Toledo: Language and Culture Study Program

Lengua y Cultura en Toledo, España

June 18-July 2, 2007

Stay in a medieval castle in Toledo, the ancient capital of Spain, while becoming proficient in Spanish and immersing yourself in a culture rich in history, art and romance!

Important meeting: April 19, 3:30, Grainger 322

Spanish castles The Castillo de San Servando is what remains of part of Toledo's defenses and is reached by crossing the Alcántara Bridge. There were fortifications as far back as the Moslem era and probably in Visigothic times too. When Alfonso VI took the city in 1085 he built the castle on the ruins of older buildings. Two further reconstructions have taken place, one in the twelfth century and again in 1380. The final rebuilding incorporated Arabic elements including a large central square and turrets. Castilla La Mancha's first regional government chamber was established here in 1983. Nowadays, the castle contains a youth hostel and you will be staying there!

Courses offered:
Choose one: Spanish 201, 202 or 302 (3 credits)
View course descriptions
Successful completion of this program waives Longwood University's Goal 9 (as an "approved international experience"), in addition to satisfying one of the following: Goal 10, Goal 12 (302), BA Humanities requirement, and/or Spanish major/minor elective (minor electives can double-count with other requirements).

Excursions to:

Segovia (Roman acueduct, Castle of Fernando e Isabel, traditional "castillian" cuisine...)
Avila (11th-Century walls; Catedral; museo)
Consuegra (Castillo de Consuegra; windmills on Don Quijote's route, ...)
Salamanca

Topics in the courses and tours may include:

The life and times of one of Spain's most important artists, El Greco:
Visit the house/museum where El Greco lived and worked in Toledo
Visit the church of Santo Tomé,
to see El Greco's most famous painting, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
Products that have made Toledo famous:
See how mazapán (Toledo's famous sweet) is made
Learn how the famous Toledo swords are made (more Toledo swords)
Witness the creation of Oro Damasquinado (damascene gold-encrusted arabesque designs on metal)
(Here is another Oro Damasquinado site)
Religions ("Las Tres Culturas") in the history of Toledo:
Visits to the Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca
Visits to the Mezquita Bab Al Mardum and the Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz
and the Catedral de Toledo
Government throughout the ages in Toledo
Visits to sites important from Roman times to the present

El Alcázar de Toledo

Legends and folklore
Legends
Legends
History and Culture in Salamanca

$2,150 Program Price Includes:
Round-trip Airfare
Accommodations in a medieval castle
Accommodations in hotels in Salamanca and Madrid
2 meals per day in the Castle (in Salamanca and Madrid--breakfast only)
Excursions and tours
Classes and activities
Medical insurance while in Spain
Longwood University transcript

Tuition is not included in the above cost

$400 deposit due November 28, 2006
Make checks payable to Longwood University

Spring 2007 Meeting dates:
Mark your calendars; these are required as part of your course grade
Feb. 8 3:30-5
March 8 3:30-5
April 12 3:30-5

Important payment deadlines

Take payment form to Office of Cashiering, Lancaster
**Please write Account number 0-80770 on form

Refund Policy

Application Form

Health Report and Release Form

Scholarship Application

Itinerary and Course Syllabus

Pre-Departure Travel Information

Responding to Emergencies

See photos of last year's group! (click here!)

Puente de Alcántara, the bridge leading to the Castillo de San Servando

El Alcázar de Toledo

SPANISH 201. Intermediate I. Topics will focus on activities and surroundings in Toledo. A course designed to help students develop skills in speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing in Spanish, and apply these skills in a context that recognizes and explores the particularities of Spanish and Latin American cultures. Prerequisite: SPAN 102 or an appropriate placement test score. Followed by SPAN 202. 3 credits. (Satisfies General Education Goal 10)

SPANISH 202. Intermediate II. Topics will focus on activities and surroundings in Toledo. Students will continue to develop the skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing at a higher level, integrating a wide variety of topics and materials from the target culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 201 or appropriate placement test score. Successful completion of this course satisfies the foreign language requirement for the B.A. degree and is prerequisite for upper-level courses. 3 credits. (Satisfies General Education Goal 9)

SPANISH 302. Conversation. Topics will focus on activities and surroundings in Toledo. Practice in oral communication skills, including expansion of vocabulary and improvement of pronunciation and listening comprehension. A functional approach, emphasizing strategies for circumlocution, initiating and closing conversation, requesting and providing information, narrating, expressing wishes, complaints, and emotions, giving and receiving advice, and supporting opinions. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or equivalent. 3 credits. Speaking intensive course. Satisfies General Education Goal 9, 10, 12, BA Humanities requirement OR Spanish major or minor elective.