The world of university textbooks is entirely different here in Granada. Of the five classes I am taking, only one requires a workbook, which I purchased at an office in the Center for about five dollars. The workbook was actually put together by my professor, and it is a series of photocopied readings and activities bound together. Similarly, in my Spanish grammar class, my professor handed out a photocopied workbook with exercises to complete in class, although I did not have to pay for this one. In my history class, there is required reading, but all of the textbooks can be found in the Center’s library, so there is no need to buy them. I was very pleasantly surprised by just how much the Center for Modern Languages provides for its students!
All of my classes here are small, with the largest being about fifteen people. While I did have larger classes at Northeastern (50-60 people max.), most of the classes felt very personal, so I haven’t noticed too much of a difference there. While participation is required and encouraged, the majority of my classes are lecture-based—a teaching style that I both enjoy and benefit from greatly. Even still, my professors’ styles vary, with some making the important/necessary details of a lesson very clear, and others teaching more erratically. It has helped me in the more erratic classes to go back and review/reorganize my notes so that I can better understand the connections in the content. So far, none of my professors have assigned homework, and two have explicitly said that they do not assign work outside of the classroom. It’s a nice change to not have to do anything outside of school, but I’m nervous that I won’t retain as much information. I internalize lessons when I have to repeat or explain them (especially if I do so in writing), so I suppose this semester will be a test to see if I’m pro-homework or not! Classroom etiquette is essentially the same, although I’m not sure if it’s rude to leave without asking permission (I’ve just been going to the bathroom, filling my water bottle, etc. before class). The Center does not allow food or drinks in the classroom, but there is a central patio area where you are welcome to snack and drink coffee. Overall, pretty similar.
One of my worries coming to a university abroad was that the quality of the classes might not match that of Northeastern courses. Turns out my worry was for nothing, because my professors are fantastic. They are all incredibly passionate about the content they are teaching, and their enthusiasm has made me so excited to learn. They are extremely accommodating and aware of our Spanish language level and teach in manner that is clear, but also challenging (from a language-learning point of view). Beyond that, though, they have all proven to be such interesting and engaging people, making it so much more fun to learn from them!
