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September 1, 2005
Business, engineering students join LAS study abroad program
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Not only wasn't Nick Dell fluent in Spanish, he says he "spoke
absolutely no Spanish before going to Spain."
Yet the senior finance major spent six weeks at the Department of Foreign
Languages and Literatures' study abroad experience in Alicante this past
summer.
"There was always a way to communicate with local people even if
we couldn't understand each other," Dell said. "I have been
told by others that I picked up quite a bit of Spanish while I was there.
When I left Spain I was able to communicate most of what I needed or wanted."
Dell was one of the few Iowa State students participating in the program
that needed language instruction while in Spain. Chad Gasta, assistant
professor of Spanish, estimated that 60 of the 86 students had at least
a 300-level grasp of Spanish before they traveled to Europe.
"We provide the tools for the students to speak Spanish, but ultimately
how well they speak depends how much they interact with their classmates,
their host family or Spaniards," Gasta said.
Katie Spencer, a senior journalism and mass communication major, said
even with seven years of Spanish, she wasn't prepared for her first trip
outside the U.S.
"It was still difficult for me to adjust," she said. "Sitting
in a class is much different than interacting with the language every
day. It's hard for anyone to adjust, but it's well worth it once you do."
There are several ways the program forced the Iowa State students to interact
with the language. Every student, regardless of his or her language proficiency,
was required to take a (beginning through advanced) Spanish language course.
And each student was housed with a host family, many of whom had little
or no knowledge of English.
"The most memorable aspect for me was living with my family,"
Spencer said. "Living with them is where I learned the most."
"I had an outstanding host family that really was like a family to
me," said Cassandra Nelson, senior management and sociology major.
"For some people a host family can make or break an experience and
in my case, the time flew by while I was there. I felt like I had lived
in the city since I was born towards the end of the trip."
Gasta, who co-directed the program with business' Howard Van Auken and
foreign languages and literatures' Leland L'Hote and Julia Dominguez,
says the program's participants came from all across the University, including
almost half from the Colleges of Business and Engineering. This is the
largest study abroad program in Iowa State history and Gasta has hopes
the numbers will continue to grow next summer.
"The unique thing about this program is the cross-collaboration between
the colleges," he said.
The Summer in Alicante program is affiliated with the department's popular
Languages and Cultures for the Professions (LCP) program.
Both programs integrate language and culture with the professions. The
Colleges of Business and Engineering each have ties to the LCP program,
offering a language as a second major to their students which is designed
specifically for engineering and business students.
The Summer in Alicante program allowed Iowa State students to take courses
in English at the University of Alicante on topics related not only to
business and engineering, but also cultural, economic and political aspects
of Spain and the European Union.
"A majority of the courses offered were culture and literature courses,"
Gasta said. "It allowed some students to finish out their Spanish
major or minor."
Excursions were planned to local factories and businesses for students
enrolled in the business and engineering courses while longer weekend
excursions for all students were taken to Spanish cities including Madrid
and Granada.
According to Dell, the program offered a different perspective on the
business world.
"I learned a lot about how businesses in Europe worked and how the
currency and exchange rate worked," he said. "The most important
aspect regarding business that I picked up while there was learning how
the U.S. interacts with Europe when engaging in daily international business
activities."
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