Spain: Cinema and the City

Refer to DePaul Study Abroad to see how COVID-19 could impact this program or your study abroad plans.

Talk to filmmakers and urban activists, learn about Spanish film, and immerse yourself in the culture of Spain. This study abroad program explores film culture and urban life.

You will visit Madrid and Barcelona, as each city represents a different side of Spanish culture. Included are visits to Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Sol, Gran Via and other places featured in past and current films. In Barcelona, you will see the Palau of Catalan Music and the buildings by Antonio Gaudi, identified by UNESCO as part of its World Heritage list. As you learn about cinema’s representation of cultural life, you will also explore street-level culture, meeting film scholars, filmmakers, representatives from media organizations, and local activists involved with a variety of urban communication projects (e.g., green urbanism, hyperlocal journalism, mass transportation expansion, housing, and cultural affairs).

Students will have the opportunity to enhance their learning experience by creating a visual portfolio that expresses, through unique imagery, their impressions and explorations of Spanish culture. Students will also write a journal that will help them discuss their experience abroad while creating their own portfolio. The program also includes visits to an authentic flamenco show, the Reina Sofia Museum, and the filmotheques in both cities, a graffiti tour, and traveling on the high-speed train from Madrid to Barcelona.

Program Directors

Luisela Alvaray, Associate Professor, lalvaray@depaul.edu
Daniel Makagon, Professor, dmakagon@depaul.edu

Application Process

Students must apply to Spain: Cinema and the City via Study Abroad. Accepted students will be enrolled in the appropriate course in the Fall term prior to travel. See Study Abroad for criteria and deadlines.