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THE NW CÁDIZ

PROGRAM IN SPAIN

2003-2004

The NW CÁDIZ program offers American students the opportunity to live and study in Cádiz, Spain, for one semester or a full academic year. Administered by the University of Washington, this study-abroad program operates under a formal working agreement with the University of Cádiz. It is the only full-year American study-abroad program located in Cádiz. Students live in a university residence hall or with a private family, and attend classes at the University of Cádiz's Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. NW CÁDIZ courses are especially designed for the program's students and are taught in Spanish by members of the University of Cádiz faculty.

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PROGRAM CALENDAR

2003-2004

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FALL SEMESTER 2003

	Sept. 1 (Mon.)	Group flight to Spain. Arrival in Cádiz Tues., Sept. 2.
	Sept. 2-14	Orientation in Cádiz.
	Sept. 15 (Mon.)	Classes begin.
	Dec. 8 (Mon.)	Holiday (no classes)
	Dec. 12 (Fri.)	Semester ends. (exams 15-17 Dec.)
	Dec. 21 (Sun.)	Group flight to Seattle.

SPRING SEMESTER 2004

	Jan. 15 (Thur.)	Group flight to Spain. Arrival in Cádiz Fri. Jan. 16.
	Jan. 19-Feb 1	Orientation in Cádiz.
	Feb. 2 (Mon.)	Classes begin.
	Feb. 23 - 27	Carnival vacation (possible midweek Program Excursion)
	Apr. 4-11	Easter vacation (Semana Santa).
	May 25 (Tue.)	Semester ends (exams 26-28 May)
	June 5 (Sat.)	Group flight to Seattle.

ABOUT CÁDIZ

Cádiz is located on Spain's southern Atlantic coast, midway between Portugal and the Strait of Gibraltar. The city's current population is approximately 300,000. Founded by Phoenician traders around 1100 B.C., Cádiz is the oldest city in Spain and possibly the oldest in Europe. Because of its antiquity and its strategic geographic situation, Cádiz's role in the formation of the Spanish nation has been unsurpassed by that of any other Spanish city. The original Phoenician outpost of Gadir would later be colonized by the Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. In 1262, during the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Cádiz was conquered by King Alfonso X. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries the city and its port played a central role in Spain's voyages of exploration and conquest, including Columbus' second, third, and fourth voyages to America. In 1587, as a prelude to the famous defeat of the Spanish Armada at the hands of the English, Cádiz was sacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake. During the next two centuries Cádiz continued to bear the brunt of ongoing naval hostilities between Spain and England, but it also prospered as Spain's principal port for commerce with the New World and with Europe. This intense international commerce brought with it philosophical, artistic, and political currents from other nations, endowing Cádiz and its people with the tolerance and hospitality that still characterize them today. In the 19th century, with the independence of Spain's American colonies, the city's importance as a shipping center declined, but it continued to play a key role in the nation's political life as Spain's principal window to Europe and as an oasis of liberal thought throughout that turbulent century. The Gaditanos are intensely proud of the fact that Spain's first modern constitution was written and promulgated in Cádiz in 1812.

Today's Cádiz is linked to Madrid and Barcelona by commercial air service, and to all of Spain by frequent high-speed trains. There is ferry service from Cádiz to the Canary Islands and North Africa. The economy of the city and the surrounding region is based on fishing, maritime industries, and the production of Sherry wines. Because of its mild climate and brilliant sunshine, the area's spectacular coastline is known as the Costa de la Luz. While tourism plays a significant role in the local economy, its cultural impact is minimal in comparison to the destructive effect of tourism on Spain's Mediterranean coast.

The narrow peninsula on which Cádiz is situated is divided by a seventeenth-century fortified rampart, the Puerta de Tierra, behind which is located the Casco Antiguo, or old Cádiz. The layout and outward appearance of the old city have remained largely unchanged for the past two centuries. This part of the city is characterized by buildings of three and four stories, clustered on narrow, teeming streets that open onto gracious plazas or the surrounding sea. On the inland side of the rampart is the new Cádiz with its high-rise apartment houses that pose a striking architectural contrast to the quaint Casco Antiguo. The coastal periphery of the city is lined with promenades, old fortifications, an industrial port, and public beaches, including the longest urban beach in Europe.

The traditions of Cádiz offer many opportunities for recreation and cultural enrichment outside the classroom. Geography and history have endowed Cádiz with close ties to Latin America. One product of this link is the Festival de Teatro Hispanoamericano, which takes place in the theatres and plazas of Cádiz each year in October. In February, as a prelude to the Lenten season, Cádiz becomes the site of the Iberian Peninsula's most colorful and spirited Carnival. University classes are cancelled for a week as the city is transformed into a boisterous fantasyland of costumes and revelry. During the week before Easter, Cádiz, like the rest of Spain, celebrates Semana Santa with a timeless blend of solemn rituals and festive pageantry. Again, the university closes for a week so that students and faculty may fully enjoy this most traditional of Spanish holidays.

The Bay and Gulf of Cádiz are ringed with places of interest. Chiclana, San Fernando, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa María, and Jerez de la Frontera are important centers of the subcultures associated with Flamenco music, Sherry wines, and the breeding of Andalusian horses and fighting bulls. The University of Cádiz sponsors frequent student excursions to these and other places of interest. North of Cádiz lies Spain's largest national park, Doñana. Once a hunting reserve for the royal family, Doñana is now a sanctuary for migratory birds and other wildlife. The mountains in the province of Cádiz are famous for their quaint pueblos blancos and are ideal for hiking, biking, and camping.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CÁDIZ

The University of Cádiz, in existence since 1980, is one of the younger members of Spain's national university system. The NW CÁDIZ program operates in the university's Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, located on the old city's shoreline drive, across from an expansive park that opens onto the sea. The Facultad is housed in a recently restored eighteenth-century building whose interior is spacious and bathed in light, thanks to a design that features abundant use of full-length windows and interior patios adorned with the lush vegetation of the region. Classrooms are equipped with modern audiovisual installations. Adjacent to the Facultad are tennis and basketball courts for student use. The Casco Antiguo, with its endless recreational possibilities, lies just to the inland side of the Facultad. The University of Cádiz has a home page on the World Wide Web: http://www.uca.es .

CURRICULUM

NW CÁDIZ students will enroll in courses designed especially for the program and taught in Spanish by University of Cádiz faculty. Most classes meet three hours per week and carry three semester credits. A typical course load is four or five courses per semester, depending on the requirements of the student's home institution. For students whose American university operates on the quarter system, credits will be converted to quarter credits by the home institution (one semester credit normally equals 1.5 quarter credits). All courses are graded on a 4 point scale. We will convert and assign A, A-, B+ grades for students from other universities at their request. Credit/No Credit is not normally an option. The curriculum consists of advanced Spanish grammar and composition (required of all students except those exempted by their home university), plus a variety of other courses in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts as they pertain to the Spanish-speaking world. In exceptional cases, qualified students may be allowed to enroll in regular university courses. Students with an interest in oceanography and marine ecology will find it possible to participate in activities offered by the university's Facultad de Ciencias del Mar.

During the 2003-2004 academic year the program will offer the following courses:

FALL 2003

Spanish language (3 levels, including Spanish 303, Composition)
Spanish Literature, 20th century: Introduction
Spanish Literature and other Arts
Introduction to Spanish Art History
Spanish Civilization
Geography of Spain
Spanish History: 1931 to the present

SPRING 2004

Spanish language (3 levels)
Modern Spanish literature
Spain and the European Union
History of Spain in America
Introduction to Spanish linguistics
Translation

In addition to the above courses, students will have the opportunity to undertake independent study projects under the supervision of the program's Resident Director. Credit for these projects will vary in accord with the scope and difficulty of each project. Qualified students may choose to undertake practice teaching (of English) at the P/K-10 or university level.

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION

NW CÁDIZ is operated by the University of Washington. In Cádiz the program is directed by a full-time Resident Director from an American college or university. The Resident Director is assisted by a graduate assistant and by a local faculty coordinator who is also one of the program's instructors.

ELIGIBILITY AND ENROLLMENT

The program will accept students who are currently enrolled in any accredited college or university in the U.S. Students from schools other than the University of Washington have the option of enrolling as non-matriculated students at the University of Washington for a fee of $200 in fall semester, $400 in spring semester. Students thus enrolled will receive a UW transcript of courses taken and grades received in Cádiz. Students who are not enrolled at the University of Washington will receive a transcript directly from the University of Cádiz, with grades given on the American decimal system.

Students are encouraged to enroll in the program for the full academic year. Enrollments for one semester are also accepted. Minimum requirements for enrollment are two years of college Spanish (or equivalent) completed prior to departure for Spain, an overall GPA of 2.5, and a GPA in Spanish of 3.0. Even though NW CÁDIZ is primarily a program for undergraduates, special arrangements can sometimes be made for graduate students to receive credit for work done in the program.

Students from the University of Washington, and Western Washington University may obtain application forms from their Spanish or Foreign Languages department. Students from other schools should request application forms or further information about the program from:

NW CÁDIZ PROGRAM
Division of Spanish & Portuguese
Box 354360
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-4360

The application form is also available on the program's Web site.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Applications for the fall semester are due on April 1. Applications for spring semester must be received by November 1. Earlier submission of applications is permited and encouraged.

PROGRAM COST

Current information on the cost of the program is provided in the annual insert and on the program's Web site. NW CÁDIZ reserves the right to increase the fee in the event that a fluctuation in the exchange rate makes an adjustment necessary. Such adjustments will be made no later than one month prior to the start of each semester. The program fee includes full room and board in Cádiz, tuition at the University of Cádiz, textbooks, scheduled program activities and excursions, and transfers between Cádiz and the Spanish arrival airport for students who travel to Spain on the group flight. In addition to the program fee, students may be required to pay their home institution a fee to maintain their student registration while they are studying in Spain. For UW students this fee is $200 for fall semester, $400 for spring. Other expenses not included in the program fee are travel to and from Spain, visa and passport expenses, and personal spending money.

University of Washington students who normally receive financial aid may use most forms of financial aid to study on the NW CÁDIZ program. Students from other institutions should check with their financial aid office to determine applicability of their financial aid to this program. All students who are receiving financial aid should determine the number of courses they must carry in order to remain eligible for financial aid.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND REFUND POLICY

An application fee of $100, deductible from the total program fee, must accompany the application to the program. Subsequent payments will be sent to the University of Washington at the above address. A payment of $1,000 will be due May 1 for fall semester, and November 1 for spring semester. The balance of the program fee is due August 1 for fall, and December 1 for spring. Checks should be made payable to the University of Washington.

All payments will be refunded in full if the applicant is not accepted into the program, or if the program is cancelled. If an applicant is accepted into the program but decides not to participate, all payments except the $100 application fee will be refunded, provided that written notice of withdrawal from the program is received no later than July 15 for fall or November 15 for spring. Except in cases of demonstrated emergency, there will be no refunds to accepted applicants who do not give written notice of withdrawal by these dates, or who withdraw after the start of the semester.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

Even though travel to and from Spain is not included in the program fee, an optional group flight between Seattle and Spain will be available each semester. This flight will provide students with a fare lower than the normal air fare. Students are encouraged to travel to Spain on this group flight. Enrolled students will be informed of details of the group flight several months prior to the start of each semester.

HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS IN CÁDIZ

Students will normally live in private homes, but it may sometimes be possible to arrange housing in a residence hall for those who strongly prefer not to live with a local family. We do not presently allow shared apartment living as a housing option for undergraduates. However, for the occasional student who is accompanied throughout the semester by a partner or child, we will attempt to give assistance in securing other living arrangements, but in these cases the responsibility is the student's.

MEDICAL INSURANCE

The program provides all students with basic medical care in Spain through enrollment in a Spanish HMO. The policy goes into effect within 2-3 days after the scheduled group flight to Spain and is valid until the date of the returning group flight at the end of each semester. Year-long students who remain in Europe over the break between semesters are covered for the entire academic year (early Sept. - early June). There is no deductible nor co-pay and coverage includes hospitalization, emergency room treatment, and scheduled visits to specialists. The policy does not cover treatment for pre-existing conditions, catastrophic illness, prescription drugs, or emergency repatriation. Students should obtain these coverages through individual or institutional insurance before leaving the U.S. (Emergency repatriation is covered by the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) required of all who take our group flight).

EATING IN CÁDIZ

Students who enroll in the program must be flexible in their eating habits. The customs of southern Spain differ greatly from those of the U.S. Breakfast normally consists of bread and coffee, the day's largest meal is eaten around 3:00 p.m., and dinner is eaten sometime after 9:00 p.m. Food tends to be higher in fat than in the Western U.S., and vegetables are eaten less. Strict vegetarians may find it difficult to avoid all animal products; the local diet is heavy in pork, and Spain is not a vegetarian-friendly country. The cooks at the residence hall or your host family will attempt to provide you with food that you find acceptable, but you, in turn, must be prepared to make concessions to the local diet. Most people find the cuisine of southern Spain to be exciting and delicious, but to enjoy it you will have to accept new foods and eating customs.

RESPONSIBILITY

NW CÁDIZ will exercise all reasonable care in the operation of its program. However, notice is hereby given that all arrangements for transportation and other services are made for the program's participants upon the condition that NW CÁDIZ, its officers, and its sponsoring institutions assume no responsibility or liability for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or other irregularity occasioned by reason of or defect in any means of transportation or acts of defaults of any company, agency, or person providing transportation or other services. Information contained in this brochure was accurate at the time the brochure was printed. NW CÁDIZ is not responsible for changes that occur after the printing of this brochure. However, the program will do everything possible to assure that its participants are in possession of up-to-date information on the program and the conditions of its operation prior to enrollment in the program and departure for Spain. NW CÁDIZ reserves the right to cancel the program at any time and for any reason.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information about the NW CÁDIZ program may be obtained from the following sources:
Telephone: (206) 543-2020,
University of Washington's Division of Spanish & Portuguese;
E-mail petersen@u.washington.edu

World Wide Web: http://faculty.washington.edu/petersen/cadiz/Cadiz.htm

OTHER INTERNET RESOURCES (in addition to those at the above URL include:

General Passport and Visa Applications:
http://www.travel.state.gov
http://www.okspain/org/before/practi.htm

General Information on Andalucia:
http://www.andalucia.com/province/cadiz/home.htm
http://cadiznet.com/index.htm
http://www1.elpais.es/andalucia/uk/

The Spanish train system:
http://www.renfe.es/hir/index.html (tip: choose origen: Cadiz; destination: Madrid rather than the other way around. From the resulting page, click on the reverse trajectory link.) Cities with an asterisk (multiple train stations are more difficult to use).

An interactive street map of Cadiz:
http://www.cadiznet.com/mapas/ (choose last item: "Plano callejero de Cádiz")

Adventures on horseback in Andalucia and throughout Spain:
http://hiddentrails.com/europe/spain/ronda.htm

Information on Jerez de la Frontera, Arcos de la Frontera and Pueblos Blancos:
http://cadiznet.com/cgi-local/toframe.cgi/guia/arfrae.htm
http://www.highonadventure.com/Hoa98jun/Arcos/arcos.htm

Rick Steves' page on Spain and Portugal:
http://www.ricksteves.com/ccinfo/sp.htm

Spanish food- recipes:
http://www.cyberspain.com/friends/gastron.htm
Cocina gaditana

return to Cadiz homepage.