Study-Abroad Program in Madrid and Toledo, Spain
May 16-31, 2026
Medical/Health Humanities and Honors Program
Cross-Cultural Perspectives
“Seeing the Human Condition Anew through Art and Literature”
CLASSES:
MEDH 2311; MEDH 4301; HONR 4388
NARRATIVE:
In the 12th and 13th centuries, Toledo, Spain developed into the European capital of translation, multilingualism, and multiculturalism. The Toledo School of Translators (Escuela de Traductores de Toledo) hosted scholars, proto-scientists, and translators from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultural heritages. More than just tolerating one another from a distance, they studied and worked together on translations of classical texts on religion, philosophy, and science. These scholars from different backgrounds shared the conviction that their differences could help cultivate enlightenment about the complexities of the human experience and the natural world. Today, the city serves as a testament of tolerance, open-mindedness, and curiosity about others and a symbol of hope for a peaceful future.
This two-week long study-abroad program in Madrid and Toledo, Spain (May 16-31, 2026) is inspired by the historical legacy of the city of Toledo. It is designed for Honors students in the Medical Humanities programs: MEDH 2311 (“INTRO TO MEDICAL HUMANITIES”); MEDH 4301 (“MEDICAL HUMANITIES CAPSTONE”); and HONR 4388 will be offered. These classes will cover Literature (poetry) from Spain and Latin America that depicts landscapes of people suffering from physical, mental, and psychosomatic illnesses, as well as healthcare providers, with the aim of cultivating a more psycho-philosophical understanding of illnesses and healthcare. After all, and as the novelist Franz Kafka wrote: “To write a prescription is easy, but to come to an understanding of people is hard.” In addition, art studied in the museums of Madrid and Toledo will provoke new ways of seeing and of feeling and complement and embellish complex views of the human condition found in literature.
All texts studied will be in both English and Spanish, side-by-side translations, as well as reflective exercise prompts will be provided that can be completed in either language. The courses are designated as part of the B3 program, fostering a more academic knowledge of both Spanish and English.
Faculty Director, Dr. Suzanne LaLonde CONTACT: Suzanne.Lalonde@utrgv.edu
ACADEMIC MATERIAL (forthcoming)
PICTURES OF SOME OF THE SITES WE WILL VISIT