LIBERAL ARTS NEWSLETTER / SPRING 17 / ISSUE II

IT IS SPRING TIME IN SEVILLA!

Next Sunday, with the start of Semana Santa, the first of our two weeks of Spring break, the Spring season in officially inaugurated in Sevilla.

ACADEMICS

Academically, students deserve a break after the great effort they invested in the midterms and before the stress of finals arrive at the end of April.

So, now, they are enjoying their classes and especially, the out-of-class component. For instance, the The Art History class, Andalusia, the land of Artistic Geniuses, visited La Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador, the second largest church in the city, where students could admire firsthand the works of the Baroque sculptors Juan Martínez Montañés and his disciple Juan de Mesa, whom they previously had studied in class. Students analyzed two of their works: Cristo del Amor and El Nazareno de Pasión. Students also learnt about the relationship between the sculptures and one of most famous celebrations in Seville, Semana Santa.

 Also, in the Intercultural Communication and Leadership course among other activities, students visited the oldest and newest markets in Seville to compare them with other forms of markets in the US more familiar with students. During the visit, each student had to find a product which they did not know and ask the vendor about it. After the visit, students reflected on several cultural differences: traditions in ways of buying, the importance of communication with vendors, the concept of time while purchasing a product, why fresh meat and fish are shown in their entire form, how products are presented, etc. Students also tried the typical chicharrones.

ACQUIRING A NEW SKILL IN SEVILLA: TEACHING!

Apart from the 13% of program participants that are regularly volunteering as Cultural Assistants at local schools, starting fall 2016, Liberal Arts students may choose to register in the CIEE course Professional Teaching Development, a class that includes a practicum teaching English as a Foreign Language. Students in this course, also learn about the Spanish educative system.  This topic is illustrated through visits to two local schools that represent the opposites in the spectrum of education options in Spain. On one hand, they visited the San José SSCC school, in Los Remedios, an upper-middle class neighborhood and on the other hand, they visited the IES Torreblanca, located in a neighborhood where many families at risk for social inclusion live. So, students observe two different realities and their educational challenges and approaches. In both schools, students did a tour of the building, attended classes, where they could also interact with students, and met professors who explained the characteristics of their work.

Apart from academics, students had also the opportunity to participate in social and cultural activities with their Interest Groups such as kayak, paddle, a bike tour by the river, a cooking lesson with products originally American, a trip to Gibraltar, a wine tasting and much more!

We hope that you enjoy a great Spring break.

Please visit our Facebook to see what is going on this semester in Sevilla!

All the best,

Jorge, Sergio and Olga