2025 UD-UMW Summer Spanish Institute
Hosted by: Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao, Spain in partnership with the University of Mary Washington.
Dates: June 30 to July 18, 2025 (Three-week course, 60 contact hours)
“Experience Multicultural Spain: New Resources for the Classroom” (4 US graduate credits)
Get a glimpse of Bilbao and its surroundings in the following short videos:
Bilbao, Best European City 2018
Bilbao, a fascinating transformation
Click here for a short film about Bilbao
Participants
The Summer Institute is aimed at teachers of Spanish as a foreign language in the U.S.A. and Canada, teachers in bilingual, immersion, and Spanish-for-native-speakers programs, in grades K-12, and Community College teachers. The program may also serve the academic needs of students enrolled in Master’s degrees in the US.
Course Description
Course for teachers interested in updating their grammar and cultural teaching resources, and in living a dynamic academic experience of individual and group immersion in the Spanish context. Class activities, which will be very practical and full of academic content, will be implemented by other out-of-the-classroom activities (visits to landmarks, popular festivals, food tasting tours…) that will allow teachers to get to know the reality of Spanish culture and society at first hand, and will provide new perspectives for every teacher to update their teaching strategies.
Schedule
Four hours per day in the morning Monday through Friday. Some cultural and complementary activities will be held in the evening and on weekends.
Location
Bilbao is a modern and metropolitan city in the Basque country, a northern province of Spain that borders the Bay Of Biscay to the north and the Pyrenees mountains and France to the east/northeast. Although known in the past as the industrial and financial capital of the north, Bilbao has undergone tremendous changes these days, including the opening of the Guggenheim Museum. Today’s Bilbao is bustling, friendly, and beautiful. It is big enough to offer all the diversity and advantages of a city, and yet still small enough to be manageable for the visitor. One can easily walk almost anywhere–from the “Casco Viejo” (Old Town) to the shopping and business district to the Guggenheim and back across the river to the University. A convenient metro system connects downtown with the surrounding neighborhoods providing easy access to the northern beaches.
The Universidad de Deusto is a private Catholic university established and run by the Jesuits. Founded in 1886, UD has become a thoroughly modern university and prides itself on participating in numerous international study programs. It is located on the banks of the Ibaizabal River across from the Guggenheim Museum. Click here for additional information about the city and the University of Deusto.
Room and Board
Participants will enjoy a single room with a private bathroom at the Colegio Mayor Deusto. This university-operated residence hall, located within walking distance of campus, features a dining room, a computer room, laundry service, a TV room, and a music room. The price includes full room and board, housing, and three daily meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Spanish style).
Check-in for the residence hall is June 29. The reception and official welcome, as well as the start of the classes, will be on June 30. A representative of the Program will take the participants from the residence hall to the University campus.
Program Goals
- To update the knowledge of Spanish teachers from a linguistic, cultural, and methodological point of view.
- To provide teachers with useful teaching resources and materials for their classes.
- To offer teachers the chance to get to know current Spanish culture firsthand, both in and outside the classroom.
- To contribute to the linguistic training of Spanish teachers, with a special emphasis on the natural use of Spanish in daily life.
Program content
Participants will work on the following areas:
- Multicultural Spain
An approach to the knowledge of the Spanish regional variety, characterized by its cross-cultural nature, and also of its society through dynamic activities in and out of the classroom, to be able to use them as teaching resources applicable to their classrooms.
- Pedagogical Approaches to Spanish Language Teaching
An in-depth approach to the knowledge and use of the Spanish language through practical principles and exercises, as well as the analysis of their teaching according to different methodologies. Special emphasis will be placed on the aspects of grammar that are problematic for native speakers of English.
Evaluation
- If the participant is not interested in transferring the credits obtained in the Course, the only requirement is their attendance and participation in the classes. The participant will receive an attendance certificate for all participants who have attended at least 90% of the scheduled classes.
- If the participant wishes to transfer the credits obtained in the Course, they will need to submit a final paper or project. The participant will receive an academic certificate from the Universidad de Deusto and the University of Mary Washington including the number of credits and the grade obtained according to the American system (letter grade). The final grade breakdown is the following:
- Participation: 30%
- Assignments: 35%
- Final Presentation: 35%
Program Cost
2.100 Euros. The University of Deusto reserves the right to cancel the course if the number of applications does not meet the minimum required. Therefore, UD and UMW encourage participants not to make final travel plans until they receive official notification via email. An application fee of $175 will be due at the time of application to the program.
Program Activities
- Welcome reception and orientation. Opening remarks about the University and Bilbao, with practical orientation. First contact with professors (academic advising and information about workshops).
- Guided visit to historical and avant-garde Bilbao: Old Quarter and Ensanche.
- Day visit (including lunch) to San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja), the birthplace of the Spanish language, located in a region of world-renowned wines.
- Food tasting tour: pintxos.
- Visit to the Guggenheim Museum.
- Visit to the Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao.
- Tour along the Way of St. James in Bilbao: History, art and religion.
- Visit a local school and participate in round-table conversations about school academics, curriculum, bi-or-tri-lingual trilingual education, etc.
Optional Visits*
- Visit Santillana del Mar (Cantabria), a medieval town of great architectural interest, and the museum of Altamira Cave, which was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
- Visit Pamplona and the Running of the Bulls.
* Not included in the price. Please inquire about special rates during Orientation.
The following visits and activities are suggested for participants to do on their own:
- Nearby beaches that can easily and quickly be reached by metro: Ereaga, Sopelana, and Plentzia.
- Portugalete and Las Arenas, bound by the Bizkaia Bridge or “Puente Colgante”, UNESCO World Heritage.
- Urdaibai area including the iconic town of Gernika (which inspired Picasso’s monumental painting), Mundaka, and Bermeo (typical coastal towns with a long-lasting fishing tradition.
- Castro Urdiales, a charming coastal town near Bilbao.
- Santander and El Sardinero beach.
- Vitoria, the capital city of the Basque Country, whose old quarter is worth a visit.
- Jazz Festival of Vitoria and San Sebastian, for music lovers wishing to enjoy the performances of first-line jazz players.
- Trips to the multiple festivals and traditional fairs available in nearby picturesque villages.
Transportation
Participants are responsible for their travel arrangements from their home country to Bilbao. There are several daily flights from the US and Canada to Bilbao via London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Milan, Paris, or Frankfurt. United Airlines will offer a direct flight from Newark to Bilbao starting in the 2025 summer months.
Reimbursement Policy
Contact cide@deusto.es for additional details.
Registration deadline: March 31, 2025. For an application form, course calendar, and any additional information please contact:
Dr. Jose A. Sainz
University of Mary Washington
Center for International Education
Lee Hall 438
Phone : 540-654-1261
Email : jsainz@umw.edu