Quick facts
| Upcoming term | Spring, 2025 |
| Term dates | January 11, 2025 – April 27, 2025 |
| Application dates | October 1, 2024 |
| Program fees | Determined by your home institution. Check with your study abroad adviser for details! |
| How to apply | Click here |
Overview
The Italy Center offers courses on a rotating basis each year. Below you will find the courses listed by semester linked to their full course descriptions. Please note the following items when considering your course schedule (applicable to semester programs only):
- Click here to review the eligibility requirements.
- All courses are three (3) credits unless otherwise noted
- 12-15 total credit hours per semester (any more must be approved by the Director)
- Minimum three (3) credits of Italian; Upper level Italian (2XX-3XX) requires prior academic credit in lower level Italian courses. As part of the Immersion component of the program, completion of one semester of ITA is mandatory during both the Spring and Fall semesters, regardless of the level.
- HUM 295 and 490 are permission only and have separate applications (see each course for details)
- Course offerings are tentative. Finalization of offerings is based on course enrollment numbers and student interest.
Program inclusions
- Tuition
- Accommodation
- Partial board
- Supplementary travel insurance
- Social justice-focused travel to Trieste and Sardinia
Program exclusions
- Airfare to and from Italy
- Personal expenses
Travel
Trieste
Students will explore the diverse history and contemporary richness of the Italian/Slovenian border region, beginning with its largest city. Trieste has long been a locus of politics and culture, a multicultural magnet for expatriate and native writers and activists. This region was a contested border in both World Wars and features WWI cemeteries and trenches, the only concentration camp in Italy, as well as a legacy of resistance to Fascism.
Sardinia
Sardinia is an Italian region and astonishing Mediterranean island that boasts old traditions and a wild nature. This visit will center on cultural organizations in the southern part of the island around Iglesias and the region’s capital Cagliari, giving students a truly rare opportunity to explore authentic Sardinian culture and tradition through the direct experience of locals. Students will explore social justice initiatives while visiting grassroots organizations with Italy Center Social Justice Program Manager, Chiara Deodato.
Art History day tour Parma
This tour is not included in the program fee.
Parma is best known for its contributions to the world of food, but it also happens to be one Italy’s most beautiful cities known for its monuments, castles and art. The tour will be led by Italy Center’s Art Historian Piergiacomo Petrioli.
Course offerings
Art Sciences
Art History 299: Artbreakers: Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Modern Era
Generally speaking, the history of Italian Art deals sporadically with female artists and considers only a few famous cases. From the Renaissance to today, female artists have often played a significant role in art history. This course offers the students a journey—from a female perspective—through Italian Art from the Late Renaissance to Modern times.
Communications 376: Intercultural Communication
Develops an understanding of the communication processes in the context of cultural plurality. Students explore how meaning is formed within cultural frameworks and examine contemporary social phenomena, such as diversity, multiculturalism, transnational media and worldwide popular culture. Also offered as BUS 376.
Business
Business 309: Environment, Business, and Ethics
An exploration of environmental issues on the global scale, exploring ethical and economic dilemmas as they arise with the increasing interaction of Global North and South. Also offered as PHL 309.
Business 376: Intercultural Communication
Develops an understanding of the communication processes in the context of cultural plurality. Students explore how meaning is formed within cultural frameworks and examine contemporary social phenomena, such as diversity, multiculturalism, transnational media and worldwide popular culture. Also offered as CMM 376.
Finance 321: Money & Capital Markets
This money and capital markets course emphasizes the connections between the financial system, financial institutions, central banks, monetary policy and financial stability. The aim of the course is to give students an overview of the U.S. financial system and an understanding of the theory and practice of monetary policy. Students will see different financial systems from different countries (in particular, in Italy and the European Union) and try to build a solid investment portfolio and see how it evolves throughout the course using a stock market simulator.
Interdisciplinary
Gender Studies 397: Gender Issues in Italy
Students will be introduced to the main topics and keywords related to feminism and gender studies throughout the course, focusing on their meaning and applicability to the Italian context. Each topic will be approached in two steps. First, a theoretical approach serves as a reference point in confronting real-life dilemmas. Second, a practical approach is offered through a workshop complemented by case studies, offering students the opportunity to delve deeper into actual experiences and observe Italian reality.
The course stresses the non-dominant role of women throughout the world and in Italy. In particular, Italian culture’s specificities related to gender in the past and present day. Also offered as IDS 397.
Interdisciplinary Studies 397: Gender Issues in Italy
Students will be introduced to the main topics and keywords related to feminism and gender studies throughout the course, focusing on their meaning and applicability to the Italian context. Each topic will be approached in two steps. First, a theoretical approach serves as a reference point in confronting real-life dilemmas. Second, a practical approach is offered through a workshop complemented by case studies, offering students the opportunity to delve deeper into actual experiences and observe Italian reality.
The course stresses the non-dominant role of women throughout the world and in Italy. In particular, Italian culture’s specificities related to gender in the past and present day. Also offered as GDR 397.
Internship & Research Opportunities
Humanities 295: Directed Undergraduate Research
The Spring Hill College Italy Center Director will work with a student and his home campus adviser to assist in designing an academic research project. The project goals and objectives are to be agreed upon by the student with his/her home campus professor. The Italy Center will assist in aligning the student with community resources to include a faculty advisor. Examples of undergraduate research projects include a study of sibling relationships in a Bologna Rom (gypsy) camp and Italian language acquisition among immigrant North African children compared to their parent’s language abilities. Independent studies will be approved solely for students who exhibit a prior track record of academic excellence and an ability to work independently.
Humanities 490: Social Justice Internship
Professional experience through a semester of directed part-time internship at a local cultural, business, or not-for-profit Bologna agency. Enrollment is restricted and will require a two-month advance correspondence with the Spring Hill College Italy Center Internship Coordinator. Students are expected to work a minimum of ten hours per week in a community agency. Placements are available in both the English and Italian languages.
Languages & Literature
English 320: Literature–Mediterranean Place, Race, & Language
This course will focus on literary texts that deal with travel/displacement and conflict, difference, and alienation while engaging in a new place, culture, and language. The novellas, poems, novels, and short stories, written between the high middle ages and the end of the last century, from primarily Italy, but also England and the United States, will mirror and help students to make sense of some of the things that they are experiencing this semester as they travel throughout Italy.
Italian 101: Elementary Italian I
The primary goal of this course is to introduce students to the Italian language. This intensive course combines a typical semester’s worth of material into a five-week session. Emphasis will be placed on developing speaking, listening – comprehension, reading and writing expressions, and grammar sufficient to support these. Students can expect to learn about modern Italy through in-class activities and homework assignments, including geography, culture, history, and society. Spring Hill students can practice daily class lessons in one’s life in the residence hall. The majority of Friday’s will include a cultural trip, allowing one to practice his/her language skills in the city while offering exposure to some of the hidden treasures, markets, and galleries of Bologna.
Italian 102: Elementary Italian II
The primary goal of this course is to introduce students to the Italian language. This intensive course combines a typical semester’s worth of material into a five-week session. Emphasis will be placed on developing speaking, listening – comprehension, reading and writing expressions, and grammar sufficient to support these. Students can expect to learn about modern Italy through in-class activities and homework assignments, including geography, culture, history, and society. Spring Hill students can practice daily class lessons in one’s life in the residence hall. The majority of Friday’s will include a cultural trip, allowing one to practice his/her language skills in the city while offering exposure to some of the hidden treasures, markets, and galleries of Bologna.
Italian 201: Intermediate Italian
The primary goal of this course is to advance students in the Italian language. Aspects of teaching will entail: reading, analysis, and class discussion of texts (articles, songs, short stories), oral presentations based on research on the newspapers, writing homework assignments (compositions, essays, journal). This course is conducted entirely in Italian. There is an emphasis on developing speaking, listening – comprehension, reading and writing expressions, and grammar sufficient to support these. Spring Hill students can practice daily class lessons in one’s life in the residence hall. Dedicated Fridays will include a cultural trip, allowing one to practice his/her language skills in the city while offering exposure to some of the hidden treasures, markets, and galleries of Bologna. Students are required to have taken two semesters of Italian at the collegiate level.
Italian 381: Advanced Italian
The primary goal of this course is to advance students in the Italian language. Aspects of teaching will entail: reading, analysis, and class discussion of texts (articles, songs, short stories), oral presentations based on research on the newspapers, writing homework assignments (compositions, essays, journal). This course is conducted entirely in Italian. There is an emphasis on developing speaking, listening – comprehension, reading and writing expressions, and grammar sufficient to support these. Spring Hill students can practice daily class lessons in one’s life in the residence hall. Dedicated Fridays will include a cultural trip, allowing one to practice his/her language skills in the city while offering exposure to some of the hidden treasures, markets, and galleries of Bologna. Students are required to have taken three/four semesters of Italian at the collegiate level.
Philosophy & Theology
Philosophy 309: Environment, Business, and Ethics
An exploration of environmental issues on the global scale, exploring ethical and economic dilemmas as they arise with the increasing interaction of Global North and South. Also offered as BUS 309.
Philosophy 322 (3): Philosophy of Gender
A philosophical investigation of the nature of sex and gender in society. Issues may include the nature of difference, equality, justice, and knowledge.
Theology 261: World Religions
This course studies religious faith as a central fact of history and world culture through a reflective interpretation of significant historical and theological documents. The survey course is anchored in the literature of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
Theology 345: Religion & Culture
A study of religious faith as a central fact of history and world culture through a reflective interpretation of major literary, historical, and theological documents.
Science & Mathematics
Biology 110: Environmental Biology
This course will study the interrelationships between humans and their environment. The course furnishes an understanding of biological principles and the properties of life. It explores the fundamentals of ecology and its relevance to human impact on natural systems. This includes ecosystem structure and function, population dynamics, human impacts on the earth’s natural resources, and “green” economics.
Service – Learning Opportunities
Social Science 295: Human Rights & Global Change
Community-Based Research and Service designed to acquaint students with the leading human rights issues confronting Italy and Europe, the course focuses on the changing face of the Mediterranean as new immigrant groups are arriving at unprecedented numbers while fleeing dictatorships in the Arab world. The class will concentrate on how Italians, the media, the Italian government, and the European Union are protecting (or failing to protect) immigrants and political asylum seekers fleeing from nations at war or on the verge of collapse. This course will bring students in direct contact with immigrants themselves. Students are required to conduct a minimum of 24 hours of community-based research and service work in the community.
Social Sciences
History 315: Understanding the Mediterranean
This course introduces students to an alternative analysis of the Mediterranean region. Students will gain insight into the region’s historical development and its current strategic and geopolitical dimension. The main focus of this class is to provide Italian context on different variables that have caused contrast between Mediterranean, MENA, and European areas (i.e., international conflicts, economic crisis, religion and institutions, and present-day democratization). Students’ academic experiences will be enhanced through discussion of the historical and political background of the Mediterranean. Also offered as POL 315.
Political Science 315: Understanding the Mediterranean
This course introduces students to an alternative analysis of the Mediterranean region. Students will gain insight into the region’s historical development and its current strategic and geopolitical dimension. The main focus of this class is to provide Italian context on different variables that have caused contrast between Mediterranean, MENA, and European areas (i.e., international conflicts, economic crisis, religion and institutions, and present-day democratization). Students’ academic experiences will be enhanced through discussion of the historical and political background of the Mediterranean. Also offered as HIS 315.
Political Science 375: Terrorism, Revolution & War
A central theme in this course is to figure out the extent to which wars are the purposeful, rational pursuit of policy or the result of seemingly inexorably forces over which there is little control. The course will explore the dilemmas both countries and international organizations face when addressing political violence in their own country and/or abroad. At the end of the semester, students will develop a deep understanding of the political and moral justifications for resorting to force when confronting political violence.
Psychology 263: Statistics for Social Sciences (Introduction to Statistics)
An introductory course in understanding, applying, and interpreting statistics. The course will focus on the assumptions and concepts behind common statistical techniques in order to understand how and why statistics are used across various disciplines. Basic descriptive and inferential statistics are covered including measures of central tendency and variability, t-tests, analysis of variance, chi square correlation and simple regression.