Summer in Madrid

with the El Camino College
June 23 - July 14, 2025

Program Application

Immerse yourself in experiential learning...

Spend the summer in Madrid with El Camino College and Accent. Madrid becomes an extension of your classroom as you explore Spanish parks, monuments, churches and museums while attending classes taught by El Camino College faculty. Participants live in student apartments located throughout the city and have the opportunity to explore Spain with day excursions to Toledo and El Escorial and a three-day/two-night excursion to Barcelona. The Accent Madrid Study Center provides support and guidance to students on each of its programs. Once you have enrolled, you will receive more detailed application and enrollment forms as well as a student handbook.

Dr. Argelia Andrade is a professor of Spanish at El Camino College and is one of the co-leaders of the El Camino  College Madrid, Spain, Study Abroad Program. She is excited to be teaching two classes: Elementary Spanish (Spanish 1) and Beginning Spanish for Native Speakers (Spanish 52A). Argelia Andrade has been teaching language (UCLA, Los Angeles Valley College, El Camino College), linguistics (UCLA, LAVC), and dance (Nuestras Raíces Cultural Arts Center, Santa Monica College) for twenty-three years. Argelia Andrade attended UCLA, where she earned a B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish, an M.A. in Linguistics, and Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literature.

Dr. Andrade loves the performing arts (especially music and dance), traveling, good food, and spending quality time with her loved-ones. When she is not in the classroom, she is in the dance studio. She is the founder and director of Nuestras Raíces, a cultural arts center that provides Mexican music and dance classes to over 250 children and youth. Argelia Andrade performs with Rina Orellana Flamenco Dance Academy and Xipe Totec Danzantes Aztecas.

Dr. Andrade believes that traveling abroad is transformative and is excited to share her love of world arts and cultures with her students. Dr. Andrade has traveled extensively and has lived abroad in Mexico and Spain. Dr. Andrade has taken students to study abroad in Puebla, Mexico, Granada, Seville, Cordova and Madrid (Spain), numerous times.

Xocoyotzin Herrera is a native of Oxnard, CA. and received his B.A. in Latin American Studies from UCLA and M.A. in  Interdisciplinary Studies (Chicano Studies/Spanish) from CSUN. He has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Chicana/o Studies at CSUN for several years and has taught Chicano Studies at numerous community colleges in the greater Los Angeles and Ventura County areas as well as other local CSU campuses. In Fall 2013, Professor Herrera was hired as a full-time History and Ethnic Studies instructor at El Camino College. Professor Herrera has also been heavily involved in traditional Mexican music performance since childhood.

He is a multi-instrumentalist and has played with his family group, Conjunto Hueyapan, which specializes in folk music of Veracruz, Mexico (son jarocho) for over thirty years. Professor Herrera’s broad familiarity with Spain, a country he has travelled to on several occasions as an avid tourist and as an invited performer at the United States Embassy in Madrid, as well as his knowledge of the country’s language, history and culture will also serve to generate a better learning experience for students enrolled in his courses as they explore the connections existing between this country and people of Mexican heritage living north and south of the U.S/Mexico border.

In the past, Professor Herrera has lead trips for high school and college students from the U.S. forming part of the Encuentro Internacional de Juventud (the International Youth Conference) held in central Mexico and sponsored by the Mexican government. Summer of 2025 will mark the fifth year he participates as faculty for a study abroad program in Europe.

For Summer 2025, Professor Herrera will teach History 154 (History of Mexico) and Ethnic Studies 5 (Chicano Culture). History 154 will touch upon important historical content corresponding to Mexican indigenous roots, but in addition, there will be extensive coverage of Spanish influences and contributions to the history of Mexico and its cultural foundations. Ethnic Studies 5 will focus on various aspects of Mexican-American traditions in the United States and the cultural syncretism rooted in native Mexican, Spanish and American elements that define them. Exposing students to important museums and other sites of historical relevance located throughout Spain will allow them to acquire a more insightful understanding of the Spanish colonial presence in Mexico and the American southwest as well as important cultural aspects within Mexican and Chicano societies drawn from this group.

The Summer in Madrid Program is open to students who are at least 18 years of age at the time of application, is a high school graduate and has a minimum 2.0 G.P.A. Program space is limited. Students should complete the online application with the $250 non-refundable first payment as soon as they have been interviewed and accepted into the program by the El Camino Faculty. This will be confirmed via email by professor Herrera or Dr. Andrade once the interested student has attended an informational session and interview (in person or via zoom). Upon receipt of your application, first payment ($250), and verification of acceptance, El Camino College and Accent will provide you with additional application and enrollment forms. Applications must be received by April 14, 2025. Beyond April 14, limited enrollment is allowed when space permits.

The Summer in Madrid program is offered for transferable college credit through El Camino College, part of the El Camino Community College District. El Camino College will provide a transcript upon request for the coursework completed overseas. Please verify the transferability of courses with your advisor or registrar before you apply.

Classes will be held at the Accent Madrid Study Center and levels may be combined depending on enrollment.

Spanish 1 – Elementary Spanish                  5 semester units
This course introduces students to the development of skills for language acquisition in speaking, listening, reading, and writing linguistically appropriate Spanish. Students are also introduced to the cultural background of the language, including relationships among cultural practices and perspectives and the general aspects of everyday life.  Recommended Preparation: eligibility for English 1A. Transfer CSU, UC

Spanish 52 – Spanish for Native Speakers                    5 semester units
This course is designed for students with a native-speaking knowledge of Spanish and who have little or no formal instruction in the Spanish language. Students develop the cultural and linguistic ability to use correct spoken and written Spanish free from regionalisms and Anglicisms. Students learn to correct faulty Spanish speech habits, improve vocabulary, and acquire skills in writing. Students also become familiar with the similarities and differences existing within and between cultures of Spain, as well as the Caribbean and North and Central American Spanish-speaking countries. Prerequisite: Spanish 2 with a minimum grade of C or equivalent. Transfer CSU, UC

Ethnic Studies 5 – Chicano Culture                    3 semester units
This course is an interdisciplinary study of Chicano culture in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the historical roots and development of the cultural contributions of Chicanos to American society in the arts, literature, language, music and other expressions of contemporary popular culture. Analysis of the central components of Chicano cultural values, norms and customs will also be assessed. Recommended Preparation: eligibility for English 1A. Transfer CSU, UC

History 154 – A History of Mexico                   3 semester units
This course surveys the political, social, cultural and economic history of Mexico from Pre-Columbian times to the present. Discussion of major epochs of Mexican history will focus on the influence of various cultural groups in shaping modern Mexico. Recommended Preparation: eligibility for English 1A. Transfer CSU, UC

Cultural learning is an integral part of the Summer in Madrid Program.

Participants attend on-site lectures at museums and historical sites within and outside of Madrid as well as a attend a cooking class and Flamenco performance. Also included in the program are the following excursions: two one-day excursions to Toledo and El Escorial as well as a three-day, two-night excursion to Barcelona including transportation, hotel stay, entries and guided visits. Participation in excursions is a required part of the program. Excursions are chosen based on the academic curriculum and are subject to change.

Application due with first payment: ASAP
Final payment due: April 14
Departure from U.S.: June 22
Arrival in Madrid: June 23
Overseas orientation: June 24
Classes begin: June 25
Return to U.S.: July 14

Program Price: $3,930

  • Double room in shared student apartment
  • Pre-departure and overseas orientation program, with a practical walking tour of areas in Madrid around the Accent Madrid Center
  • Two one-day excursions to Toledo and El Escorial
  • Cooking class and Flamenco performance
  • One three-day/two-night excursion to Barcelona, includes coach transport, entries and double room accommodation
  • Overseas information and resource center with Accent Madrid on-site staff
  • Madrid transit pass (youth all-zone 25 years and younger, or adult zone A)

  • Round-trip airfare
  • El Camino College tuition and fees
  • Optional single room in student apartment supplement ($300)
  • Personal expenses, passports, visas, books, and anything not listed as included
  • Meals
  • Required medical insurance
  • Travel, trip cancellation and personal property insurance

Students may choose to live in double or single rooms in shared student apartments. Single rooms in shared student apartments are extremely limited, are not guaranteed, and require a supplement of $300. Apartments are co-ed with single sex bedrooms and may be shared with other international students. Housing is provided from the first day of the program (June 23, 2025).

All participants must check in at the designated arrival point on June 23, 2025 between 9am and 6pm (Note: most transatlantic flights arrive one day after their departure date). Airfare is not included in the program fee. All participants will receive a transit pass.

Academic credit for this program is awarded by El Camino College. A $46 per unit enrollment fee must be paid to ECC at the time of registration. Nonresidents of California pay $214 per unit. Fees are set by the State of California and are subject to change. For more information, please contact the program faculty Xocoyotzin Herrera at 310.660.3593 Ext. 3411/xherrera@elcamino.edu and Dr. Argelia Andrade at 310.660.3593 Ext. 5335/aandrade@elcamino.edu.


Payment Schedule

Non-refundable first payment – $250
Final payment due April 14, 2025 – $3,680

The payment schedule is the applicant’s contractual obligation. Failure to make each payment when due shall automatically cancel participant from the program one week after payment due date. All payments are effective the day they are received by the Accent U.S. Office. Accent, in its sole discretion, may reinstate an applicant subject to availability of space and late enrollment fees. Accent charges a $30 bounced check fee for each check received that is not promptly paid by your bank in the normal course of business. The program price is based on 20 participants, the price may change depending on final enrollment.

Cancellations

Cancellation Fees:
71 days or more prior to start of program – $250
50 to 70 days prior to start of program – $800
31 to 49 days prior to start of program – $1,100
0 to 30 days prior to start of program – No Refund
All cancellations must be made in writing to Accent and the El Camino College and are effective the date of receipt by Accent. Participants are liable for payments until written cancellation is received by Accent.
Trip cancellation insurance is highly recommended, this link provides a summary on the different types of trip cancellation insurance available. Please take the time to evaluate your options.
Before the start date of the program, should ECC’s protocols deem necessary to cancel the program for any health or safety reasons, Accent Global Learning will refund recoverable program costs only.

Ready to spend your summer in Madrid?

Program Application

Accent Global Learning, and not the El Camino Community College District, is responsible for all travel arrangements and any liability arising therefrom. The El Camino Community College District is NOT liable for any damages arising out of the services described herein, including, but not limited to any promises or representations, whether expressed or implied. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to in any way bind the District, the District Governing Board, any of their agents, employees or representatives to any promises, obligations, covenants or duties whether expressed or implied herein.
Accent Global Learning is not responsible for the academic segment of the program except as specified in the contract between Accent and the El Camino Community College District. Nor is Accent responsible for airline delays of any kind, or for expenses or loss incurred as a result of such delays. With regard to transportation/travel, regardless of the type of vehicle, Accent acts for the passenger as agent only. Accent assumes no liability for accident, injury, damage, or loss in any vehicle, or as a result of default by any person or company engaged in transporting the passenger. CST #1013432-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.