Course at a Glance
Course: ENGL 388Q
Class and Credits: Hemingway in Madrid (3 Credits)
Location: Madrid, Spain
Start Date: 9 April, 2025
End Date: 6 May, 2025
On-site in Madrid: 25-28 April
Register By: 26 March, 2025
Highlights:
Plazas de Santa Ana, Mayor, and del Sol
Retiro Park
Plaza de Callao and the former Hotel Florida
Cervezeria Alemania
Prado and Reina Sofia Museums
Pamplona
Café Iruna
Running of the Bulls Path
Tuition and Fees:
$750 Undergraduate 3-credit hour tuition cost
$350 Field Study Additional Fee (museum/ticket fees, excursions)
Not included: Meals, transportation to and from the location, lodging
Explore the streets of Madrid that haunt the pages of some of Hemingway's greatest works during this field study program at UMGC Europe.
Explore the streets of Madrid that haunt the pages of some of Hemingway’s greatest works. Learn about Hemingway's time in Madrid and his passion for bullfighting, sensuous delights, and man's capacity for dignity in danger and defeat. You will visit the cafes, bars, hotels, and restaurants that he used as settings in novels such as The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Madrid’s unique atmosphere permeates Hemingway’s stories and literary masterpieces.
Topics include:
- Hemingway's love for Spain, Madrid, and the Spanish culture
- Developing an understanding of paintings that inspired Hemingway, such as Picasso’s famous Guernica
- The significance of the Las Ventas bullring and its museum
- The impact of news reporting during the Spanish Civil War
- How Hemingway fired Orson Wells and narrated the Spanish Civil War film, The Spanish Earth
- Explore the importance of Henares, Toledo, and El Escorial
- Find out about the Prado and Reina Sofia museums
May apply toward upper-level credit for the English major, humanities major, arts and humanities general education requirements, or electives.
Faculty member: Dr. Jessica Stock, e-mail jessica.stock@umgc.edu
Course Details
Pre-Course and Week 1
The official course start date is 9 April 2025. Students will gain access to the online classroom one week prior to the start of the course and should take a virtual walk-through to become familiar with the content and syllabus. On-site dates in Madrid: 25-28 April (three days). Students must be in Madrid on 25 April for the first on-site meeting. The class will meet via Zoom (TBA).
Day 1 - Friday 25 April Hemingway's Madrid and Introduction to Modernism
Tour: Hemingway's Madrid Walking Tour
- Guided walking tour tracing Hemingway’s footsteps in Madrid. Key stops include his favorite cafés and bars, where he gathered inspiration and connected with other writers and intellectuals.
- Readings of selected passages from The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls at each location highlight Hemingway’s Modernist style and his observations of Spanish culture.
Flamenco Tablao for Dinner and Performance
- Immerse in Flamenco, a traditional Spanish art form Hemingway loved.
- Students experience the raw emotion of Flamenco, connecting it to the Modernist themes of passion and identity.
Day 2 - Saturday, April 26 Art and the Influence of Picasso Museo del Prado Tour
- Private tour focusing on Spanish masterpieces, including works by Goya, Velázquez, and other artists who influenced Hemingway’s view of Spain and its rich artistic heritage. Consider the historical contexts of the paintings and how they intersect with Hemingway’s Modernist themes.
Museo Reina Sofía – Picasso’s Guernica
- In-depth tour of Picasso’s Guernica and its powerful anti-war message, connecting Modernist art and the Spanish Civil War. Discussion on Picasso’s symbolic use of fragmentation and chaos, which parallels Hemingway’s portrayal of the Spanish Civil War in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Day 3 - Sunday, April 27 – Hemingway, Spanish History, and the Legacy of the Spanish Civil War Excursion to Escorial Monastery and Valley of the Fallen
- Begin with a tour of the Escorial Monastery, a historical monument blending religion, art, and Spanish royalty, representing Spain’s complex history.
- Continue to the Valley of the Fallen, a site dedicated to those who died in the Spanish Civil War. Engage in a guided discussion on the historical memory of the war, examining how Spain commemorates this dark chapter in its history, and how Hemingway represented the war’s devastating effects in For Whom the Bell Tolls
Textbooks and Course Materials
Course materials will be provided within the online (LEO) classroom. This course uses no-cost online resources.
Registration Details
You may register for the 3 credit field study course with your local program coordinator or online at MyUMGC. Tuition assistance or financial aid can be applied toward tuition costs. For more information, contact the UMGC Field Study Office at CIV +49-(0)631-534-800, or e-mail fieldstudies-europe@umgc.edu.
Before completing your travel plans, please verify with your local program coordinator or the Field Study Office at UMGC Europe Headquarters that the course will be held as scheduled. If you drop/withdraw from a field study course after the registration deadline, you will be charged a fee of $100. A one-credit hour field study will be charged the amount equal to the pre-purchased tickets. Please see the additional field study fee.
How is a field study course different from a regular course?
A field study course packs all of the 48 contact-hours of other courses into adventure-filled days on location, so you can earn one to three credits at an accelerated pace. In addition, rather than taking place in an education center, a field study course takes place in a historical European city where the subject being studied has its roots. You will visit historical sites and museums as well as participate in lectures that bring it all together for a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
For more information, please visit the Field Study Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page.
Helpful Hints
Before you leave:
- Contact your travel agency concerning insurance coverage for cancellations.
- Contact your health insurance company for information concerning coverage at your destination.
- Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of your destination country.
- Check the weather forecast for your destination.
- Obtain city maps for your destination.
- Leave contact information with people at home who may need to reach you during the course.
- Make sure your legal affairs are in order and leave a short-term power of attorney with someone you trust.
- Make two photocopies of your passport and the contents of your wallet--leave one copy at home and bring the other with you.
For more information, please visit the Field Study Resources page.