Church Door

Through immediate experience and academic study, students are set on the road to achieving the twin objectives of the program: to come to know something of modern Barcelona and its peoples and to begin to understand themselves and their cultural assumptions. Community service is not separate or additive. It is an integral part of the whole effort to deepen their understanding of Spanish society.

Working with a team of experienced educators who know Barcelona, students will experience the city as local residents, become self-reliant and gain confidence through working in community service five days a week, using their Spanish daily in service and in living. They will come to understand Catalan culture and its relationship to the history and traditions of Spain.

Service Learning in Barcelona is an immersion program which emphasizes intense acquisition of knowledge and life-changing experience. While being good guests and becoming thoughtful observers, participants in the program will live for a short time in a vibrant European city, in the heart of the Catalan nation. The history, music, dance, food, and the culture and environment will come alive.

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View of Barcelona

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The Daily Program

Work in Community Service is at the core of the Program. For the entire month, students explore the everyday aspects of contemporary Spanish culture through direct participation in it, offer assistance to a specific community outside their own, and consider carefully what the offering and receipt of such assistance can mean.

During the month in Barcelona, students work about three hours a day, five afternoons a week. Assignments with established organizations are made with regard for the student's interest and experience, the skills required by the organization, and the student's ability in Spanish. While the work varies according to the needs of the organization, it is most often in recreational multi-cultural youth programs, with the elderly in retirement homes and long-term healthcare facilities, in food programs, and other areas in which there is a need among the underserved. The community service projects in Barcelona will be much like those in Paris. Please refer to www.study-serve.org/service.html.

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La Sagrada Familia

Students will speak and study Spanish from the arrival day. They will be tested and grouped into four sections, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Fluent. The highest level is for students who are nearly fluent or those who have or will be taking AP Spanish. The average class size is ten. Students will do some reading and writing assignments, but primary emphasis is placed on oral expression. Even though Catalan is the language of the region, the work of the program will be done in Spanish.

The program center is fortunate in being located near the Diagonal, in a neighborhood not frequented by tourists. In the shops and even in restaurants of some distinction, Spanish is heard and used, and ISS students are expected to follow suit. While we do not impose a Spanish only regulation, we urge adherence to speaking Spanish as much as possible. We know that if students take advantage of all the opportunities there are for improving their speaking skills, including classes, use of Spanish at the community service site and in their daily life in Barcelona, they can make very meaningful progress.

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The work done in the Spanish class is extended by student participation in the core Seminar which is co-taught by four members of the faculty. Contemporary issues in politics, culture and the arts are examined and digested through student presentations and discussions, as well as lectures given by Barcelona residents: experts, representatives of varying political backgrounds, and recent immigrants from former Spanish colonies.

Students also choose an elective in Art and Architecture, Literature and Writing, or Spanish Politics and History. Frequently, classes take place in the city — in museums, cafés, parks, and grand architectural landmarks.

Additional insights into Spanish life are gained in optional activities in the evenings and on weekends (e.g. drawing or digital photography class) and in required cultural exploration sessions. These include architectural walking tours and visits to the iconic sites of Barcelona.

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Marina

During the month, a significant amount of time is devoted to visiting historical and culturally significant sites as well as those more closely related to the work done in Community Service and courses. Exploration will range from the beaches and waterfront marinas to the countryside and nearby mountains, cliff-side monasteries and centuries old wineries. Among the wealth of galleries and museums, are the notable Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (Macba), Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Fundació Joan Miró, and Museu Picasso. Above the city on Mont Tibidabo, Parc Güell is a visual feast of Gaudí mosaics. The many tapas bars and restaurants throughout the city offer the opportunity to sample a wide range of local specialties.

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Time is scheduled each day for individual reflection and journal writing. Students are encouraged to consider and articulate how the day's experiences and the various parts of the program fit together.

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