European Higher Education Area: Spanish Apartment Page 1 of 3

EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AREA

(EHEA): SPANISH APARTMENT

Watching Europe: Essay

Submitted by: Abhishek VS

Roll No: 183308009
Submitted to: Mr. Rahul Putty
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INTRODUCTION
The movie ‘Spanish apartment’ was based on the student lives, who were part of the Erasmus
programme of the European Union (Klapisch, 2002). The movie was highlighted on the
student lives, who were from different parts of Europe with a theme focusing on
internationalization of higher education and Erasmus programme of European Union.
Erasmus was a programme launched by European Union to enhance the internationalization
of higher education. The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is a collaboration of
forty-eight countries within Europe to enhance the idea of internationalization of higher
education and European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and also to promote mobility of the
students and staffs and increase employment opportunities for young graduates
(Commission).

The protagonist of the movie was an economic student named Xavier and he is from France,
he moves to Spain to learn Spanish and to get a good job and he shares his apartment with
different students from all over the Europe and he experiences a different multicultural and
diversity in living styles and with lots of fun and memories. The most of the film focus on the
feeling of youngsters sharing the same apartment and how different the life of students who
were from different national background. Exchange of cultures, focusing on multiculturalism,
exposure to different languages, multilingualism for an example the teacher of Xavier, (the
protagonist) suggest him to conduct economic classes in Catalan language the language used
in the city he stays i.e. Barcelona rather than the official language of Spain (Klapisch, 2002).

ERASMUS: EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AREA

EHEA: The European Higher Education Area is established under the Bologna process to
harmonise the European higher education. It has created a shared objective between the
universities within Europe and reformation in student centred learning programmes. It has
contributed in implementing a structural reform to have a three cycles in degree programmes.
The harmonised and higher education has made the labour market more competitive and
stakeholder participation and societal participation. It has given more concentration and
reform in the field of student centred learning rather than that of traditional way of faculty
driven teaching, here the students will be more productive in learning and also advances the
research and development by giving more focus to the students ideas. The idea of having
ECTS allows students move easily from one university to another also it makes the
complications in grading system more simple and easy to understand. It has given importance
to student services mainly the mobility of the students within and other countries too, it has
originated the thought of lifelong learning and created a international arena and attractiveness
(David Crosier, 2007).
Erasmus is an international student exchange programme which was launched on1987, the
students from EU and EEA studying in a university having a Erasmus programme can go
ahead for exchange of university for a period of 3 months up to one year in the partner
universities, where the students will experience completely a multicultural and diversified
education system, it makes students to become highly competitive with the sharing
knowledge and to get good job opportunities. Erasmus programme was one of the key
programmes of European Union for harmonizing European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
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It includes harmonizing grade system i.e. ECTS and exchange of culture and mobility of the
students and staffs within the EU (Commission).

Erasmus Experience: Erasmus gives an opportunity for many students to mobilize within
Europe and many of the students who have been a part of Erasmus it will be their first
experience to move to a different country apart from the host country and in the movie the
protagonist Xavier and his friends it was portrayed that they have been moved out for the first
time. Hence the Erasmus programme allows a student to experience a new life and hence it
was very much popular among the European students. The students who take Erasmus
programme will understand the country they have moved and also to travel and experience
the countries and the programmes gives much time for the students to become socialise. The
students who mobilize within European Union for their studies have more benefits than other
students who wish to move to other countries and also they will get a scholarship amount for
their tuition fee and stay. The students who have undergone Erasmus exchange programme
are identified as having a powerful idea establishing pan-European identity. It can be seen in
the movies as the Xavier the protagonist after completion of his Erasmus programme (David
Crosier, 2007).

CONCLUSION
The movie Spanish Apartment having a story based on typical student life but with a wide
spread knowledge and critique within it relating to the internationalization of higher
education focusing on the Erasmus programme of European Union, European Higher
Education Area and portraying the exchange of knowledge, culture and mainly a creation of
multicultural atmosphere where the bondage between different cultures, counties, gender
sharing the same roof with a good friendship among each other.

Bibliography
Commission, E. (n.d.). Erasmus+. Retrieved from European Commission:
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-
plus/opportunities/individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-master-degrees_en

David Crosier, L. P. (2007). Trends V Universities shaping the European Higher Education Area.
Brussels, Belgium: European University Association asb.

Klapisch, C. (Director). (2002). Spanish Apartment [Motion Picture].