Rome exhibits layers of history going back over two millennia - Etruscan tombs, Republican meeting rooms, imperial temples, early Christian churches, medieval bell towers, Renaissance palaces and baroque basilicas. In this city a phenomenal concentration of history, legend and monuments coexists with an equally phenomenal concentration of people busily going about their everyday life. While tourists visit the Vatican, the Forum Romanum and the Trevi Fountain, many visitors often miss the many other sights, which make the whole of Rome a museum - a living museum with a population of 3 million, with a vibrant culture.
The interdisciplinary Rome program utilizes the entire city as a classroom or studio. While the program is designed to immerse students fully in the experience of being in Rome, excursions will provide students a wider perspective on the history, culture and daily life of Italy as a whole. Students will live in furnished flats to provide an opportunity to practice Italian language skills and experience Roman daily life. Students are affiliated with the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci (SLdV), one of the leading language and culture schools in Italy.
Students will take two required courses:
Italian Language and Culture (1 credit)
This course will build upon the foundation of Italian language study completed at HWS prior to the program. A variety of visits to local sites will complement in-class instruction and a series of "labs" will introduce students to various aspects of Italian culture and society. Students with more advanced Italian skills will be placed in an upper level class.
Inventing Rome, Inventing Romans
2011 is the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of United Italy. In 1861 Rome was declared the capital, though the
new Kingdom of Italy did not conquer it until 1870. The importance of the city of Rome to Italian consciousness is so
assumed that it calls for unpacking and examination – what was Italy before it was a nation state? Why have a capital
you don’t have? How do you make it the heart of your nation once you get it? This backdrop, which we will address in
our Italy Now Reader’s College in the fall, sets up the key premise and key question of this history and practice of mass
media communications course. The key premise is that Roman and Italian identity is constructed. The key question is how
major figures in Roman culture used the mass media of their day to construct it. The semester will be divided into five
sections, each examining a case study from the history of early modern and modern Rome and Italy through the lens of a
different mass medium. The media we will consider include Baroque print media, lithography and the unification of Italy,
Fascist architecture, post-war film and advertising, and contemporary television. Each segment will provide opportunities
for lectures on communication theory, on-site or museum-mediated examinations of the primary media, and analytical
and creative assignments.
In addition, students will choose two electives from among the following three courses:
Imaging Rome (1 credit)
In this course, students will use various contemporary imaging technologies to observe, capture, and artistically interpret Rome.
Primary media will be digital photography, digital video, and web-based tools. Students will use these technologies to render
visible aspects of Italian visual culture that we typically ignore. Collected images will then become the vocabulary for original
works of art which embody personal expression and an emerging cultural
awareness.
Layers of Rome (1 credit)
Students in this course treat Rome as an enormous palimpsest – a manuscript page erased and rewritten with layer after layer of words and images, fragments of which show through the gaps between the current top-level text. We will examine Rome, especially in its built environment, from ancient times through the Baroque to the modern for continuities, reuses, and invention.
Sketchbook Rome
This drawing course provides a distinct and visually based method of studying the history of Rome and its major monu-
ments. Through careful visual analysis and creative interpretation, students come to understand construction methods, architec-
tural and societal convention and style, and dominant historical themes, all while gaining a greater facility with rendering and
a greater sensitivity to composition.
Although the Rome program can accommodate students of many academic disciplines, the course offerings are geared primarily to those studying media and society, art history, aesthetics, arts and education, European studies and studio art. It may also be of interest to those pursuing architectural studies or modern languages. However, specific courses in a given semester will depend on the expertise of the faculty director(s) leading the program.
This program is open to all sophomores, juniors and seniors in good social and aca- demic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Students will be required to have suc- cessfully completed an intensive Italian language class along with a Reader’s Col- lege orientation course during the fall semester preceding the program. Due to the challenging nature of study abroad, student academic and disciplinary records will be carefully screened.
Students reside in independent apartments while in Rome and will stay in hotels or hostels during excursions.
Program-related excursions vary from year to year depending on the courses offered and the interests of the faculty director(s). The program typically includes a combination of overnight excursions outside Rome, designed to provide students insight into other areas of the country, and day trips to important sites in and around Rome. Visits to Naples and Turin are tentatively planned for spring 2011.
Students will be charged standard HWS tuition and room fee and a $550 administrative fee. This will cover credit for a four-course semester, all course-related expenses (including excursions) and housing. Students should plan to bring their board fee to Rome to cover meals. Additional expenses not covered include airfare, books, visa, and personal expenses (laundry, entertainment, ground transportation and independent travel). We estimate airfare for this program at $700-$800 from the East Coast, visa at $25 and books at $250. It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of personal expenses because student spending habits differ considerably. We would suggest a minimum of $1500 above and beyond meal expenses. However, students on a tight budget should be able to manage with less. If you are concerned about finances, we strongly encourage you to talk to the CGE staff who can offer information and advice based on your specific situation.
NOTE: The information contained in this brochure is subject to change. Please see the CGE for more information.
