th Century U.S. History – especially the presidency of John F Kennedy. In his spare time, besides photography, he enjoys reading, travel, and collecting old cameras.
Sarah Bentley,Portland Community College, sarah.bentley@pcc.edu
Sarah Bentley has been a Spanish instructor at Portland Community College at the Sylvania campus since 2006. She has also taught at Portland State University, where she received her master's degree in Spanish. Prior to teaching, she worked with the Latino community in the non-profit sector in both Portland and Los Angeles. During her undergraduate education at Pitzer College, Sarah studied abroad in Venezuela (and returned to visit many times afterwards). She is a native Portlander who loves to travel internationally. At last count, she has spent at least a week in over fourteen different countries! In her free time, Sarah enjoys bicycling, running, singing in a choir, and exploring new restaurants.
Oregon International Education Consortium
The Oregon International Education Consortium (OIEC) offers this unique program to enable students to study abroad while making normal progress toward their degree objectives. Typically, students earn 8-15 transferable credits in courses taught by community college faculty from Portland Community College, Central Oregon Community College, Chemeketa Community College, Clackamas Community College, Mt. Hood Community College and Rogue Community College. Credits earned will appear on the transcript of their home Oregon community college.