Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Sophomore or Above
Location: Europe, Spain
GPA: 2.5

Program Overview

Come to Oviedo, Spain, to develop your reporting and story-telling skills in a newsroom environment! On this program you will professionalize your skills in interviewing and story development, from the art of posing questions to the critical task of listening actively and creatively to answers. Spanish language proficiency is not a requirement for the program. The goal of the coursework is to learn how to report from anywhere transcending language barriers. 

The program is based in Oviedo, Spain. Oviedo is located in the province of Asturias; known as Spain's "Paraíso Natural". Oviedo sits at the foot of the Aramo mountains, just 23 miles from Spain’s northern Green Coast. Oviedo has an urban design which promotes equity and inclusion in historic sites, public squares, car-free livable streets and a culture of public gathering places: sidewalk cafes, markets and bars. It has a reputation for being one of the safest and cleanest cities in Spain, offering great quality of life for students. Take a look at this New York Times travel article featuring images of Asturias that offer a glimpse into its unique landscape, heritage and culture.

As a final project on the program, you will develop and report on a feature story. Your feature story will be reviewed and edited as part of the class, with the goal of publication. Read the stories of three Summer 2024 Interviewing and Story Development in Mexico alumni who had their stories published in Mexico News Daily.

         The complicated history of cockfighting in Mexico by Aedan Seaver 

         The cobbler of Querétaro by Ellie Johnson 

         How one expat unlearned prejudices and embraced cultural differences in Mexico by Lizzy Solorzano

Dates and Deadlines

TermYearDeadlineArrival DateDeparture Date
Summer20253/15/202506/29/202507/26/2025 

This program has a rolling admission application process: GEO staff (and the program faculty leader, if applicable) will complete a review of the application materials of complete applications in the order that they are submitted (“first come, first serve”). Decisions about acceptance will be made shortly after you submit a complete application. Students are encouraged to complete applications and commit to programs early.

Acceptance is based on a holistic review of your application.  This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and the short statement. 

Hear from Our Students

Wonderful Surprises in Mexico

College male posing in front of a cathedral.
This was an amazing experience. It gave me the opportunity to finally visit the country that my parents are from. Mexico was a beautiful experience filled with many surprises. The biggest surprise… read more

Lessons learned while studying abroad in Mexico

A woman stands by a waterfall in Mexico
Image I fell in love with a woman, that woman is ME. During my study abroad, as a woman who has had children who are now in their twenties, been… read more

An unexpected experience in Querétaro

Two women stand in a hotel
Image I envisioned being a student doing a study abroad in a developing country as a non-traditional student who doesn’t speak fluent Spanish… read more

Faculty-Led Scholarship Opportunity

Applicants to this program are eligible for program-specific scholarship funds. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay. Individual awards range from $500-$1,500. To be considered, apply to the GEO General Scholarship by the advertised deadline for the term you will be abroad. Students who apply will automatically be considered for all available funding within the General Scholarship, including this program's scholarship funds.

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

Two courses, for a total of eight quarter credits, will be taught in English 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 Oviedo offers as a classroom.

You will learn practical career skills related to interviewing, such as interviewing ethics, filtering questions, source vetting, unannounced interviewing, the power of silence as an interview tactic, interview preparation, and when it is permissible to change the wording of a direct quote.

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.

Course descriptions and syllabi can be found under “Courses and Credits” on this webpage.

By the end of the term, you should be able to:

  • identify high-value interviewees
  • successfully engage interviewees 
  • take accurate notes with or without recording devices
  • integrate interviews into active and compelling narrative prose
  • defend your work from critiques 

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: 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.

Faculty and Staff

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. Peter has experience leading this program in Spain, Austria and Argentina. 

Housing Description

Students will be housed in single rooms in the Dohve Residence Hall, which is located in the Southwestern part of Oviedo. Classes will take place in a classroom in the Dohve Residence Hall. 

Your room: The rooms are all individual and have a 105x200 cm single bed, a desk, chair, nightstand, two shelves and shelving module, as well as private bathroom. It also has a small fridge and a kitchenette. The rooms are cleaned weekly. Linens and towels are provided and changed once a week as well.  There is wireless WIFI. You will also have access to the common areas: TV room, library, study room, laundry room, etc.