UH Study Abroad Course 2025

The Department of Educational Foundations, together with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Study Abroad Center, offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to study in Barcelona, Spain, and earn 6 credits through this Faculty-Sponsored Study Tour! In addition to being led by UH Professor Brent Edwards, the classes will entail guest lectures from faculty from Pompeu Fabra University, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and the University of Barcelona.

Watch this 3-minute video to begin the Barcelona experience!

Watch the recording of the information session.

Session 1

  • Date: Friday, September 27, 2024
  • Location: Wist 233
  • Time: 4-4:30pm

Session 2

  • Date: Friday, October 25, 2024
  • Location: Wist 233
  • Time: 4-5pm
  • Location: Zoom
  • RSVP HERE

Session 3

  • Date: Friday, November 22, 2024
  • Location: Wist 23
  • Time: 1:30-2:30pm
  • RSVP HERE

Session 4

  • Date: Thursday, December 12
  • Location: Zoom
  • Time: 4-5pm
  • RSVP HERE

Autonomous University of Barcelona

The history of the UAB began on 6 June 1968, when the decree on the creation of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) was officially promulgated. One month later the first four faculties are created: Philosophy and Arts, Medicine, Science and Economics. Teaching activities at the UAB began in October 1968 in two of the new centres: the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts, which was located in the Monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès, and the Faculty of Medicine, which was located at the Hospital de Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona.

The purpose of this course is to understand the political, economic, social, and cultural connections between Barcelona, Spain, and the wider world. Within this broad focus, we will be exploring: (a) the implications for each of us (i.e., our role in global processes of change), (b) the contributions of—and consequences for—schools, educational processes, and the communities they serve, and (c) the roles of many different kinds of organizations in working at the intersection of the global and the local. This course is guided by a concern with the ways that micro and macro processes of social change are connected and reinforce one another. In order to grasp these issues, we will immerse ourselves in and study both the historical and contemporary context of Barcelona. We will visit major cultural sites and will participate in cultural activities, while also being attentive to how the evolving context of globalization has created challenges—challenges that are playing out in similar ways around the world.

Through this class, you will thus not only learn about and experience Barcelona, you will also gain insights into contemporary challenges that are facing societies around the world, and you will have a chance to think together with your classmates, professors, and guest lecturers about how we can respond to these challenges. These challenges relate to rising immigration, increasing diversity, economic inequality, growing intolerance, social marginalization, religious discrimination, racial tensions, climate change, and political movements (e.g., related to national independence). By bringing together the global/local and academic/personal dimensions of the course, and by putting them into conversation with experiential and informal learning (through excursions, museums, cultural immersion), this course offers a powerful opportunity not only for intellectual growth but also personal transformation. In order to accomplish these goals, the course draws on readings as well as on guest lectures, group discussion, documentaries, field trips to cultural sites, and excursions to cities outside Barcelona.

Graduate student courses

  • EDEF667C – Global Governance of Education
  • EDEF771 – Seminar in Comparative/International Education

Undergraduate student courses

  • EDEF445 – Sociology of Education
  • EDEF360 – Introduction to Multicultural Education

Students can register for EDEF399/EDEF699 if they have already taken one of the courses above.

Each course will last 2 weeks.

See the syllabi

Courses taken in Barcelona will appear on UHM transcripts as UHM courses.

Barcelona, city, seaport, and capital of Barcelona provincia (province) and of Catalonia comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northeastern Spain, located 90 miles (150 km) south of the French border. It is Spain’s major Mediterranean port and commercial centre and is famed for its individuality, cultural interest, and physical beauty.Although Barcelona is sometimes windy, its protective semicircle of mountains shields it from the harsh, cold winds that blow out of the north and west. The average annual temperature is 61 °F (16 °C); January is the coldest month, averaging 49 °F (9 °C), and August is the hottest, at 76 °F (24 °C). Precipitation amounts to about 23 inches (600 mm) per year.

At the core of the city lies the Gothic Quarter. Located between the Ramblas, a series of connected boulevards, going southeastward to the sea, and the Via Laietana, it is a close-packed maze of narrow streets punctuated by magnificent medieval buildings. The cathedral, episcopal palace, and churches bear witness to Barcelona’s importance as a religious centre. For the visitor, the main attraction still tends to be in the city centre, particularly around the Ramblas. The famous promenade is separated from L’Eixample by the monumental Catalunya Square, and it leads down to the port and the Portal de la Pau Square, where the Christopher Columbus monument stands in commemoration of the discovery of America and the explorer’s announcement of it in Barcelona. The Ramblas form one of the most delightful aspects of the city, their broad, tree-lined centre strips given over to a series of stalls and kiosks selling items such as flowers, pets, and books and newspapers.

The residence hall consists of two locations, with carefully designed studios that cater to the needs of all students. The residence halls offer premium services that include high-speed WiFi, gym, study rooms, maintenance, 24-hour state-of-the-art CCTV surveillance or centralised access control and personalised access code to enter the studio and common areas.

The student residence is Located right in the heart of Barcelona’s university area. From there, you’ll be able to cycle to the north and south campuses of the University of Barcelona. The residences are also well connected by public transport to the rest of the city–and only a few stops from the heart of downtown. Additionally, it is only steps away from FC Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou stadium, and you can reach the city’s main sights and the beach in just a few minutes

The cost is $5318. This includes fees for credits, instructors, classroom usage, housing, excursions, and travel insurance. Flight and food are not included in this figure.

If 20 students register, each student will receive a $900 refund.

View more information on the cost breakdown

FINANCIAL AID

This course is considered full-time, so financial aid is available:

For more information on financial aid

Eligibility requirements:

  • current student status at UH Manoa is not required. If you are not currently a UH student, you would only need to submit the paperwork to Outreach College to be a ‘non-degree-seeking’ student.
  • fill out the Study Abroad in Barcelona Application form with the following information: biographical data, academic background, statement of purpose, financial plans, transcripts.