Barcelona: International Business In Barcelona

Students have a blast in Barcelona. There is time to explore and have fun. Being overseas for a month is a treat by itself, and Barcelona has a lot to offer. Traveling to France or other parts of Spain offers even more excitement. Over 85% of the one year's participants felt that overall the Program was "Better than I expected." Here are a few student comments about the overall experience:

"All the visits were fantastic, and I had an amazing trip."

"I really enjoyed this program and would do it again immediately. Thank you."

"The staff was very helpful. The IES center is in a great location to pursue
everything in the city. Our guest lectures and tour guides were amazingly
knowledgable. "

"The field trips were the best part of the study abroad experience. They
were activities that I would have not done on my own if it wasn´t scheduled."

"The teachers at IES ... were all amazing, so nice, and very helpful."

"we had great teachers both from IES and that came with us through VT. We also had so many resources at our hands that were very helpful throughout the trip."

"the staff was all very friendly and accommodating. I also really enjoyed living with a host family."

Here are some thoughtful comments about the long lasting implications of going on the Barcelona study abroad from students who have the perspective of being several years beyond graduation:

"... it is really difficult to find opportunities like this to live and study overseas in such a culturally integrated and useful way. ... living with a host family ... is often the best way to learn how to live and communicate cross-culturally."

"Simply put, in addition to the classroom studies, living overseas always gives you a unique chance to develop cross-cultural communication skills as well as ability to adapt and flex--very transferrable to any business setting. While I know the myriad reasons to be more short-term and practical about using the summer as a resume, I want to encourage you, as someone looking back, to never sacrifice the long-term benefits and the experiences that will impact you 5 or 20 years down the line."

"Dr. Shome and Dr. Morgan are great professors to work with and get to know. They always put a lot of hard work into designing a program that will add the most value to your experience both inside and outside of the classroom. "

Lace (Cosgrove) Fang

"... by doing the classwork overseas, I received a different perspective due to the influence of being in a different culture, meeting new people, and visiting locations on-site that if I took the class at VT. In addition, by being in a different country, I could see the actual application of international business (for example, how a lot of the American companies have spread over the world in Barcelona). A first-hand experience on business and culture (and anything for that matter) has a lot more impact than learning it through a book."

Vicky Nguyen

"... an experience that taught me a lot academically, culturally, and socially"

Kevan Moniri

CULTURE ELECTIVE (CHOOSE ONE OR TWO BELOW)    IES CENTER

• ART HISTORY
• AH223  Great Twentieth Century Artists of Catalonia: Picasso, Miro, Dalí

Matthew Clear, an engaging scholar of art history, introduces these three Spanish painters, all associated with Barcelona, and puts the analysis of their art into the cultural and social context in which they painted. Students acquire the tools to analyze paintings and Catalan culture through this class. A unique opportunity!

HS-AH251 Barcelona The Cosmopolitan City

Marina Díaz provides an excellent introduction to Barcelona through the history of its urban growth. You’ll really know the city after this course.

CULTURAL STUDIES

CU351  Food as an Expression of Culture

Camila Loew, a knowledgeable and passionate instructor, engages students to better understand Spanish culture through an analysis of food patterns and eating habits, how these have developed, and how they are used to negotiate identities, power relations, etc. Yum!

HISPANIC STUDIES

HP/AN 345 - Catalan Cultural Studies

Is Catalonia a nation? What makes Catalan people different? This course will provide you with the basic intercultural skills and necessary knowledge to understand and live in the context of contemporary Catalan culture (ranging from Barça football club and the ‘92 Olympics to newspaper materials and folk dances and performances).

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

AH-RL350 The Iberian Peninsula: Cultures and Religions Through the Arts

Meritxell Martín, a knowledgeable and engaging teacher, tackles the influence of different religions on Spanish culture - this first course looks at the influence of Islamic art in the Iberian Peninsula.

RL-SO330  Church and State in Spain from 1492 to the Present

In this second course taught by Meritxell Martín, she looks at the relations between the Catholic Church and the State through Spanish history.

SOCIOLOGY

PO-SO-HS331 Understanding Contemporary Spain: Politics, Society and History Marina Díaz presents a course designed to allow students to understand what is going on around them in Spain: the politics, institutions, and recent events.

The courses have been approved by the Pamplin College for transfer back to meet graduation requirements and for the minor. Grades will not be recorded on your transcript, but you must achieve a C or better in each of the classes. Credits are transferred through the U. of Rochester.

Additional courses taught in Spanish for students with advanced Spanish language skills could also be chosen such as Sports & Spain, Music of Spain, Creative Writing. See the advisor for approval.

Note: All courses satisfy the “context” course requirements for the Global Honors Scholars program.