A&M International Registering for "Adventure in Spain" Course, Tour

World travelers take note: Texas A&M International University is offering two history courses which include a 10-day tour of Spain and Gibraltar.

The courses, Seminar in History: Golden Age of Spain (HIST 4390) for undergraduates and Problems in World History: Studies in the Golden Age of Spain (HIST 5310) for graduate students, will entail 35 hours of classwork to be completed at the University during the Spring semester plus a 10-day tour of Spain and Gibraltar May 18 - 27, during the end-of-semester break between Spring and Summer classes.

Students will explore Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, and Costa del Sol in Spain, and the British colony of Gibraltar. Two optional excursions may be added to the tour: a trip to Philip II's royal city of El Escorial continuing to medieval Segovia and the enormous mountain basilica of the Valley of the Fallen; and a journey, via ferry, to Tangiers, an exotic world of mosques, camels, snake charmers, and bustling marketplaces.

Dr. Stanley Green, Professor of History at A&M International, will teach both courses and accompany the students to Spain and Gibraltar.

"Because travel is an education unto itself, these courses will provide a unique and exciting learning experience. Classroom lessons will come alive when students walk through sites steeped in Spanish history, such as Spain's most celebrated building, the Alhambra," he said.

The Alhambra, the opulent 14th century Moorish palace where Columbus met with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, is one of the places students will visit during their tour. Other tour highlights include visits to the Prado, the Palacio Real, the 14th-century El Tránsito Synagogue, the Giralda Tower, the Alcãzar, and the Renaissance Plaza Mayor, the setting in past centuries for bullfights, public executions, canonization ceremonies, and jousting tournaments.

Green stressed that the 10-day tour will not interfere with Spring or Summer classes.

"The tour has been carefully scheduled during the semester break when classes are not ongoing. We hope this will encourage students to take advantage of this unique learning opportunity," he noted.

Both courses are open to all A&M International students, plus high school students who are accepted into the University's Concurrent Enrollment program, and community members who wish to take the course for personal enrichment.

"Last year, when a similar course with tour was offered, about half of the participants were community members. Some took the course for college credit, others audited the course. All came away with a better understanding of history and the world," Green explained.

Students who enroll in the course will pay standard tuition and fees plus tour fees of $1,733 for those in three- or four- bedded rooms, or $1,933 for those in double occupancy rooms.

Students who are over 25 or will turn 25 during the tour are automatically assigned double occupancy rooms. Single occupancy rooms are available for an additional fee. Students under 25 are automatically assigned to three- or four- bedded rooms. Double or single occupancy rooms are available for an additional fee.

Interested persons may register for either course during the University's Early Registration, which is ongoing through Nov. 13, or during Regular Registration Jan. 13 - 14. Students who take advantage of Early Registration have until Jan. 8 to pay course tuition and fees.

Payment schedule for tour fees is as follows: $90 non-refundable sign-up fee to be submitted with the tour application, $400 partial payment thirty days after the tour application is received, and balance due 90 days prior to departure.

Tour fees include round-trip airfare from San Antonio, 8 overnight stays, daily continental breakfast and dinner in carefully selected restaurants, transfer fees and intercity transportation, 4 comprehensive sight-seeing tours led by licensed local guides, two walking tours, 8 visits to special attractions, plus the full-time services of a bilingual tour director.

For information on the "Adventure in Spain" offered by A&M International, please contact Dr. Green at 326-2612 or visit his office in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 431B. Information may also be secured via electronic mail at sgreen@tamiu.edu.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu