Madrid, Spain

Students live in the heart of Madrid and study Spanish culture, with courses taught in English by Maryville and other St. Louis-area faculty.  Several excursions include Toledo and Segovia.  Students live in dorm-like housing.  Estimated total cost for the 3-week program (includes tuition, housing, food, excursions) for 7 credits is $4,495 plus airfare (estimated at approximately $1,300).  3 additional credits available for $750.

Courses:

Note:  All courses except the first one are 3-credit courses.

• Introduction to Spanish Culture (I credit – local professor)
  This one-credit course taught by our Spanish hosts will introduce students to the basics of Spanish culture.  All students will enroll in this course.
• Spanish Museums and Galleries (Mark Schatz: Art – Maryville)
  This course will follow the history of art in Spain from the Renaissance through the 20^th century as presented in museums and galleries around Madrid.  The circumstances surrounding the establishment and growth of Madrid’s major museums will also be explored.  Students will visit the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen-Bornemisza Museums as well as important collections throughout Madrid, Toledo and Castille.  Spanish masters El Greco, Velásquez, Goya and Picasso will receive focused attention.
• Drawing in Madrid (Metra Mitchell: Art – Maryville)
  This course requires observational drawing from original monuments of Spanish art, architecture, culture and history.  Emphasis is on perceptual drawing on-site to develop and apply drawing skills, to allow for creative expression, and to document and enhance the study abroad experience while living independently in Madrid and experiencing Spanish culture firsthand.  Open to new and experienced artists alike.
• Digital Photography – Allison Ouellette-Kirby (art – St. Charles)
  In this class students will begin with instruction in the basics of digital photographic capture while focusing on using the image to concentrate on telling the visual story of Madrid and Spanish culture.  Each day, trips to museums and sights around the city will be explored while completing a variety of directed shooting assignments and discovering ways to use the image to emphasize story, life, memory and place, among other subjects.The achievement of good technical and compositional strategies while developing ways to articulate ideas will be stressed in this field intensive class.  Each student will submit a portfolio of images in the form of book after their return.  A digital camera with manual capabilities is required.
• Music in Madrid – Jennifer Muñiz  (music – Central Methodist University)
  This course will explore the rich musical history of Spain, from the sixteenth-century through the present-day.  Students can experience traditional music that inspired artists and composers for generations, at the source.  We will examine several composers and works, and their specific connections to Madrid. For instance, nineteenth-century composer Isaac Albéniz uses elements of flamenco in his Suite española.  An analysis of this work and discussion of the style will be paired with an outing to a flamenco performance.  Contemporary composer Leonardo Balada composed a powerful orchestral work entitled Guernica, which is inspired by the events that inspired Picasso’s masterpiece of the same name, on display at one of the art museums in Madrid, Museo Reina Sofía.A special form of Spanish opera/musical theater called zarzuela originated in Madrid, and there is a theater devoted to this type of opera: Teatro de la Zarzuela.  Students will be asked to write reviews of music events, from opera to street performers.  This course will involve attending concerts, exploring museums, and touring the Royal Palace, with a special emphasis on the connections between visual art, music and Spanish culture.
• Exploring the Culture of Madrid – James Harf (Maryville)
  This 3-credit course allows students to prepare for and reflect upon a wide range of both group and individual excursions during their program in Madrid.  Students will participate in several day-long excursions in and around Madrid.  Additionally, students will select 15 individual excursions in and around Madrid, approved by the program’s head professor at least one month prior to departure for Madrid.These latter 15 locations:  (1) could represent a variety of student interests and would be simply used by the student to fulfill the total number of elective credits toward graduation; or (2) may be tied closely to a student’s general education requirements; or (3) may be tied to a student’s major/minor.  In the latter two cases, the student should also seek prior approval of the list of 15 sites from his/her campus academic advisor if the course is to be used for a student’s general education requirements or major/minor academic program. The selected sites in these cases will relate to the specific discipline(s) of the general education area or the major/minor program.The student will write two short papers for each excursion, a “before excursion” paper where the student describes the reason for the choice and what he/she expects to find, and an “after excursion” paper where the student reflects on his/her experience.  The 15 “before excursion” papers are due prior to arrival in Madrid and the 15 “after excursion” paper are due one month following the end of the Madrid portion of the program.  This allows you expanded time beyond your time in Madrid to complete the work.