New Study Abroad Program in Spain – Learn More!

To what extent can readers be considered ‘tourists’ of the places they read about, both fictional and real? What does it mean to be lost in translation? How authentic are American literary depictions of Spain? Such questions are at the heart of the brand new “Tourism and Translation: American Literature about Spain” study abroad program this summer.

From Santander to Valencia, city to small town, Dr. Daniel Wuebben of the Goodrich Scholarship Program will lead students on a journey through Spain on this two-week study abroad program.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit a variety of locations in Spain, staying in Madrid, Santander, Barcelona, and Valencia with day trips to Segovia and Toledo. Art museums, city tours, Spanish beaches, and paella abound as students consider their preconceptions about Spain and the way the tourist industry has been set up to attract English-speaking visitors.

Travel is preceded by a spring semester course, ENGL 3300. Coursework will consider the way literature has helped to facilitate the exchange of language and ideas between Spain and the United States, focusing on the American creation of what Dr. Wuebben calls “Spain-in-translation.” Students will read authors such as Ernest Hemingway and Washington Irving and discuss topics including the motivation behind setting American novels in Spain, authenticity and romanticization, and the similarities between what it means to read and what it means to travel.

The ability to travel to the locations depicted in coursework lends a perspective that cannot be otherwise gained, allowing students to engage first-hand with the concepts of tourism and translation and offering them the experience of being a contemporary American abroad in Spain.

In addition to those with an interest in literature, the program will appeal to students of history, politics, and Spanish language, and anyone with an interest in food culture or fútbol! Let Spain capture your imagination as it has done for countless others.

There are no prerequisites for this program. Students interested in the coursework but not travel may elect to take the class without the study abroad component.

Contact Dr Wuebben to learn more, sign up for ENGL 3300 now, and submit your application on Horizons by December 1!

Photos courtesy of Caitlin Allely.