Upcoming study abroad trip offers opportunity to visit Barcelona

Tusculum College students will have the opportunity to experience studying in Barcelona, Spain, in an upcoming trip being planned for January by the College’s Center for Global Studies.

Students on the trip will be in one of two fifth block courses: ENGL 450 Advanced Studies in Fiction taught by Heather Patterson, assistant professor of English, and ENGL 402 Seminar in Literature and Society taught by Wayne Thomas, associate professor of English. Students will leave for Spain on January 12, 2013, and return stateside on January 23. The ENGL 402 is an official alternative to CMNS 480 and is open to all majors.

Twelve students will accompany the two professors to Barcelona where they will stay in campus housing at ESEI, a prestigious private school located in the center of the city, or in apartments near the campus.

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the trip’s 10-day itinerary includes visits to historical and cultural sites inside the city.  While mornings will be primarily devoted to classroom time at the university, afternoons will be reserved for guided trips, including visits to the Sagrada Familia church, Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece and one of Barcelona’s most popular attractions; the Liceu Theater, one of the most important opera houses in Europe and one of the most beautiful attractions of Barcelona; the Museum of the History of the City, which includes remains of the Roman city of Barcino; the distinctive and ornate Palau de la Musica Catalana concert hall; the Gothic Quarter (Barrio Gotico) at the heart of old Barcelona; the National Museum of Catalan Art; the Santa Maria del Mar, a Gothic cathedral, and El Born, one of the  most fashionable parts of the city.

Students will also be traveling to the Dali Museum in Figueres. The museum, built on the former Figueres theater, contains the broadest range of works from the artistic career of Salvador Dali.

The students will also have two free days in the schedule to explore the city and visit sites or do activities that fall into their interest areas.

In preparation for the trip, students must obtain a passport and provide proof of medical insurance.

The cost of the trip is $1,850 per student, which can be paid by the student or paid through a financial aid option. This fee does not include purchases of souvenirs participants may want to make or food costs. Payment for the trip must be made by November 16, 2012. The first 12 students to make full payment will be allowed to take part in the Barcelona trip. Twelve is the maximum that can participate in this study abroad opportunity because of the housing accommodations at the university.

For more information about the trip, please contact Dr. Geir Bergvin, director of the Center for Global Studies and associate professor of marketing at gbergvin@tusculum.edu or at campus ext. 5012.