An International Tradition

Toledo, Spain
Summer Seminar Leader

Attention faculty:

The Office of International Studies (OIS) is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for faculty development – to teach a six week undergraduate course in Toledo, Spain, during the summer of 2010.  Students will live and take classes in a renovated 16th century convent in Toledo, Spain, that is the home of the José Ortega y Gasset Foundation (Fundación Ortega y Gasset), the institute which offers our academic year programs in Spain.   The program dates for Summer 2010 will be approximately June 15-July 27.

Fundación Ortega y Gasset
The José Ortega y Gasset Foundation was founded by a private academic research institute from Madrid. The Foundation houses the International Program of Spanish Language, Latin American and European Studies and preserves the international interests of the great Spanish philosopher, José Ortega y Gasset, by promoting cross-cultural student and faculty exchanges. Toledo, located about 40 miles south of Madrid, has been called the quintessential Spanish city; for Cervantes, Toledo was "the glory of Spain and the light of her cities." For two thousand years its central location made Toledo the coveted prize of a variety of peoples — Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Christians. Toledo's architecture and monuments display a splendid variety of medieval and renaissance styles, from Arabic mosques to Jewish synagogues and Christian churches. The city is also famous for its collection of El Greco paintings, one of the largest in the world.

The Fundacion operates a six week summer program, hosting students from several American colleges and universities, as well as some students from Latin America and Japan.  Notre Dame students will be expected to enroll in your course and will take a second course to earn six credits for the summer program.  They make select this second course from the 10-15 courses taught by Fundacion professors in a variety of disciplines.

Creating a Proposal
Notre Dame faculty may propose to teach an existing Notre Dame course or a new course that emphasizes a unique aspect of Spain or Latin America.  The topic of the course should be broad enough to attract about 20 students and must be taught in Spanish.  OIS expects that all Notre Dame students who participate in the Toledo summer program will enroll in your course.  Therefore, it is important to think about the level of course you will offer.  OIS recommends that you consider teaching a culture course or a special topics course at an intermediate level of Spanish.  If your course requires an advanced level of Spanish, you may be limiting the number of students that can enroll in your course, making it difficult to recruit the minimum number of students for the program.

Roles and Responsibilities
The faculty member will recruit students for the study abroad program, organize a pre-departure session, and teach a course during the study abroad program.  Additionally, the faculty member is responsible for obtaining course approval from the appropriate Notre Dame department(s). The faculty member should also possess fluency in the Spanish language, as the course will be taught in Spanish.  OIS will be the link between the faculty member, the Fundación Ortega y Gasset, and Notre Dame administrative offices such as the Registrar, Summer Session, Student Accounts, and Financial Aid.  Students will utilize the OIS on-line application and their summer applications are due by February 19, 2010. The faculty member will then read the applications and determine whether or not each student should be admitted to the program. The staff of the Fundación will provide program planning and support and on-site program coordination of classroom facilities, housing arrangements and field trips as necessary.   

Ultimately, your recruitment effort will determine if you have enough students to make the program run.  OIS provides support but in the end, your effort and enthusiasm attract students to the program.  OIS will list the program on our website, will organize and advertise two information sessions for summer programs (one in November/December and one in February), and will monitor online applications.  You are expected to attend the information sessions to talk to about the Toledo program and your course.  OIS also recommends that you visit relevant classes, advertise within your department, and think of other ways to reach your target audience.  The Toledo program must have a minimum of 15 students to run, however, we recommend that you recruit 17-20, as students inevitably decline acceptance or withdraw once accepted. 

Proposal Requirements
Please submit a proposal by October 12, 2009 to the Office of International Studies, 152 Hurley Building.  The requirements for a proposal are:

• a proposal form – available by clicking here
• a proposed syllabus for the course (can be a weekly breakdown of course topics and potential on-site visits)
• a two page CV
• a letter of intent detailing your qualifications to teach the proposed course
• a letter of support from your chairperson

Proposal Selection
The Fundación in Toledo and OIS select the course.  The criteria for selection of the proposals include:

• Qualifications of faculty to teach this course
• Ability to attract a broad pool of students
• Convincing rationale for offering the course/program in Toledo, Spain

Additional Information
The proposed course should provide Notre Dame students with 3 credits.  The Fundación Ortega y Gasset will pay the chosen faculty member a salary of 3,900 euros and OIS will cover the cost of round trip airfare from South Bend to Madrid.  The faculty member will reside with the students in the Fundación but will be provided with a private apartment that includes a kitchen. The Notre Dame faculty member is also able to eat lunch with members of the Fundación staff in the faculty dining room.  The ND faculty member will be charged 10 euros for lunch which is the same price charged to Fundación faculty members. The faculty member will be provided with a Spanish cell phone which should be used to communicate with students and staff at the Fundación.  However, he or she will be responsible for all costs associated with local and international personal calls. 

Questions?

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