Academics

If you intend to spend a semester or academic year abroad, it is important that you understand your college's study abroad policies and how study abroad will fit within your major or minor.

Course Selection & Enrollment

  • To find information on program courses, CASA Sevilla has a page with a lot of information about courses and activities with direct links to lists of classes by major offered in the fall or spring and a link to find syllabi.
  • All classes are in Spanish.
  • For assistance in selecting courses, see your faculty or college advisor. (Note: You may earn elective, distributional, minor or major credit depending on your major and college.)
  • You may need to look at courses from a previous semester (i.e.: the most recent spring semester if you want to select classes for a future spring abroad) 

Course Load & Credits

  • Take 5 classes
  • Decisions on the final allocation of credit are made upon successful completion of the course (must earn grade equivalent of a “C” or higher, in Spain, a 5 out of 10—all courses must award a grade on a scale of 0-10).
  • For more information on courses and credits from abroad, including policies regarding start/end dates, refer to the Academic Policies page on the Education Abroad website. 

Transcript & Grades

  • Grades will appear on the Cornell transcript in the same format as they are recorded on the original transcript generated by the host institution. Grades are not factored into the Cornell GPA.
  • For information on how grades appear on the transcript and frequently asked questions, including transcript dates for graduating seniors, please refer to the Transcripts and Credits page on the Education Abroad website.
  • Your program will send your transcript to the Education Abroad Office.
     

The University of Seville

All students matriculate at the University of Seville where they have the opportunity to meet local students, experience a new academic system, and study a large variety of disciplines in the different "facultades" of this university of nearly 70,000 students.

Established in 1502 by royal warrant, the University of Seville is one of the oldest universities in Spain. Today, the University boasts an enrollment of more than 70,000 students divided between seventeen facultades across several campuses. The main university building--in central Seville and convenient to the program center--houses the facultades of history and geography and philology, the principal schools in which program students are most likely to take courses. This building was once a tobacco factory--the same one where the heroine in Bizet's opera Carmen was employed.

Academic Overview

CASA-Sevilla is a unique multi-dimensional program designed to integrate linguistic, social, cultural, historical and artistic study and experiential learning.  Students achieve this through taking both American-style and regular Spanish university courses, though learning about Spanish culture and society by living with families in the local community, by working in community organizations, and through educational tours. Students receive strong, individualized linguistic support, with staff and faculty attending closely to the student’s personal learning goals. These individual learning goals are ultimately summarized in a portfolio and individual research project as a capstone for the program’s Seminario Cultural.

Seminario Cultural - Más allá de los estereotipos: Encuentros con la historia, sociedad, lengua y cultura de Sevilla
Unique to this program, the Más allá de los estereotipos provides a structured way to assist students in setting and achieving their personalized learning goals. This seminar provides individualized language instruction, preparation for university study at the University of Seville, specialized field trips, and placements with partner community organizations.

Más allá de los estereotipos runs for several weeks before classes begin at the University of Seville and continues in a condensed form throughout the academic semester. During the semester, students spend 2-4 hours a week with a community organization and then meet as a group to reflect and share learning experiences. Community organizations vary, but have included social service agencies, community radio, a local hospital, urban garden, and bilingual education. At the end of the semester, summarize their learning goals and achievements in a portfolio and individual research project.