The program in Valencia is an independent program. Students do not share their courses with other Americans studying in Valencia nor do they take courses with Spanish students. The principle reason for this is that our program has been carefully developed, to focus on Valencia as a social, cultural, and historical construct; as such, program courses and excursions contextualize what we hope our students experience during the their stay in Valencia.

Program Courses

The program in Valencia is an independent program. Students do not share their courses with other Americans studying in Valencia nor do they take courses with Spanish students. The principle reason for this is that our program has been carefully developed, to focus on Valencia as a social, cultural, and historical construct; as such, program courses and excursions contextualize what we hope our students experience during the their stay in Valencia.

Students will be placed in one of the following two courses:

• Advanced Spanish through the media (3 credit hours)
  • This course is designed for students who require advanced study of the language with attention to all four language skills. Texts will be taken from the print and visual media and topics will be current events and issues that affect life in Valencia and the world. Special emphasis will be given to difficult grammar points, accurate pronunciation, and complex conversational patterns.
• Writing Workshop/Rhetoric (3 credit hours)
  • This course is designed for students who are very advanced in Spanish and are ready to hone their writing skills. A variety of creative and expository writing styles will be practiced and special attention will be paid to expressive accuracy. Students will read a variety of literary works as models in their writing

Students will be placed in one of the following two courses:

• Introduction to Spanish Literature and Literary History Through Valencian Writers (3 credit hours)
  • This course is designed for the intermediate to advanced intermediate students who have had little exposure to Spanish literature. This course offers a panorama of readings by Valencian writers from all periods of Spanish letters and students will learn a variety of critical approaches.
• Contemporary Catalana Women Writers (3 credit hours)
  • This course is designed for the advanced student of Spanish who has had previous literature courses in Spanish. Students will read a variety of women writers who come from the Catalán-speaking part of Spain (Cataluña, Valencia, Islas Baleares). All works will be read in Castilian. Students will read a variety of genres.

All students will take the following courses:

• Contemporary Spanish Art History (3 credit hours)
  • This course will study the artistic movements of the 20th century in Spain. Primary focus will be on the plastic arts. Students will visit various museums in conjunction with this class as well as attend performance art functions.
• The Political History of Valencia (3 credit hours)
  • This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of Valencia's political history as both an internal construct and as a dynamic process of interaction with other Catalán-speaking regions in Spain as well as with Spain in general.
• Field Study (3 credit hours)
  • The field study, developed from each person=s specific interests, allows the students to integrate into and to become participant-observers of a particular community or micro-community of Valencian society. Students will be engaged in some type of activity for at least 10 hours a week. The students will complete their field study with a formal oral and written presentation. It is expected that students will also present their field studies on campus at Earlham in the fall of
• The Cultural Ecology of Valencia (3 credit hours)
  • In this course, students will undertake a serious study of the cultural terrain of Valencia. This course is presented through thematic cycles such as the comparison of urban Valencia with rural Valencia, Valencia and its position vis à vis other Catalán-speaking regions, Valencia and the Mediterranean ecology. In addition to readings and lectures, students will participate in a variety of excursions. The initial 2 week intensive introduction to Catalán/Valenciano is part of this course.