Study language, art, humanities, and history in Macerata. Language classes are held at the Università degli Studi di Macerata, located in the center of the city. Studio art classes are held at the Accademia di Belle Arti, an international art academy. All other classes are held in the AHA Macerata Centre, located near the university.
Each term a U.S. visiting faculty member teaches a specialty course. Additional courses are taught by local instructors.
All courses, with the exception of Italian language, are taught in English. No prior Italian language is required.
FALL SEMESTER 2008 COURSE LISTING
Click on link for course descriptions.
Italian Language - Levels 1 through 4 (mandatory)
Painting: The Italian Experience
Modern Italy: History and Culture of the Italian People
Art History: Between Romanseque and Renaissance, the Centers of Renaissance
Crosscultural Communication/Crosscultural Perspectives (mandatory)
American Fictions of Italy: Expatriate Narratives
Book Arts in Italy: The Making of Beautiful Books
SPRING SEMESTER 2009 COURSE LISTING
Click on link for course descriptions.
Italian Language - Levels 1 through 4 (mandatory)
Painting: The Italian Experience
Modern Italy: History and Culture of the Italian People
History of Art & Architecture: The Medieval City-State and Renaissance Town
Italy in the Movies Through the Eyes of American and Italian Masters of Cinema
Crosscultural Communication/Crosscultural Perspectives (mandatory)
Machiavelli and the Coming of the Modern Age
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Click on course titles for syllabi.
Italian Language (Spring 2008)
Italian Language - Levels 1 through 4 (80 contact hours - mandatory)
Transition into life in Macerata and gain better access to Italian culture through practical language and conversation skill development. Italian language courses are mandatory and are offered at multiple levels.
Crosscultural Communication and Crosscultural Perspectives (15 contact hours - mandatory)
Examine both the academic and experiential nature of crosscultural communications in this mandatory course. Analyze and process your personal intercultural experience in Italy.
Modern Italy: History and Culture of the Italian People (Spring 2008)
Modern Italy: History and Culture of the Italian People (45 contact hours)
Examine the evolution of life and culture in modern Italy, from its roots in Fascism to the impact of World War II and the current political atmosphere. This course draws from Italian literature and cinema as it relates to historical events.
Painting: The Italian Experience (45 contact hours)
Develop your technical abilities through theoretical and practical examinations of the principal painting techniques. Study the historical evolution and develop critical knowledge of the appropriate techniques related to contemporary artistic style. Paint on canvas, wood panels, and murals.
Art History: Between Romanesque and Renaissance, the Centers of Renaissance (45 contact hours)
Discover two distinctive and interacting periods in the history of art and architecture in the Marches, Umbrian, and Tuscan areas. Explore the Renaissance and Humanist movements that originated in this area and influenced the arts of the entire Italian peninsula and later all of Europe.
History of Art and Architecture: The Medieval City-State and the Renaissance Town (Spring 2008)
History of Art and Architecture: The Medieval City-State and the Renaissance Town (45 contact hours)
Trace the major developments of towns in central Italy from early medieval times to the Renaissance. Compare the various sites of the Marches with important centers in nearby regions such as Assisi, Siena, Florence, Perugia, and Rome.
Italy in the Movies through the Eyes of American and Italian Masters of Cinema (Spring 2008)
Italy in the Movies through the Eyes of American and Italian Masters of Cinema (45 contact hours)
Examine Italian cinema from the postwar period to the present. Compare the Anglo-American and Italian visions through screenings, readings, and excursions. Gain insight into Italian history and culture. Develop your skills in the critical analysis of cinema.
FALL SEMESTER 2008 U.S. VISITING FACULTY MEMBER COURSES
Instructors: Sandra Holstein, Professor of English, Southern Oregon University and Michael Holstein, Honors Program Professor Emeritus, Southern Oregon University
American Fictions of Italy: Expatriate Narratives (45 contact hours)
Discover Italy as a source of knowledge and pleasure in the words of American writers from the last two centuries. Examine the different national characteristics and cultural norms that inevitably cause ethical dilemmas and explore how they are resolved either in self-awareness and maturation or in disillusionment and destruction. Compare and contrast your personal experience in Macerata to what you learn about Italy from the expatriate fiction of our best writers, classic and contemporary.
Book Arts in Italy: The Making of Beautiful Books (45 contact hours)
Experience the long and glorious history of Italian book arts. See, smell, touch, and hear about how books were developed from their beginnings. Use this new knowledge as preparation and inspiration for your own creative work. No special skill is required. Move from simple book forms to more elaborate ones, building on and borrowing techniques learned through readings, our workshops, and travels in Italy.
SPRING SEMESTER 2009 U.S. VISITING FACULTY MEMBER COURSE
Instructor: Joseph Losco, Professor, Department of Political Science, Ball State University
Machiavelli and the Coming of the Modern Age (45 contact hours)
Machiavelli is a pivotal figure in the transition between ancient and modern worlds. Partly, this is because he wrote at a time when feudal states were crumbling before the advent of the nation state. Machiavelli saw this clearly and did not want Italy to be left behind. This class will explore life and politics as it was in Renaissance cities and towns and how they influenced Machiavelli’s writings. Readings from Machiavelli and scholarly commentaries will be supplemented by trips to nearby villages, tours by local historians, and participation in local festivities reflecting the era in which Machiavelli lived and wrote.
EXCURSIONS
Italy is your classroom—excursions to cultural and historical sites around the country are an integral part of your learning experience.
Past excursions include:
• Three days in Rome
• Three days in Florence
• Loreto
• Ascoli Piceno
• Urbino
• San Marino
Not all courses listed are offered every term.
Course offerings are subject to change depending on enrollment and availability.
ACADEMIC CREDIT
All courses offered in Macerata are recognized and approved for academic credit by various NCSA and MCSA member institutions. Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad adviser for more information.
Application deadline: