LIVING

BARCELONA COURSES IN CASTILIAN OR CATALAN

For those whose language skills are up to it, or who are looking to combine improving their Castilian or Catalan with studying something else (and meet local people who share a common interest), an ideal solution is to sign up for a summer class being taught in one of the two local languages.
Throughout July, the Universitat de Barcelona runs Els Juliols, a series of 20- to 30-hour courses, taking place either in the morning or afternoon, and each lasting for a week. Most of the courses are taught in Catalan, but there are also Els Juliols Linguae, which are all taught in Castilian. The range of courses is wide: although this year's programme wasn't available at the time of going to press, last year's edition included classes covering world music, sacred plants and how to create an internet business. Prices start at €140. www.ub.edu/juliols

For anyone who has a serious hankering to follow in the footsteps of Woody Allen and Isabel Coixet and make a film in Barcelona, the Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC) is holding a Summer School. The class will last for three weeks and run all day, five days a week. Taking place in the Sitges Design Centre and starting on June 29th, the course covers both theoretical and practical aspects of film-making such as script-writing, direction and production. Costs around €1,000 and the class size will range between 12 and 24. www.escac.es

BARCELONA COURSES IN ENGLISH

For anyone preferring to take a course in English, various classes are on offer.
The Istituto Europeo di Design, whose curriculum includes Design, Fashion, Visual Arts and Communication, is once again offering those of a creative frame of mind the chance to join its summer school. There are various courses running in Castilian, while in English, the classes are Accessory Design, Introduction to Exhibit Design, and Coolhunting and Fashion Trends. They last 100 hours, and run five hours a day each morning from July 6th to 31st. Generally speaking, anyone wanting to study these courses must have some existing knowledge and study in the relevant areas, but the school will consider applicants who don't have a related background. www.iedbcn.com