2013 Spain-Berlin

June 24 – July 28, 2013

15 credits: Honors Social Science, Humanities, and Special Topics (Variation of credits may be available per preapproval with your department)

All UW students are welcome to apply, priority given to College/Interdisciplinary and Departmental Honors students.

Information Sessions

• Thursday, Dec. 6, 4:30-5:30, Honors Library, MGH 211E
• Wednesday, Dec. 12, 12:00-1:00, Honors Seminar Room, MGH 211B
• Friday, Feb. 1, 12:00-1:00, Honors Seminar Room, MGH 211B

About the Program

The program will introduce both similarities and differences between Germany, Spain, and the U.S. regarding their respective economic system and the present situation of young people in each. During the spring preparatory seminar students will be introduced to the program topics and will learn background information that will assist them in forming a working draft of their group and individual research projects. During the summer portion students will make connections between EU countries and the U.S. and will understand the topics more in-depth.

The summer component includes classroom instruction, guest lectures, art and literature events, theatre and music performances, city walks, museum tours, and weekend excursions. Students will dialogue with experts at community centers, universities, and local non-project organizations. All of the site visits and meetings will inform their final projects. The final projects will include a written web based portfolio and a final presentation at the Leon Center.

This course will be held at the Leon Center in Spain and the Humboldt campus in Berlin (2.5 weeks in Spain and approximately 2 weeks in Berlin). For more information about Humboldt visit: http://www.hu-berlin.de/?set_language=en&cl=en

For the UW’s Leon Center: http://depts.washington.edu/leonctr/

Academic Credit / Program Components

Students will receive 15 credits total. Credits will fulfill Honors Core requirements (Interdisciplinary Studies and Social Science). Other credits may be applicable depending on individual research projects. (Alternative credit may be available to students outside of the Honors Program; this must be arranged in advance with your departmental advisers)

Acute Divergence in the EU: Spain and Germany’s “Lost Generation”

5 credits
Honors 232 or Sociology 464
Prof. Edgar Kiser (w/Villegas)

Now 20 years in existence, the European Union has promised a united Europe that allows for free exchange for people and goods. This class will give a broad understanding of the EU’s history, the development of the Euro (born 13 years ago), and the current and ongoing crisis affecting the EU. The emphasis will be on understanding the key players in the EU and the power dynamics between the four largest (at present) economic powers in the euro zone: Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. We will focus on the difficulties of running a unified economy without having a unified state. Germany and Spain will be a focus of a case study that looks at youth culture and employment trends, specifically. Germany’s overall unemployment rate is currently at 8% and Spain’s overall rate is at 24%. Strikingly, the youth unemployment rate for the countries is 8% and 50%, respectively.

Questions this course will address: What are the long-term ramifications of the current economic crisis for the EU and for its individual member states? How are the power dynamics between EU countries manifested in the identity (re) formation of individuals, communities, countries, and EU more broadly?

We will look at how the current state of affairs came about and forward thinking solutions. We will be informed by think -tanks offering productive and positive solutions as well as grass roots organizations and social movements that are working to create avenues for hope and future economic opportunities for Spanish and German youth (and youth across the EU Zone). Throughout the program, we will focus on comparisons to youth unemployment in the United States, emphasizing the parallels between the experiences of university-age students in the US and their peers in Europe.

This course will be located at the Leon Center in Spain and the Humboldt campus in Berlin (2.5 weeks in Spain and approximately 2 weeks in Berlin).

Community Networking in Spain and Germany: a view from the arts and the new entrepreneurs (Spanish language component)

5 credits
Honors 391 or English 499
Dr. Villegas (w/ Kiser)

This course will interface with arts and community centers in both Spain and Germany (Leon, Berlin, Madrid, San Sebastian). We will look at what determines and who defines social capital within specific EU countries (and comparatively the U.S.).

We will look at collaborations and current practice among youth and the older generation. Using interdisciplinary methods of inquiry, we will go to arts centers and meet with individuals who are leading figures in the arts (music, literature, visual, and performance) and social justice communities. We will meet with social activists who are involved in the evolution of community centers such as:

Fusion Street: http://www.fusionstreet.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=27
CSIC: http://www.csic.es/web/guest/home Casa Encendida: https://www.lacasaencendida.es/en/home
HUB Madrid: http://madrid.the-hub.net/
15 M: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2011/0520/Inspired-by-Arab-Spring-Spain-s-youthful-15-M-movement-spreads-in-Europe

In addition, students will integrate their knowledge gained from the “Acute Divergence” class to understand the complex power dynamics that are being expressed in youth movements, arts, and education. These “on the ground” realities and expression of these types of power dynamics will be understood in more depth through students’ direct involvement in community centers. More broadly, this course will provide an understanding of current research in immigration studies, identity politics, and border studies with a foundation in arts, cultural studies, and literature disciplines.

During the summer, students will be provided with Spanish Language “Toolkit” classes specific to their work and program topics. Students will have approximately 3-4 hours of language classes per week, i.e. 2 sessions per week through the University of Leon’s Language Center. Students may be placed in different level classes dependent on their Spanish language skills.

This course will be held at the Leon Center in Spain and the Humboldt campus in Berlin (2.5 weeks in Spain and approximately 2 weeks in Berlin).

Independent Research

(3 credits)
Honors 397 or English 499 or Sociology 499

Students will work in groups and individually on completing research projects, which integrate the topics in the two core courses. Video production (Vlogs) will be part of the completed project.

In addition, to the courses in Germany and Spain, a spring quarter prep seminar (2 credits, Honors 397 is required in which students will be introduced to the main topics of the program and begin to develop research proposals that they will complete during the summer program in Spain and Germany.

The spring seminar will also provide an opportunity for community building, an overview of Spain and Germany’s culture and history, as well as practical travel advice, a quick introduction to the Spanish and German languages, and an introduction to the technology that will be used as part of the program (blogs, vlogs, wikis, and possibly other social media). Time and location, TBA.

Housing in Germany and Spain

Students will be housed in individual apartments in the Berlin city center and single unit dorms in Leon, Spain.

Madrid and other excursions will be in youth hostels and/or hotels. Local coordinators and colleagues will provide suggestions and referrals.

Program Staffing

Directors

Julie Villegas, Associate Director, Honors Program, Affiliate Assistant Professor, English

Dr. Villegas has taught programs in Rome, Berlin, Istanbul, and Amsterdam for the past six years.

Professor Edgar Kiser, Sociology and Political Science

Professor Kiser teaches in the Sociology and Political Science departments. His areas of teaching and research include political sociology, theory, and comparative-historical sociology.

Program Expenses

This program will cost approximately $4,300 per student. Course costs include Leon Center student fees, accommodations, classroom and library use, field trips and excursions, admission fees to all museums and exhibits, and some group meals. Students do not pay additional for tuition, equivalent tuition costs are included in the $4,600. Course fee does not include an IP&E concurrent enrollment fee ($300); airfare ($1,000-$1,500 roundtrip, depending on when and where you buy your ticket); food (about $20-40 per day), and personal spending money, such as travel after the class is over, provided you are a full-time student.

The Financial Aid office can provide student loans for not only the cost of the course, but also travel, food, and other related costs, such as travel after the class is over, provided you are a fulltime student. In addition, short-term loans are available to cover pre-travel expenses.

IP&E will automatically charge student accounts for all program payments and fees.

Financial Aid

Students may use their regular financial aid and scholarship funds for study abroad. The exception is any scholarship in the form of a tuition waiver. Tuition waivers cannot be used to pay study abroad program fees. You may want to check with the Office of Student Financial Aid in Schmitz Hall for more information.

There are funding opportunities through the Global Opportunities Program, and the Office of International Programs and Exchanges also maintains a funding opportunities list.

Refund Policy

A $350 deposit is required at the time of acceptance. This $350 deposit is non-refundable. Any student withdrawing from the program within 4 months of the program start date will be responsible for a minimum of 25% of the total program fee. In addition, there may be other unrecoverable fixed program costs. Any student withdrawing from the program within 2 months of the program start date will be responsible for 50% of the total program fee. Any student withdrawing from the program within 1 month of the program start date will be responsible for 75% of the total program fee. Withdrawal after a program begins involves the loss of the entire program fee.

Once accepted to the program in order to formally withdraw, you must do the following, in writing:

1. Contact the program directors.
2. Submit a signed IPE Withdrawal Form to the UW Office of International Programs and Exchanges.
3. Provide notice in writing to the program director that you will no longer be participating in the program for which you have signed a contract and accepted a slot.

Your withdrawal date is considered the date (business day) your withdrawal paperwork is received by the UW Office of International Programs and Exchanges.

Getting There

To Berlin

Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to Berlin and from Leon, Spain. The program will pay for travel between Berlin and Madrid, as well as train transportation from Madrid to Leon. All transportation to scheduled program excursions is also covered. Act quickly to reserve the lowest fares; you may wish to explore budget fares offered on websites such as Travelocity and Expedia, as well as Council Travel on the Ave.

Within Germany and Spain

Students and instructors will take several excursions while in Spain. Planned excursions include Madrid, San Sebastian, and Santiago de Compostela. The program fee covers these group travel expenses. Students will also have some opportunities to travel on their own for two- or three-day jaunts.

All participants must have a passport that is valid for not only for the duration of the program, but for 6 months after the program ends. It may take as long as six weeks to obtain or renew a passport.

Application Instructions

Selection to the program is competitive and acceptance into the program will be decided based on application materials, interviews, and student’s demonstrated motivation to challenge themselves intellectually across academic disciplines and cultures and to work both individually and in groups. The program directors are seeking students who are interested in engaging fully in the local communities and meeting and dialoging with a wide variety of people on site (e.g. youth, older generation, community activists, artists, politicians, and educators).

For More Information

For more information about the program components, please contact:

Julie Villegas, villegas@uw.edu
Edgar Kiser, kiser@uw.edu
Katherine Kroeger, kroegk@u.washington.edu