A Leader in Global and Intercultural Education

Our program has been offering students a first-class academic and cultural experience for over thirty years. Over the last several years, Tufts-Skidmore has become a leader in Global Citizenship training by providing all students with ongoing intercultural education and mentoring. Our program will not only prepare you to effectively reach your goals while in Spain, but will set you on a path to acquiring skills, knowledge and attitudes that will boost your academic and professional profile in today’s increasingly intercultural world.

Study in Alcalá

Students choose the Alcalá program because of it’s small-town feel, and intimate program setting. Alcala offers a close-knit community, a great university and a rich cultural experience. When you walk down the streets of Alcalá de Henares, the look and feel of Medieval and Renaissance Spain is all around you. With a population of 200,000, Alcalá boasts quiet, winding cobbled streets and gorgeous medieval buildings.

Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Alcalá is the home of author Miguel Cervantes, whose novel, Don Quijote, has inspired readers and thinkers for over 500 years. The city celebrates the birthday of this famous son every year in October, with the delightful fiestas cervantinas that attract tourists from all over Spain and Europe. Like Madrid, Alcalá is home to a growing immigrant population (around 20%), and thus features an increasingly diverse group of inhabitants.

Linked to Madrid by an efficient and well-equipped public transportation system, students studying on the Alcalá program are only a 45-minute ride away from downtown Madrid, on city train or bus. The newly expanded, beautiful Alcalá Program center is located in the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras at the UAH (Universidad de Alcalá). Students attend classes at the UAH and at the Alcalá and Madrid program centers.

Program Classes

At this time the program offers a variety of “in-house” classes, many of which you won’t find anywhere else, taught by top-notch professors who are leading experts in their fields:

• Advanced Spanish Language Studies (Course focuses on elusive advanced grammar points, pronunciation, and intercultural communication; students conduct a semester-long audiovisual project related to an individual area of interest in Alcalá or Madrid). Madrid. Instructor: Enrique Santamária, ABD, U. Complutense of Madrid. Alcalá. Instructor: Miguel Lera, Ph.D., University of Alcalá de Henares.
• Transatlantic Literatures, Europe and the Americas: Dialogues on Self and Other (Transatlantic literary analysis of the construction of self and other in pertinent Spanish, Latin American and North American texts). Madrid. Instructor: Bethania Guerra de Lemos, Ph.D., Autonomous University of Madrid.
• Contemporary Spanish Art History (Comparative study of major movements in the Spanish plastic arts during the 20th and 21st centuries; includes four classes taught in Madrid’s most prominent museums). Madrid. Instructor: Arturo Colorado, Ph.D., Professor, U. Complutense of Madrid, Dept. of  Arts and Communication
• The Forbidden Fruit: Society, Nature, Myth (Environmental Sociology course that studies the worldviews that promote transformation of the environment and the major features of international environmental conflicts and sustainability; includes site visits in Madrid). Madrid. Instructor: Josep Lobera, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Autonomous University of Madrid, Dept. of Sociology
• Imagining the Americas (Interdisciplinary course that explores the ways in which Latin America and the colonial experience have been constructed in Spain and Latin America in representative narratives, as well as in public space, from 1492 to the present). Madrid. Instructor: Soledad Gálvez, Ph.D., Stanford University
• Sketchbook: Walking in the City (Unique studio art course designed for artists and non-artists that is conducted on the streets of Madrid; students map their own abroad experience graphically through the completion of a travel sketchbook). Madrid. Instructor: Pepa Santamaría, MFA, Syracuse University
• Theater Workshop: Movement for Actors (Innovative and physically-intense course designed for actors and non-actors; focuses on intercultural development of body and voice awareness). Alcalá. Instructor: Sergio Barreiro, Ph.D., University of Alcalá de Henares
• Three Cultures, Jews, Christians, Muslims: Understanding Multicultural Spanish History on the Streets of Alcalá de Henares. (History/anthropology course that examines how the three great monotheistic religions/cultures and their interwoven histories have impacted Spain and left their mark on Alcalá de Henares and other prominent cities in Spain.) Alcalá. Instructor: Alicia Torija López, ABD, U. Complutense of Madrid

All program classes are offered at the Madrid or Alcalá program centers and are open to students from both programs. In addition to program classes, you will also have the opportunity to study at the Spanish university, do volunteer work, and/or participate in an academic internship in your field of interest (non-profit organizations, human rights associations, diplomacy, international think-tanks, museum administration, journalism, international finance, and more).

Additional information:

• www.tufts-skidmore.es

Spend the summer developing advanced language skills and immersing yourself in Spanish culture in the vibrant, beautiful city of Alcalá de Henares.

Through a wide range of Spanish-taught courses, homestays, and various cultural activities and excursions, studying abroad in Spain offers you a unique and exciting intercultural experience.

Study abroad in Spain and you will:

• Improve your Spanish language skills while living in a provincial city near the metropolis of Madrid
• Participate in frequent excursions that take advantage of the rich cultural happenings in Alcalá and Madrid during the summer, as well as in short excursions to nearby sites of historical interest such as Toledo, Segovia, and Cuenca
• Enjoy one longer excursion to Asturias-Cantabria (Session I) and Valencia (Session II)

The CIEE Difference

COURSEWORK

From business and history, to linguistics, literature, political science, and art history, challenge yourself with a variety of elective courses, all taught in Spanish. And if you’re interested in learning Spanish for a future in healthcare, the study abroad program offers a course covering medical terminology, commonly used grammatical structures, and culture aspects that every healthcare professional should know.

CULTURE

Enjoy visits to museums, theaters, and fairs in Alcalá de Henares and Madrid, and excursions to nearby sites of historical interest such as Toledo, Cuenca, El Escorial, and Segovia. One longer trip per session may include Asturias-Cantabria and Valencia. The excursions are planned to supplement class work and to introduce you to the rich diversity of the geographical, linguistic, and cultural areas of Spain.

HOMESTAY

Immerse yourself in Spanish culture by living with a local family. Not only will you improve your language proficiency, but you will gain unparalleled insight into authentic local culture, customs, and family life.

Dates, Deadlines & Fees

We want to make sure you get the most out of your experience when you study abroad with CIEE, which is why we offer the most inclusions in our fees.

• Tuition and housing
• Pre-departure advising and optional on-site airport meet and greet
• Full-time program leadership and support
• Field trips and cultural activities
• CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits

Additional information:

• www.ciee.org

Program Overview

Spend a semester or a year solidifying your informal and academic Spanish language skills in the charming city of Alcalá de Henares.

Through daily interaction with social and academic communities, rigorous coursework, living arrangements with native speakers, and various cultural excursions, you’ll not only drastically improve your proficiency in Spanish, but develop an understanding of issues relevant to contemporary Spain and its people.

Study abroad in Spain and you will:

• Perfect your Spanish skills: learn formal Spanish in the classroom and colloquial Spanish in the community; participate in conversation exchanges, intercambios or volunteering
• Enroll directly in Universidad de Alcalá courses alongside Spanish students
• Choose between living in a Spanish homestay or a shared room at the University residencia with Spanish and other international students
• Enjoy free cultural visits to museums, theaters, and fairs in Alcalá de Henares and Madrid; day trips almost every Friday to Toledo, Segovia, Cuenca, Soria, El Escorial, El Pardo, and Castilla Castles; and two overnight CIEE trips to Asturias-Cantabria, La Rioja, Castilla-León, and Extremadura, hidden treasures for the great majority of foreigners where you will can discover the real Spain.