AIFS Global Education Center Rome
AHST 210: Italian Art Selected Topics (Rome) 1 Credit
Prerequisite: Intro to fine art or Italian art history (or equivalent), or advisor approval.
School of Record Articulation: 2000 Level Art History
The class is taught on site in Rome and during field trips to Venice, Florence, Naples and Palermo. This course covers selected topics in Italian art, especially pertaining to painting and sculpture, up to the Renaissance and the Baroque ages. Early Italian art from the Etruscans and the Romans up to the early modern times will be considered in their art historical contexts; key topics will be covered such as artistic patronage as well as other social, religious and cultural developments. Students write a project paper based on a topic agreed with the instructor and related to field exploration.
AHST 310: Masters of the Renaissance and Baroque in Rome 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introduction to Art History, History of Western Civilization, English Language and Composition or equivalents
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Art History
The course deals with the features and the evolution of the Italian and especially Roman painting, sculpture and architecture in the Renaissance and Baroque periods between the fourteenth and the seventeenth centuries. The transition from the Medieval to the early modern times in Rome will be examined from the art historical point of view. Students will get to know impressive works of art along with the key figures of their masters within the social, cultural and historical contexts of their production and fruition. The focus of the course is Rome and classroom lectures are complemented by on-site visits to works by masters such as Caravaggio, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Bernini.
AHST 320: Roman Art and Civilization: from Antiquity to the Present 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introductory to History, Art History, and History of Western Civilization, or equivalent, or advisor approval
School of Record Articulation: 2000 Level Art History
This course surveys the history of Roman civilization from antiquity to present times with special focus on Rome’s material cultural, artistic and architectural evidences. The Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, as well as the modern and the contemporary features of Roman art and civilization will be analyzed, also through frequent visits of churches, museums, and other places of artistic interest.
ANTH/HIST 320: Food, Culture and Identity 3 Credits
Prerequisite: History of Western Civilization, a basic knowledge of ancient history
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Sociology
This is a course on the history and the evolution of food-related cultures and behaviors, from the ancient to the recent times, passing through the Classical and the Medieval ages, and the social function of eating and food, through the analysis of festive occasions related to meals, table manners, dietary prescriptions and identities. Different types of sources will be considered, from written texts, to artistic and archaeological finds, to highlight the variety of traditions and social rules developed through the ages with regard to food and eating. Those topics will also be contextualized in the different environments they were part of, such as cities, houses, noble palaces or abbeys.
ARCH 321: Engineering in Ancient Rome 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introductory History course, plus Ancient Roman art history and/or architecture and/or history
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Art History/Classical Studies
This course explores the engineering techniques and production systems used in the construction of the architectural masterpieces of the Roman world: aqueducts, bridges, domes, roads, amphitheaters, atriums, temples, and other public places. We will study the sophisticated construction processes, the use of materials and building practices that made possible the completion of such monumental and long lasting structures. We will survey a broad range of ancient technologies -cranes, concrete, water supply and more- their practical implications, applications and developments. In class sessions will be complemented by field visits to observe directly the evidence of construction methods and to discover the economic, industrial, organizational and technological processes that lie behind the creation of ancient Rome monuments.
BUSI 320: Italian Luxury Fashion and Design 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Intermediate Business course or equivalent, or advisor approval
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Marketing
The course covers the development of fashion and fashion industry in Italy through visual merchandising and retail with particular focus on Rome. Peculiars aspects in relation to the instore experience of the costumer vs the spread of the e-commerce model of buying will be addressed and discussed. In this respect, students will engage in a project called The Luxury Shopping Experience, for the sake of which they are tasked with visiting, examining and reporting about specific luxury stores of the Via Condotti and Via Borgognona fashion district in Rome.
CLAS/ENGL 315: Greek and Roman Mythology 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introductory history course, plus intermediate history or classics course, or advisor approval (or equivalent)
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level English
This course discusses Greek and Roman mythology through Classical literature and against its historical and cultural backgrounds. English texts from all the major Latin and Greek authors, such as Ovid, Virgil, Aeschylus, Omer, and Hesiod, will help identify and analyze Classical myths in a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, using the results and methods of literary, religious, historical, and archaeological studies to reconstruct narratives involving gods and heroes.
CLAS 320: Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Rome 3 Credits
Prerequisite: History of Western Civilization, One Philosophy course, English Language and Composition, plus intermediate classics course (or equivalent)
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Classical Studies
This interdisciplinary course analyzes ancient Roman conceptions of gender and sexuality within the context of contemporary debate and scholarship. Using a broad range of ancient sources both textual, material and contemporary scholarship, students will examine ideas relating to masculinity and femininity; male and female roles in public and private life; non-binary gender identities; hetero-, bi- and homosexuality; the impact of gender and sexuality on different aspects of life and culture in ancient Rome; the use and misuse of Roman ideas about gender and sexuality in contemporary debate. Visits to museums and archaeological sites will illustrate how ideas about gender and sexuality shaped public and private space, architecture and art.
COMM/FILM 310: A Century of Italian Cinema 3 Credits
Prerequisite: History of Western Civilization, Film History, Media Studies recommended
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Communications
This course covers Italian cinema and society through the movies, with specific attention to the period following WWII. Students will analyse the evolution of Italian cinema through its masterpieces and against the background of international cinema. The aim of the course is to provide students with a deep grasp of Italian contemporary cultural trends through the cinema and the diffusion of realism as a cultural convention.
COMM/PHOT 315: Photojournalism: Rome Reportage 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Basic Photography or equivalent
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Arts & Sciences Elective
Both communications and journalism majors as well as photographers will benefit from this course, the aim of which is to foster practical skills and advanced knowledge of photojournalism through the works of major contemporary photographers and through the exploration of the city of Rome. Students will engage in the production of assignments related to the real world of photojournalism. The only technical requisite for the course is to bring to class a DSRL - digital reflex - camera along with a laptop equipped with a photo editing software.
COMM/ENGL 330: Travel Writing-Rome 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Intro to compositions, plus intermediate or higher writing course, or advisor (or equivalent)
School of Record Articulation: 300 Level Communications
This course explores basic features of journalism, approached from a comparative perspective and with a special focus on travel writing and the exploration of city of Rome. Class excursions will be planned in and around Rome where students will learn to observe and report on these trips by using the highly detailed and personal style characteristics of travel writing. The course aims at developing students’ research and writing skills as well as to study and apply various techniques employed by the media. Students will complete a series of writing assignments based on class outings and personal travels. In-class and outside reading assignments will augment classroom discussion
CRIM/HIST/POLI 332: Mafia and Anti-Mafia in Sicily 1 Credit
Prerequisite: Intro to history or criminal justice, plus intermediate criminal justice or Italian studies course, or advisor approval (or equivalent)
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Politics
The class is taught in Rome and Palermo, Sicily. The first part consists of introductory lectures and audiovisual materials analyzed in the classroom, with reports presented. The second part consists of a three day field trip based in Palermo, the County Seat of Sicily. Students analyse the political and social history of the Italian Mafia from its origins to the present day. The visits focus on the emergence of a new Sicilian culture and society based on the fight against the Mafia, and the reasons for the successes and failures of the anti-Mafia struggle.
ENGL 300: Travel and Identity 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Intermediate college level course in English Literature
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level English
This course introduces students to a variety of different forms of literary text which describe travel in Europe—from poetry and novel to travel writing and journals—but which also open up complex questions about the identity of travelers themselves. The experience of being exposed to new cultures and contexts can destabilize a traveler’s sense of their private self or cause them to reflect on how others perceive them in ways they would not at home. This course asks students to reflect on their own experience in weekly journal entries alongside responding to literary texts in essay and presentation work.
FASH 321: Italian Style in Made in Italy 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introductory and Intermediate Marketing, Fashion, or equivalent, or advisor approval
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Marketing
Explore the evolution and the features of consumption of goods and services in Italy. A variety of approaches from other disciplines, such as social and cultural anthropology as well as microeconomy will help analyze the topics at the core of the course. Italian society will be approached from the point of view of consumer society to see how a specific Italian style has been evolving in specific areas such as fashion, industrial design, advertising, sport, food and beverages. The shaping of a specifically Italian cultural identity as related to all those aspects will also be examined and discussed and visit major Italian companies.
FNAR 310: Rome Sketchbook 3 Credits
Prerequisite: An Introductory Drawing class
School of Record Articulation: 2000 Level Art History
Students will acquire a broad grasp of the roles and aims of drawing as both an analytical and an expressive tool of artistic and communicative inquiry. Rome is at the center of the drawing process, which aims at exploring and communicating in a visual way the most peculiar sites of the city, from the Tiber River to the numerous Roman churches, galleries and museums. The course is organized in both indoor and outdoor sessions. The production of a sketchbook is an essential part of the course and it helps the students to record the city, create ideas, and show how drawing is an open and mobile tool for exploring reality.
HIST 310: The Rise, Fall and Legacy of the Roman Empire 3 Credits
Prerequisite: A basic knowledge of ancient Roman history/Western civilization/research and writing
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level History
Explore the entire history of Rome, from its legendary founding by Romulus and Remus, to the Republic period leading to the expansion of Rome throughout Italy and Europe. This powerful Empire of ancient times eventually becoming Christian, the rise of the roman civilization, transformation and subsequent dissolution, the fall of the Roman Empire under the arrival of the Germans, in the dark ages of the early medieval periods. Visiting archaeological sites, the evolution of Rome and its architectural, political structures, the rise and fall of the Republic, conquests of the Romans, peculiarities of Roman civilization, religion in Rome, the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire and the cultural and material legacy of Rome.
HIST 311: Templars, Crusades, and Military Orders 3 Credits
Prerequisite: History of Western Civilization, English Language and Composition or equivalents
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level History
The course aims at providing students with a deep knowledge and understanding of the military orders phenomenon in the Medieval times, focusing on the Knights Templar with the mystery of their rise to unprecedented economic and political power up to their fall amidst the flames of stakes. All other major military-religious orders emerging in the context of the Crusades. The deployment of pilgrimages routes between the East and the West: all together contributing to connect domains as different as the historical, the spiritual, the religious, the political, the cultural as well as the geographical in reconstructing the picture of a changing Medieval world.
HIST 340: History of Western Medicine 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Intro to history, plus intermediate history or medical science course, or advisor approval (or equivalent)
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level History
Explore the developments of medical science, the evolution of medicine from the times of the ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, the Babylonians, as well as the Greeks and the Romans, through the medieval times and the Renaissance period to the Scientific Revolution and the modern age. Through a comparative and multidisciplinary approach, based on the history and philosophy of science, sociology, art, and literature. Exploring Hippocrates and Paracelsus, with their discoveries of diseases, advances in approaching and curing them, outbreak of pandemics, such as plague or the Black Death in the medieval times and discussing what have made medicine one of the most fascinating and fast-growing fields in science.
HIST/POLI 231: Politics of Genocide: Auschwitz 1 Credit
Prerequisite: One college level history or political science course
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level History
The class is taught in Rome and Krakow, in two parts; first- lectures and audiovisual materials analyzed in the classroom, with reports presented, the second- a three day field trip based in Kraków, the capital city of a region that witnessed some of the greatest atrocities in European history, diversity of national identities (Polish, Jewish, German, Ukrainian, “Gypsy”, “Galicjan”) and analyzes the intricacies of ethnic, religious, and cultural factors, and historical, political, and social aspects of the genocidal policies suffered under both Nazi and Communist regimes. “Experience Education” taught at the highest academic levels and designed for students “hands on” principle of knowledge transferring and experiencing.
HIST/POLI/SOCI 330: Italian Mafias: History and Evolution 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Italian History/Politics/Research and Writing
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level History
This course examines the multifaceted world of the Italian Mafias from the historical, social, cultural, criminological and political points of view, between the period of the Italian unification and today. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, the relationships between the Italian and the American Mafias, the connections between Mafia and politics in Italy, personal relationships in the context of the mafia organizations.
HIST/RSLT 312: History of the Popes and the Catholic Church 3 Credits
Prerequisite: History of Western Civilization, Foundations of European History, Research and Writing
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Religious Studies
This course analyses and discusses the entire history of the Catholic Church through the most prominent figures of its popes, from the origin of the Christian experience in Palestine, to the construction of the Church as an institution and its developments and crisis through the antique, medieval and modern periods, to the challenges of the present day. Visit places of interest in the city of Rome such as catacombs, basilicas, old Roman Christian houses, and its countless ties with local and international domains linking together religious, cultural, social, and political evolutions.
INTN 305: Global Service Learning 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Completion of two Humanitarian Action electives
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Arts & Science General Elective
The Global Service Learning course combines service in the local community with structured preparation and reflection opportunities. As students engage in service learning, they learn about the context in which service is provided, understand the connection between their service and their coursework, and their role as community members. Community work placement provides students from any discipline and majors with the opportunity to grow academically, professionally, personally and civically through participation in a service-learning experience. The course consists of 20 contact hours of seminars & workshops and 100 hours of supervised community service.
INTN 310: International Internship 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Minimum GPA of 2.75 and two letters of reference from professors
Corequisite: Students are required to enroll in the 3-credit hybrid course SOCI 360 Italian Culture and Traditions
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level General Elective
The International Internship program combines practical work experience in a foreign country with structured preparation and reflection opportunities. The course aims at providing students of any discipline and majors with the professional skills required by today’s culturally diverse working environment. The placement opportunity will help students think about their own skills, those they would need to acquire according to their professional plans, and whether their own professional paths are coherent with their goals.
ITAL 110: Practice Speaking in Italian 1 Credit
Prerequisite: N/A
School of Articulation: 1000 Level Modern Languages
This course provides a balance between the communicative and structural elements of language learning to provide students with basic vocabulary and phrases to cope with authentic everyday situations. The course also offers a comprehensive overview of Italian culture.
ITAL 101: Elementary Italian l 3 Credits
ITLN 103: Elementary Italian I 4 Credits
Prerequisite: N/A
School of Articulation: 1000 Level Italian
A thorough introduction to the Italian language for absolute beginners or students with little previous experience, the course teaches essential vocabulary and grammar and develops students’ ability to communicate in an authentic linguistic context.
ITAL 102: Elementary Italian ll 3 Credits
ITLN 104: Elementary Italian II 4 Credits
Prerequisite: ITAL 101: Elementary Italian I, and/or min. 70/100 score on the diagnostic test
School of Articulation: 1000 Level Italian
This course is designed for students with some knowledge of Italian. Starts with a review of basic grammar and vocabulary before progressing to more complex structures and functions. Conversation is a central part of every class, with opportunities for all students to practice listening and comprehension of authentic material as well as oral and written production. Students will also have a greater awareness of Italian culture and society.
ITAL 201: Intermediate Italian I 3 Credits
ITLN 202: Intermediate Italian I 4 Credits
Prerequisite: ITAL 102, Elementary Italian II, and/or min. 70/100 score on the diagnostic test
School of Articulation: 2000 Level Italian
In this course students develop their ability to communicate effectively and accurately, making use of expanded vocabulary. Students practice conversation and improve listening and oral production skills in an authentic Italian context. The course covers cultural elements of the Italian society and lifestyle. Reading and writing exercises improve skills in understanding prose and writing letters and messages with appropriate vocabulary.
ITAL 301: Intermediate Italian ll 3 Credits
ITLN 302: Intermediate Italian II 4 Credits
Prerequisite: 3 semesters of Italian and/or a pass at ITAL 201, Intermediate Italian I, and/or min. 70/100 score on the diagnostic test
School of Articulation: 3000 Level Italian
This course builds upon the abilities and knowledge acquired in Intermediate Italian I and develops them to enable students to understand and respond to complex lines of written and oral arguments. Students review complex grammar structures and work regularly on reading, composition, phonetics, syntax, and style assignments. Constant conversation practice enables them to communicate competently in Italian.
ITAL 401: Advanced Italian 3 Credits
ITLN 402: Advanced Italian 4 Credits
Prerequisite: Four/five semesters of Italian and/or a pass at ITL 301: Intermediate Italian II level, and/or min. 70/100 score on the diagnostic test.
School of Articulation: 4000 Level Italian
This course prepares students to use advanced grammatical structures and vocabulary and enables them to interact with the Italian world at a sophisticated level. Students practice understanding of complex lectures and arguments, in both written and oral form. They are expected to become fluent and spontaneous in their verbal interaction, as well as capable of presenting an argument, orally and in writing.
ITAL 260: Basic Italian in its Cultural Context ` 6 Credits
Prerequisite: N/A
School of Record Articulation: 2000 Level Intensive Italian
This is an intensive Italian language course for beginners, with a focus on Italian language and a comprehensive view of the Italian culture. The course teaches essential vocabulary and grammar, develops students’ ability to communicate in an authentic linguistic context and enables them to deepen their understanding of the typical aspects of the Italian culture and customs.
MKTG 311: International Marketing 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introductory Marketing and an intermediate-level Marketing course or equivalent, or advisor approval
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Marketing
The course deals with market strategy and the threats and opportunities companies need to handle in nowadays global markets. Various aspects related to the marketing management actions companies need to take in order to compete will be covered during the course, ranging from market analysis, costs, competition in a global market, distribution channels. Contextualization, standardization, and adaptation strategies are evaluated with regard to international marketing.
POLI 310: Globalization and Europe 3 Credits
Prerequisite: One college level Political Science course
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Politics
This is a course on globalization which is studied in an interdisciplinary way from a specific European perspective, analyzing its social, economic, political and cultural aspects. Key issues of globalization will be discussed ranging from nationalism and inequalities to convergence, and the analysis of global institutions and agents.
POLI 311: Politics of the European Union 3 Credits
Prerequisite: One college level Political Science or History course
School of Articulation: 3000 Level Politics
This course deals with the historical and political developments of the European Union, from its first steps in the 1950s to the present day. The various institutions of the E.U. with their roles and functioning will be analyzed, with a special focus on the process of European enlargement and integration. The relationship between the ideals behind the European integration and the economic aspect of the actual process will be discussed through an analysis of the economic and monetary union developments. The various member states policies concerning domains such as the regional, agricultural, social, environmental, working, energetic sectors will be covered, along with the international relationships between the E.U., third countries and other primary global players such as the U.S.A. and China.
POLI/SOCI 310 Contemporary Italian Society 3 credits
Prerequisite: Introductory History and intermediate-level Politics or Sociology course
School of Record Articulation: 3000 Level Politics
This course explores the transformations of modern Italian society through its most significant developments, from the birth of the Fascist regime through post-war society and contemporary evolutions. Specific topics will be discussed such as the relations between the Italian State and the Catholic Church, the outbreak of terrorism in the 1970s, the development of political parties, the Italian mafias, the role of Southern Italy, immigration as well as Italy and the European Union.
PSYC 200: Developmental Psychology 3 Credits
Prerequisite: At least one semester of Introduction to Psychology
School of Articulation: 2000 Level Psychology
This course examines current research and examples across a number of human development concerns and students have opportunities to evaluate, synthesize and apply this information to case studies. The most important theories and research on cognitive development during childhood and adolescence are presented and critically analyzed, with a specific focus on how intelligence, language and communication skills develop. The course also covers other core developmental topics such as emotional development, temperament and attachment; sex differences and gender-role development; aggression altruism and moral development; and how the social context (family, peers, school and technology) influences human development. Lessons include lectures (using slides and videos), class discussions, case studies and course- related trips.
PSYC 310: Cross Cultural Psychology 3 Credits
Prerequisite: One 200-level Social Psychology course or an equivalent and or Advisor permission.
School of Articulation: 3000 Level Psychology
The course explores human behavior from the social and a cross-cultural perspective, in theory and in practice, focusing on Italy and the Italians. This course in cross-cultural psychology, through elements of sociology, ecology, anthropology, biology, sociology, gives students the opportunity to discuss the shaping and deployment of human attitudes, behavior, values, communication process and social organization, and issues as the individual vs social, mental health and cross-cultural communication with field research, conducting interviews on topics related to their own study abroad experience while visiting various locations in Rome and Italy.
RLST/HIST 310: Comparative Religions 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introductory PLUS intermediate world religions course, or advisor approval (or equivalent)
School of Articulation: 3000 Religious Studies
The course explores the entire panorama of world religions, from a comparative perspective and using methodologies from various, related disciplines. Ancient Roman, Greek, Eastern religious traditions, as well as the three monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – and the polytheistic religious systems – Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism – will be discussed and analyzed along with current developments and the “new-age” religions. Religious, historical, anthropological, sociological, philosophical approaches will be considered to discuss the evolutions of religions and central religious issues, such as the problem of evil, free will, the construction of organized religious institutions, and the shaping of religious identities.
SOCI 311: Contemporary Rome: The Culture of the City 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Introductory History or Sociology course, plus Intermediate History or Sociology course
School of Articulation: 3000 Level Sociology
This course is designed to introduce students to a historical and sociological analysis of modern and contemporary Rome. We will study the urban development of Rome since 1870, when it became the national capital. Rome, as a physical, historical and artistic place, is a text for us to know and explore. By challenging conventional notions of what it means to be a Roman today, we will explore the transformations taking place in the city's population, neighborhoods, and the structures of daily life. We will also examine issues facing Rome today, such as tourism, gentrification, housing, environmental concerns, multiculturalism, migration trends, social conflicts and political identities.
SOCI 325: Italian Culture: Customs and Traditions 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Basic knowledge in Western Civilization, Anthropology, and Sociology
School of Articulation: 3000 Level Sociology
This course develops an understanding of contemporary Italian culture and style, also touching the role of religion, politics, as well as the fashion industry. A variety of approaches from other disciplines, such as social and cultural anthropology as well as micro-economy will help analyze the topics at the core of the course. Italian society will be analyzed in all of its major components in order to see how a specific type of Italian style has been emerging in contemporary times. The shaping of a specifically Italian cultural identity will be examined and discussed. Visits to major Roman sites are an integral part of the course.