Sant'Anna Institute
January Term 3 weeks 2025
3 credits

SAI’s 3 week Jan Term session, hosted by Sant’Anna Institute in Sorrento, invites students to complete one 3 credit course while experiencing the true spirit of local life in Sorrento. Students choose from any level of Italian language or the History of the Mafia course to complete during the program. Students have access to Sant’Anna Institute’s full suite of services and facilities throughout their time in Sorrento.


Application open until: October 15, 2024

Application Requirements
Complete online application
Personal statement (300-500 words)
Official transcript
Passport scan (photo page)
Italian privacy consent form

Highlights

  • Course highlight: History of the Mafia 
  • Enjoy a peaceful time to be on the Mediterranean coast

Program Dates
January 5 – January 25, 2025


Eligibility Requirements

Age: 18+

Academic Year: High school graduate or above

Cumulative GPA:* 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale)

* contact SAI if you don’t meet requirements



Arts and Humanities | Cultural Studies
Arts and Humanities | Italian Cinema
Arts and Humanities | Philosophy
Business & Administration Studies | Business
Italian Studies | Italian Language
Italian Studies | Italian Literature
Natural and Health Sciences | Health Science
Natural and Health Sciences | Natural Science
Social Sciences | History
Social Sciences | Political Science

Arts and Humanities | Cultural Studies

3 Credits
| Course #: ENGL 212 / WGS 221

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

The aim of this course is to readItalian and Europeanliterary texts of the 20th century, by both male and female writers, from a feminist perspective. Our starting point will be the following definition of the feminist reader: The feminist reader assumes that there is no innocent or neutral approach to literature and that all interpretation is political. The feminist reader might ask, among other questions, how the text represents men and women, what it says about gender relations, how it defines sexual difference. A feminist does not necessarily read in order to praise or to blame, to judge or to censor. More commonly she sets out to assess how the text invites its readers, as members of a specific culture, to understand what it means to be a woman or a man, and so encourages them to reaffirm or to challenge existing cultural norms.

Contact Hours: 45

Arts and Humanities | Italian Cinema

3 Credits
| Course #: FVA 276

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

The course introduces the student to the world of Italian Cinema. In the first part the class will be analysing Neorealism, a cinematic phenomenon that deeply influenced the ideological and aesthetic rules of film art. In the second part we will concentrate on the films that mark the decline of Neorealism and the talent of “new” auteurs such as Fellini and Visconti. The last part of the course will be devoted to the cinema from 1970’s to the present in order to pay attention to the latest developments of the Italian industry. The course is a general analysis of post-war cinema and a parallel social history of this period using films as “decoded historical evidence”. Together with masterpieces such as “Open City” and “The Bicycle Thief” the screenings will include films of the Italian directors of the “cinema d’autore” including “The Conformist”, “Life is Beautiful”, “Le conseguenze dell’amore”.Students express their opinions and make their own criticisms and written assignments.

Contact Hours: 45

Arts and Humanities | Philosophy

3 Credits
| Course #: PHIL/RELG 350

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

This course explores the religions of ancient Greek and Roman society from their earliest beginnings to the end of paganism and the emergence of Christianity. We will try to ask questions like how did Greeks and Romans conceptualize the divine and their relationship to it? How was ancient religion actually practiced? How does religion relate to myth and ritual? How did religion and politics interrelate? What exactly were the alternatives to civically practiced religion we call mystery cults? Who were the critics of ancient religions, and what was the substance of their criticisms? What was the distinction between magic and religion? These fundamental questions (and many others) will concern us in this course. While the course follows a broadly chronological outline, individual lectures concentrate on specific themes, such as forms and places of worship, philosophy and religion, death and afterlife, magic and the concept of conversion. The course is designed to introduce the tenets, beliefs, and certain spiritual practices of Classical antiquity and to investigate the social, cultural, and political background of which ancient religion was part. Students will benefit from attending their study abroad program in Sorrento, in the middle of ancient Magna Graecia.

Contact Hours: 45

Business & Administration Studies | Business

3 Credits
| Course #: INB 421

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

The course presents concepts of tourism relating to food and geography, using Italy as a case study. The course is relevant to students of all backgrounds but it has been designed specifically for students of hospitality, business, and culinary arts. Students will study international organizations operating in tourism (i.e. WTO) and the different types of tourism, with particular a emphasis on paid to sustainable tourism. Students will be asked to involves gate the tourism geography of Italy, becoming familiar with the most important tourist sites in Italy and Campania (through several excursions). The third module of the course will be dedicated to a very important kind of tourism in Italy and in the Campania Region: Food and Wine Tourism.

Contact Hours: 45

Italian Studies | Italian Language

3 Credits
| Course #: WL 325

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:1. demonstrate advancement in spoken and written language2. communicate with advanced grammatical structures, idiomatic expressions and refined vocabulary3. communicate personal opinions in group discussions on a variety of topics, articles, events and personal stories

Contact Hours: 45
3 Credits
| Course #: WL 101

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:1. demonstrate a basic understanding of Italian spelling and pronunciation (assessment: Homework; oral participation in class; oral comprehension quizzes and tests; dictations)2. demonstrate a basic understanding of part of the Italian grammar and syntax (assessment: Homework–workbook; computer assignments; essay; quizzes and tests)3. participate in simple conversations on topics on everyday situations such as work, education, food, time,weather… (reinforced through in-class group activities)4. demonstrate basic reading comprehension skills (in-class or homework reading assignments–from textbook or internet sites; quizzes and tests)5. demonstrate some knowledge of Italian geography, history, culture and daily life

Contact Hours: 45
3 Credits
| Course #: WL 102

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:1. demonstrate a basic understanding of Italian spelling and pronunciation (assessment: Homework; oral participation in class; oral comprehension quizzes and tests; dictations)2. demonstrate a basic understanding of part of the Italian grammar and syntax (assessment: Homework–workbook; computer assignments; essay; quizzes and tests)3. participate in simple conversations on topics on everyday situations such as work, education, food, time,weather… (reinforced through in-class group activities)4. demonstrate basic reading comprehension skills (in-class or homework reading assignments–from textbook or internet sites; quizzes and tests)5. demonstrate some knowledge of Italian geography, history, culture and daily life

Contact Hours: 45
3 Credits
| Course #: WL 201

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

This course is designed for students who wish to develop the skills necessary to interact in the language and learn about Italian contemporary culture and society as well as Italy’s history. Students will continue to refine their speaking skills by completing tasks with your classmates in pairs and small groups and by following models of native speakers presented on video. Students will develop reading and writing skills by reading increasingly more elaborate authentic texts and writing related, reaction essays, and your listening skills will be cultivated by completing on-line listening activities, viewing and analyzing short clips from Italian movies, and listening to short lectures on topics in Italian culture, society, and history, such as Pompeii, the contemporary demographic profile of Italy, the history of the language, and of the unification of Italy.

Contact Hours: 45
3 Credits
| Course #: WL 325

Course is taught in Italian. Students must have earned at least 12 credits of Italian language. This course requires a minimum enrollment of 4 in order to run

Dante Alighieri is the most important Italian poet, the father of Italian language and the principle figure of Medieval Literature in Europe. This course will examine Dante’s Divine Comedy and some other minor works of his (i.e.Vita Nuova and Convivio). The course aim is to allow students to examine his internationally renowned literary texts in their original language. Students will read excerpts from these works and engage in a historical, literary and rhetorical analysis of texts while determining techniques of poetic composition. Students are expected to actively participate and contribute to class discussion. They are also expected to do all the exercises assigned daily.

Contact Hours: 45
3 Credits
| Course #: WL 202

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

This course is designed for students who wish to develop the skills necessary to interact in the language and learn about Italian contemporary culture and society, as well as Italy’s history. Students will continue to refine their speaking skills by completing tasks with classmates in pairs and small groups. They will develop reading and writing skills by reading increasingly more elaborate authentic texts and writing essays, and their listening skills will be cultivated by in-class interactions, listening to short lectures on topics in Italian culture, listening to Italian music, and watching Italian movies.

Contact Hours: 45

Italian Studies | Italian Literature

3 Credits
| Course #: WL 325

Students must have earned at least 12 credits of Italian language as the course will be instructed in Italian. Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved. Please note: course requires a minimum enrollment of 4 students to run

Students will study Italian literature of the Twentieth Century. Students will critically analyze the internationally renowned literary texts in their original language. Authors include Pirandello, Quasimodo, Ungaretti, Montale and others. Students will read excerpts from these works and engage in a historical, literary and rhetorical analysis of texts while determining techniques of poetic composition. Students will also learn about the lives of authors and the historical context and how these affected the masterpieces studied. Students are expected to actively participate and contribute to class discussion. They are also expected to do all the exercises assigned daily.

Contact Hours: 45
3 Credits
| Course #: WL 325

You may only take this course if you have completed 5 semesters of Italian language.

In this course, you will become more aware of your personal learning style and strategies. You will have conversations in Italian with an interactive computer program and your grammatical knowledge will be revised through linguistic encounters in class. The multimedia component reinforces, tests, and contextualises language learning done in the classroom and is regarded as an essential part of this course.

Contact Hours: 45

Natural and Health Sciences | Health Science

3 Credits
| Course #: MKG 320

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

Students will examine evidenced-based relationships between nutrition and the promotion of long-term health and well-being. They will become familiar with food-related policy and recommendations, including Dietary Guidelines, Food Labels, and evidence-based nutrition programs, and gain practical skills to make healthful dietary choices. Moreover, students will learn health promotion strategies to help influence other people’s food choices and apply these strategies to a specific modifiable chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease.

Contact Hours: 45
3 Credits
| Course #: KIN 221

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

Students will examine evidenced-based relationships between nutrition and the promotion of long-term health and well-being. They will become familiar with food-related policy and recommendations, including Dietary Guidelines, Food Labels, and evidence-based nutrition programs, and gain practical skills to make healthful dietary choices. Moreover, students will learn health promotion strategies to help influence other people’s food choices and apply these strategies to a specific modifiable chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease.

Contact Hours: 45

Natural and Health Sciences | Natural Science

3 Credits
| Course #: MSC 113

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

This course focuses on the biology of organisms residing in the sea, from the diversity of planktonic communities to marine megafauna, taking into consideration the ecological principles that govern marine life. The course aims to provide a solid educational background in basic and applied marine biology. Emphasis will be placed on marine environment issues and the adaptive and evolutionary mechanisms of organisms that allow them to occupy marine habitats. In particular, the Mediterranean Sea and the conservation of marine environment will play a central role in the course subjects, profiting from the availability of unique ecosystems and a nearby renown marine protected area to offer practical case studies.

Contact Hours: 45

Social Sciences | History

3 Credits
| Course #: HIST 350

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

The course examines the history of southern Italian organized crime syndicates from their origins to the present day. It also focuses on how these mafias work and have succeeded, on their activities as well as on modern-day approaches to combating the criminal presence in Italy, including the reaction of civil society organizations. Attention is paid to examples of Mafia enterprises, its past and present role in politics, and its evolution from a regional organization to one with an international reach. A research project, with both a paper and an oral presentation, is required in addition to two written exams.

Contact Hours: 45

Social Sciences | Political Science

3 Credits
| Course #: POL 375

Please note that all courses are subject to adequate enrollment; therefore, it is important to get additional courses approved.

The purpose of this module is to examine the history, development, structure and efficacy of international human rights law. In this module, students will investigate the legal framework of the United Nations and regional systems relating to the protection and promotion of, inter alia, the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples, women’s rights, the rights of migrants and refugees, cultural rights, and the emerging field of environmental rights. Students will assess the remedies that exist for violations of human rights law in the various systems and examine practical case studies where relevant.

Contact Hours: 45

Course Registration & Schedule
Students select one 3 credit course to complete over the 3 week program.

Students complete their course registration during the SAI application process by selecting their primary course choice as well as required alternate course. Course schedules are confirmed 4 weeks prior to arrival.


Pre-Departure Calendar
October 15 2024
Application Closes
Within 1 week of acceptance
SAI Deposits Due
$500 Enrollment Deposit (applied toward program fee)
$300 Security Deposit (refundable)
October 7 2024
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.
October 7 2024
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.
October 22 2024
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.
October 29 2024
Enrollment Closes
Students must complete their enrollment, including paying their deposits, by this date.
November 6 2024
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
January 5 2025
Arrival & Housing Check-in
Students arrive at Naples International Airport (NAP). Students should arrive accordingly for the 12pm and 5pm airport pick up service. Upon arrival in Sorrento students are taken to housing.
January 6 2025
Program Orientation
Orientation activities and welcome events include walking tours and group social events.
January 6 2025
Courses Begin
January 24 2025
Final Exams
January 25 2025
Program End & Housing Check-out
Students must move out of 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).
$4,200
Optional / Additional Fees:  
Optional Off-Campus Dorm Housing: Shared
Shared room in off-campus dorm, includes 10 breakfasts and dinners.
$265
International Mailing Supplement
Students residing outside the U.S. are charged an international mailing supplement to ensure visa paperwork arrives in a timely manner.
$90

*prices are subject to change

Note: certain SAI-affiliated US universities require specific payment arrangements. These may require that some fees are paid by the student directly to SAI, and other fees are paid to SAI by the affiliated university on behalf of the student. If you attend a SAI-affiliated university please contact your study abroad office or speak with your SAI Admissions Counselor for details.

Budget Low Est. High Est.
Airfare to/from Naples
$900 $1,800
Books, Supplies & Course Fees $25 / course $50 / course
Meals
Combination of cooking at home and eating out.
$600 / month $1,000 / month
Personal Expenses $250 / month $350 / month
Transportation within Sorrento area
Public transportation with some taxi rides.
$50 / month $100 / 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 for you and provide assistance when needed
  • SAI Viva Experience: cultural engagement, excursions & wellness activities
  • Student health insurance providing full coverage and medical emergency evacuation
  • 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 Reception
Upon arrival, new students and SA faculty and staff unite at a welcome reception to kick off the term.

Walking Tour of Sorrento
Students tour Sorrento, including stops at popular shops, supermarkets, and places of entertainment, as well as important landmarks such as main squares, post offices, bus stops and taxi stands.

Pompeii Excursion
Students visit the Roman city of Pompeii, buried by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. Though the site is still not fully excavated, visitors can see the ruins of villas, ancient temples and the Stabian Baths to gain an intimate knowledge of how wealthy Romans lived 2,000 years ago.

Farewell Dinner
After the exams are completed and final papers handed in, the students, faculty and staff share in a celebratory final meal to reflect upon the program experience and to say final goodbyes before departure.

Standard Housing: Student dorm or apartment
Standard housing includes a shared occupancy bedroom in the student dorm or in a shared student apartment. Dorm housing is assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis with limited availability. All SAI housing in Sorrento is equipped with basic furniture, towels and bed linens, wireless Internet, and air conditioning. Students have access to kitchen facilities, comfortable common areas, and washing machines.

Optional Housing: Off-campus dorm (additional fee applies)
Students choosing the off-campus dorm option will be placed in a shared bedroom in a student dorm located approximately 20 minutes from campus. This housing option does not include access to a kitchen, but includes 10 breakfasts and 10 dinners served by the dorm’s cafeteria (vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options available) with the option to purchase additional meal vouchers as needed.

Passports
Passports should be valid for 3 months after planned departure from Italy.

Student Visas
In accordance with Italian law, U.S. students studying in Italy for 90 days or less are not required to obtain a student visa. Therefore all U.S. students do not require a student visa for this program. Non-US nationals should consult their local Consulate for information on student visa requirements.