Colby Class of 2011 | Colby in Salamanca

		Colby in Salamanca is an intensive Spanish language semester offered to selected incoming first-year students. This unique program provides students who ideally have had a minimum of two years of Spanish in high school the opportunity to study at Spain's oldest and most prestigious university and to become conversant with the Spanish language and culture. Salamanca is a small but lively city, located some 200 kilometers east of Madrid. It is truly a university town with little industry, and its Plaza Mayor is one of the most striking examples of 18th-century baroque-style architecture to be found in Europe. The university itself is a mixture of medieval and modern structures. The University of Salamanca has hosted Colby students since 1984 in a program for highly motivated upper-class students who take advanced-level courses at the university. Colby first-year students will interact with these upper-class students from Colby and other colleges. First-year students on the Salamanca program take their language and culture courses in the University of Salamanca's Department of Cursos Internacionales, which specializes in Spanish as a foreign language. Students from around the world attend these language courses. In addition, Colby first-year students are required to take a special seminar, organized by the resident director and taught by a professor from the university. All Colby in Salamanca first-year students are housed, for the entire semester, with Spanish families in Salamanca. Most of these families live within walking distance of the University, but some residences require a short bus ride. Choices of families are made by the resident director based on a housing questionaire that is sent to participating students in June. The resident director of the program chooses families with care. Some families may take in more than one student (although there will be only one Colby student per family), and some families involve students in their lives more than others. Students take all their meals with their host family and are of course encouraged to engage in conversations at meals. Colby in Salamanca is under the direction of Javier Gonzalez-Alonso, who began teaching at Colby in 1985, and has been resident director in Salamanca since 1992. Gonzalez-Alonso serves as adviser to all Colby students in Salamanca, and is responsible for grades, credits, and discipline on the program. A Colby Center, located near the Plaza Mayor, serves as an office for the program administration as well as lounge space for students. The program begins in late August and ends in mid-December. There is a short mid-semester break. All program activities are conducted in Spanish. Students are expected to speak Spanish at all times -- in their courses, in the Colby center, and with their homestay families. Academic Program All participants in Colby in Salamanca begin their academic program with a four-week intensive course during the month of September. This course, which includes three hours of language classes per day, is designed to meet the needs of students at various levels, from basic to advanced. Along with this language course, students take one hour a day of Spanish civilization and participate in day excursions to various points of interest in and around Salamanca. After the first four weeks, students are placed in various levels for language courses that continue to meet for the rest of the semester. To satisfy Colby's language requirement, students must complete at least the intermediate level with a grade of C or higher. Students who place into higher levels satisfy Colby's language requirement and get credit for more advanced Spanish courses. The required first-year seminar will be on the history of contemporary Spain, and will include current affairs as well as a study of the structure of Spanish society. Students at all levels, except beginner, also have a choice of courses in history, art history, and literature; these may fulfill certain Colby distribution requirements. The total number of credits students normally earn is 16. Grades are assigned by the resident director in consultation with Spanish faculty. Grades are recorded on students' official transcripts and will be calculated into the Colby grade-point average. Cultural Program Colby in Salamanca organizes a number of excursions that are available at no extra cost, including an overnight trip to the north of Spain in late September and to the south of Spain in early December. In addition, excursions are offered in September by Cursos Internacionales to locations such as Toledo and Segovia. Group dinners are held at the beginning and end of the semester. Unique to the Colby in Salamanca program are the animadores, college-age Spanish men and women who work with Colby students at the very beginning of the program, helping to orient them to Salamanca and Spanish life in general. The University of Salamanca has a sports center but no intercollegiate teams and no field house or equipment such as there is at U.S. colleges. Students who wish to enroll in private fitness centers in Salamanca may do so, and Colby will reimburse a portion of the fee. Numerous cultural events take place every weekend in Salamanca, including theater productions, concerts, and cinema. Students are encouraged to take full advantage of the city, and Colby will reimburse a portion of the admission fee to certain cultural events. How to Register Colby in Salamanca is designed for incoming first-year students admitted for the second semester and who have been selected for this program based on their high school record. These students need only return their enrollment card and a $500 deposit by May 1, 2007. The program is also open, if space permits, to other incoming first-year students. These students should have had at least two years of high school Spanish. They may submit an application, due by May 1, to the Office of Off-Campus Study and will have an answer to their request by May 15. Fees for the Colby in Salamanca program are equivalent to the 2007-2008 Colby comprehensive fee for one semester. This fee entitles each student to the full Salamanca program of courses and activities as well as the following: round-trip air fare between New York and Madrid and transfer to Salamanca, instruction and administrative fees, food and lodging, the cultural program, health insurance, and all group excursions. It does not include personal expenses such as books and laundry, banking fees and exchange commissions, and travel other than that specified above. More information on the Colby in Salamanca program may be obtained by contacting: Office of Off-Campus Study Colby College 4500 Mayflower Hill Waterville, ME 04901 Phone: 207-859-4500 E-mail: offcamp@colby.edu