What you need to know

Dates May 14 - June 5 (approximate) Because this course is scheduled during the spring intercession, you do not pay any additional summer course fees!

Cost $4600. This all-inclusive price includes airfare, lodging and all meals and transportation, as well as travel insurance and admission fees to sites and museums. There are no additional course fees or hidden costs. It is recommended that students bring $300-$400 in additional spending money for personal purchases.

Description
This program offers students the opportunity to examine the linguistic and cultural attitudes and practices in the so-called "minority language" regions of Spain and France, primarily the Basque and Catalan areas of both countries. The site visits and course offerings will address issues of nationalism, language policy, literary production and some of the most basic facets of personal and cultural identity.

The trip spans approximately 650 kilometers (400 miles) over three weeks, from Bilbao, Spain, through the south of France, into Barcelona, and will employ four major «hubs» - cities in which we will spend the most nights and from which we will plan day trips into smaller towns. These hubs are: (1) Bilbao, Spain (Spanish Basque Country); (2) St. Jean de Luz (French Basque Country); (3) Luchon, France (Pyrenees); and, after a night in Carcassonne, France, (4) Barcelona, Spain, the cultural capital of Catalan society in the Mediterranean. For more detailed information about the itinerary, visit our About the Trip page.

Courses offered
FL 2025, Literature in Translation: The Literatures of Spain's Basque Country and Catalunya. This course counts towards General Education credit in the theme How we tell our stories and also counts as a General Education literature course.
GLS 3530, Special Topics: Language, Culture and Identity in Comparative Context. This Global Studies course explores language attitudes, language policy and the intersection between language culture and identity with a focus on the languages spoken in southern France and northern Spain. These include the national languages, French and Spanish, officially recognized regional languages such as Basque (Euskera) and Catalan, as well as languages and varieties without official recognition.

You can find out more about these courses on the About the Courses page.

For more information visit our Facebook page or contact Dr. Brent James at [email protected]