Program Overview
Program Overview
Contemporary culture is studied not as the “most refined human endeavors,” but as “everyday culture.”
Spend this summer exploring contemporary culture in two of Europe’s most creative and dynamic cities. Begin in Prague, where you’ll examine the roots of underground and alternative cultures. Through discussions of street art, squatting non-conformist Czechs have made use of popular culture and form their own communities and identities. Next, you’ll study the global urban movement through the lens of Barcelona, a city whose landscape is being perpetually redefined by the contemporary arts.
Study abroad in Prague and Barcelona and you will:
- Develop the tools to examine contemporary urban culture through an anthropological lens
- Analyze graffiti, video, and graphic art that incorporates local and international themes
- Explore the districts of both cities where these cultural forms are thriving
Dates, Deadlines & Fees
Dates, Deadlines & Fees
We want to make sure you get the most out of your experience when you study abroad with CIEE, which is why we offer the most inclusions in our fees.
- Tuition and housing
- Pre-departure advising and optional on-site airport meet and greet
- Full-time program leadership and support
- Field trips and cultural activities
- CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits
Please note, program dates are subject to change. Please contact your CIEE Study Abroad Advisor before purchasing airfare. Click the
button to view more detailed information about dates and fees.
Application Due
Start Date
End Date
Costs
Summer 2013 (7 wks)
Extended to: 04/15/2013
06/02/2013
07/20/2013
$7,800
Program Date Notes
Program Fees
In addition to the items outlined below, the CIEE program fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, field trips, local transportation pass (in Prague), pre-departure advising, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.
Participation Confirmation *
$300
Educational Costs **
$5,703
This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.
Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.
* non-refundable
** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students
*** No meals included while in Prague, nor in the Residencia option in Barcelona. Students selecting the homestay option in Barcelona have two meals per day included while in Barcelona.
**** round-trip travel between locations, arranged by CIEE (required)
Estimated Additional Costs
Meals not included in program fee *
$1,500
International Airfare **
$1,350
Local Transportation
$250
The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.
* Estimated amount for all meals for students staying in apartments in Prague plus the Residencia in Barcelona. Total estimated meals cost for students living in homestays in Barcelona (for lunches), in addition to all meals while in Prague, is $1000
** round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure
Summer 2014
04/01/2014
to be announced
to be announced
Program Date Notes
Program Fees
This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.
Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.
Estimated Additional Costs
The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.
Eligibility
Eligibility
- Overall GPA 2.75
- For CIEE content courses taught in Spanish, 4 semesters of college-level Spanish or equivalent
Recommended Credit
Recommended Credit
Course contact hours are 45 hours and recommended credit for the program is 6 semester/9 quarter hours, unless otherwise indicated.
Program Requirements
Program Requirements
Students must take one course during each session. In Prague students will take Contemporary Czech Culture: Art, Literature, Music & Lifestyles followed up in Barcelona with Urban Culture in Contemporary Barcelona.
About the City
About The City
About Prague
Because of its innumerable characteristic steeples, Prague is called the city of a thousand spires. A member of the EU, Prague is a perfect example of the steady development of a society, recently transitioning from its communist past. With a population of only 1,200,000, Prague has an unusually rich cultural life, including festivals, operas, concerts, and cultural programs, many of which are accessible to students on a budget. Study abroad students experience life similar to that of Czech students and make use of the city’s numerous neighborhoods just like native Praguers.
About Barcelona
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain with its own distinctive history, culture, and language. Set between mountains and the Mediterranean sea, the city's population is 1.6 million, with a total of 4.5 million in the greater metropolitan area. Walking though the city, one can observe 2,000 years of architectural history—Roman remains, the network of narrow streets in the Old Town, the 19th Century Eixample district with its original examples of Modernista architecture—contrasting with the ultramodern showpieces that continue to redesign its skyline.
Meet The Staff
Meet The Staff
Marilena De Chiara
The CIEE Resident Director, Marilena De Chiara, supervises and administers the Language and Culture Program. The Resident Director also assists students with academic, administrative and day-to-day matters. Marilena, a native of Naples (Italy), holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Universidad Pompeu Fabra and a M.A. in Literary Criticism. As part of her doctoral studies, she spent a year and a half at Yale University. Her research interests are focused on Performance Studies and the role of Cultural Icons in the representation of creative cities like Barcelona. She is also trained in Translation Studies in Spanish Language.
Read More
You are about to depart for one of Europe’s most beautiful, dynamic, and cosmopolitan cities. Barcelona is not only a seaside city near spectacular mountains, but it is also a city of artists, architects, and designers. From the audacious heights of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família church to Salvador Dalí’s surrealist fancies, the city has played host to many artistic movements.
No matter what side of the Catalan character fits your personality best, be prepared for a challenging academic program that will bring many rewards in the future., Barcelona will be the highlight of your undergraduate career.
— Marilena De Chiara, Resident Director
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Jana Cemusova
Jana Čemusová heads the CIEE Study Center in Prague, leading study abroad programs, customized partnerships with Charles University and other educational institutions. She served as a Student Services Director from 2008 to 2011. Prior to joining CIEE in a full-time position, Jana gained extensive experience with CIEE students through her many years of teaching and leading Czech language instruction through the CIEE Study Center at Charles University.
Jana has teaching experience as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Kansas, expertise in training language teachers, and leading projects in immigrant communities. She served as a chair of Association of Czech Teachers Teaching Czech as a Foreign Language in 2003 – 2009.
Jana is a double graduate at the Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Philosophy, where she studied Theory of Culture (Anthropology) and Czech Language and Creative Studies at the Faculty of Education.
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Where You'll Study
Where You'll Study
Prague
CIEE works closely with Charles University, the oldest university in Central Europe, to deliver courses to students at the CIEE Study Center in Prague. All CIEE study abroad courses are held at the CIEE Study Center, located at the historical site of Vyšehrad. Although the CIEE Study Center is not located in a Charles University building, CIEE courses are recognized by Charles University and taught by faculty from various Charles University faculties and institutes. Participants of DAMU theater courses will be take their classes at DAMU facilities.
Barcelona
The CIEE Study Center in Barcelona, Spain, is located in two adjoining historic buildings on Passatge Permanyer, near Passeig de Gràcia and Plaza Catalunya, Barcelona’s main square. This historic passageway provides a quiet haven in the city center and houses CIEE classrooms, a computer lab, and student lounges.
Housing & Meals
Housing & Meals
Prague
Housing is included in the study abroad program fee. Each CIEE apartment houses three CIEE students as well as one local student (CIEE Flat Buddy). Apartments consist of two bedrooms with shared areas: fully-equipped kitchen and bathroom. Please note that meals and Internet fees are not included. CIEE apartments are located in various neighborhoods with a maximum of a 35 minute commute from CIEE.
Barcelona
Study abroad students can choose to live in either Spanish homestays (there is also an option to live in a homestay along with another CIEE student) or in a student residencia (residence hall) with other Spanish and international students. The residencias are located in urban settings throughout the city. Students living in a homestay will have breakfast and dinner provided at home, while lunch is at the students’ expense. Kitchen space is allotted the student should they wish to make picnic lunches, and many students choose to get a sandwich from local takeaway places near the center. Students in homestays will have their laundry done for them once a week. Meals and laundry are not included in the student residencia option, but students share fully equipped kitchens where they can prepare their own meals and laundry facilities are available. All homestays and residencias are located within the city of Barcelona, and within 30 minutes by public transportation to the CIEE study center and host institutions.
As space in the residencias is limited, study abroad students who request to live there but cannot be assigned a place are accommodated through a homestay placement. In the event that there are more requests to live in a residencia than the total available spaces, students with more advanced Spanish take priority over those with less Spanish (proficiency level is based on students’ CIEE Spanish course pre-registration and academic background in Spanish, as reflected on the transcript). Students who are not assigned the housing option of their choice are notified by the Resident Staff prior to arriving in Barcelona.
Orientations
Orientations
An orientation session conducted at the beginning of the study abroad program introduces students to the country, culture, and the academic program, as well as providing practical information on living in the Czech Republic and Spain, in particular, Prague and Barcelona. Themes such as an introduction to Catalonia, health and safety, banking, cultural adaptation, and many others are covered. Orientation also includes structured cultural activities and guided tours. Ongoing support is provided by center staff on an individual and group basis throughout the program.
Internet
Internet
Students can use the computer room or wifi at both the Prague and Barcelona CIEE Study Center. Students are therefore encouraged to bring wireless-enabled laptops.
Course Description
Course Description
All Courses
Note: This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to change as a result of ongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment.
CIEE Study Center Syllabi
To view the most recent syllabi for courses taught by CIEE at our Study Centers, visit our syllabi site.
Prague
Contemporary Czech Culture
Contemporary culture is studied not as the “most refined human endeavors,” but as “everyday culture.” This course utilizes the professor’s background as an urban anthropologist and examines the roots of underground and alternative cultures in the Czech Republic. Current “hot” topics—graffiti and street art, squatting, alternative music, and other alternative aspects of current Czech culture will be discussed. Students will learn about ways in which non-conformist Czechs have made use of popular culture, how they form their communities and identities, and how they have tried to join the creative stream.
Barecelona
HISTP 3004 BARU
Urban Culture in Contemporary Barcelona
Barcelona is well know as a prototype for the creative city, where different forms of urban culture are constantly growing up, reinventing the city itself. Contemporary arts, alternative literature, and music styles are redefining the urban landscape of Barcelona in the 21st century, blending together local and international references. This course aims to explore and analyze the urban culture of contemporary Barcelona in the context of the global urban movement. Graffiti artists, skateboarders, multifunctional art-galleries, electronic and techno music festivals, video artists, and comic books writers are just some of the aspects discussed in class. A series of field-trips will allow the students to create topography of the new Barcelona, exploring the districts and locations where these contemporary cultural forms are taking place.
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