How to Decide Which Classes to Take for Seville Liberal Arts

By: Amelia Asfaw

The Liberal Arts program in Sevilla, Spain offers all Spanish classes taught at both the CIEE center and at the University of Sevilla. And at the University of Sevilla, you can take direct enrollment classes where you take class with Spanish students or “Cursos Concertados” which are only for American students who are studying abroad. 

I knew I was already challenging myself by taking my classes all in Spanish, so I decided to simply choose my classes based on what I was interested in. And this was the best thing I could have done. And both CIEE and the University of Sevilla offers so many classes, try and take advantage of this opportunity. 

Another factor to consider is the class times. Unlike at my college, there are night classes, so try to figure out what class times work for you. Also, a bonus about the CIEE Liberal Arts program in Sevilla is that there is no class Friday. So amazing! Classes are offered either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. 

Also, CIEE makes it really easy to add/drop classes during the add/drop period (first week of classes). I’ll admit I was nervous at first, but after going to them myself, I know that the staff are so helpful and there for you. I ran into a dilemma the first week where I didn’t know which classes I wanted, and my program director was very understanding and helpful. She was able to talk me through my options and I was able to switch my schedule around very easily during the first week. 

Based on my interests and timing preferences, I ended up taking 3 Cursos Concertados and 1 CIEE class. The biggest differences I have found are that with Cursos Concertados there are students from other programs and the classes tend to be bigger (but this depends on the class). I enjoyed both but recommend taking at least 1 Cursos Concertados class to experience class in the University and get to know people from different programs – I have really enjoyed that aspect of it!

I decided to take a teaching English to Spanish students’ class because that is something I hope to do after I graduate college. Every Monday, we spend class teaching students ranging from 3-18 years old. My cohort of students are 12 years old, and I absolutely love spending class talking and working with them. 

Also, I decided to take a Wine in Spain class discussing its history, culture, and economics. I thought when else would I be able to take a class about wine? 

Another class I am taking is about the European Economy. This is a CIEE class, but it’s taught by a University of Sevilla Economics professor in their economics building which has been a unique and exciting and experience. 

And my final class is a photography class which I absolutely love. We spend most of class literally in the streets of Sevilla taking photos. The other part of class is spent observing photography, visiting galleries, and learning new techniques.

I hope this weas helpful! Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and if you decide to do any CIEE program, use this reference code for $200 off: https://my.ciee.org/?rc=ameliaasfaw.