SAI Gap Programs are designed for high school graduates and offer access to university-level learning paired with unique exposure to the local community and culture. SAI gap semester students at JCU enroll in one Italian language course, one elective course with a focus on developing global awareness, and additional elective courses for a total of 12 - 15 US credits. Students benefit from program services geared toward gap students, including the Global Leadership Exploration Program, in which students complete community service, gain exposure to a range of career fields, and receive personalized guidance and mentoring from SAI staff on leadership, cultural competency, and value setting.
Application open until: April 17, 2025
Application Requirements
Complete online application
Personal statement (300-500 words)
High school transcript
Passport copy (photo & signature page)
Academic letter of recommendation
Italian privacy consent form
JCU privacy consent form
Highlights
- Explore unique college courses and fields, alongside students from around the globe.
- Develop independence and leadership skills.
- Attend a US-accredited university in the Eternal City of Rome.
Program Dates
August 27, 2025 – December 13, 2025
Eligibility Requirements
Age: 18+
Academic Year: High school graduate
* contact SAI if you don’t meet requirements
High School GPA:* 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
English Language:* Non-native English language speakers must submit TOEFL: 85+ (internet based) or IELTS: 6.5+.
Art & Design | Studio Art
Art History and Archaeology
Art History and Archaeology | Archeology
Art History and Archaeology | Art History
Arts and Humanities | Theater and Film Studies
Business, Law, Management, and Marketing | Business
Business, Law, Management, and Marketing | Law
Business, Law, Management, and Marketing | Management
Business, Law, Management, and Marketing | Marketing
Classical Studies | Classical Studies
Classical Studies | History
Communications, Media Studies, and Journalism | Communications
Communications, Media Studies, and Journalism | Journalism
Communications, Media Studies, and Journalism | Media Studies
Computer Science, Mathematics, and Natural Science | Computer Science
Computer Science, Mathematics, and Natural Science | Mathematics
Computer Science, Mathematics, and Natural Science | Natural Science
Creative Writing, English Composition, Literature, and Language | Creative Writing
Creative Writing, English Composition, Literature, and Language | English Composition
Creative Writing, English Composition, Literature, and Language | English Literature
Economics and Finance | Economics
Economics and Finance | Finance
Foreign Languages | French Language
Foreign Languages | Italian Language
Foreign Languages | Latin Language
Foreign Languages | Spanish Language
History and Humanities | History
History and Humanities | Humanistic Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies | Philosophy
Philosophy and Religious Studies | Religious Studies
Political Science | Political Science
Social Sciences: Sociology and Psychology | Psychology
Social Sciences: Sociology and Psychology | Sociology
The course is aimed at students who have have completed an introductory course in graphic design and it assumes that you have some familiarity with the creative process and the discipline specific programs.
The course is a practical study of one of the fundamental elements of visual art and design: color. Artists use color as a compositional tool in developing pictorial form and space. Color transmits meaning and emotion, and is everywhere in our daily lives. Focused exercises help students both to understand the perceptual aspects of color and to manipulate color using specific techniques. The course begins with the perception and control of gradations of light and dark, treats the practical issues of physically mixing pigments, explores the alteration of color caused by the placement of adjacent colors, and arrives at expressive, poetical uses of color in compositions. Students learn the correct terminology needed to analyze color effects both in their own creations and in historical masterworks, and demonstrate their growing confidence and mastery of color in a portfolio of creative work.
This course introduces the fundamental principles of four-dimensional art and design through a survey of concepts, techniques, and technological practices. It introduces students to formal, narrative and alternative concepts for creative practice in a time-based context. The course covers the fundamental principles of space, moving image, sound design and interactivity. Throughout the course, students will learn how to organize information effectively in the dimensions of time and space. They will engage in creating, manipulating, animating, choreographing, and distributing digital and analogue content across multiple platforms and outputs. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking and creative problem-solving, focusing on areas particularly relevant to four-dimensional art and design.
This is a course in basic photojournalism on location. There will be both classroom sessions and classes off campus, held on location in Rome and the surrounding area, as well as visits to photographic exhibitions. Students will gain an understanding of the basic concepts of photography and photojournalism; how cameras and lenses work; image composition; lighting conditions and techniques; shooting on location; techniques for working as a photographer; editing and producing photographs; and building a portfolio of images. Class sessions will cover learning use of a camera, lights, composition, color, documentary and candid photographic techniques, photographic software such as Adobe Photoshop, and critiques. Classes on location include practical fieldwork.
This course will investigate the material, operational, and conceptual overlaps between painting and printmaking, focusing primarily on the exploration of one-off mono-prints. In contrast to the tradition of printmaking as a medium for technical reproduction, students will deconstruct techniques for image making into principal elements such as pressure, tactility, materiality, and transfer, reconceptualizing them to foster expressive uncertainty and spontaneity associated with painterly prints. This course centers on the creative reinvention of images and the development of a personal portfolio derived from sketchbook exercises and visual research. Through active experimentation on the plate, students will create painterly prints utilizing various techniques for texture, pattern, and mark-making.
This course focuses both on the creation of photographs and on their presentation in book format. A photo-book is a book in which the primary message is carried by photographs; through its design and the choice of its images the book is itself an expressive artistic medium. The course examines the contemporary status of the photo-book as well as the rich history of the medium. It explores the processes of creating a personal photographic vision, and guides students in producing a final collaborative photo-book.
In the digital era, independent, experimental, self-produced video art has become a widespread, even dominant, phenomenon that is visible in art galleries, museums, and other venues throughout the world. This course in video and video art will greatly increase students’ awareness of the possibilities offered by new inexpensive technologies not only to create simple clips to post on various social network sites, but also to make true, creative, artistic works. The course includes in-depth study of the basic aspects of both video shooting and subsequent elaboration at the computer using software such as Final Cut.
Students with prior painting experience follow their personal lines of research; instruction is through group critiques and individual tutoring. Visits to museums and art exhibitions help students discover their own relationships with artistic traditions.
The main objective of the course is to prepare students to learn the use of the NEW CAMERAS, their settings, and the new perspectives in photography given by the use of specific SOFTWARE. The students will be able to create their own Portfolio, including eight/ten photos, and a one written page explanation of their work. In this part of the course the teacher and the fellow classmates following two criteria will critique the works: Techniques and Creativity. The best pictures of all students will be presented with a multimedia slide show during the final exhibition of classes.Pre-requisite for the course: each participant must have his/her own digital camera with a wide lens or an optical zoom 3x or more and/or 35mm TTL camera with 28/80mm lens zoom or equivalents.
This course makes use of the unparalleled resource that is the city of Rome itself; each class meets at a different site around the city. Students work in sketchbook form, creating over the course of the term a diary of visual encounters. Instruction, apart from brief discussions of the sites themselves, focuses on efficient visual note-taking: the quick description of form, awareness of light, and the development of volume in space.
The course offers an opportunity for idea development, visual perception, and the organization of experience into compositions. Primary emphasis is on developing visual expression, skill in using various materials, and growth of critical evaluative abilities through group discussions and critiques. The course offers a critical investigation of concepts such as abstraction, mark-making, mapping, spatial disruption, time, pace, coding and organising visual information. The class will be structured around a series of projects and workshops, both within the studio and onsite, and visits to exhibitions in order to both examine the role of drawing within Contemporary Art and to support an evolving personal approach to drawing amongst students.
Figure drawing is the traditional basis for training the artists eye and hand. Through specific exercises, students learn to control line and gesture, to model form in light and dark, and to depict accurately the forms and proportions of the human body.
The aim of this course is to give students a comprehensive introduction to visual communication and to demonstrate how Graphic Design can be an effective and powerful tool for business. It covers a broad spectrum of different design disciplines, ranging from corporate identity, branding, brochure design, poster design, to packaging and illustration, and provides precious insight into the world of Graphic Design. The course is open to all students, particularly those who do not have a background in design, and complements other courses including Business, Management, Marketing and Communication.
This introductory studio course engages students in historical and contemporary techniques of printmaking and its theory. The course positions drawing and mark-making as fundamental ways to investigate visual culture. Exploring the basic intaglio and relief processes of mono-printing, linocut and collagraph, students will heighten their sensitivity to line, color, tone, texture, transparency, layout and overall composition. This will provide students with an introduction to the creative thinking and visual exploration involved in making a multiple edition print and understanding its relevance to art, design and today’s image-based culture.
This course offers an exploration of the expressive possibilities of ink, watercolor, and acrylic. Painting is done mostly on paper, directly from life, both in the studio and outdoors. Emphasis is on control of color, the creation of a coherent pictorial space, and the discovery of technical effects which suggest light, form, and movement.
The course focuses on significant contemporary art practices that have developed internationally since the 1990s. It will investigate a variety of current issues and positions in relation to social and historical perspectives, to address how these are negotiated in artistic practice, artworks, and the participation of the viewer. These artistic trends will further be situated within the context of cultural criticism, social movements, and political debates, demonstrating how art can critique or give agency to compelling issues of its time. The course is an exploration of contemporary art practices, and how artists and exhibitions contemplate, interrogate, and negotiate the modern world.
Rome City Series – An on-site course that enables the student to visit many of the major and minor monuments of Baroque Rome – churches, palaces,piazze, etc. – and thus to study firsthand important works by such artists as Bernini, Borromini, Caravaggio and Pietro da Cortona, among others. On site activity fee may apply.
Caravaggio (1571-1610) provides a noteworthy case study of how an artists fame changes over time when the works of art do not. Best known for his striking representation of light and use of naturalism, his anecdote-filled biographies led to a negative assessment of the artist and his works. The course looks at the artist’s output from an array of historical, thematic, and methodological points of view. The aim is to arrive at an understanding of Caravaggio’s works within their historical context from the 17th century to the present day. This course is composed of 30% on-site classes, with a mandatory overnight field trip to Naples (activity fee 25 euro or $33).
The course explores what we do with culturally significant objects and why. It examines the histories and meanings of ownership, collecting and display in private and especially public venues. Thematically chosen case-studies from a variety of periods and places investigate how knowledge, values and power are constructed through classification and display. The course considers antecedents and alternatives to the modern museum. It examines current debates
Developments in architecture, painting, sculpture, and mosaic of the Early Christian and Byzantine periods, beginning with the art of the catacombs in the 3rd and 4th centuries to the monuments of Italo-Byzantine art of the Middle Ages.
The course addresses the skills, methods and issues essential to building the future Art Historian’s tool kit. To this end, it develops simultaneously on three levels: immersing students in progressively complex assignments and exams; getting students to practice art history as an issue-based analysis of objects; providing students with the historical and methodological frameworks specific to the field. The course lays the foundation for looking at, understanding and working in the visual arts. The material corpus that the course draws on is primarily Europe and North America from the late 18th century to the present day.
An extension of the study of Italian art and architecture in the Renaissance through the second half of the 15th century into the first three decades of the 16th. The works of Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pollaiuolo and others will be studied, along with works by those whose innovations initiated the High Renaissance style: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bramante and Raphael. Numerous on-site visits in Rome are included, as well as a required trip to Florence.
Rome City Series – In the third and fourth century Rome continued to be a stronghold of traditional paganism, but it was also a hub of “exotic” pagan cults imported from the East, home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Diaspora, and of one of the fastest-growing Christian communities in the Empire. This diversity was matched by an increase in religious feeling that affected Roman society as a whole. Much of the art produced in Rome at this time may be understood in the context of this new religious ferment. It is a highly creative art, in which tradition, innovation, syntheses, and even contradiction often coexist and give expression to the complex and constantly evolving religious, cultural and social framework of the times. The goal of the course is to allow students to become familiar with the iconography and meaning of the art of Late Antique Rome in the context of this new age of spirituality. In-class lectures will be complemented by site and museum visits to take advantage of the many monuments and artworks still extant in Rome and its environs. On-site AH classes require a small fee for museum tickets.
Rome City Series – This on-site survey investigates the history of Rome primarily through its monuments, its architecture and urban form. This course will provide the student with a clear grasp of how the city of Rome has changed over the course of two thousand years from a modest Iron Age settlement on the Palatine Hill to a thriving modern metropolis of the twentieth century. The student will become intimately acquainted with the topography, urban makeup and history of the city and its monuments; and will acquire the theoretical tools needed to examine, evaluate and critically assess city form, design and architecture.
This course considers the city of Rome and the Empire during the reign of Augustus. Following an introduction to the political, social and artistic trends of the late Republican period, students are exposed to the politics, ideology, literature, art and architecture of the Augustan period. Themes include memories of Julius Caesar, constructing the Imperial family, Aeneas and the legacy of Augustus.
The course examines wall painting and painted spaces in the Greek and Roman world. It focuses mainly on fresco painting, and examines the versatility and visual impact of this medium across subject, setting and viewing. Since wall painting is intimately linked to its display setting, the course will examine both the subjects and artistic approach of the paintings, and the nature of the spaces they adorned, as well as the interplay of the two-dimensional medium and its three-dimensional setting. Considerations may hence address aspects such as pictorial illusionism, public and private display, articulation of space, the role of the viewer, and the relationship between movements and viewing.
Topic varies by term
This course is an introduction to archaeological research, focusing predominantly–but not exclusively–on Classical Antiquity, i.e. on Italy and the Mediterranean. Various methods of recovery of ancient monuments will be explored, like radar survey, aerial reconnaissance and underwater archaeology. There will also be a focus on the changing interests of the discipline by an overview of the history of archaeology, from the first scientific excavations in the 18th century to new approaches in the last years. Finally, the presentation to the public (restauration, museums) and problems as illegal digging and trading will be discussed.
Rome City Series – This on-site course considers the art and architecture of ancient Rome through visits to museums and archaeological sites. The course covers the visual culture and architecture of Rome beginning with the late Bronze Age and ending with the time of Constantine. A broad variety of issues are raised, including patronage, style and iconography, artistic and architectural techniques, Roman religion, business and entertainment. On site activity fee may apply. On Site Activity Fee may apply.
On-site activity fee 40 euros or $52
Rome, Ostia and Pompeii are three of the best- preserved archaeological sites in the world. Through their study, we are able to comprehend the physical and social nature of Roman cities and how they transformed over the course of centuries. We explore the subjects of urban development, public and private buildings, economic and social history, and art incorporated into urban features (houses, triumphal monuments, etc.). In Rome, we focus primarily upon public buildings commissioned by Senators and Emperors: temples, law courts, theaters, triumphal monuments, baths. In Ostia, the port-city of Rome, we are able to experience many aspects of daily life: commerce, housing, religion, entertainment. Pompeii represents a well-to-do Republican and early Imperial period city that was influenced by the Greeks and Romans and preserves some of the most magnificent frescoes in the world.
A survey course covering the innovations of the Early Renaissance to the High Renaissance (14th into the 16th Century). The works of Brunelleschi, Alberti, Donatello, Ghiberti, Masaccio, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pollaiuolo, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bramante and Raphael and others will be studied.
Rome City Series – This on-site course will study the monuments of Renaissance Rome: painting, sculpture and architecture produced by such masters as Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo, all attracted to the lucrative service of popes, cardinals and nobles of the Roman court. On-site classes will investigate examples of palace and villa architecture, chapel decoration that encompasses altarpieces and funerary sculpture, as well as urbanistic projects where the city itself was considered as a work of art. In-class lectures will introduce historical context and theory allowing the student to understand artworks studied conceptually and place commissions of painting and sculpture within a socio-historic framework.
Specialized courses offered periodically on specific aspects of the art of the ancient world. Courses are normally research-led topics on an area of current academic concern.
Specialized courses offered periodically on specific aspects of the art of the modern and contemporary world. Courses are normally research-led topics on an area of current academic concern. May be taken more than once for credit with different topics.
This survey course begins with the very birth of visual representation in the middle and late Stone Age (ca. 32,000 – 11,000 BC) and ends with Late Antiquity (ca. AD 250-400), when the transition from ancient to medieval art began to take shape. The focus of this course is on the art and architecture of the Mediterranean, Near East and Europe, including the first flowering of art on the islands of Greece and the spread of Roman art throughout the entire Mediterranean area. The different media, aesthetics, functions, and subjects chosen for representation in each culture will be studied in terms of the particular social, religious, political and geographical contexts of which they are a product. Students will also be introduced to the contemporary developments in other areas of the world: Asia, Africa, Americas. The course will also assist students in cultivating basic art-historical skills, in particular description, stylistic analysis, and iconographic and iconological analysis.
During this course students will learn to: collaborate creatively; employ basic acting techniques such as sensory work, the principles of action, objectives, status, etc.; develop an expressive speaking voice; engage with a variety of stage props; analyze the process of placing a dramatic text on stage; critique and enact a variety of theatrical techniques; define specific terms relating to the study of drama and theater; develop an appreciation for theater as an art form and a reflection of society; understand the responsibility of an actor s work ethic, especially to one’s fellow actors; initiate and upkeep a gradable class-by-class journal (either blog or v-log) of their personal growth throughout the course.
This course considers management problems of founders, owners, managers, and investors in small business. Acquisitions, location, organization control, labor relations, finances, taxation, and other topics of interest to entrepreneurial business management will be analyzed.
The course shall introduce the students with the political, economic, and innovation systems of the Peoples Republic of China and its philosophical and cultural elements which are of importance for international business, international marketing, and international management disciplines. The course shall also cover main globalization and soft power initiatives of the Peoples Republic of China currently reshaping international business environment.
This course examines the entrepreneurial process, from recognizing opportunity to planning, organizing and growing a new venture. We will highlight innovation and its methods and applications on business opportunity analysis. Topics covered also include significance, status, problems, and requirements of entrepreneurial businesses. Students will have the opportunity to identify a business opportunity and develop the idea to the point of being start-up ready.This course will serve as a foundation for students who might want to own a business, and it is meant to be accessible also for non-business majors.
The course aims at investigating how the creation and exploitation of intellectual property in various product and service markets is the basis for the creation of wealth and employment in the creative industries, which are those industries that have their roots in individual creativity, skill, and talent. The course analyses the main forces behind the creation of new marketing and business models in these industries, considering also the introduction of new technologies as well as creative consumption patterns. As a result, the course will focus on one of the most dynamic battlegrounds which is the development of business models for the creative industries, which include, among the others, publishing, software, design, and the performing and visual arts. The creation and effective application of an innovative business model for these sectors may turn it into a respectable example of commercialization and a workable channel for the distribution of content. As a result, the objective of this course is to give the students a thorough analysis of the creative industries from a management perspective, as well as of the actors and activities that directly support the creation of creative content (origination, production, distribution, and consumption).
The objective of this course is to expose students to the essential elements of international business with particular emphasis on how it differs from domestic business. An extensive use of case studies provides a basis for class discussion, allowing students to develop their analytical skills and apply their theoretical knowledge.
Junior Standing, EC 202. Recommended: MKT 301.
This course aims to provide students with a theoretical and practical background to develop their personal skills to manage negotiations in multicultural environment. The course will explore leadership and communication approaches to effective negotiation management, and will highlight the role of innovation in achieving integrative, successful results. Students will have an opportunity to explore the meaning and practice of managing negotiations. During the course, they will review theory, analyze strategies, engage in practical exercises and acquaint themselves with the language, thought, and praxis of negotiations in the multicultural setting in which we live, learn and work. By studying the impact of the relations between their and others cultural narratives, the student will discover innovative paths, techniques, and strategies to lead negotiation processes in multicultural environments.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to issues related to international management and entrepreneurship, with particular attention being paid to understanding concepts related to entrepreneurship in order to formulate creative solutions to international management and entrepreneurship problems while taking into account differences in national cultures and the business environments. The course examines ways to leverage differences in cultures and leadership styles to achieve enhanced entrepreneurial performance in an international setting including the development of team and communication skills. The course is based on the case-study method.
This course presents a general summary of all functions of a business enterprise, including management, finance, accounting, marketing, human resources, and production. The course gives emphasis to the structure of business organizations and the decision-making process that occurs at different levels of corporate management. Students will be exposed to basic business terminology and will establish an applicable business vocabulary. The course also touches upon current business practices (such as managing organizational relationships, managing human resources or planning and controlling resources) that are employed in different national markets to adjust their strategies to diverse consumers worldwide. The course will use reading materials, projects and assignments that will relate the subject to the real world and the possible professional avenues students of business can pursue; the course will also foster critical and analytical thinking, and develop decision-making skills. Successful completion of the course will equip students with a broad understanding of how the business environment works, as well as a lens through which to interpret the world they live in.
This course aims at studying in depth the model of Resonant Leadership and its positive effects on the increase of efficacy, creativity, motivation, conflict resolution, decision-making, and stress reduction within the workplace.Using the latest studies in the fields of Psychology, Neuroscience, Behavior, and Organization participants will learn the theory, research and experience of employing Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence within the work environment.The course will be divided in two parts:a) a theoretical part in which the participants will be introduced to the model of Resonant Leadership informed by Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, and the most recent cognitive research; b) a practical-experiential part in which Mindfulness techniques and the development of Emotional and Social Intelligence will be learned in order to promote resonance in leadership.
This course surveys the theory and practice of public relations, examining a model for public relations programming, the principles of public relations writing, and stakeholder/issues management techniques, together with their ethical implications. It distinguishes PR and publicity communication concepts within the framework of the firms overall marketing communication strategy and organizational mission. Special topics, such as Marketing Public Relations, Investor Relations, Government Relations, etc., will also be addressed. Students are expected to be able to use primary and secondary research and the information tools of communications professionals.
Nowadays, significant social problems dramatically affect both the most developed and developing countries in many fields like education, health care, the environment. Most people think that these serious issues should be solved by either the governments or the third sector, which includes voluntary and community organizations like charities and NGOs. Conversely, the mission of a corporate organization is not to solve social problems but to maximize both its profits and the shareholder value. Social entrepreneurship allows to solve social issues using the instruments and the techniques of classic corporate organizations, however, its main goal is its social mission rather than profit maximization.The course explains how to become a social entrepreneur, the different options to organize a social business and to find the requested financial support, and how to use the lean start-up methodology to find both the right business model and market fit in order to solve a significant social problem.
This course considers management problems of founders, owners, managers, and investors in startups. Acquisitions, location, organization control, labor relations, finances, taxation, and other topics of interest to entrepreneurial business management will be analyzed.
Students in this course explore basic legal principles in reference to business conduct. The course begins with an examination of the common law of contracts, followed by Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code and the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the legal characteristics of partnerships, limited partnerships, and corporations (including limited-liability companies), secured transactions, and the law of bankruptcy. Students must have Junior standing to take this course.
An introduction to the major problems posed by the right to free speech: the origins and scope of this right, the problems in defining it, the values that it promotes as well as the values that it compromises. This course examines the political and cultural variables shaping the right to free speech by examining its role in many different jurisdictions. Focusing on concrete conflicts over political speech, freedom of religious conscience, hate speech, sexually-explicit speech, the protection of privacy, reputation and intellectual property, we look at constitutional case law and commentary in many different liberal democracies and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. Through intense engagement with primary legal materials, class debate and a mock trial, this course will be especially useful for potential law students, journalists, philosophy and religious studies students, and anyone seeking a better understanding of his or her rights in a democratic society.
This course deals with legal aspects of international business transactions. The course introduces students to issues in international commerce, including requirements of a contract, international shipping terms, and liability of air and ocean carriers. The course will examine international and U.S. trade law, including GATT 1994, and the regulation of imports and exports. Finally, the course will familiarize students with various areas of regulation of international business, such as competition law, employment discrimination law, and environmental law.
This course provides the student with an overview of the law in general, beginning with the foundations of the legal and regulatory environment, the law making processes, and the implementation of the legal rules. Students examine some areas of substantive law, including bodies of law that are regulatory in nature. Particular attention is given to aspects of business transactions in an international context.
This course examines the basic concepts of public international law, to enable students to critically evaluate the interplay between legal claims and power relations. Starting with a theoretical overview of the character, development and sources of international law, the course examines such law-generating and law-implementing institutions as the United Nations, international arbitration and adjudication, international criminal tribunals, national systems and regional organizations. Such substantive areas as the law of war (the use of force and humanitarian law), international criminal law, human rights, and environmental law will be given special attention.
This course considers some of the most important issues concerning contemporary challenges in the field of entrepreneurship. Students will be confronted with interdisciplinary perspectives to the study of entrepreneurship that stem from economics, psychology, geography, history, cultural studies, and policy making, to better understand the emergence and the determinants of entrepreneurial ecosystems.
This is an introductory course in Comparative Business Cultures in a context of International Business and Management, covering the work of Clyde Kluckholm and Fred Strodtbeck, Gary Ferraro, Bjorn Bjerke, Fons Trompenaars, Geert Hofstede as well as the G.L.O.B.E. project. The emphasis in this course is on understanding and applying one’s knowledge of different national cultures as an aid to improved management of human resources, enhanced cross border trade, relocation of business activities to different countries, as well as on the melding of different cultures in multinationals as well as companies which are involved in joint ventures, mergers, or take-overs.
Management issues related to the procurement and allocation of resources in the production of goods and services in order to meet organizational goals. Topics covered include product and process design, facility size, location and layout, quality management, production planning and control.
The course examines human personality, behavior and relationships as applied to business, industrial and organizational settings. Topics include: social systems at work; human needs, attitudes, human relations; leadership patterns, group dynamics, teamwork, communication, motivation, participation and reward system; technology and people, managing change, models of organizational behavior and management. Teamwork and group participation are emphasized.
A major component of this course will be exposing students to proofs, with the aim of having them learn how to read, write, and understand a proof.
This course explores the significance of social networks in business and social life. The focus of the course is to critically appreciate social media platforms across a variety of contexts. The course investigates issues related to the management of social media in terms of the strategies and tactics related to successful deployment and cultivation of business/social initiatives and the redefinition of the customer/user as a central element in value creation. Issues related to participatory culture, communication power, collaborative work and production, privacy and surveillance, and political economy of social media are explored in depth through the use of contemporary cases.
This course is intended to introduce students to the field of management consulting from the perspective of both the individual consultant and the consulting firms. It is important to those who are especially interested in consulting careers, those whose current or planned jobs involve staff consulting or line management using consultants, as well as those who are planning to launch their own business activity and need to be familiar with the consultancy attitude and mindset
The course is designed to expand student’s knowledge in the area of supply chain management by applying analytical methodologies and information technology. Supply chains are concerned with the efficient integration of suppliers, factories, warehouses and stores so that products are supplied to customers in the right quantity and at the right time, while satisfying customer service level requirements at minimum cost. Deficiencies in the SC result in a downgrade of competitiveness. Only over the last few years firms have started to focus on supply chain management (SCM) as a source of competitive advantage. SCM is an area of knowledge which offers tremendous opportunity for most firms.
Advertising as applied in industrialized countries. Its impact on the social and economic status of the consuming public.
During the course students will undertake studies on brand assessment, goal setting; defining brand equity and target; Crafting a Communication Strategy; Establishing the Marketing, Communications, Public Relations and Media Strategies; Building the Marketing Plan; and Measurement and Strategic Brand Audit. Students will complete a group project where they choose a brand or create their own and take on the role as brand manage to build, manager and market a brand using successful public relations, communications, and media strategies.
This course focuses on the study of consumer decision processes, consumer behavior models and their impact on the development of marketing strategies. The emphasis is on researching and in-depth understanding of the consumer decision process. Teaching methodology includes case studies and an emphasis on experiential research.
This course approaches Internet marketing from a marketing management perspective. The course looks at the Internet both as a tool to be used in the marketing planning process and as an element of a company’s marketing mix. The course explores how traditional marketing concepts such as market segmentation, research, the 4Ps and relationship marketing are applied using the Internet and other electronic marketing techniques. Website design is not covered.
This course first examines the basic principles underlying consumer information processing and how marketing can influence this process. It then addresses the design, coordination, and management of marketing communications, focusing on the role of integrated marketing communications in the marketing process, particularly as it relates to branding. The second part of the course may take the form of an extended case study/IMC plan or may address special topics: for example, the relationship between public relations (PR) and marketing, the history and development of advertising and public relations, public opinion and its role in IMC planning, media relations, research for campaign design, global communication, and crisis management.
An investigation of the marketing concept in a global environment. Factors in assessing world marketing opportunities; international marketing of products, pricing, distribution and promotion program development in dynamic world markets. Marketing practices which various businesses adapt to the international environment are studied. Attention is also given to comparative marketing systems, and planning and organizing for export-import operations.
This course covers the basic methods and techniques of marketing research. Discusses the tools and techniques for gathering, analyzing, and using information to aid marketing decision- making. Covers topics such as problem definition, research design formulation, measurement, research instrument development, sampling techniques, data collection, data interpretation and analysis, and presentation of research findings. Students choose a marketing research project, formulate research hypotheses, collect primary and secondary data, develop a database, analyze data, write a report, and present results and recommendations.
This course investigates the process of new product management, starting from idea and concept generation through to project evaluation and development. The course is designed to be a workshop for new product development, allowing students to explore market opportunities and propose new concepts to the market.
This course will give students a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the strategic marketing planning process including: methods and tools of market assessment, customer segmentation analysis, development of the value proposition, positioning and planning of marketing tactics designed to deliver value to targeted stakeholders. Emphasis is placed on the need to align marketing principles and theories with the management skills needed for the preparation of a marketing plan. Students will be able to analyze opportunities and threats in both the macro and micro-environments. Students will also conduct a marketing research gathering data for effective decision-making and will develop their ability to evaluate gaps.In this course, students will begin to learn how to conduct a competitive analysis, analyze environmental trend, forecast changing market demand and develop competitive marketing strategies.
This course focuses on issues related to Retail Management in the Fashion industry and requires both an understanding of marketing principles as well as channel management concepts. The course reviews basic concepts related to retail business such as operations, logistics, retail channels management, retail controlling and strategic location development, which develop the students ability to understand performance indicators and measure store performance. Students are encouraged to focus on retail buying and stock planning, in order to fully understand how to manage in-store product life cycles. Teaching methodology is project based and team work is emphasized. Teams will be required to apply fashion retailing concepts to companies decision making through a proposed retail project, which will require a written strategic retail plan that is adapted to the Italian fashion market.
The course will look at managing a professional sales force and optimizing the investments made I the organizations interactions with its most important asset: customers. Sales is a mission critical function for all organizations. Considering the recent evolution of markets, characterized by stagnation, hyper competition, shortening of product life cycles, difficulties in creating sustainable competitive advantages, sophistication of buyers, sales are becoming increasingly strategic and their management a sophisticated set of actives. According to this modern evolution of markets and consumer behaviors, companies are fundamentally rethinking the role, nature, strategy, objectives, structures, and processes of sales management to face these competitive challenges. Sales organizations, especially in multinational companies. Are characterized by steep sales transformation and sales excellence programs aimed at increasing the ability of sales organizations to manage the complexity of the market and increase theyre productive. Sales are now increasingly less art and more science: the natural talent and the de-structuring that characterizes the commercial roles in the past are increasingly supported (sometimes replaced) by solid methodical foundations and analytical rigor for planning, conducting and monitoring commercial activities.
This course involves the analytical integration of material covered in previous marketing courses. It develops skills in diagnosing marketing problems, formulating and selecting strategic alternatives, and recognizing problems inherent in strategy implementation. The development of a comprehensive marketing plan is a major requirement of the course.
The course examines the principal myths of Classical Greece and Rome, with some reference to their evolution from earlier local and Mediterranean legends, deities, and religions. The importance of these myths in the literature and art of the Western World will be discussed.
This course surveys the history of ancient Rome and Italy, focusing on the origins and metamorphoses of Rome from its archaic foundations as an Italic-Latinate kingship to an imperial city. The course examines the establishment, expansion, and conflicts of the Republican period; the political and cultural revolution of the Augustan Principate; the innovations of the High Empire; and the transition into Late Antiquity. Course materials include the writings of ancient authors in translation (these may include Polybius, Sallust, Cicero, Livy, Augustus, Suetonius, and/or Tacitus) as well as modern historians and archaeologists, along with considerations of Roman art, architecture, and archaeology.
This course focuses on the literature of Ancient Rome and its role in shaping modern notions about the customs, social practices, and ideas of its citizens. Emphasis will be placed on using Roman literature as a means of studying Roman civilization, while simultaneously examining stylistics and literary techniques particular to the genres of comedy, rhetoric, epic and lyric poetry, satire and history. Texts, which vary, are chosen from Terence, Plautus, Cicero, Catullus, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Tacitus, and Juvenal. All texts are studied in translation.
This course explores the multi-ethnic dimensions of the Roman world with a particular emphasis on the Imperial period (31BCE-476 CE). From Rome’s beginnings, its population was characterized by cultural diversity, and one of the Empire’s greatest strengths was its ability to integrate diverse peoples into Roman political, social and cultural life. Nevertheless, as the Empire expanded into Europe and the Mediterranean, many peoples who came under Roman rule continued to maintain distinctive ethnic, social and cultural identities. In this course, we will explore the complex processes of social and cultural negotiation between local identities and Romanization that resulted from Roman expansion. In doing so, we will seek a better understanding not only of how and why the cultural identities of such groups differed from mainstream Romanitas, but also the ways in which these interactions contributed to the shaping of Roman identity.
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The study of the Roman world has long revolved around the power, achievements, and intrigues of Great Men. Yet many women played important roles in shaping its political, military, social, and economic realities. From the foundation of the city of Rome to the end of its pan-Mediterranean Empire, this course tells the story of Rome through the lives and voices of powerbrokers such as Livia, Cleopatra, and Zenobia against the background of womens experiences and contributions at all levels of Roman society. Readings may include womens letters and poetry as well as texts by ancient authors such as Livy, Plutarch, Cicero, or Tacitus in translation, as well as work by modern scholars. Students will develop an understanding of the place of women in the creation and experience of the Roman empire and an ability to think critically about the role of gender in the construction and interpretation of histories more broadly.
This course is designed to be the capstone experience in analysis of media and media texts through specific theoretical constructs. Theories covered include semiotic theories of Saussure, Bakhtin, and Barthes; deconstruction theories and critical theories; and theories of spectatorship using psychoanalytic models. Further, the course provides students with experience in performing sustained and in-depth analysis of complex signifying operations and their relationship to ideological functions.
This creative writing workshop helps students to develop the creative, editorial and reading skills needed for the production of a screenplay, based on the following principles: focus on visual story telling using minimal dialogue, introduction to story analysis using published screenplays and clips, and the exploration of narrative development. Material will be presented in the form of lectures, discussions, handouts, writing exercises, as well as screenings. In the context of a creative writing workshop, students will complete in-class and at home writing exercises. Students will also be required to provide their fellow writers with thorough feedback. Finally, students will pitch ideas in preparation for a full script, to be presented and critiqued at the end of the term.
This course provides students with a number of theoretical approaches to critically assess how digital media function and their expanding and expansive role in contemporary culture. The course further investigates digital media convergence in order to develop a critical lexicon that can both chart its development and engage in intellectual interventions in its use within the transformations occuring in more traditional cultural forms such as television, film, popular music, print, and radio. Special emphasis will be placed on the specific cultural, political, economic, and social issues raised by digital media forms.
This course introduces students to the technical, conceptual, and aesthetic skills involved in video production through the single camera mode of production. Still the most dominant mode of film and video production, the single camera mode places an emphasis on using the camera to fullest capacity of artistic expression. In addition to the multiple skills and concepts involved with the camera, the course also introduces students to the principles and technologies of lighting, audio recording and mixing, and non-linear digital video editing. Special focus is given to producing content for successful web distribution.
An exploration of some of the historical and political conditions that make intercultural communication possible, the barriers that exist to effective intercultural communication, and possible solutions to the problem of intercultural misunderstanding. The course examines examples of differences in communication styles not only between cultures but also within. As a result, issues of race, nation, class, gender, religion, immigration, and sexual orientation will be of significant concern. The course stresses the notion that knowledge of human beings is always knowledge produced from a particular location and for a particular purpose. As a result it encourages students to think carefully about the discipline of Intercultural Communication, its conditions of possibility, its assumptions, and its blind spots, as well the need to be mindful of the limitations and interests of our positioning as investigating subjects.
This course is designed as an introduction to the art, history, and business of film. It presents an introduction to film aesthetics and the formal properties of film, locating specific styles and narrative forms within specific classical and alternative film movements. Film theories and critical strategies for the analysis of film will be investigated. The course will be divided into weekly screenings and lectures.
From photojournalism to Instagram, 21st century communication is primarily image-based. Whether its mass media, individual expression, social media or alternative media, images are used for promoting ideas, products, information and political discourses. In this course students investigate the role of visual culture in daily life, exploring fine art, popular culture, film, television, advertising, business communications, propaganda, viral social media and information graphics. As a critical introduction to visual communication, this course mixes theory, analysis and practical activities for an applied understanding of key issues, including the relationship between images, power and politics; the historical practice of looking; visual media analysis; spectatorship; historic evolution of visual codes; impact of visual technologies; media literacy; information graphics literacy; and global visual culture.
This course examines the mass media as complex social institutions that exercise multiple roles in societynone more crucial than the circulation and validation of social discourses. Introducing students to a variety of theoretical approaches, the course focuses on media operations and textual analysis.
This course will offer an overview of the history and aesthetics of Internet memes, a cultural phenomenon that is getting more and more relevant by the day. Born in the mid-Nineties in the context of the newly founded World Wide Web, it rapidly evolved from being just a form of humorous, viral-prone type of content, to a more nuanced, complex, and rich language. Memes today can in fact be considered an art genre: collective, performative, and often ephemeral. The course investigates the different formats and approaches to meme production and tries to contextualize them within the history of image-making and artmaking. Special emphasis will be placed on the analysis of relevant case studies chosen from different contexts and time periods.
This course provides students with an introduction to the fundamentals of rhetoric and how they are applied in oral communication, and how these principles and concepts lead to effective public speaking. Students will learn how to prepare and organize persuasive speeches by learning the fundamental structures of the persuasive speech. In addition, students will begin to acquire basic skills in critical reasoning, including how to structure a thesis statement and support it through a specific line of reasoning using idea subordination, coordination, and parallel structure.
The course introduces students to the various kinds of writing they will encounter in the media professions and in digital multimedia production, and prepares them for more advanced media courses in the Communications and Media Studies program. Students will also be introduced to basic legal and ethical issues, such as libel, copyright, privacy. Activities include writing for online media, press releases, strategic campaigns, and short scripts for visual and audio media as well as exercises to pitch their ideas. They will also explore issues concerning style, communicability, and effective storytelling.
This course examines violence and terror as inherent structural components of contemporary politics and media. Students will study how the performance of violence in the contemporary media landscape has shaped new visual cultures, such as emergent modes of producing evidence, bearing witness and archiving personal and collective memories of traumatic events. Conversely, the course examines how visual culture has dramatically impacted on the way in which we understand and consume violence and terror. Subsequently, students will examine the relationship between violence and visibility, the performance of terror and its representational regimes, through a variety of global visual media from around the world. Example include Hollywood movies; art documentaries; amateur films; photographs; art projects and performances; user-generated videos (including audiovisual material produced by armed groups and terrorist organizations); and state produced media.
The course surveys the major experimental film and video movements of the twentieth and twenty-first century by closely examining the audiovisual works and theories of artists that are in dialogue with and run parallel to commercial cinema industries. Supporting and interweaving this historical review through assignments, students will focus on analysis, engage with curatorial methods and issues, and explore the creative act of experimentation with short audiovisual works through personal mobile device technology.
This course introduces writing and reporting techniques for the mass media. It focuses on the essential elements of writing for the print, online and broadcast media. The course also covers media criticism, ethics in media, and the formats and styles of public relations.
This course surveys films, directors, and film movements and styles in Italy from 1945 to the present. The films are examined as complex aesthetic and signifying systems with wider social and cultural relationships to post-war Italy. The role of Italian cinema as participating in the reconstitution and maintenance of post-War Italian culture and as a tool of historiographic inquiry is also investigated. Realism, modernism and post-modernism are discussed in relation to Italian cinema in particular and Italian society in general. Films are shown in the original Italian version with English subtitles.
As we transition from an industrial model of media distribution to networked communications, corporations and grassroots environmental activists are vying to define environmental opinion in an evolving media landscape. By applying media literacy tools to examine paradigms of communication and ecology we will seek to understand how media impact environmental concepts, and explore media strategies for addressing issues such as global climate change. The course covers three core concepts: 1) comparing media and environmental ethics and paradigms, 2) environmental messaging, and 3) the interrelationship between the form of media systems and sustainable business practices.
This course will focus on the essential skills for podcast production and will give students a working knowledge of current trends in audio production. This course is designed to familiarize students with all aspects of podcasting and to train students to think critically about stories they consume. Students will learn how to identify an audience, distribute and market their podcast, all within a framework of ethical production.
This course introduces students to visual communication design for new media, offering an overview of the grammar of motion design and a communication approach designed to be multi, trans and cross-medial. The main objective of the course is to provide students with approaches, methods, and tools needed for the design of multimedia projects in all their components. The course will integrate the theoretical knowledge needed to develop conceptual frameworks as well as the practical skills needed to implement these across a variety of texts and platforms. This course ultimately gives an overview of the grammar of motion design and prepares students for more advanced work in a field where things like keyframes, nodes, and curves have become as ubiquitous as Moviolas.
This course introduces students to the strategic, conceptual, creative, and technical aspects of promotional videos (teasers, promos, trailers, campaigns, sales reels, and spots). It provides a basic understanding of the various short formats produced in TV and Web communication. The aim is to study common procedures and to get hands-on experience making promos, including how to hook a viewer, how to reach a target, how to engage an audience, and most of all, how to sell a story. This course offers an intensive overview of the entire production process in promo production, including activities like researching, creating a concept pitch/brief, editing, and post-production. The class will feature screenings, exercises, in-class assignments, editing sessions, voiceover recording sessions, and group projects. In order to participate, students will be expected to have a basic understanding of the skills and concepts involved with video editing, audio recording, and mixing.
Using contemporary theoretical approaches, this course examines both Race and Gender as social constructions, and the role and function of Cinema and Television texts in circulating and contesting those constructions. Focusing on analyzing Cinema and Television texts for their construction of meaning, this course looks at the complex ideological operations at stake in the operations, maintenance, and resistance to meanings constructed around race and gender.
This course examines the technological capabilities, organizational structures, social effects, and ethical implications behind the use of social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and others– in recent social movement organizing. The course will investigate how social media have been utilized and rendered effective by a variety of social movements and in a diversity of contexts and interests, from the Arab Spring, to Black Lives Matter, to It Gets Better. Students will be offered a broad overview of the affordances of social media for mobilizing for social change or political action. Students will consistently engage with critical concepts from both classic social theory and new media studies put forward both by scholars and organizers.
This course provides an overview of sound culture and nonlinear audio production with an emphasis on theoretical, historical and practical approaches. In this introductory-level course, students will gain familiarity with the historical trajectory of sound technology and sound art, and get an overview of the theoretical reflections that have accompanied sound artistic creation as well as the basic tools and techniques for nonlinear audio production. The projects devised for the class are aimed at improving listening skills, raise awareness of aural and sonic experience and integrate sound with narrative visual media, so as to allow students to communicate and conceptualize with sound. During the course of the session three fundamental aspects of sound will be addressed: 1)Sound as Sound/Listening/ Field Recordings/ Soundscapes; 2) Sonic Narratives; 3) Sound & Image Relations.
This course covers the main principles of algorithm design, introducing fundamental data structures and basic algorithmic techniques. It also discusses how to perform an analysis of algorithms, to establish their correctness and evaluate their efficiency. The emphasis is on choosing appropriate data structures and designing correct and efficient algorithms to operate on them, following standard algorithmic techniques. Principles of complexity theory and challenges arising in modern application domains are also investigated.
This course helps students develop the advanced skills that are necessary in personal productivity office applications, such as word processing, data management and analysis, and presentation/slide design. The course follows best practices and reviews available internet tools for data storage.
This course introduces the main elements of formal reasoning and its applications to the theory of computation. Starting from the definition of logic statements and elementary structures in discrete mathematics, such as numbers, sets, and graphs, the course discusses the formalization of real-life problems in mathematical and computer science terms.Mathematical tools will be introduced to infer the validity of complex statements starting from elementary ones and different techniques for deriving formal proofs of theorems will be analyzed. Examples of algorithmic solutions to real-life problems exploiting their formalization will also be presented and discussed, both in terms of correctness and efficiency.
Introduction to Video Game Design will take a hands-on journey through the process of creating a third-person video game, from initial idea to functioning prototype. Students in the course will explore character, narrative, and level design; consider how game mechanics influence story (and vice versa); model various asset production pipelines; get comfortable with game logic and learn to build the systems contemporary games require; and consider the various avenues available to independent developers for getting their games into the hands of their players.
This course introduces fundamental computer programming concepts using a high-level language and a modern development environment. Programming skills include sequential, selection, and repetition control structures, functions, input and output, primitive data types, basic data structures including arrays and pointers, objects, and classes. Software engineering skills include problem solving, program design, and debugging practices. The goal of this course is to advance students computational thinking, educate them to use programs as tools in their own field of study, and to provide them with fundamental knowledge of programming strategies.
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) impact the environment in various ways, ranging from the extraction of resources to produce machines, to their disposal as e-waste. Server farms consume a massive amount of energy and water resources, contributing to climate change. On the other hand, positive impacts of digital technologies are also evident in transports, energy efficiency and conservation, service industry, and social life. This course investigates the enabling technologies related to ICT and energy to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) in all segments of the creation of value, and the evaluation of the environmental impact according to ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria and government systems of compliance. The course also discusses ongoing and future approaches and technological tools to continuously monitor and improve performance, thus assuring compliance with emergent environmental and emission regulations.
The premise of this course is that a web site differs from a traditional media publication because its contents can be updated at any moment, many possibilities exist for making it interactive, and reader attention span is short. The course provides students with technical knowledge and skills required to build a web site, while covering design, communication, and computer-human interaction issues. Topics include web history, HTML, style sheets, and effective information searching. As a final project, students create a web site on a liberal arts topic, which will be judged by the instructor and a reader specialized in the chosen topic.
The course provides students with the technical knowledge required to deal with the professional process of designing, developing, installing and maintaining a business web site.
This course explores the fundamental topics of traditional Calculus such as limits, continuity, differentiation and anti-differentiation, with emphasis on the business and economics applications of maximization, minimization, optimization, and decision making.
This course builds on the fundamentals of the calculus of one variable, and includes infinite series, power series, differential equations of first and second order, numerical integration, and an analysis of improper integrals. It also covers the calculus of several variables: limits, partial derivatives, and multiple integrals.
This course develops the quantitative skills which a liberal-arts educated student should acquire. It is intended to give the student an appreciation for the use of mathematics as a tool in business and science, as well as developing problem solving and critical thinking abilities. The course introduces the student to important topics of applied linear mathematics and probability. Topics include sets, counting, probability, the mathematics of finance, linear equations and applications, linear inequalities, an introduction to matrices and basic linear programming.The course introduces the student to important topics of applied linear mathematics and probability. Topics include sets, counting, probability, the mathematics of finance, linear equations and applications, linear inequalities, an introduction to matrices and basic linear programming.
This course provides a review of elementary algebra for students who need further preparation for pre-calculus. Students enroll in this course on the basis of a placement examination. The course covers the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division involving algebraic expressions; factoring of polynomial expressions; exponents and radicals; solving linear equations, quadratic equations and systems of linear equations; and applications involving these concepts. This course does not satisfy the General Distribution Requirement in Mathematics and Science.This course is a review of intermediate algebra and has few prerequisites other than elementary familiarity with numbers and simple geometric concepts such as: finding the least common multiple of two or more numbers, manipulating fractions, calculating the area of a triangle, square, rectangle, circle, etc. Its objective is to prepare students for Pre-calculus.
The course introduces the basics of mathematical reasoning, the aspect of mathematics that is concerned with the development and analysis of logically sound and rigorous arguments, which lie at the core of problem-solving and theorem-proving techniques. The course will explore fundamental mathematical concepts such as sets, relations, and functions, and proof techniques based on formal logic and mathematical induction.
This course introduces students to the techniques of linear algebra and to the concepts upon which the techniques are based. Topics include: vectors, matrix algebra, systems of linear equations, and related geometry in Euclidean spaces. Fundamentals of vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues and associated eigenvectors.
This is a calculus-based introduction to mathematical statistics. While the material covered is similar to that which might be found in an undergraduate course of statistics, the technical level is much more advanced, the quantity of material much larger, and the pace of delivery correspondingly faster. The course covers basic probability, random variables (continuous and discrete), the central limit theorem and statistical inference, including parameter estimation and hypothesis testing. It also provides a basic introduction to stochastic processes.
An introduction to Calculus that focuses on the study of elementary functions, polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic, mainly oriented towards practical applications in business and economics. Particular emphasis will be placed on functions as the first step to analyzing real-world problems in mathematical terms.
An introduction to descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory and inferential statistics. Included are: mean, median, mode and standard deviation; probability distributions, binomial probabilities and the normal distribution; problems of estimation; hypothesis testing, and an introduction to simple linear regression.
A continuation of Statistics I. Topics include more advanced hypothesis testing, regression analysis, analysis of variance, non-parametric tests, time series analysis and decision- making techniques.
This is a survey course of agriculture, emphasizing the important food plants of the 21st century. The aim is to learn key processes which lead to the wide array of foods, which are available in developed countries. We start from the events of domestication, pass through the Green Revolution, and end with major plant crop commodities (such as bananas and coffee) being cultivated by agribusiness or also by sustainable farming methods. We also look at major issues related to agriculture today: for example, the development of biofuels which may use food stocks, and diseases and pests which threaten important monocultures. We look at the major achievements in agriculture of the 20th century, and try to anticipate the important uses and vulnerabilities of plant crops in the 21st century.
This course provides the liberal arts student with an introduction to the scientific issues which underpin human health in the urban environment. We study components of the urban environment by using basic concepts from ecology, biology, chemistry, and geology. We then learn about linkages (or interactions) between humans and their physical, chemical, and biological environment in order to understand human health in the urban environment. The interactions examined will relate to actual conditions found in major cities in the 21st century: we look at water supply and quality, air quality standards, energy supplies, and common diseases.
The course aims to develop the creative, editorial, and reading habits needed for the production of literary fiction; to develop self-editing skills; and to foster an aesthetic sensibility for use in writing literary fiction. Students will read both contemporary literary fiction and materials related to analyzing and editing literary fiction and participate in a traditional creative writing workshop through in-class writing exercises, reading classmates’ fiction, and producing and workshopping their own fiction. Students will compile a portfolio of the work they produce during the term. Students completing this workshop course will be familiar with the skills needed to produce literary fiction, to self-edit work in progress, and to discern the characteristics that make quality literary fiction.
To develop the creative, editorial, and reading habits needed for the production of poems; to develop self-editing skills; to foster an aesthetic sensibility for use in writing poems.
This course provides an introduction to the creative practice of writing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and stage/screen writing, while probing major issues of literary aesthetics. This course does not satisfy the General Distribution requirement in English Literature.
This course reinforces the skills needed to write well-organized essays, focusing specifically on argumentative essays. Elements covered include thesis development, critical reading, organizing and outlining, paraphrasing and summarizing, and citation and documentation standards. Techniques of academic research and the use of the library and other research facilities are discussed. In addition to regular in- and out-of-class reading and writing assignments, students are required to write a fully documented research paper. Students must receive a grade of C or above in this course to fulfill the University English Composition requirement and to be eligible to take courses in English literature. Individual students in EN 110 may be required to complete additional hours in the English Writing Center as part of their course requirements.
This course concentrates on the development of effective paragraph writing in essays while introducing students to the various rhetorical modes. Elements covered include outlining, the introduction-body-conclusion structure, thesis statements, topic sentences, supporting arguments, and transition signals. Students will also become familiar with the fundamentals of MLA style, research and sourcing, as well as information literacy. To develop these skills, students will write in- and out-of-class essays. Critical reading is also integral to the course, and students will analyze peer writing as well as good expository models. Students must receive a grade of C or above in this course to be eligible to take EN 110. Individual students in EN 105 may be required to complete additional hours in the English Writing Center as part of their course requirements.
In this course students learn the fundamental skills for advanced undergraduate literary studies, including a consideration of what literature is, and what constitutes a literary text; the major genres in literary studies; the major historical periods of literature in English; the significant theoretical and critical approaches to literature; the mechanics and terms required for advanced reading of poetry, prose, and drama; and the research methods, sources, and conventions in literary studies. This course is intended for English majors and minors or any students interested in advanced literary studies. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4,000-5,000 words of critical writing.
This intensive course has two components. One concentrates on developing the ability to write grammatically and idiomatically correct English prose, and includes an in-depth grammar review and examination of academic register. The other focuses on the elements of academic writing, from sentence structure through effective paragraph writing in essays, and introduces students to the various rhetorical modes. Elements covered include outlining, the introduction-body-conclusion structure, thesis statements, topic sentences, supporting arguments, and transition signals. Students will also become familiar with the fundamentals of MLA style, research and sourcing, as well as information literacy. To develop these skills, students will write in- and out-of-class essays. Critical reading is also integral to the course, and students will analyze peer writing as well as good expository models. Individual students in EN 103 may be required to complete additional hours in the English Writing Center as part of their course requirements. Students must receive a grade of C or above in this course to be eligible to take EN110. Students who receive a grade ranging from C- to D- can take EN105 or repeat EN103. Students who receive an F must repeat EN103.
The course will deal with a limited number of poets who have written in the English language. In some terms, the major American poets may be studied, while in others the major figures in British and Irish poetry. One previous course in English Literature or permission of the instructor.
The course deals with the development of American Literature from the mid-17th century to modern times, with an emphasis on the creation of a distinctive American “voice.” Attention will be given to writers in the Puritan period and the early Republic, as well as to those who contributed to the pre-Civil War “American Renaissance,” the rise of Realism and Naturalism, and the “Lost Generation.” EN 110 or EN 112 with a grade of C- or higher.
A continuation of the survey begun in EN 230, this course deals with works by major British writers in the period 1660 to 1832. Approximately equal attention is devoted to writers of the Restoration (excluding Milton) and 18th century, and to writers of the Romantic Movement.
Gender plays a role in every literary text produced and read. This course examines gender studies from a formal and historical perspective within literature and asks what gender means and how it operates within the field of textual studies. Students will examine gender, from an intersectional point of view, in the creation, reception, and meaning-making of texts. Students will gain familiarity with critical texts within feminism, queer theory, and affect theory and use these tools to approach a variety of literary texts.
To supplement the traditional university study of composition and literary analysis, this course provides students with the opportunity to develop skills at reading literature as a source of help in improving their own creative writing. Designed primary for students interested in creative writing, the course focuses on the reading of literature from the point of view of the practice, or craft, of fiction writing.
Designed as an introduction to the theoretical approaches to literature, the course will stimulate students to think and write critically through the study of the principal topics of literary theory. The course will adopt both a historical approach, covering each theory in the chronological order of its appearance on the scene, and a critical approach – putting the theories to the test by applying them to a literary text. The course will also help students to move on to an advanced study of literature by introducing them to the research methods and tools for the identification, retrieval, and documentation of secondary sources.This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
Presupposing no previous knowledge of literature, this course deals in an intensive manner with a very limited selection of works in four genres, poetry, short story, drama and novel. Students learn the basic literary terms that they need to know to approach literary texts. They are required to do close readings of the assigned text, use various critical approaches and write critical essays on the specified readings.
The course considers the importance of Italy for non-Italian writers, particularly European, British and American writers from the eighteenth century onward. Topics considered include: a critique of the perception and construction of Italy and Italians, the development of genres like the gothic or novels of national identity, the gendering of nationality, imperialism, the use of art and history in literature. Consideration is given to the ways in which these works are in dialogue with each other in terms of cultural assumptions and influence. This course is an alternate course to EN 278. If taken in addition to EN 278, it may count as a major elective. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
This is a one-credit course in research methodology and practices for the development of a thesis in English Literature. The course is intended for English literature majors in their penultimate term. Students will be introduced to the practicalities of thesis writing. Starting with the identification of a viable research topic, students will learn to articulate their research question/s, will identify and assess scholarly material to formulate a literature review, will engage with appropriate theoretical frameworks, and produce an annotated bibliography. Students will present and critique each others thesis proposal, research methodology and choice of material. They will also prepare an oral presentation of their proposed thesis topic. By the end of course students will possess the research foundations that will allow them to write their thesis.
This course serves as an introduction to the growing field and practice of digital humanities in literature, with a focus on the transformative role of digital technologies in how we experience the stories of humankind and, in turn, the important role of language arts in humanizing technology. It provides history and context for the emergence of a field as wide-reaching as it is vibrant, incorporating inter- and multi-disciplinary study, and ranging from the theoretically and technologically complex to easily accessible forms of narrative incorporating everyday digital interactions. Within this setting, students will contribute to and learn about what is involved in publishing their own text-based digital humanities collaboration, using open source production methods to create a class showcase project.This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 300-level literature classes are required to produce 5-6,000 words of critical writing.
This course examines the influence of psychoanalysis on writers, literary theorists, and literary critics. Students will read the work of a selected group of writers, explore the influence of psychoanalysis on those writers work, and consider the subsequent psychoanalytically informed criticism of that work. Finally, students will assess the current state of psychoanalytical literary criticism and the cultural legacy of psychoanalysis. The writers and psychoanalytic approaches studied may vary.
An in-depth study of American drama of the 20th century. Works by playwrights such as Albee, Mamet, Miller, ONeill, Williams, Wilson, Wasserstein, Norman, Kushner, or Durang will be analyzed with emphasis on plot, theme, character, structure and technique. The social and philosophical vision of each playwright will receive particular attention. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 300-level literature classes are required to produce 5-6,000 words of critical writing.
The course explores a particular moment, theme, or genre within the broader context of English literature of this period. Possible topics include the works of Dryden, Pope, Johnson and their circles, the impact of the sentimental movement upon neo-classical culture, and a survey of fiction of the 18th century. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 300-level literature classes are required to produce 5-6,000 words of critical writing.
This course is a general introduction to Shakespeares plays and an in-depth study of a selection of representative plays including a comedy, a history, a tragedy, and a romance. Through the close reading of the plays selected for the course, students will learn how to analyze a theatrical text, will study the Elizabethan stage in its day, and consider Shakespeares cultural inheritance. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
This course entails the study of five of Shakespeares plays in order to assess how he located and historicized his Italian-based drama. Thanks to the Rome location, students will be able to directly compare the archaeology of Shakespeares creativity with the splendors of ancient and Renaissance Italy that are integral to the works covered by the course. Visits to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, The Capitoline Museum and Romes Jewish Ghetto will vivify the perceptions of these plays. Throughout, the course will track the intersections of Shakespeares dramatic narrative with the notion of Italian cultural difference in Shakespeares time, allowing students to learn how he dramatizes the Italian Other. In doing so, they will read his primary sources and evaluate how Shakespeares creative brilliance responded to the writings of historians such as Plutarch and Macchiavelli and story tellers such as Ovid, Matteo Bandello and Giovanni Fiorentino. The course will also attempt to gauge whether, within Shakespeare’s Italian plays, there exists a veiled critique of the Elizabethan and Jacobean courts in which his work was widely circulated. Moreover, the course will explore how filmmakers have documented Shakespeares obsession with Italy, and how their work both subverts and confirms Shakespeares imaginative settings and Italianate compulsions.
This course will examine current trends in data science, including those in big data analytics, and how it can be used to improve decision-making across different fields, such as business, economics, social and political sciences. We will investigate real-world examples and cases to place data science techniques in context and to develop data-analytic thinking. Students will be provided with a practical toolkit that will enable them to design and realize a data science project using statistical software.
Econometrics is the use of statistical tools to test economic models. This course will introduce students to the basic principles of econometrics and will provide them with hands-on practical experience in the field. The course starts with a review of statistical tools and continues with the analysis of simple and multiple regression, heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, and multicollinearity. Some of the teaching time will be spent in the computer lab, where students will learn how to work with software.
This course covers the structure and role of financial markets and institutions such as commercial banking, investment banking, and major equity, debt, and derivative markets and includes discussion of management, performance, and regulatory aspects. The course also examines the functions of central banks and monetary policy for these financial markets and institutions. Case studies and real life examples are also disseminated throughout the course to allow students the additional exploration of national and international implications of financial markets, including those concerning credit crisis, their causes, and the likely reverberations and regulatory reforms.
The subject matter of this course is the nature and determination of a country’s most important measures of economic well being: aggregate output and unemployment, and of a series of related variables such as inflation, interest rates, and exchange rates. The course presents a few economic models that can be used as tools to understand the behavior of these aggregates, as well as to evaluate alternative economic policies.
This course delves deeper into the foundations of microeconomic theory, and analyzes the subject from a theoretical rather than practical point of view. Students will become familiar with the tools used by microeconomists in the analysis of consumer and producer behavior. The first part of the course reviews consumer theory and discusses budget constraints, preferences, choice, demand, consumers surplus, equilibrium, externalities, and public goods. The second part of the course reviews producer theory: technology, profit maximization, cost minimization, cost curves, firm and industry supply, and monopoly.
An introduction to international trade and finance. Analysis of the causes and consequences of international trade and investment. Major topics include international trade theory, international trade policy, exchange rates, open-economy macroeconomics, and international macroeconomic policy.
An introduction to the basic principles of the macro economy, such as national income accounting, determination of national income, business cycles, inflation, unemployment, fiscal and monetary policy, macroeconomics in the open economy, and economic growth.
This course introduces the students to the basic principles of microeconomics and the study of the behavior of individual agents, such as consumers and producers. The first part of the course reviews the determinants of supply and demand, the characteristics of market equilibrium, the concept of social welfare, and the consequences of price controls, taxation, and externalities on social welfare. The second part of the course deals with market theory, with a review of cost concepts and market structures: competition, monopoly, oligopoly, and imperfect competition.
This course examines both the theoretical and applied foundations required to make decisions in financial management. The main areas covered include an overview of the financial system and the efficiency of capital markets, evaluation of financial performance, time value of money, analysis of risk and return, basic portfolio theory, valuation of stocks and bonds, capital budgeting, international financial management, capital structure management, and the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.
This course is an introduction to the basic financial accounting concepts and standards. Relevant concepts will be analyzed in detail, including: preparation of principal financial statements, application of accounting principles to the main asset, liability, and owners equity accounts. The course emphasizes the construction of the basic financial accounting statements – the income statement, balance sheet – as well as their interpretation.
Topics include financial analysis and planning, capital structure, capital budgeting, dividend policy, leasing, mergers and acquisitions. The course will cover extended case studies to apply theory of financial management.
This course is designed to prepare students to interpret and analyze financial statements in order to be able to assess the performance of the company, take investment decisions, financing decisions and other decisions that rely on financial data. The course focuses on how to interpret numbers of the financial statements included in the annual report. The course focuses on the evaluation of the performance of the company, investigating its profitability, liquidity and solidity analysis, to check the economic and financial conditions of the company. The course also investigates the intrinsic equity value of the firm, comparing it to its book value. The aim of this course is to provide the students with a framework for analyzing the companys performance, estimating also its future possible outcome, and valuing its equity. The course combines topics that vary from accounting, finance, and business strategy and applies them to financial decision making.
This course will cover the basics of fixed income analysis. The main topics covered are: features of fixed income securities and overview of bond sectors and instruments, risks associated with investing in bonds to include interest rate risk and credit risk, introduction to the valuation of fixed income securities to include valuing mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities and bonds with embedded options, study of yield measures, spot rates, and forward rates and the term structure and volatility of interest rates.
The course emphasizes the structure and analysis of international capital and financial markets, Euro-currency financing, and the financing of international transactions.
This course concentrates on the operation and function of securities markets. It emphasizes basic techniques for investing in stocks and bonds. Technical analysis is introduced and portfolio theory discussed.
This course focuses on the role of accounting in the management process and where accounting can provide critical support to management decision making. Cost-volume relations are introduced, along with identification of costs relevant to management decisions. Process costing and job costing systems are covered. The development of a master plan, preparation of flexible budgets, and responsibility accounting are covered, and the influences of quantitative techniques on managerial accounting are introduced.
Despite the frequency and magnitude of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activity, M&As have a poor track record of success. Building on the premise that what happens after the deal is signed is as critical as the deal-making itself, in this course the student will research general literature, case studies, and practitioner experiences to build the knowledge necessary to address the financial, strategic and organizational challenges of acquisitions, with a view to realizing the promise of value creation. Specifically, the course explores the role of M&As in corporate strategy, domestically, overseas and across borders. It also reviews the fundamental building blocks: identification, valuation, negotiation, due diligence, deal structuring, financing, and integration.
The course is designed to study in-depth the following grammar points: verb tenses in the indicative and subjunctive moods, sequence of tenses, relative pronouns, and the use of prepositions and conjunctions. It concentrates on consolidating specific communicative tasks, including stating opinions and constructing hypotheses, in both speaking and writing. Specialized vocabulary is expanded and appropriate variables in register are introduced in expository writing and conversation.
A continuation of French 201. While continuing the review of grammar, the course emphasizes the development of reading and composition skills in the context of the French and francophone culture. Literary readings, newspaper articles, and films, are an essential component of this course.
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in French. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Nnote: This course carries 4 semester hours of credit during the Fall and Spring terms, 3 hours in Summer.
A continuation of FR 101. This course aims at developing and reinforcing the language skills acquired in Introductory French I, while placing special emphasis on oral communication. This course carries 4 semester hours of credit during the Fall and Spring terms, 3 hours in Summer.
This course is designed to develop the student’s ability to write correctly in Italian while reinforcing oral communication skills. Contemporary texts provide the basis for class discussions geared toward expanding vocabulary and reviewing grammar. Students write weekly compositions, do oral presentations and keep a journal.
In this course students will be guided through a variety of types of writing and styles (e.g. journalistic, business and professional, essay.) Although mainly designed for advanced non-native speakers, the course may also be taken by native speakers who wish to improve their writing skills. Students will reinforce their knowledge of grammar and syntax as well as develop vocabulary. In addition, students will learn fundamental writing techniques such as organizing ideas, selecting examples, drawing conclusions and using the appropriate style for the given genre or mode of discourse.
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in Italian. By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing.This six-credit course meets four times per week and covers the equivalent of a full year of language study (Introductory Italian I and Introductory Italian II). The course is designed for highly motivated students who wish to develop communicative ability in Italian in a relatively short time.Italian 103 is conducted mainly in Italian. Students must actively participate in class activities and participation is necessary to determine the final grade.
This six-credit course meets four times per week and covers the equivalent of a full year of intermediate language study (Intermediate Italian I and Intermediate Italian II). The course is designed for highly motivated students who wish to consolidate their communicative ability in Italian while developing reading and composition skills.
A continuation of IT 102, this course focuses on consolidating the student’s ability to use Italian effectively. Emphasis is given to grammar review and vocabulary expansion. Selected readings acquaint students with contemporary Italy.
A continuation of IT 201, this course emphasizes the development of reading and composition skills. Readings include short stories and newspaper articles.
This course is a first introduction to the study of the Ancient Greek language. It is designed to equip the student with the basics (grammar, vocabulary, syntax) of the Ancient Greek in its most widely known form, that of the dialect of classical Athens.The aim of this course is to give a thorough introduction and preparation for reading original texts written by Aesop, Menander, Xenophon and others. Being an introductory course, no knowledge of Ancient Greek is assumed.
This course is designed to introduce students to the world of professional translation. Though it will cover some of the fundamental theoretical concepts of translation, the focus will be on teaching practical translation skills and processes. The course will concentrate mainly on translating from Italian to English, but also vice versa, depending on student enrollment. The aim of the course is to enable participants to produce translations that reflect grammatical accuracy, a command of idiomatic language, cultural sensitivity, and appropriate register and tone. This course is designed for both advanced non-native speakers of Italian as well as native speakers who are interested in developing their translation skills. The IT 301 prerequisite does not apply to native speakers of Italian.
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in Italian. By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing.
A continuation of IT 101, this course aims at developing and reinforcing the language skills acquired in Introductory Italian I, while placing special emphasis on oral communication.
The course focuses on an advanced study of Italian language from a gender perspective. It aims to consolidate the language structures previously acquired as well as apprehend both the sociocultural implications of language, and how the use of language contributes in creating and recreating ideologies. Through exposure to a broad range of texts, students will be involved in the current heated debate concerning the revision of the Italian language in a gender-inclusivity and diversity key.
This course is designed to offer the opportunity to read texts in the original to students with a basic level of Latin language preparation. The level of readings may range from intermediate to advanced. Language levels will be determined at the beginning of the course, and students will be arranged in suitable reading groups. Texts appropriate to each group’s level will be chosen by the professor and the individual students. Texts will vary, but advanced students may choose from among annotated editions of Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Virgil, Ovid, and Livy. All groups will work independently and in weekly reading groups with the professor, when issues of language, grammar, and literary technique will be discussed.
Introduction to Latin syntax, vocabulary, and simple sentence structures. This first-semester course will complete all the first three declensions of nouns, present, imperfect, future and perfect verb tenses, subject, object and possessive pronouns. Study of cognate words in Latin/English will be a frequent subject of study. The course will also examine the Roman cultural context such as history, daily life, religion mythology and politics. Students will translate sentences for practice from English to Latin and vice versa on a daily basis. There will be an introduction to continuous prose passages from the original authors or adapted for study to be translated throughout the course.
A continuation of SPAN 102. This course focuses on consolidating the student’s ability to use Spanish effectively. Emphasis is given to grammar review and vocabulary expansion. Selected readings and films acquaint students with Spanish and Hispanic culture.
A continuation of SPAN 201. While continuing the review of grammar, the course emphasizes the development of reading and composition skills in the context of Spanish and Hispanic cultures. Literary readings, newspaper articles, and films, are an essential component of the course.
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in Spanish. By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Note: This course carries 4 semester hours of credit.
A continuation of SPAN101. This course aims at developing and reinforcing the language skills acquired in Introductory Spanish I, while placing special emphasis on oral communication.
This course introduces students to the practice of history, that is, how professional historians investigate, reconstruct, and interpret the past. Students will examine a variety of methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives that historians have employed in studying a particular historical problem (the topic varies from semester to semester). Students will also engage directly in practicing history by analyzing a variety of primary and secondary sources and carrying out a significant research project related to the topic of the semester.
A survey of the history and major cultural achievements of the ancient Egyptians, early Near-Eastern civilizations, Ancient Greece and Rome, with an emphasis on those achievements which have formed the basis of Western Civilizations.
The period of Late Antiquity, between 200 CE and 600/700 CE, connects the classical times and the medieval age, laying the foundations for the construction of specific cultural, social and religious identities between Europe and the Mediterranean basin. These regions constitute an exclusive laboratory for analyzing and critically discussing processes of formation and the transmission of cults, rites, magical traditions and practices between different cultural and political environments. In the context of the evolution of the Roman State first, and then of its fragmentation, ancient magic traditions and ritual practices mixed with more recent ideas, questioning personal, social, and cultural identities and giving rise to new relational models. The birth of the concept of paganism, the emergence of ideal boundaries delimiting the licit and the illicit, the transmission, transformation and reuse of magical objects and rituals, astrological knowledge, as well as mystery cults, make the late antique period a cosmos rich in transformative and generative patterns. The understanding of these elements is fundamental both to grasp the developments of the following period, and to evaluate the contributions of the ancient and classical heritage in shaping how by magic means, cults, and ritual practices, men and women of Late Antiquity tried to make sense of their world.
This course aims to broaden students understanding of the history, culture and contemporary situations of Native Americans. The course uses historical, literary, and anthropological analysis to explore American Indian life and culture. It also examines the contemporary legal and social institutions that affect Native American life. Topics treated include: history of the indigenous peoples of North, Central and South America, Native American religion, Native American economic development, and Native American oral and written literatures.
This course explores the history of Europe and its relations with the larger world from the French Revolution to the outbreak of World War I. In it, students investigate the cultural, diplomatic, economic, political, and social developments that shaped the lives of nineteenth-century Europeans. Significant attention will be given to the relationship between Europeans and peoples in other parts of the world, the development of new political ideologies and systems, and the ways in which everyday life and culture changed during this period.Satisfies “Modern History” core course requirement for History majors.
A survey of American political and cultural history from the Colonial period to the present. The emphasis will be on such topics as the development of democracy, the taming of the wilderness/frontier, the “melting pot,” slavery and race relations, and the growth of the U.S. as an industrial and political world power.
This course explores the history and culture of the Italian Renaissance (c.1300-c.1600 CE) through the critical examination of primary sources ranging from formal treatises to iconography and art as well as current scholarly debates. Among other things, the course will examine the development and significance of Renaissance humanism, including the roles that its revival and transformation of Greek and Roman ideals played in distinguishing Renaissance culture from what came before. Other dimensions may include civic humanism and the Florentine Republic, the rise of princely courts and associated cultural movements, the ideal of the universal man and its embodiment in figures like Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissances social and economic contexts (including the experiences, activities, and perceptions of marginalized groups, like women, minorities, and people of lower social standing), as well as other key religious, artistic, literary, and intellectual developments of the period.
This course explores the history of Europe and its relations with the larger world from World War I through the aftermath of the Cold War. In it, students investigate the cultural, diplomatic, economic, political, and social developments that shaped the lives of twentieth-century Europeans. Significant attention will be given to the relationship between Europeans and peoples in other parts of the world, the experience and significance of the World Wars and the Cold War, the development of democratic, authoritarian, and ‘totalitarian’ political systems, and the ways in which everyday life and culture changed during this period.Satisfies “Modern History” core course requirements for History majors.
This course provides practical preparation for designing and carrying out a significant thesis-length research project and a brief, but sophisticated introduction to key methodologies and theoretical approaches used in humanities disciplines. Students will be guided through the processes of setting up a problem to investigate, determining what kind, how many, and what sources are appropriate to use, evaluating and analyzing those sources, reviewing academic literature in the Humanities on their topics, developing a clear and well-researched thesis proposal, formulating and writing up convincing arguments. In addition, regular guest teachers from various Humanities disciplines will guide students through workshops on key modes of analysis and approaches to research and writing used in their fields. Students will also prepare detailed proposals for their senior thesis and choose their first and second readers.
The philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome debated fundamental questions with an imagination, subtlety, and daring that have captured the attention of thoughtful people in every epoch. For example, they considered the nature and origin of the universe, what changes and does not change, as well as what causes change, how perception and reasoning produce knowledge, the relation between the soul and the body, the meaning of justice and beauty, and the nature of the good life. Through a careful reading of selected texts in the form of dialogues, poems, aphorisms, or treatises the course will introduce you to the great questions and controversies of ancient philosophy.
This course introduces students to current philosophical debates in a variety of areas, such as cognitive science, theories of knowledge, philosophy of language, continental philosophy, social science, and digital culture. Students will read and analyze a selection of fundamental contemporary texts, by figures such as Wittgenstein, Searle, Foucault, Lyotard, and Haraway, and develop a familiarity with the new philosophical tools and terminology that they introduce.
What is right and wrong, good and bad? How do we know? How can we argue over ethical issues? This course introduces students to ethical thinking by studying both concrete ethical issues and more abstract ethical ideas and theories. Students will examine philosophical debates over issues such as free speech, genetic engineering, and friendship, explore the meaning of ideas like duty, virtue, and happiness, and analyze the arguments of philosophers like Aristotle, Kant, and Singer.
This course examines some of the most important contemporary issues in the field of ethics of emerging technologies to help you to develop a familiarity with the debates and stimulate your ability to discuss, reflect on, and defend your own views.
This course introduces students to current philosophical debates over what makes a “just” society, relating these debates to controversial issues in contemporary politics. In particular, students will develop their understanding of such crucial political ideas as “freedom”, “equality” and “democracy” and of how these ideas can be interpreted and argued over in debates about such issues as healthcare reform, terrorism and war, poverty, genetic engineering, the power of the media, international business and climate change. The course uses much class discussion and a variety of materials ranging from philosophical texts and newspaper reports to parliamentary speeches, films and artworks to stimulate and develop students own views about these ideas and issues and their skills in explaining and arguing for them.
The course provides a historical introduction to philosophical reflection through reading and discussion of major works in the Western philosophical tradition. The course requires attentive outside reading to enable the individual student to engage him- or herself in active classroom discussions and argumentation and thus to progress in the learning and practicing of philosophical analysis and thoughtful discourse.
How are moral standards established? How do we differentiate right from wrong? Why should we be ethical? This course will seek to provide both religious and philosophical answers to these questions. We will begin studying the ethical code of Christianity, which provides us with a divine command to act ethically, and a divine example to imitate, that of Christ’s sacrifice. We then compare this code to that of Buddhism, which uses the concepts of reincarnation and interdependency to instill morality in its adherents and stresses that human suffering can be overcome only through ethical action. We then turn to philosophical theories, studying the ethical theories of ancient Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato, the duty ethics of modern philosopher Kant and postmodern philosopher Lvinas, the utilitarian ethics of Bentham and the ethics of desire of Spinoza, as well as Nietzsche’s plea to rid ethics of morality. Finally, we will assess the relevance of these theories in a discussion of cultural relativism, and apply these views to current debates (euthanasia, abortion, ecology, bio-technology, suicide, the death penalty)
This course is a survey of classical and modern theories on the appreciation of art and beauty. Attention will be given to the phenomenological analysis of perception and of the aesthetic experience in particular. Special consideration will be given to architectural and figurative works within the Roman area. One previous course in Philosophy is required for this course.
Through a close study of both primary and secondary materials in theology, spirituality, aesthetics, and social history, this course will introduce students to the major forms and institutions of religious thought and practice in medieval, Christian Europe (from Saint Augustine to the rise of humanism). The course will begin by studying the theological foundations of self and world in the work of Augustine and Pseudo-Dionysius, before turning to an elucidation of central religious institutions such as the papacy (and its relationship to imperial Rome), the monastery (we will study the rule of Saint Benedict and visit a Benedictine monastery), the cathedral (we will visit San Giovanni in Laterano and Saint Peters), and the university (and the scholastic philosophy to which it gave rise). We will then turn to alternative expressions of medieval religious faith in the work of several mystics, notably Meister Eckhart and Angela of Foligno. Finally we will study the reactions of the Church to the rise of science in the fifteenth century (we will look at the trial of Giordano Bruno) and will end with an appraisal of the continuity and renewal of Renaissance Humanism and its influence on the humanities as studied in a Liberal Arts Curriculum today.
The history of the Catholic church is essentially intertwined with the history of Western Civilization over the past 2,000 years. The aspirations and struggles of Christendom constitute the fabric of the Christian tradition as it unfolds throughout time. This course represents an historical survey of the Church from its primitive beginnings in Jerusalem (c. 33 A.D.) to the Pontificate of John Paul II (1920-2005). The development of the course will trace the major events, ideas and people that went into the shaping of the Western Church, without ignoring the fundamental importance and influence of the doctrine of Jesus Christ regarding the institution he founded.
A study of major foreign policy issues which have confronted the United States since World War II and the process of foreign policy formulation and implementation.
This course examines the main principles of American government democracy, federalism and the separation of powers and the legislative, executive and judicial institutions that simultaneously embody and challenge them. Special attention will be paid to such topics as state and local governments, political parties and elections, the role of the people, civil rights, the role of the media, American political culture and foreign policy.
As both a subject and a method of study, comparative politics examines the nature, development, structure and functioning of the political systems of a selection of countries with very different cultures, social and economic profiles, political histories and geographic characteristics. Through case studies, students will learn to use the comparativists methods to collect and organize the information and develop general explanations.
This course will examine the transformation of NATO since the collapse of the Soviet Union gave rise to a new set of challenges. It will also examine the NATO-EU relationship and the foreign policies of the major European powers, the post-9/11 framework for security and the challenges posed by immigration and xenophobia.
The course examines such violent forms of identity politics as ethnic cleansing and genocide in an international and historical perspective. The program covers the genocides in Europe against the Jews and Roma, in Armenia, the Balkans, the Ukraine, Cambodia, Rwanda, and the Darfur region.
This course introduces students to debates surrounding the effects of globalization on the proliferation of crime across borders and the challenges of developing internationally effective policing and judicial mechanisms for combating this constantly mutating phenomenon. Areas of study include the trafficking of art and archaeology, fake fashion items, waste, narcotics, and arms, as well as the market in human beings for sex and organs, and the economic implications of criminal penetration in legal financial markets and the increasing connections between international crime groups and terrorism, the political and military influence of OCGs in failed states and the connections between criminal groups and various democratic governments. * Global Leaders Certificate Program approved course *
After a brief, comparative overview of past slavery and slavery-like practices this course will focus in particular on chattel slavery, servitude/debt bondage, forced prostitution and sexual slavery, early and forced marriages and forced labor, and on the international instruments aimed at fighting against them.The course will subsequently deal with trafficking in human beings, examining international action to fight against it and to protect victims’ human rights, comparing the measures contained in the United Nations Protocol with those of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.* Global Leaders Certificate Program approved course *
A survey of the history politics, institutions and policies of the European Community from its origins to the present day. Covered are the historical evolution of the European Community from its beginnings through the end of the 1980s, the Community’s institutions and processes, the recent major developments and challenges such as the Single European Act, the Maastricht Treaty and the Enlargement issue, the major policy areas of the Union, and a discussion of future scenarios for Europe.
This course examines public policy challenges in addressing international environmental protection. Students will examine such issues as climate change, sustainable development, protection of biodiversity/ecosystems/species, resource extraction and energy, which involve conflicting value systems enmeshed in complex power relationships. This course draws students attention to issues of scale, interconnectedness, boundaries, and the importance of creating solutions that are workable across and between jurisdictions. Students will engage these global challenges in order to develop the knowledge, and the problem solving and communications skills, to facilitate environmental policy work in the international arena.
This course is designed to introduce students to the functions of international organizations by examining attempts at international cooperation in various institutional forms. The course includes a historical outline and analyzes efforts of twentieth century internationalism from the League of Nations up to the structuring of the United Nations (UN), including selected membership issues and the role of the Security Council during and after the Cold War period. UN failures and successes in various domains are assessed and discussed, as well as the US unilateralism-versus-multilateralism debate after 9-11, particularly in connection with global security, the environment and the International Criminal Court. Main regional organizations are also reviewed, such as NATO, African Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, World Trade Organization and Organization of American States.
An introduction to the major political theorists, from the classical to the modern era, who devoted themselves to the task of analyzing the social order. Their theories also provide the foundation for the formation of the modern nation state. Among the theorists examined will be Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, Hegel, and Marx.
PL 223 recommended for students majoring in Political Science and International Affairs
This course examines the evolution of Italian political culture from 1945 to the present. Highlighting the problems of developing a national identity and the legacies of Fascism and the Resistance in influencing the 1948 Constitution, the course will look at Italys position during the Cold War, the economic miracle of the 1950s, the political conflicts of the 1960s and 1970s, the end of the First Republic and the political scene since 1992, as well as the political influence of such actors as the Vatican and the Mafia. This course examines the major features of the political and social systems of the Italian Republic. Topics of analysis include the Constitution, the Italian economy, the role of the State, unions, the relationship between North and South, NATO, the U.S.-Italian partnership, and the European Union. Special attention will be given to the political developments leading to the establishment of the Second Republic.
The definition of Third World has been applied to countries which, albeit located in different geographic areas of the globe, are affected by similar features and problems: recent independence from colonial rule, limited economic development, overpopulation, insufficient infrastructures and availability of public hygiene/health care/education, persisting dependency on developed countries and attempts at reducing or altogether eliminating it. The course will explore the various patterns with an emphasis on three aspects. The first will examine comparative theories of social backwardness and belated development, particularly those elaborated by Bairoch, Gerschenkron, Barrington Moore jr., Skocpol and others. The second will discuss geography and historical issues: colonialism, imperialism, decolonization and the impact of the Cold War being the main ones. The third will focus on the past couple of decades and the current situation. In examining country studies, particularly focused on the roots of democratic systems and of stability, the dichotomies of dictatorship and democracy, national sovereignty and human rights, globalization and autarchy will be analyzed and assessed.
coming soon
After an examination of the historical evolution of the region from the decline of the Ottoman Empire to the establishment of modern nations, the course will examine the place of Middle Eastern states in the world system, the legacy of nationalism, pan-Arabism, the birth of Israel, the Iranian Revolution, authoritarianism and democracy. The role of Islam in both international and domestic politics will be considered, with special attention given to the historical tradition of Islam as a political movement and an identity expression.
This is an applied course on statistical methods commonly used in social science research (including political science and sociology) and provides the necessary foundation to conduct your own analysis in a research context, what data to use for different research topics, to adopt research designs that are relevant for the research question, use statistical tests and draw conclusions based on statistical tests. Students will also learn how to carry out statistical tests using statistical packages, and to interpret results based on their own analyses.
This course will provide the student with an understanding and basic foundation to explain and compare the varying definitions of terrorism; distinguish the different types of terrorist motivations including left-wing, right-wing, ethno-nationalist, separatists, and religious; to differentiate terrorism from other forms of violence including political violence, guerilla warfare, insurgency, civil war, unconventional warfare, and crime; understand and describe the historical foundations of terrorism and apply them to modern terrorist events and methods being used to combat them.
The course examines the political systems in Western Europe and major political developments affecting Western Europe since 1945 through a comparative lens. Looking at historical legacies, political cultures, types of government, and party systems shaping the major Western European powers, students will gain an understanding of the constitutive features, and transnational developments, challenges and changes in Western European states.
This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of International Affairs. The course discusses the main schools of international politics, the determinants and actors of foreign policy, the main conflicts which have characterized the post-World War II era, the problems of war and peace, and the recent trends in globalization.
Issues related to psychopathology will be explored, with an emphasis on methodological problems and the causes of psychopathological conditions. The classification system of DSM-IV, which has become standard in North America and in many other parts of the world, will be examined critically, and other more theoretically coherent nosologies will be studied. Diagnostic categories will be examined from the point of view of three major theoretical approaches: psychodynamic, biological, and cognitive. Through required readings and a research paper, the student will become familiar with contemporary work in the field and will learn to read professional articles in a critical way. Emphasis in the course will be on the understanding and not simply the description of psychopathological states and their multiple complex determinants. Every psychological disorder has its specific content for the person suffering from it.
This course examines how individual differences and environmental circumstances influence psychological and life outcomes in adolescence. Focusing on the biological, cognitive, and social changes experienced as individuals move from early to late adolescence, the course explores how the social contexts of family, peers, and schools affect the developmental processes. Students will also analyze other factors which influence adolescent psychology, such as culture, biology, cognitive development and sexuality, and discuss individual and environmental factors causing development to go awry in cases of substance abuse, conduct disorders/delinquency, and eating disorders.
The course enables students to acquire an in-depth knowledge of emotion, emotion regulation and emotion expression. Through engagement with contemporary scientific literature, students will deepen their understanding of the role emotions play in their life, and how emotions are processed in the healthy brain as well as in the brain after a lesion. During the course, students will be prompted to consider the different neuroscientific techniques used to investigate emotions, to reflect on the universal aspects and cultural differences of emotions, and to engage in critical evaluation, discussion, and oral presentation of scientific literature.
Follows the development of the child through adolescence, with emphasis on the complexity and continuity of psychological development. The course will emphasize the interaction and interdependence of the various systems: biological, genetic, and environmental, as well as the interaction and the interdependence of cognitive and social factors in the various stages of development, from the prenatal period through adolescence. Particular attention will be placed on attachment theory, the development of the self, and possible pathological outcomes of faulty development.
This course aims to provide an overview of the area of Clinical Psychology and will cover both a brief history of clinical psychology and current standards and evidence-based practices. Students will learn about the main theoretical approaches and common assessment and treatment methods of clinical psychologists and explore the current issues in this area.Satisfies “Applied Psychology” core course requirement for Psychological Science majors.
This course will examine the structure and function of mental processes, which account for human behavior. Topics include attention, perception, memory, problem solving, decision making, cognitive development, language, and human intelligence. Individual, situational, gender, and cultural differences in cognition will also be explored. An individual research project or research paper is required.
The course provides a general introduction to the science of developmental psychology and its applications. A number of questions will be addressed, including: What develops and when; The contribution of nature and nurture to developmental change; Mechanisms of change; The role of the child and the larger sociocultural context in shaping development; Continuity and discontinuity in development; Methods used to address the above topics; Application of developmental research to everyday issues.
The course examines how psychological theories and research can inform educational practices. It provides an overview of the major theories of human development, learning and motivation, and their educational implications. Students will learn to think critically about the pros and cons of a given educational approach, and to explain the relevance of psychological research findings for educational methods.Sample topics include: basic concepts in measurement and assessment, theories of learning and motivation, developmental characteristics of learners, individual differences, classroom management and teacher behavior, diversity in the schools.Satisfies “Applied Psychology” core course requirement for Psychological Science majors.
Introduces the study of psychology, the study of the human mind, in some of its many facets: epistemological issues, the brain, perception, learning, language, intelligence, motivation, development, personality, emotion, social influences, pathology and therapy, and prevention. These will be seen from the scientific and scholarly point of view, but with emphasis on their relevance to everyday life. An important focus of the course will be the significance of theories and how they influence the gathering of data, as well as the difficulty of objectivity when the object of study is also its primary tool: the human mind. One of the goals of the course will also be to prepare the student to read psychological literature with a critical eye, keeping in mind the difficulties involved in attempting to study human subjectivity in an objective way.
This course will examine five broad areas: the foundations of health psychology including health research; stress, pain and coping; behavioral factors in cardiovascular disease and chronic disease; tobacco, alcohol, drugs, eating, and exercise; and challenges in health psychology.
TBA
The course is designed to improve students skills both as consumers and producers of science. Thus, a major goal of the course is to enhance students ability to read, interpret, and evaluate scientific evidence presented in academic journals, as well as evidence communicated through popular press and other media outlets. Another major goal is to develop students ability to produce original research. The course includes a laboratory component where students will learn to search for and locate relevant literature, formulate testable hypothesis, identify and implement the appropriate research design, and effectively communicate research findings.Sample topics include: the role of scientific inquiry in psychology, ethics in research with human participants, reliability and validity, essential elements of research designs, writing a research report
The course introduces students to the statistical methods commonly used in psychological research and provides the necessary foundation in statistical reasoning to think critically about psychological findings reported in research articles and in the media. Students will learn how to use statistics in the context of research, what statistical test is appropriate given the research design and the type of data collected, and why statistical tests are used to draw conclusions in research. They will also learn how to write up their own statistical analyses in APA style. The course includes a laboratory component where students will familiarize themselves with statistical software and will learn how to use it for managing and analyzing data. Sample topics include scales of measurements, measures of central tendency and variability, the logic of hypothesis testing (including limitations and modern approaches), parametric and nonparametric tests, effect size, confidence intervals, power, and sample size.Minimum passing grade for students enrolled for the BA in Psychological Science: C-
The course offers a systematic overview on the emerging discipline of Organizational Neuroscience (ON), an interdisciplinary field that combines neuroscience, psychology, organizational behaviour, business organization, and management to explore how brain functions, cognitive processes, and neurological mechanisms may influence human behaviour within workplaces and organizations. The course will address the neural underpinnings of behavior at both the individual (micro), group (meso) and organizational (macro) level of analysis.
The course provides an overview of the field of psychobiology. Drawing both from the biological and psychological sciences, the course introduces students to the structures and functions of the central and peripheral nervous systems, with a focus on how they influence mental processes and behavior.Students will gain the foundational knowledge to understand how biological processes inform the human experience. They will learn how the activity of neurons can yield simple motor actions as well as complex behavioral states and functions (e.g., motivation).Sample topics include: the basic anatomy of the nervous system, neural communication, brain development, as well as the neural basis of sensation, perception, learning, memory, motivation, emotion, sleep and consciousness.
Prerequisite: PS 101 or permission of the instructor
The course focuses on applications of concepts and theories from cognitive, social, developmental and clinical psychology, to the administration of justice. Topics include the psychological processes involved in jury selection, jury deliberation and decision making, police interrogation, false confessions, eyewitness testimony, memory for traumatic events, child witnesses, juvenile offenders, and the role of psychologists as trial consultant and expert witnesses.
The course examines the psychology of women and gender emphasizing the social construction of gender and its impact on women both at the individual and collective levels. Through a social psychological perspective, the course will examine the structural impediments and inequalities faced by women as well as members of other nondominant groups, including people with cultural, ethnic, and sexual minority identities. The course will also introduce students to the concept of intersectionality, exploring how various identities intersect and contribute to creating unique and nuanced experiences.
The course, aimed at first-year students, provides an overview of contemporary and classic research in psychology relevant to the college experience. Through a combination of theory, research, and practical applications drawn from different domains of psychological inquiry (e.g., cognitive, social), the course will illustrate how psychological science may help students better understand academic and personal challenges, allowing them to develop the knowledge, skills, and mindset to thrive and make the most out of their college experience.
In this course, students will explore human creativity through different scientific perspectives (i.e., psychological, cognitive, artistic, and neurobiological). They will be introduced to research in creativity studies, and learn how to critically examine the current theories, evidence, and applications. The main topics include the definition of creativity; psychological and cognitive profiles of creative individuals; basic cognitive functioning of creative thinking and its neural correlates; and cognitive strategies for optimizing creative output.
The course focuses on the relationship between the individual and society, by examining how people form and sustain their attitudes, beliefs, and values. Students are introduced to current research findings in areas such as leadership and group dynamics, cults, prejudice and racism, aggression, altruism, and love and attraction. A group research project is required.
Prerequisites: Junior Standing; PS 101
This course offers a comprehensive exploration of psychodynamic psychology, emphasizing its historical roots, contemporary applications, and critiques. Students will examine key concepts such as the unconscious mind, defence mechanisms, and transference, and explore how these ideas have evolved in modern psychological practices including therapy, education, and organizational behaviour. Students will also critically examine the empirical studies supporting psychodynamic principles, and address critiques of psychodynamic approaches, including challenges to their scientific validity and cultural relevance.
This course is designed to familiarize students with basic psychological theory and research on intergroup relations, prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, so that they can: (1) evaluate and analyze the scientific merit of this research, and (2) apply this research to real world. The goals of this course are to expose students to the core issues, phenomena, and concepts that researchers in this field are attempting to understand and to promote critical thinking about research in this area.
The course explores the psychological processes behind the proliferation and spread of misinformation and irrational belief (e.g., fake news, conspiracy theories) as well as their impact on individuals and society. Through a review of psychological theories and research, as well as the analyses of real-world cases, students will gain a deeper understanding of how cognitive and social factors contribute to susceptibility and acceptance of false information and pseudoscientific claims, as well as the tools to critically engage with and assess such claims, cultivating scientific skepticism.
This course introduces students to the complexities of contemporary Italian society, taking a primarily bottom-up social science approach by examining a wide variety of contexts and exploring the ways in which Italians express, negotiate and transform their cultural and social identities. By drawing on a growing body of anthropological and sociological research, it provides students with the tools to question rigid and dated assumptions about Italian social life and enables them to analyze its multifaceted, dynamic and often contradictory forms and practices, focusing primarily on the last two decades. Students are first introduced to key theoretical and methodological approaches in the sociological and anthropological study of contemporary Italy. We then examine local identities in urban contexts, how families and gender roles are transforming, and the pressures produced by the current economic crisis, as well as exploring why increasing numbers of Italians are returning to rural livelihoods. Next, we discuss life in the Italian work-place and the effects that de-industrialization, technological development and precarious work contracts are having on professional and class identities. We analyze the rising appeal of populist and anti-political discourses and figures and then focus on how Italy’s strong civic movements are struggling to improve social life from below. Among the issues tackled are ones traditionally relegated to the private domain, such as disabilities and sexual identities. Lastly, we examine how migration is changing social and cultural life as the country becomes increasingly multi ethnic, how religious (and secular) identities are expressed, and the effects that Italy’s dramatic brain-drain is having within the country.
What is crime? Why are we so fascinated by it? Why do people commit crimes and what are the best deterrents? How do we assess the success or failure of policing, incarceration and rehabilitation strategies? This course examines the politics underlying how crimes are defined and measured and what patterns of criminal behavior have thus emerged over time. It explores both classical and contemporary theories that seek to explain why certain people engage in crimes while others do not. It also explores how theories of crime affect policy, it evaluates existing strategies of crime control, and introduces a critical discussion of how contemporary criminal justice systems operate.
This course introduces students to the analysis and interpretation of cultures in a comparative perspective. The main topics of the course include the temporal and spatial forms of society; the social organization of symbols; the family as a symbolic structure; religion, sacrifice and myth; the anthropology of the city; the interplay between nature and culture, gender and sexuality in different cultures; the concepts of ethnicity; and regional, religious and linguistic subcultures.
Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines gender and sexuality. This course offers an introduction to historical and current debates taking place within gender studies. Students will explore historical and contemporary feminist, masculinity and queer theories, paying close attention to both local and global issues, and learning the tools for critically engaging issues related to gender.
This course will introduce students to the basic concepts and practices of the study of society. Students will learn central ideas such as socialization, culture, stratification, institutions, work organization, gender, ethnicity, race and globalization. They will also learn about how sociologists practice their craft reading about studies of current social issues – inequality, changes in family life, social movements and others – and by carrying out small scale out-of-class research assignments.
This on-site course, which will be conducted in English, aims to introduce students to a sociological analysis of contemporary Rome. It focuses on the changes which are occurring in the citys populations, its neighborhoods and patterns of daily life and commerce, and challenges conventional images of what it is to be a Roman today. On-site classes will be held in a variety of neighborhoods in the city in order to analyze the areas role as a social entity and its relationship with the wider urban context. We will examine the issues and problems facing Rome today, such as housing, degradation and renewal, environmental questions, transportation, multiculturalism, wealth and poverty, social conflict and political identities. These issues will be contextualized within theories of urban sociology and also within an explanation of Romes urban development over the centuries and, in particular, since it became the national capital in 1870. Through readings, film clips, interviews and guest speakers, students will also analyze the way the city is narrated by some of its residents.
The Global Leadership Exploration Program (Explore Program) is designed to enrich students’ experiences abroad and to provide additional support and structured exploration of global themes to students completing a gap semester program. Students enrolled in the Explore Program broaden their awareness of global issues and explore various career fields and themes, through research, engagement in community service, and interaction with experts and leaders.
Students enrolled in the program must:
- Enroll in one (or more) global awareness course;
- Engage in community service during the semester for a minimum of 15 hours;
- Participate in four exploration activities, in which students join local leaders in various career fields in discussions about their field in a global context as well as their career path;
- Maintain a journal of activities, observations and reflections on how their study abroad experiences may inform their understanding of global issues;
- Meet with their SAI mentor to discuss leadership and career exploration topics;
- Submit a 350-word career exploration paper that delves into a career field of interest and its evolution in a globalized world, and identifies one or two leaders in the field who are engaged in globally aware action.
Upon successful completion of the program, students receive a reference letter that confirms completion of the certificate and related activities, along with a certificate suitable for framing.
Phone Interview & Consultation
After all application materials are submitted, students complete a phone interview and consultation with their admissions counselor. This call is meant to help admissions counselors get to know students and their interests, as well as for students to ask questions about the program and get assistance with determining what courses might be best suited for them.
Courses & Schedule
SAI Gap program students enroll in 12 – 15 credits (12 recommended). Students must enroll in one Italian language course and at least one course that is designated a global awareness course. The remaining courses can be chosen from any electives, provided the student meets prerequisites. We are happy to provide a list of suggested courses that will help to prepare students for their degree-seeking college coursework.
Course Registration
SAI students complete their course registration directly with JCU through their JCU student account. Students receive their student account login about 1 week before registration opens. JCU courses are competitive, and students should complete their course registration on the registration date. JCU course registration begins on the following date.
Fall Semester: June 4, 2025 at 3:30pm PT / 5:30pm CT / 6:30pm ET
| Pre-Departure Calendar | |
|---|---|
| April 17 2025 |
Application Closes Applications accepted after closing as space permits. |
| Within 1 week of acceptance |
SAI Deposits Due $500 Enrollment Deposit (applied toward program fee) $300 Security Deposit (refundable) |
| May 1 2025 |
50% of Total Program Fee Due Students who are accepted and submit SAI deposits after this date will have an amended pay schedule. 50% of the Program Fee will be due within 5 business days, based on the deposit payment date. |
| May 1 2025 |
Enrollment Closes Students must complete their enrollment, including paying deposits, by this date. |
| May 15 2025 |
Financial Aid Agreement & Financial Aid Program Deposit Deadline Students wishing to utilize SAI financial aid payment deferment must complete the Financial Aid Agreement form and submit the Financial Aid Program Deposit by this date. Students whose deposit payment date is on or after this date will have a deadline of 5 days after the deposit. |
| June 4 2025 |
JCU Course Registration Opens Registration opens at 3:30PM Pacific Time. |
| June 15 2025 |
SAI Financial Aid Verification Deadline Students wishing to defer payment until financial aid disbursement must submit the financial aid verification forms to SAI by this date. |
| July 1 2025 |
Balance of Total Program Fee Due (For students utilizing SAI financial aid payment deferment, any balance not covered by aid is due) |
| On-Site Calendar | |
|---|---|
| August 27 2025 |
Arrival & Housing Check-in Students arrive at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO). SAI airport pickup is provided between 9:00am and 2:00pm, and students are transferred to SAI housing. |
| August 28 2025 |
SAI Orientation Mandatory SAI orientation is held at JCU and introduces students to their city while covering safety, policies, housing, and culture. |
| Coming soon |
JCU Academic Orientation JCU holds several-day orientation activities. In addition to the mandatory orientation, students have opportunities to take city tours, join clubs, and meet professors. |
| September 1 2025 |
JCU Classes Begin |
| September 5 2025 |
JCU Drop/Add Deadline |
| October 28 2025 |
Last Day to Withdraw from a Class |
| December 4 2025 |
JCU Classes End |
| December 9 – 12 2025 |
Final Exams |
| December 13 2025 |
Program End & Housing Check-out Students must move out of SAI housing by 10:00am to return home or pursue independent travel. |
| SAI Program Fees* | USD |
|---|---|
| Application Fee | $120 |
| Security Deposit Refundable at the end of the term. |
$300 |
| Program Fee Includes tuition, standard housing and SAI 360° Services (see What’s Included). |
Coming soon |
| Optional / Additional Fees: | |
| Optional Private Room Housing Supplement Private room in a shared apartment, with a shared bathroom. |
Coming soon |
| International Mailing Supplement When applicable, students are charged an international mailing supplement to ensure visa paperwork arrives in a timely manner. |
$90 |
*prices are subject to change
Please see SAI Policies for SAI cancellation & withdrawal deadlines.
Financial Assistance
SAI offers discounts to students wishing to complete a Gap Year (two consecutive gap semesters). Additionally, students are able to apply for a personal loan through JCU to assist with paying for their SAI Gap Program. Please contact our Business Office for more information.
| Budget | Low Est. | High Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Airfare to/from Rome |
$900 | $1,800 |
| Visa Visa and Permit to Stay fees. |
$250 | $275 |
| Books, Supplies & Course Fees | $100 / course | $300 / course |
| Meals Includes groceries and eating out. |
$650/ month | $800 / month |
| Personal Expenses | $300 / month | $350 / month |
| Transportation within Rome Public transportation with some taxi rides. |
$125 / month | $150 / month |
| Weekend Travel Cost varies greatly by student. |
$300 / month | $1,000 / month |
This is a SAI 360° Services Program; it includes our full services!
- Program tuition and U.S. academic credit
- Accommodation in carefully selected student housing
- Airport pickup on arrival day
- Welcome reception and events
- Orientation to the host city and school
- On-site staff who foster a welcoming community and provide assistance when needed
- SAI Viva Experience: cultural engagement, excursions & wellness activities
- Student health insurance providing full coverage and medical emergency evacuation
- 20 meals at Tiber Café
- 24-hour on-site emergency support
- Farewell event
Pre-departure and Re-entry services
- Knowledgeable Admissions Counselor dedicated to you, providing friendly assistance
- Helpful pre-departure tools and resources
- Parent & family resources
- Online student groups to acquaint you with other SAI students
- Student visa advising
- Assistance with financial aid processing
- Need-based SAI scholarships
- Alumni Ambassador Program, with paid internship opportunities
- SAI alumni network
SAI offers all students the Viva Experience: frequent cultural activities, at no extra cost, for participants to get to know their community, city and country. Following is a sample of the activities included in this program. Please note that actual activities may differ.
Welcome to Rome and the Roman Hills
SAI welcomes students with a day trip to Frascati in the beautiful Roman hills. Students tour the town and discuss its history, enjoy the views from a family-run vineyard, and share a meal featuring local specialties.
Olive Oil Harvest & Tasting
Students will visit an olive grove farm in the countryside of Rome where they will learn how Italy’s prestigious extra-virgin olive oil is produced. They will see firsthand how olives are harvested from groves and visit a traditional frantoio (olive oil mill) to see the olives being freshly pressed into oil. Finally they will taste the oil and enjoy a light lunch featuring the freshly pressed olive oil.
Discover Monti
Once the slum of ancient Rome, Monti is now one of the city’s coolest and most charming neighborhoods home to vintage stores, art studios, chic cafés, and quaint squares. Students will visit Domus Aurea (“Golden House”), an impressive palace built by Emperor Nero, and go on a virtual reality tour. They will then explore the neighborhood’s shops and conclude with lunch at a famous local trattoria.
Ancient Rome Tour
Visit the Centro Storico, Rome’s historic center, and step back in time on a guided tour of some of the most iconic monuments of the eternal city: the Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona.
Hike to Janiculum Hill
Walk up to the Janiculum Hill for a bird’s eye view of Roma! As the sun sets over the city, enjoy a refreshing “grattachecca” – Italian ice – and take in the amazing views of your new home!
A Taste of Rome Food Tour
Students get to know their new home by exploring the Trastevere neighborhood and tasting some of Rome’s most celebrated culinary traditions.
Treasures of Tivoli
Just a short train ride outside of Rome, Tivoli is a pristine mountain town with cascading waterfalls, exquisite gardens and world-renowned historical sites. Students tour one of Tivoli’s most enchanting gardens, Villa d’Este, which is a jaw dropping gem and a UNESCO world heritage site. The afternoon ends with lunch at a nearby farm featuring all locally produced specialties.
Italian Cooking Lessons
Students join Italian cooking lessons taught by local Roman Chef Andrea Consoli. Each lesson covers how to make a traditional Roman three-course meal that is easy to recreate independently. At the end of the lesson, students enjoy their own homemade Italian meal.
Farewell Evening
Students celebrate the end of a successful term abroad and say their goodbyes over a delicious Italian meal.
Standard Housing: Student apartment
SAI student apartments are convenient and well equipped, with shared occupancy bedrooms (option to upgrade to private bedroom, if available). Typical residences house 2 – 8 students and contain a combination of private and shared bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and living areas. Furnishings, a washing machine, basic kitchen supplies, bed linens and towels are provided. All apartments are equipped with wireless Internet. Housing configurations are designated as female, male, and in some locations, gender-inclusive. SAI on-site staff is available to respond to any maintenance needs that may arise.
Passports
Passports should be valid for 3 months after planned departure from Italy.
Student Visas
In accordance with Italian law, students studying in Italy for 91 days or more are required to obtain a student visa. Those with Italian/EU citizenship are exempted. Non-US nationals should consult their local Consulate for information on student visa requirements.
Depending on the consulate, students will either mail in their student visa application or appear in person to present their application to the consulate. Our Student Visa Office is available to assist students in preparing for the appointment; SAI Student Visa Consulting is part of the SAI 360° Services included in the program fee. SAI Student Visa Processing Service is available for select consulates only, for an additional fee.
Social Sciences: Sociology and Psychology | Psychology