The interview is intimate, immediate, and can be an entrée to the soul. It’s a critical tool for journalists and is integral to most story development. These courses are designed to improve and professionalize students’ journalistic skills, from the art of posing questions to the critical task of listening actively and creatively to answers. How to make best use of interview material in story is emphasized. The program will be based at the GEO Center in Oviedo, Spain. Oviedo is just 23 miles from Spain’s northern “green coast” and is an important stopover point on the Camino de Santiago. The city has an urban design which promotes equity and inclusion in historic sites, public squares, car-free livable streets and a culture public gathering places, sidewalk cafes, markets and bars. The hospitality and warmth of the Asturian people coupled with the absence of mass tourism makes Oviedo a perfect setting for this program. Program activities will included visits in and around Oviedo and an excursion to Porto, Portugal.
Courses will be taught by Professor Peter Laufer from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Each course is specially designed to take advantage of the rich opportunities that Spain offers as a classroom. Courses make use of a variety of materials and texts, all of which are provided as part of the program fee.
Though courses will be taught in English, one of the key elements of these courses is learning to transcend language barriers. To that end, you will receive specific training in interview techniques that do not require a common language between interviewee and interviewer. If you wish to also study Spanish, you may enroll for the second summer session of Spanish Language in Oviedo and extend your stay in Spain for four extra weeks.
Peter Laufer is an award-winning author, broadcaster, documentarian and journalist. He has studied and taught throughout the world—Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. He sent home reports on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the wars in Central America for NBC Radio, reported for CBS Radio as the Berlin Wall fell, and chased butterflies in Nicaragua for his book The Dangerous World of Butterflies. An accomplished author of over a dozen well-reviewed books, Laufer writes on borders, migration and identity along with animal rights. He also reported, wrote and produced several documentaries while an NBC News correspondent, ranging in topics from the crises facing Vietnam War veterans to illiteracy and hunger in America, and a study of Americans incarcerated overseas, for which he won the George Polk Award.
| Term | Year | Priority Deadline | Deadline | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Term Summer | Year 2019 | Priority Deadline 2/15/2019 | Deadline 3/15/2019 | Arrival Date 6/30/2019 | Departure Date 7/27/2019 |
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Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.
UO students, please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.
