Mediterranean Language Paradise 2012 booklet by AEGEE-Tarragona

MEDITERRANEAN LANGUAGE PARADISE

Summer university 2012

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WELCOME!

It is a pleasure for me to write these words in order to welcome you to the

Mediterranean Language Experience 2012 from AEGEE Tarragona.

About just two years ago we started to do our first steps as AEGEE Tarragona. Those

were hard moments: lots of bureaucracy, without knowing really well to which direction

we were walking to… but after being working for several months, we succeeded

organizing our 1st Summer University.

Step by step it has gained more and more sense. Step by step we have formed an

awesome team and consequently our Summer University became in the 6th

position in

the application ranking. We, AEGEE Tarragona, would like to thank you for giving us

the chance to carry out this project again.

All of you: the participants arrived from more than 20 European countries. You have

taken dozens of planes to get to Tarragona following the same dream: living the best

experience of your life. Awesome. Isn’t it?

We have designed for you a really complete and balanced program plenty of academic

content about the linguistic situation in Spain and social activities. We really hope it

match with your expectations.

Let’s, all together, make it LEGEN..…DARY!

Raül Arlàndez Reverté

SU Main Coordinator & AEGEE-Tarragona President



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INDEX

Welcome ........................................................................................................................... 2

Basic information of Spain ............................................................................................... 4

City information ............................................................................................................... 7

Lodging ........................................................................................................................... 11

Universitat Rovira i Virgili ............................................................................................. 12

Participants ..................................................................................................................... 13



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BASIC INFORMATION OF SPAIN

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country and

member state of the European Union located in southwestern

Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to

the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a

small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of

Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of

Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. Its territory

also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the

Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta

and Melilla, that border Morocco. Because of its location, the territory of Spain was

subject to many external influences since prehistoric times and through to its dawn as a

country. Spain emerged as a unified country in the 15th century, following the marriage

of the Catholic Monarchs and the completion of the reconquest, or Reconquista, of the

Iberian peninsula in 1492. Conversely, it has been an important source of influence to

other regions, chiefly during the Modern Era, when it became a global empire that has

left a legacy of over 500 million Spanish speakers today, making it the world's second

most spoken first language.

Spain has an outstanding multicultural heritage, and this can be seen in all areas of its

social life. There is a wide variety of different festive celebrations to be found all over

the country.

Spanish popular festivities and traditions

often have a clearly religious origin. This

can be seen in throughout all the

expressions of Spain's folklore, which

combine religious fervour with a variety

of pagan and festive commemorations.

The country's cultural diversity means the festive manifestations

of each region vary widely from north to south, and yet at the

same time these local customs exist alongside festivities which are celebrated all over

the national territory. The festive year in Spain starts with the traditional strokes of

Spanish flag



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midnight in the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, which attracts throngs of people from

the city itself and from all over Spain who welcome in the New Year with a grape

swallowed for each chime of the clock. One of the most important traditional

celebrations in Spain, however, is Easter week. This takes place at the end of March or

in April, and takes place amid vivid and extremely moving popular processions. The

greatest number of festive events takes place in the summer months, between June and

September, according to the geographic area, as they tend to

combine both religious and socio-economic aspects.

Throughout most of Spain's geography there are also a

range of different festivities in late summer (late August

and early September) ow ing to the historic tradition of

commemorating the harvest (and particularly the grape

harvest). What's more, each area in the country has its own specific festivities. Some of

the highlights are the Sanfermines bull-running festival in Pamplona, Sant Jordi and La

Mercé in Barcelona, the Fallas bonfire festival in Valencia, the festivity of the

Reconquest in Granada, the April Fair in Seville and San Isidro and the Verbena de La

Paloma in Madrid. But these are just a few examples of the thousands of festive

celebrations which are to be found the length and breadth of Spain all year round.

CATALONIA

Catalonia, in the northeastern Iberian peninsula, covers an

area of 32 000 km2 and has 6 million inhabitants. History,

language and a distinct cultural, political and legal tradition

have shaped the personality of the country and the people.

Nowadays Catalonia is an autonomous community within

Spain with a government of its own known as the Generalitat.

Catalonia is a land of rich and varied scenery, with 580 km of Mediterranean coastline,

which offer perfect conditions for nautical sports, and mountain areas, as the Catalan

Pyrenees ideal for skiing, hiking, and adventure sports. A rich architectural heritage has

preserved in many fine cities steeped in character, with magnificent historic buildings,

among them Girona and Tarragona. Barcelona, Catalonia's capital, offering a lively

Catalan flag



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cultural life and good shopping, is one of the most important ports on the

Mediterranean.

Catalonia's own language is Catalan, a Romance language that has co-official status

alongside Castilian (Spanish). Catalonia's artistic heritage is a permanent reminder of

the creativity of the people. Examples are Empúries, the Roman monuments in

Tarragona, the civil and religious works of Gothic art, the great painters of the 19th

century, such as Marià Fortuny, and the world-famous Catalan artists of the 20th

century

as Miró and Dalí.

Catalonia festivals offer spectacular demonstrations of traditional folklore:

"Dances" – Dancing

Town squares burst into life with displays of vibrant Catalan dancing: the Ball dels

Gegants (the Dance of the Giants) with twelve foot models, the Ball de Gitanes (Gypsy

Dance), the Sardanes and Ball de Bastons (Stick Dance).

"Castellers" - Human Castles

Originating from the region of Tarragona, south of Barcelona, is the famous Human

Castle tradition. Hundreds of people balance on each other’s shoulders to create great

trembling towers up to nine storeys high, accompanied by the traditional Catalan

musicians “Grallers.”

"Correfocs" - Devils & Fire Throwing

The Correfoc (Fire Run) or Devil’s Dance (Ball de Diables) is one of the most stunning

elements of Catalan festivals. Devil figures, stemming from Pagan legends, run through

dusk darkened streets brandishing sparking forks amidst flames and fireworks.

"Cercaviles" - Folkloric Processions

Fantastical dragons, 12 foot giants, enormous headed warfs, magical fire dancers and

lively musicians form vibrant processions that wind their streets.

All these factors, together with a plentiful accommodation and excellent services and

facilities, make Catalonia one of Europe's leading tourist regions. Welcome to

Catalonia!



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CITY INFORMATION

Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the

Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital

of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital

of the Vegueria of Tarragona. As of the 2009 census, the city had a population of

155,323, and the population of the entire metropolitan area was estimated to be 675,921.

History

One Catalonian legend holds it was named for Tarraho, eldest son of Tubal in c. 2407

BC; another (derived from Strabo and Megasthenes) attributes the name to 'Tearcon the

Ethiopian', a 7th century BC pharaoh who supposedly campaigned in Spain.



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In Roman times, the city was named Tarraco and was capital of the province of

Hispania Tarraconensis (after being capital of Hispania Citerior in the Republican era).

The Roman colony had the full name of

Colonia Iulia Urbs Triumphalis Tarraco.

The city may have begun as an Iberic

town called Kesse or Kosse, named for

the Iberic tribe of the region, the

Cosetans, though the identification of

Tarragona with Kesse is not certain.

William Smith suggests that the city was probably founded by the Phoenicians, who

called it 'Tarchon, which, according to Samuel Bochart, means a citadel. This name was

probably derived from its situation on a high rock, between 700 and 800 feet above the

sea; whence we find it characterised as arce potens Tarraco. It was seated on the river

Sulcis or Tulcis (modern Francolí), on a bay of the Mare Internum (Mediterranean),

between the Pyrenees and the river Iberus (modern Ebro).

Tarraco lies on the main road along the south-eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It

was fortified and much enlarged by the brothers Publius and Gnaeus Scipio, who

converted it into a fortress and arsenal

against the Carthagenians. Subsequently it

became the capital of the province and

conventus juridicus.

Augustus wintered at Tarraco after his

Cantabrian campaign, and bestowed many

marks of honour on the city, among which

were its honorary titles of Colonia Victrix

Togata and Colonia Julia Victrix Tarraconensis. The city also minted coins. According

to Mela it was the richest town on that coast, and Strabo represents its population as

equal to that of Carthago Nova (modern Cartagena). Its fertile plain and sunny shores

are celebrated by Martial and other poets; and its neighbourhood is described as

producing good wine and flax.



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Ancient remains

The Roman ruins of Tarraco have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Part of the bases of large Cyclopean walls near the Cuartel de Pilatos are thought to pre-

date the Romans. The building just mentioned, a prison in the 19th century, is said to

have been the palace of Augustus. The 2nd century amphitheatre, near the sea-shore,

was extensively used as a quarry after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and but

few vestiges of it now remain. A circus, c. 450 m long, was built over in the area now

called Plaça de la Font, though portions of it are still to be traced. Throughout the town

Latin, and even apparently Phoenician, inscriptions on the stones of the houses mark the

material used for buildings in the town.

Two ancient monuments, at some little distance from the town,

have, however, fared rather better. The first of these is the

Aqüeducte de les Ferreres, which spans a valley about 4 km

north of the city. It is 217m in length, and the lofti est arches,

of which there are two tiers, are 26 m high. There is a

monument about 6 km along the coast road east of the city,

commonly called the Tower of the Scipios; but there is no

authority for assuming that they were buried here.

Other Roman buildings include:

• the walls, with two gates: Portal del Roser and the Portal de Sant Antoni.

• the capitol, or citadel

• the Forum

• the palace of Augustus, called the house of Pilate

• the circus or amphitheatre

• the so-called tower, or sepulchre, of the Scipios

• arch of Sura, or of Bara

• the Aurelian Way.



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The city is also home to the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.

Religious buildings

• the Cathedral, dating to the 12th-13th centuries, combining Romanesque and

Gothic architectural elements.

• the convent of the Poor Clares, near the walls

• The convent of Santa Teresa

• The church of the Capuchins, the parish church of the port

• The former convent of San Francisco

• The Jesuit college was turned into barracks, their church, however, has been

restored to them

• The convent of the Dominicans, now the town hall

• The archiepiscopal palace, situated on the site of the ancient capitol, one tower

of which still remains. It was rebuilt in the 19th century.

• Near the sea, in the Roman amphitheatre, are the remains of a church called

Santa María del Milagro.



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LODGING

. RESIDÈNCIA CASA NOSTRA Adress: Carrer d'Higini Anglès, 1 (43001 Tarragona)

Telephone: (0034) 977245462

From Plaça Imperial Tarraco or Tarragona Bus Station. (2 minutes)

From the Train Station (10-15 minutes)

PLACES NEAR RESIDENCE



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The URV was created in 1991 by the Parliament of Catalonia from the already existing

university faculties and schools. In this way the Tarragona University of the 16th

century was restored. From the very first day its aim has been very clear: to place

knowledge at the service of society so as to contribute to the social and economic

development of its environment, which has gradually transformed over time.

Social and cultural changes have opened the doors to a new framework in which our

students and future workers are obliged to interact in Europe. At the URV we train

professionals under the precepts of European harmonization, a key factor for opening

the doors to a world of work without frontiers. And we do so by providing 52

programmes of study in a wide variety of knowledge areas for over 12,000 students.

The data show that the URV is not only one of the leading universities in Catalonia but

also one of the leading universities in the European area for the quality of its teaching,

its commitment to continuous training and the excellence of its research, development

and innovation

The URV has twelve centres of its own and two associates which between them teach

about fifty courses, at both first and second cycle level. They also offer postgraduate

diplomas, doctorates and masters’ degrees. All this is made possible by the work done

by the technical and university faculties and schools. It is they who organise the courses

and academic, administrative and management processes which ensure that our students

receive top-quality training, without forgetting the work done by more than twenty

departments. These make up the different courses – depending on the area of knowledge

to which they belong – and are responsible for organising the activities of the teaching

and research community.



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Mediterranean Language Paradise 2012 booklet by AEGEE-Tarragona

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