EXCHANGE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GRANADA
Description
Responsibilities
Compensation
Approximate dates
Living arrangements
Materials and documents
Visa
Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales (paperwork)
SECTION E: THE CITY OF GRANADA
UD: Granada Liaison
Granada: Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales
How to get to Granada (flights, airports, buses, etc)
Weather
What to pack
SECTION A: GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM IN GRANADA
Each Spring semester, the University of Delaware sends one second year graduate student of Hispanic Literature or Foreign Language Pedagogy to the University of Granada in Granada, Spain as part of the existing exchange program between these two universities. While in Granada, the graduate students from UD are responsible for teaching English classes in the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras and have the opportunity to enroll as students in courses of their choice (although these credits do not transfer to the University of DE). This program is an excellent opportunity for graduate students from Delaware, allowing them to improve their skills in Spanish and at the same time acquire experience in teaching English, while living in one of the most beautiful and diverse cities in Spain. Below, please find more specific information about the program including: responsibilities, living arrangements, the city of Granada, requirements, how to apply, etc.
Description/responsibilities:
Teaching English:
The exchange student’s main responsibility while in Granada is to teach for the Departamento de Filología Inglesa in the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras of the Universidad de Granada. Teaching responsibilities vary from semester to semester based on the needs of the Department, but typically the graduate student teaches English classes to Students of the University of Granada.
Compensation:
In return for teaching these English courses, the exchange student from Delaware is compensated by the following:
- A salary from the University of Granada in Euros: payment will be determined and communicated to the exchange student prior to his/her arrival in Granada.
- Free enrollment in University of Granada courses.
Approximate dates:
The exchange program follows the Spanish University schedule. In the Spring, the student will leave in the first or second week of February and return in July. The student typically arrives in Granada several days before the beginning of classes to meet with people in the Department and to get settled into the residence. In the Spring, there are a pair of long weekends and a one week break during Holy Week. Below are tentative dates of the Universidad de Granada’s academic calendar:
Feb. 15th – Late June: spring semester
Living Arrangements-
The University of Granada will make every effort to find housing for the visiting students, but the students are ultimately responsible for the arrangements and costs of their stay in Granada.
Each Spring semester, the Granada Liaison, currently Professor Jesús Botello, will send out an invitation via e-mail to all Spanish graduate students. Potential applicants must write a letter in Spanish to the Graduate Student Faculty explaining their interest in the exchange program and stating why they feel they should be chosen.
*Keep in mind when you apply that the program in Granada is separate from the graduate program in Delaware. While you will be able to take classes as an auditor, you will not receive credit for these courses. For funded students, the semester abroad does not count against your four semesters of funding at UD, but it does mean that you will need 2 and ½ years to finish the MA. Your plan of study will look something like this:
1st year Fall: UD, funded (1)
1st year Spring: UD, funded (2)
2nd year Fall: UD, funded (3)
2nd year Spring: Granada exchange
3rd year Fall: UD, funded, comprehensive exams. (4)
If time is an issue in your completion of the MA, this will be of particular importance to you.
SECTION C: THINGS TO DO (UPON ACCEPTANCE)
Near the end of the first semester, the selected students will receive official notification of their acceptance into the program. At this point and in the months that follow, they will need to prepare and receive various materials in preparation for their trip.
For exact instructions on how to apply for a student visa for Spain, go to the website of the Spanish Embassy: www.spainemb.org and find the Consulate that applies to you based on your state of residence. On the Consulate web pages you will find a copy of the application form, deadlines, fees, and a list of different materials you must present to solicit the Visa.
SECTION D: THINGS TO DO (ONCE YOU ARRIVE IN GRANADA)
Relaciones Internacionales: Complejo Universitario Triunfo. (in front of “Hospital Real”: name of a building that houses university offices, not a hospital).
SECTION E: THE CITY OF GRANADA
The following is a link to the Ayuntamiento de Granada’s Tourism web page: http://www.granadatur.com/principal2.htm
Here you will find lots of invaluable information about the city, how to get around, what to do there, etc. The following is some general information about some things you will find on this site.
1. Maps. Look for a city walking map and a map of the bus system. Buses in Granada are a very convenient way to get around.
2. Bono Turístico. This is a great way to see the city as a tourist. The bono is a pass that gives you entrance into all the most important tourist attractions of Granada (including the Alhambra) and 10 bus rides at a discounted price. The bono costs approx. 20 euros and is good for one week, at the time you choose. Bonos can be purchased at any branch of the Caja General de Granada. It’s a great deal, especially if you have friends or family coming to visit you.
Calling (and emailing) home: One important part of being away is keeping in touch with those you’ve left behind. In Granada you will find several stores (look in Plaza Nueva) that sell phone cards for calls to the United States. There are several different ones, and they change frequently, but a couple good ones are called EuroHours and EuroTel. These cards give you about 230 minutes of calls to the US for 6 euros. You can use these cards from pay phones on the street. Another very convenient way of keeping in touch is via email. The office you will share at the University has internet access. In addition, there are several “internet cafés” in Granada where you can check email, etc. for about 1 euro per hour.
Here are some pictures of the city of Granada
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- Dr. Jesús Botello
Granada Liaison
224 Jastak-Burgess Hall
(302) 831-6111
- Rosa Morillas Sánchez
Directora de Relaciones Internacionales con América del Norte y Asia
Cuesta del Hospicio, s/n
GRANADA 18071
España
How to get to Granada- From the US: it is recommended to fly from either Philadelphia or Newark NJ. There are various websites to search plane tickets but some suggestions follow:
www.orbitz.com Good rates for students
The majority of the affordable flights from Philadelphia ($450-550 depending on season and Euro conversion) will not be direct, requiring you to change planes in either London or Paris. Newark NJ, however, does offer some direct affordable flights ($450-$550 depending on season and Euro conversion) to Madrid. You cannot fly directly to Granada but instead would have to find a flight to Madrid or Malaga and then get to Granada with public transportation.
From the airport, you can either take a cab to the bus station or take the “Tren de cercanias” to the train station. The bus station is directly in front of the train station. Once at the bus station, you will simply take a bus to Granada. Once in Granada, you can take another cab to your residence.
From the airport, one can gain access to the subway. You will need to buy a ticket at the entrance to the subway which costs approximately 1.50 Euros. Once in the subway, you will take a look at the map and find the way to “Avenida de America”. It is a very easy system and easily maneuverable. Once at “Avenida de America”, you are at the bus station. There is a bus every hour for Granada. Once you arrive in Granada, you can take another cab to your residence.
The weather- September could be pretty warm, in the 80s... October and November start to get chilly, 50's 60's. December, January and February can be a bit colder 40's and sometimes 30's. March, April and May, much like in DE, tend to have a lot of rain and could get a cold spell or a warm spell. Summer is characterized by a dry heat. It is important to remember to just back a range of clothing.
What
to pack-
In terms of clothing, as seen above, the weather is basically like the
mid-Atlantic states in the US... it would be best to take a mixture
of heavy and light clothes.
Other
things to bring: electricity converter
Medical insurance- be sure to speak with
your insurance provider to find out what is covered and how an international
claim would be dealt with.
Money- it is recommended that you do not
travel with too much cash but rather traveler’s checks. With your
passport, you will be able to go to any bank in Granada to cash
these. Also, your *ATM/Check card will work at most ATMs in Granada, you
will just have to make sure that if it is just an ATM card, that one of
the symbols on the back (Cirrus, Plus etc) match one of the symbols at the ATM
from which you are trying to make a withdrawal. If you’d like to check
the conversion rate between the Dollar and the Euro, you can go to: www.oanda.com/convert/classic?user=rentors
*IF you are planning to use your ATM/Check card in Spain, BE SURE to call
your bank before you leave the US to tell them the dates you will be out of the
country so as to insure that they do not block your card.