BURGOS SPAIN 2012 Handbook Welcome Congratulations on your acceptance to Boston University’s program in Burgos! You are about to embark on what will no doubt be one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of your life. As you are preparing to go on an unforgettable experience, you will undoubtedly have many questions. We hope that this handbook will answer most of these. If you have more specific questions or concerns, feel free to contact me or the BU in Burgos Boston University Study Abroad office. Burgos is a medium-sized city, located about 240 1 Getting Ready to Go 7 Housing kilometers north of Madrid (approximately two and Language Preparation Housing Assignments a half hours by bus). You will take classes at the A Sense of Purpose Residence Hall University of Burgos (UBU), a university centered Recommended Reading Living with a Spanish Family in a complex of medieval buildings and modern Helpful Websites facilities. 8 Life in Burgos 2 Academics Food and Dining Also referred to as the City of Monuments, Burgos’ Courses Shopping charm and cultural richness make it stand out Classroom Facilities Entertainment among Spain’s great cities. The city’s gothic Libraries Museums and Historical Sites cathedral is a UNESCO monument as well as a stop Other Facilities Sports on the Way of St. James (Road to Santiago), the Textbooks Transportation: Getting Around most important European pilgrimage route. Academic Policies Burgos Mail Your experience in Burgos will not only be an 3 What to Bring Phones academic venture, but will also include immersion Handbooks Media into the Spanish culture and language. You will learn Documents Burgos Hotels and Hostels about Spain from first-hand experience in a city that Calling Cards Outside of Burgos balances tradition and modernity. Clothing Linens 10 Names and Numbers I look forward to welcoming you personally at Appliances Madrid’s Barajas Airport next semester! Computers Prescription and Drug Store Until then, Items Miscellaneous Items Amalia Perez-Juez 5 Money Matters Program Fee Currency Banking Cash 6 Arrival Travel Arrangements Orientation Getting Ready to Go Language Acquisition Are you willing to strike up a conversation with a peer in a café? Will you make your best LANGUAGE PREPARATION effort to listen to Spanish music and radio You will need to hone your language skills before you depart reports? Some people acquire languages from the US so that everyday life is easier for you and so easily. For others, the process takes more time, your language studies will have a greater impact. You should so remember to bring your patience abroad begin reviewing Spanish early. Listen to Spanish conversa - with you. tion tapes and review the grammatical structures you have studied in the textbooks you used in previous courses. Converse with a language partner and begin to familiarize yourself with idiomatic and colloquial Spanish. If you would RECOMMENDED READING like to brush up on your reading skills, pick up Spanish Iberia , by James Michener newspapers and magazines like El País , El Mundo , or ABC , or The New Spaniards (Second Edition, 2006), by John Hooper read them on the Internet. Boston University students can find such periodicals at Mugar Library. You might even try watching Spanish movies and Spanish news on television. HELPFUL WEBSITES There is even a Language Link conversation hour offered • Students Abroad Website throught the ERC ( www.bu.edu/erc/link ). www.studentsabroad.state.gov A SENSE OF PURPOSE This website created by the Department of State offers valuable information for students studying or traveling There’s more to preparing for your semester in Burgos than abroad. The website is an excellent resource to refer to deciding what to pack or brushing up on your Spanish. You’ll before and during your semester abroad. In addition to also need to identify your own goals and objectives: practical information such as instructions on obtaining a passport and American Embassy contact information, the • Establish some general priorities before you go— website also provides health tips and links for information academic, personal, and professional—and try to keep regarding immunizations and health precautions to take them in mind throughout the semester. abroad. Visit the Smart Travel section for insights for GLBT • Consider what you hope to accomplish while you’re in travelers, women and travelers with disabilities as well as Burgos. information pertaining to local laws and packing for interna - • Think about how you might accomplish those goals. tional travel. The website provides two checklists in its To • Remember to keep an open mind. Learn from all of your Go section: a “Prep-list” and a “Pack-list” to help keep you experiences. on track as you prepare for your experience overseas. • Universidad de Burgos Self-Assessment www.ubu.es Think strategically about setting your goals for • City of Burgos your semester in Burgos. www.aytoburgos.es • Region of Burgos • Why is this particular program of www.patroturisbur.es interest to you? • Spain’s Official Website • List and evaluate your personal and www.tourspain.es academic interests. What do you • Europa—Gateway to the European Union enjoy doing in your spare time? Why www.europa.eu.int did you choose your major? What • BBC Languages courses have you enjoyed taking? www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish • How does this program relate to your • Cheap/free internet calling course of study in college, career www.skype.com plans, and other interests? • Student Abroad, How to call abroad • How and what can you contribute to www.howtocallabroad.com make your semester in Burgos a success? • Be open-minded. www.bu.edu/abroad 1 students in selecting appropriate classes. Students will need “In the process of increasing my proficiency and to discuss with their major advisor how courses will apply to integrating myself into Spanish culture, I their degree requirements. understood the Spanish point of view–a different way of looking at things, I guess more European.” LIBRARIES The Universidad de Burgos has five libraries that are open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. until 8:45 p.m. and on —Former Program Participant Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. Hours are subject to change. You may visit the UBU library website at www.ubu.es/biblioteca . There are also public libraries Academics located in the town of Burgos. OTHER FACILITIES COURSES The UBU has an active theater group that is formed by All courses are held at the Universidad de Burgos. The students and professors. The name of the group is Aula de spring semester runs from mid-February to mid-June. Before Teatro and the students of Boston University are invited to classes begin in the spring semester there will be a brief join. Also, the Aula de Teatro offers reduced price tickets for Spanish language orientation to prepare you for your the local theaters in Burgos for UBU students. classes. There are two Tunas Universitarias (musical troupes dating All registration, including class changes, will be done once back from medieval times) and a Coro Universitario (univer - students arrive in Burgos. Exams will take place in early to sity choir) that are open to all students. mid-June, depending on the courses you take. There are also gymnasiums and other sports Research Tutorial facilities, student clubs and many other activities With approval of the Resident Director, students may enroll in which all BU students may participate. Getting in a four-credit independent research tutorial. Detailed involved in the Servicio de Deportes is a fun, easy information on the approval process and eligible projects way to meet new people. will be discussed during on-site orientation. TEXTBOOKS CLASSROOM FACILITIES All textbooks may be purchased at the UBU bookstore. The Universidad de Burgos is located on the campus of a Students will receive a syllabus for each class, which medieval hospital in the Way of St. James (Camino de includes a list of books that will be used for the course. Santiago—the main European route of pilgrimage). Many of the medieval structures have been preserved and integrated into the University’s campus. The combination of Medieval ACADEMIC POLICIES and Modern architecture reflects the spirit of the city’s You will receive more detailed information on academic balance between tradition and progress. policies once you are in Burgos. Please keep in mind the following: The university’s new facilities are very modern and include libraries, gymnasiums, laboratories, and dormitories. The Academic Conduct Code Universidad de Burgos is organized into eight schools (called All students participating in a Boston University facultades) which include: Humanities and Education, International Program are expected to maintain high Sciences, Engineering, Law, Business and Economics, standards of academic honesty and integrity. It is the Nursing, Tourism, and Social Work. responsibility of every student to be aware of the Academic Conduct Code’s contents and to abide by its provisions. The The Spanish educational system is quite different from its Academic Conduct Code can be found at www.bu.edu/cas US counterpart. The Universidad de Burgos does not /students/undergrad-resources/code . consider itself a liberal arts institution, where students have requirements from various disciplines. Instead, students Registration for Your Semester Abroad follow one area of study and concentrate solely on this You will be registered for your courses once you arrive in during the entire time they are at the university. However, Spain, and you will be notified of the necessary procedures Boston University students will be able to enroll in courses by the program staff shortly after the beginning of the term. in various facultades. The staff at Burgos will assist the 2 Boston University Study Abroad Burgos Tutorials What Are the Classes Like? For all students enrolled in the UBU, BU offers a tutorial At the UBU, all classes are conducted entirely service.