The sheer amount of situational knowledge, conversational practice, cultural absorption, and opportunities to meet people from all over the world along the trail were irreplaceable. The academic knowledge was definitely an integral part of the trip.

Spencer Jones

Course Description

The 2009 Camino de Santiago Program immerses students in the same physical and intellectual environments as global pilgrims have experienced for eight centuries. Students have the opportunity to enter the Pyrenees Mountains that were crossed by Caesar, Charlemagne and Napoleon; traverse the state of Navarra’s trout streams where Hemmingway fished while writing The Sun also Rises; attend Gregorian mass chanted by monks who have continued this tradition for over 1000 years in ancient monasteries; and dine on the regional seafood which lends its iconic shell-symbol to the Santiago Pilgrimage.

Students return with acquired knowledge of past and present Northern Spanish history and culture, better prepared to serve Texas A&M University and their future careers.

As students embark on the Camino de Santiago, Spanish is spoken in the group and written in daily journals. Students listen to cultural presentations to obtain their official “Pilgrim’s Passport”, a document stamped at each monastery, government, and cultural site. Students interact with international foot-travelers from different religions, languages, and reasons for completing the adventure to Santiago de Compostela.

Instruction takes place daily along the walking paths by active participation in the pilgrim experience, by cultural and educational classes in museums, and visits to architectural sites and religious and anthropological destinations. Additional class discussions are held daily in pre-arranged housing and educational facilities to reinforce active learning and analysis of field experiences.

Overview

Using their experiences, conversations, and impressions, students write a paper involving archival research and photography. Students discuss social, political, economic, and separatist issues in the different regions, and theories of travel in the Middle Ages in contrast to contemporary pilgrimages. Courses will be taught by Texas A&M faculty member Dr. Nancy Joe Dyer, an experienced Camino/Hispano-medievalist traveler, and also by native guides. The study abroad experience includes a mandatory pre-departure semester-long orientation. Upon completion of the course, qualified, trained students may complete an optional internship in a supervised site on the Camino.

Additional Links
Camino de Santiago (click British or Spanish flag, numbered boxes)
Scholarship Information - Study Abroad Funding and Dept. of Hispanic Studies

Course/Syllabus

Description

Professor(s)

SPAN 411

Contemporary Hispanic Society and Culture (3 hrs)

Nancy Joe Dyer

SPAN 489

The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela through the Middle Ages (3 hrs)

Nancy Joe Dyer