Princeton in Spain, a quality program for advanced Spanish students, will hold its 6th session from June 1 - 29, 2013, in Toledo, Spain.

 

During the last five years, the program has been evolving and growing stronger while remaining true to the spirit in which it was born: meeting the needs of Princeton students who are willing to immerse in the Spanish culture to strengthen their language skills, to expand their intellect, and to explore their capacity for working in foreign environments. Toledo is a museum-like city that has a lot to offer to the curious mind.

 

The program is based in a privileged enclave, the former convent of San Juan de la Penitencia, and we work in partnership with the renowned Fundación José Ortega y Gasset – Gregorio Marañón, with a satellite center in Toledo. The program is, however, the product of Princeton’s Department of Spanish & Portuguese, so we travel to Toledo with the same high standards for academic excellence. Syllabus, course materials, and even half of the faculty, are a Princeton product.

 

We’ve been lucky to find a partner institution whose personnel understood since the beginning both our particular academic needs and the strong interest we have in combining academics with hands-on activities and cultural exploration. With their assistance, we’ve developed a full schedule for our students, including the opportunity to work with the community in local institutions, day trips to adjacent historical cities and/or cultural events, and pre-arranged meetings with locals for conversation exchange and city tours. The goal of the program is in line with Princeton’s interest in internationalization of our students, and we want them to have the occasion to function in foreign settings as part of an outstanding education. The four weeks that we spend in Toledo should be a life experience, a learning experience, but also a time for thinking and reflecting about how other people live, think and function. All this takes place in a productive and cheerful atmosphere.

 

With all this in mind, the Princeton in Spain program has established its own distinctive methodology around the idea of combining academics, community, culture and, of course, some free time for students to enjoy the city. We’ve had very positive results in the past four years and aspire to make it even better for the 2013 experience. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth every minute!