Summer Program in Tarragona:
Health, Culture and Language on the Spanish Mediterranean

Summer 2010: May 15 to June 12 (tentative dates)

Program Location

The ancient city of Tarragona, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is located on the shores of the Spanish Mediterranean. With a flourishing, modern university, an array of ancient Roman ruins, miles of unspoiled sandy beaches, and a vibrant cultural and social scene, Tarragona is one of Spain’s best-kept secrets.

On this exciting summer program our students will discover the joy and emotion of living life in this historic yet modern city as they earn JMU credits studying a variety of health-, culture- or language-related courses and practice their Spanish in a range of authentic everyday situations.

Our students will attend classes at the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), recognized as one of the leading universities in Europe due to the quality of its teaching, the excellence of its research and its commitment to internationalization.

Outside class they will discover the artistic and architectural heritage of Tarragona’s Roman, medieval and post-modernist treasures, participate in local festivities, attend Spanish gastronomic workshops, see how the locals build their thrilling human towers, visit the breathtaking cosmopolitan city of Barcelona, or just relax among the crystalline waters and golden sands of the city’s many blue-flag beaches.

Why not come and explore with us everything this privileged region of the Mediterranean has to offer?

Academic Program

This program is suitable for students taking the major in Spanish or one of the professional minors (Medical Spanish, Business Spanish, Legal Spanish, Law Enforcement Spanish, or Translation and Interpretation).

In addition to their time spent acquiring knowledge in the classroom, all students will take part in practical language and cultural activities in local museums, historic sites and contemporary places of interest. Students on medicine-related courses will also interact with Spanish students attending the URV’s School of Nursing and visit local clinics, hospitals and primary care centers to practice their Spanish with local health professionals. As a complement to their instruction in Spanish and by way of extra credit, all students will be taught some basic expressions in the local Catalan language.

Students will enroll in up to six JMU credits by choosing two courses from the list below.

Tentative course offerings:

SPAN 447: Special Topics in Spanish Civilization and Culture--an introduction to the culture, language and history of Catalonia, 3 credits
SPAN 365: Medical Spanish, 3 credits
SPAN 475: Advanced Medical Spanish, 3 credits
SPAN 476: Culture and Medicine in Spain and Latin America, 3 credits
SPAN/TR 435: Spanish-English Translation Strategies, 3 credits

More info about the city of Tarragona

Accommodations

Students will be housed in double rooms at the hall of residence of the Rovira i Virgili University or in city center apartments.

Program Costs

For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.

Application

For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.

In addition to the Short-term Application, interested students should submit a list of previous Spanish courses with final grades on a single sheet.

For more information

For more information, contact the program directors:

Dr. Belkys Fernández-Torres
Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures & Cultures
Tel.: 540-568-6851
E-mail: fernanbm@jmu.edu