SUMMER STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM - MADRID, SPAIN


June 27 to July 29, 2008


The Program

This five-week program is based in Madrid, Spain's capital. Spain is a colorful country, full of contrasts, which attracts millions of tourists every year, making it the second most visited country in the world. It is also the birthplace of an international language, "castellano" or "español", spoken by more than 350 million people, all over the world. Madrid is the capital (since the 16th century) and the most important city. It hosts all national and regional government offices, most headquarters of international enterprises operating in Spain, some of the best museums in the world, like the Prado Museum, some worldwide famous palaces, like the monasterio de El Escorial, and the most important cultural and sports events in Spain. Madrid is the official residence of the Royal Family and of President Rodríguez Zapatero. Madrid is full of historic sites, dating from the 10th century to the present. It is a big and dynamic city, but at the same time, is warm and friendly. The Taft Summer Program in Spain is divided into three parts. Upon arrival, students will participate in an orientation program with the Director. Students will stay at a hotel in downtown Madrid, using this time together as a group to become familiarized with the city, to get transportation passes, and to review the program's rules and expectations. On the second morning, students will be picked up by their host families.

The second part of the program, the home stay and academic program, lasts for approximately one month. During these weeks, students will attend classes Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 1 PM. Two afternoons per week, there will be a group activity: Prado Museum (Goya, Velázquez), Royal Palace, Reina Sofía Museum (Picasso, Dalí), 17th century Madrid, Borbón Madrid, Palacio del Congreso, etc. On Saturdays, students will go on chaperoned excursions to Toledo, El Escorial, Valle de los Caídos, Segovia, and La Granja.

The final part of the program is the three-day excursion to Southern Spain. Students visit Granada (Alhambra, Royal Chapel, Cathedral, and a "Flamenco" show in Sacromonte), Sevilla (Cathedral, Giralda, Reales Alcazares, World Fairs' sites) and Córdoba (Cathedral Mosque, La Judería). Students return to Madrid before departing for the United States.

The Staff

Juan Ortiz, the Director of the program, has taught Spanish as a Second Language, Spanish Literature, Spanish History, and Philosophy at The American School of Madrid for the past twenty-five years, with the exception of the 1999-2000 and the 2003-2004 school years, which he spent at Taft teaching Spanish and serving as Head of the Modern Language Department. Juan Ortiz has extensive experience in organizing summer programs and camps all over Spain. He will participate in all trips and afternoon activities, and oversee the academic program.

Carmen Pretel, Juan's wife, will be in charge of arranging the home stays and will also participate in all trips and afternoon activities. Carmen is an experienced tour guide, and she teaches at an independent school in Madrid.

Cost

The fee of $5,700 includes transportation while abroad, tuition, all meals and lodging, books and study supplies, and all fees for excursions and group activities. Expenses not included are roundtrip airfare, transportation to and from JFK Airport in New York City and personal expenses such as phone calls and personal spending money. It is the student's own responsibility to budget his or her spending money.

Application Deadline

The Taft program in Spain has a rolling admissions policy. However, since considerable arrangements have to be made overseas and since there is a limited amount of airline tickets reserved, we encourage you to submit your applications as soon as possible, preferably before March 15th.

Students must have completed two years of high school Spanish.

Contact

For more information, contact Kevin Conroy at (860) 945-7894, or kevinconroy@taftschool.org.