Network: Publications, Clubs, and Trips > Summer Trips and Residence
Pamphlet advertising trip to Spain organized by the Hispanic Institute
As part of its project for the development and dissemination of Spanish culture, the Junta de Amplación de Estudios -founded in Madrid in 1907- established a scholarship program to study abroad aimed at teachers and students, while promoting studies of foreign teachers and students in Spain. Since its founding in 1920, the Institute's objective was to promote the Junta para Ampliación de Estudios Courses for Foreigners among the American public, sending an average of 50 students from all over the country. Lasting between four and six weeks, study trips to Spain combined Spanish language and culture courses with guided visits to cultural sites throughout the country. As this 1922 pamphlet indicates, "Our purpose is to show Americans not only what is accessible to the ordinary tourist, but also many intimate aspects of Spanish life." The brochure was illustrated with drawings of Miss Rebecca Chase, one of 99 students from the United States who participated in the trip the previous year.
The purpose of the Summer Spanish Residence at Columbia University was to establish a house for American students who wished to learn and speak the Spanish language through direct contact with native speakers. During the six weeks of the program, residents were closely associated with the activities of the Spanish colony in New York and attended events organized by the Instituto.
It is unclear if the Spanish Residence in Barnard announced by this 1929 fundraising pamphlet ever took place. It is likely that the arrival of the Great Depression postponed this project until 1938 when the Summer Spanish Residence at Columbia University described in the previous item was established.