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One Semester - Three Cities

Experience the Roots of Western Culture
Tuscania, Rome and Florence

Our civilization is the end product of widely contrasting cultures which evolved over many hundreds of years. With the Renaissance it  became possible to unite the strands of these cultures in a new and  exciting synthesis which prepared the way for the birth of the modern world. This semester-long study abroad experience allows students to  retrace the steps of Greek, Etruscan, Roman, medieval and Renaissance cultures by living and studying in the three cities which embody these civilizations in all their richness and splendor: Tuscania, Rome and Florence.

Students spend one month in each location and follow a structured program of five 3-credit courses, which together comprise a unique investigation into to the roots of Western civilization. Classes meet every day Monday through Thursday for two and a half hours each, providing a total of 45 contact hours per course. There are two
mandatory 3-credit courses in the first center, Tuscania: an Italian language course and an introduction to the ancient civilizations of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans. In the second center, Rome, students take one 3-credit course on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In Florence students choose a further 3-credit course which gives them the opportunity to explore in-depth a late Renaissance figure and his links with modernity. Across the entire semester, students also  undertake a research project on a subject of their choice, based on their learning experiences in the three Italian locations. For this purpose they will be assigned a tutor in each location who will guide them, individually and in small groups, through successive stages of the project. This 3-credit project culminates in the writing and
submission of a long paper in Florence.

The program has no special prerequisites, and is designed for anyone interested in experiencing the three locations and learning about Western culture.

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