About Us
The Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Estudios Norteamericanos Benjamin Franklin (Instituto Franklin-UAH) is a department within the Universidad de Alcalá founded in 1987. The Instituto was created as a research center for North American Studies, and has focused on developing ways of institutional collaboration between the Universidad de Alcalá and American universities. The Instituto sponsors research projects, organizes […]
Excursión a la fábrica de Danone
Felipe Douce, University of Central Missouri; Symone Yancey, The College of New Jersey; Klara Owens, State University of New York. El día 8 de abril visitamos la fábrica de yogurt de Danone. Nos pareció muy interesante la excursión y vimos muchas diferencias y semejanzas entre lo que se percibe a través de la página web y cómo es […]
My life in Southern Illinois University
When I decided to study a Master´s Degree abroad I dreamed about making it in the U.S. Thanks to a UAH professor, I heard about Instituto Franklin-UAH and how they offered bridges to study in the U.S., and I heard they worked along with an American university, Southern Illinois University or SIU for short, in […]
Holy Toledo! A Trip to the City of Three Cultures
If you’ve ever heard the expression “Holy Toledo!”, which means something is mind-blowing, it probably started with this beautiful town just an hour south of Madrid. Known as the “City of Three Cultures”, Toledo shows influences of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish culture. Toledo is filled with representations of these three cultures in the form of […]
Great tips to start off the school year
For many you, this will be your first time teaching as an English Conversation Assistant, or better known as an “Auxiliar” in Spain. So welcome to Spain, and enjoy the experience. For those of you have taught in Spain before, I hope this post will be helpful! I remember what it was like to first […]
5 ideas to do in the classroom during Spring
Spring has finally arrived in Madrid, which means you’ve got antsy students in your sunlit classroom. Keeping students interested and motivated as we race toward the end of the school year can be a challenge. While you and your students count the days until school is out, here are five ideas for how you can […]
Partido de fútbol en el Instituto Franklin-UAH
Alina Ahsan, The College of New Jersey; Claudia Gargano, The College of New Jersey; y Victoria Simonton, The College of New Jersey. El lunes 16 de Marzo de 2015 se celebró un gran partido de fútbol en las instalaciones de la Universidad de Alcalá entre el equipo Benjie Wolves, formado por los jugadores y jugadoras Cristina […]
Teach and Learn Survival Guide (part 2)
How was your flight? I hope you had lots of short, relaxing layovers with no delays. Was your flight comfortable at all? I personally get a glass of wine or two while I play a few rounds of Solitaire so I can catch a nice cat nap before I start my movie binge to make […]
This is Halloween! This is Halloween!
It’s finally beginning to feel like autumn in Madrid. The air is cooler and the leaves are falling off the trees. The first month or two of teaching is finishing, and you’re finally getting into the swing of things. Halloween is quickly approaching and the stores are putting out spooky decorations. Each year this holiday […]
Teacher, what team are you from? How soccer explains Spain.
Anybody new to Spain from the United States may find themselves either immediately enamored with soccer culture here, or utterly confused. At first glance, in general, sports’ culture varies little from one culture to the next. Fans choose (or in many cases are born into) a favorite team, join together in social groups to view […]