homesplash

Interested in studying in Italy? This exciting 2012 summer program offers students a unique and multi-layered visual and cultural experience, while earning 6 university course credits. Its multiple features exceed what is offered in most other study abroad programs. The program provides students a choice of four 3-credit courses from which they will choose to enroll in. The courses offered this year are Art History, History, Italian, and Painting. Course descriptions are posted below the faculty section. View the Daily Itinerary.

We will be going to Rome, Nocciano, Pompeii and Sicily. Read more:
ROME This phenomenal experience begins with us flying into Rome, where we will spend 4 days in the Eternal City. Students and faculty will be housed in a hotel near the center of the city. While there, we will visit the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Borghese Museum, and several important churches that hold many historic Baroque paintings and sculptures. We will walk the ancient, as well as modern, streets of Rome, taking in the cultural and visual wonders of this important art center that will allow students to witness, first hand, important monuments and works of art that span 3,000 years.
Rome

 

NOCCIANO Next, we will board a motor coach that will take us on a 3-hour ride through the breathtaking Apennine Mountains which comprise the spine of Italy as we make our way to the Medieval town of Nocciano about 20 kilometers southwest of the port city of Pescara. We will be in Nocciano for approximately 1 week. Students will be housed with loving local families who will take them into their homes and provide them with a unique gastronomic and cultural experience. Nocciano is a beautiful small town surrounded by the majestic Gran Sasso and Maela Mountains and dotted with vineyards, olive groves, and sunflower fields. Classes are taught in a 12-century restored medieval castle (shown below). While in Nocciano, we will visit Pescara on the beautiful Adriatic Sea with its 9 miles of beaches and upscale shopping.
Nocianno

POMPEII   We say arrivederci to Nocciano and leave by motor coach, making our way to the ancient city of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. Here, we will spend the night and then visit the amazing ruins of this once bustling city which was suddenly destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79 a.c.e. After touring this amazing site, we will make our way onto the sundrenched island of Sicily. We will be the guests of the University of Messina. While in Messina, students will enjoy yet another kind of living experience, being housed in the universitys dormitory along with other Italian students. Here, they can interact and eat with Italian students who will be as eager to learn about the USA as you are to learn about Sicily.

Pompeii and Pestum

 

SICILY  Our stay and study in Sicily will offer students a distinctly different cultural and visual experience from that of Rome and Nocciano. Sicily is a stunningly beautiful island with a rich history, warm and friendly people, and art and cuisine that you will never forget. This strategically important port city on the famous Strait of Messina was called Zancle by the ancient Greeks because of the shape of its port, that of a scythe or sickle. While in Messina, we will be taking several day trips to visit the stunningly beautiful city of Taormina where we will visit the famous 5th century b.c.e. Greco-Roman theater as well as take a swim at one of the world's ten most famous beaches. Taormina continues to be a place visited, and lived in, by many famous artists, musicians and poets, among them, Goethe and D. H. Lawrence. Another field trip will take us to visit the amazing city of Cefal on the northern coast of the island where we will visit the famous 12th century Norman Cathedral with its mosaic Christ Pantocrator. Cefalu is a beautiful city with shopping, wonderful beach, fabulous food, dolci, gelato, and of course, cappuccino. And just a ferry ride away are the world famous Aeolian Islands that students will be free to visit, at their own expense, during a free weekend. See our daily itinerary.
Sicily
 

Prof..Benjamin Taggie
Ben Taggie

Dr. Benjamin Taggie is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Mass., Dartmouth. During his career in education, he has taught at both the high school and University level. His areas of academic specialization are medieval and classical history. He has served in university administrative positions of dean, provost, and vice chancellor. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Michigan State University and was a post-doctoral Fellow at Harvard University. Following his retirement, he continues to serve as Director (and teaches in) the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Summer Sicily Program at the University of Messina. Since entering semi-retirement, he has founded MSA Cultural Tours and conducts 4-6 of these educational tours each year to venues such as Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. For the past 12 years he has also served as Executive Director of the Mediterranean Studies Association, a professional non-profit educational organization devoted to international education and research. As Executive Director, Dr. Taggie has organized and administers international education programs for University/College, and high school students at the University of Evora. Portugal, the Nocciano Institute for the Arts and Culture (Pescara, Italy), and the University of Messina, Sicily. Ben Taggie has written extensively in the field of history, publishing numerous books and articles.  He has also worked as an editor of such publications as the prestigious journal MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Prof. Richard Bonnano
Bonnano

Richard Bonanno is Associate Professor of Italian at Assumption College in Worcester, MA. He has taught Italian and served as fellow in Rutgers University's Summer Study in Urbino and participated as instructor of Italian in the Mediterranean Studies Association's 2011 summer program in Nocciano and Messina. He oversees the Italian Studies program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures at Assumption College, which offers both a major and minor in Italian Studies. He is affiliated with a number of professional organizations and has published essays on topics such as Renaissance lyric poetry and Italian-American folklore. He has delivered scholarly papers dealing with early modern Italian literature, foreign language pedagogy, and Italian-Amerian folklore at a number of national and international conferences. He holds a PhD in Italian from Rutgers University.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Prof. Susan Shapiro, Visiting Professor
Susan Shapiro

Dr. Sue Shapiro is Associate Professor of History and Classics at Utah State University, in Logan, Utah. She received her BA in History from the University of Rochester and her MA and PhD in Classics from Brown University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively. She has also studied at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Dr. Shapiro specializes in the history of ideas and she is particularly interested in archaic and classical Greece and the later Roman Republic. She has published extensively on Herodotus, Cicero and Latin pedagogy; her current scholarly interests also include Catullus and the classical world in film. In 2002 Dr. Shapiro received the Award for Excellence in College Teaching from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS). She is currently the editor of Mediterranean Studies (published by the MSA) and the Vice President for CAMWS for the State of Utah.

Prof. Anthony J. Miraglia
Miraglia

Anthony J.Miraglia is a Full Professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and acts as the college’s student advisor for International Programs. During the summer, he teaches and is the on-site director for for the Mediterranean Studies Program at the University of Messina in Sicily and in Nocciano, His works have been in exhibitions regionally, nationally and internationally. Among the venues he has exhibited at are institutions including The Attleboro Museum of Art, The Butler Institute of American Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Masur Museum of Art, The New Bedford Art Museum, The Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, The Southern Allegheny Museum of Art, The International Art Fair in Toronto, Canada and the Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York City. Professor Miraglia has been the recipient of many awards and his works are held in numerous private, 2 public and 13 corporate collections throughout the USA, Italy and Asia. In 2011, he was the recipient of the Leo M. Sullivan Teacher of the Year Award. See: www.amiragliastudio.com

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Prof. Kathy Marzilli Miraglia
kathy
Prof. Kathy Miraglia, Ed.D. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Art Education and Director of the MAE Program, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Selected publications include A Passion for Teaching, pages 110-111, 1999, ASCD and May Day! May Day! Urgent Call from Novice Teachers, June, 2003 ASCD’s Classroom Leadership On-Line. Selected Awards include “Outstanding Art Program”, Massachusetts Alliance for the Arts, “Outstanding Art Educator”, Massachusetts Alliance for the Arts, and a National Drawing Award. She has exhibited her work in numerous exhibitions and galleries. To see a selection of her works, click here.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Prof. Memory Holloway
memory

Memory Holloway teaches modern and contemporary art history at the Univ. of Massachusetts Dartmouth, including Baroque Art in Italy. She has taught art history in Sicily, Rome and the Abruzzo since 2009. She has organized exhibitions, has worked as an art critic for The Australian and the Melbourne Age, and worked as commissioner for Australia at the Sao Paulo Biennial. She has published widely, including Making Time: Picasso’s Suite 347 and Open Secrets: Paula Rego, and on Picasso for the Gagosian Gallery in New York. She has lectured at the Museum of Modern Art and has delivered papers at conferences in Lisbon, Bahia and the UK and has lived in Paris, London, and Melbourne Australia. She holds a PhD in art history from the Courtauld Institute, London University.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:

  • Art History Introductory, intermediate, or graduate topics in art history emphasizing Italian contexts (Professor Memory Holloway, UMass Dartmouth). Details...

  • History Introductory, intermediate, or graduate topics in history emphasizing Europe and Italy (Professor Benjamin Taggie, UMass Dartmouth). Details...

  • Italian Introductory, intermediate, or advanced Italian language with cultural emphases (Professor Richard Bonanno, Assumption College). Details...

  • Painting Introductory, intermediate, or graduate painting in various media (Professors Anthony & Kathy Miraglia, UMass Dartmouth). Details...

APPROVAL Although students in one course area will meet and study together, the instruction is individualized, permitting students to earn credits at the appropriate level depending on their prior studies in that area. Students will plan their course level in consultation with the Program Director, Prof. Anthony Miraglia, or with Prof. Richard Bonanno at Assumption College (for Italian language). Each course must be pre-approved by your department chairperson prior to registering. This will ensure that the classes you have selected will count towards your degree requirements. The IPO has forms to facilitate the course approval process.
 
APPLICATION PROCESS:
The program accepts applications on a rolling admission basis until the program is filled. Students interested in attending should visit the IPO website at http://www1.umassd.edu/ipo/ . The IPO encourages all students thinking about international study to register with the IPO and have an initial interview with a staff advisor. They can download the application and submit it along with all requested information to the International Program Office, first floor, Pine Dale Hall (508.999.6506). A non-refundable fee of $350 is due at the time the application is submitted. This fee will be applied to the cost of the program. Each student who applies will need to compose a short essay stating their reasons for wanting to study abroad and how they think this experience will enrich their educational experience at UMass Dartmouth.
Once the application is received and processed, you will receive a letter of acceptance or rejection. Accepted students will receive a payment schedule for the balance due, less the amount of scholarship they may be awarded and the application fee they have already paid.
 
COSTS:
The program cost of $4745 includes housing, all transportation for field trips, museum fees, transport from site to site, transport from Rome's airport to hotel, Rome to Nocciano and to Pompeii as well as from Messina to Catania's airport for our flight back to the states. Included as well are all meals except while in Rome, Pompeii, and on field trips, and 6 undergraduate credits (graduate level courses can be taken at the additional cost and work required for that level of study). Airline tickets are not included in the cost of the program.

Students can expect to have costs of about $150 for books and materials depending on the courses they select. Average personal expenses incurred by former students have ranged around $800.
 
PASSPORTS:
Any student not currently holding a valid U.S. Passport must apply for one. This process can take up to 8 weeks, so doing so early is strongly recommended. See: http://travel.state.gov/passport .
 
INSURANCE:
Each student must supply the IPO Office with proof of personal insurance that will cover them while oversees.
 
SCHOLARSHIPS:
UMass Dartmouth students who are in good academic standing and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher are eligible for scholarships. These awards, ranging from $500-$1000, are determined by financial need and are awarded on a first come, first served basis because funds are limited.
 
PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION:
Starting about 3 weeks prior to our departure, we will hold 2 orientation sessions where we will provide students with reading materials, information about packing for the trip, money, passports, materials needed as well as answer any questions students may have. As with any study abroad program, participants are also required to attend the general IPO pre-departure orientation session in the last week of the semester; watch the IPO website for announcement of the date.
 
QUESTIONS?
Any questions regarding the program can be emailed to the Program Director, Prof. Anthony Miraglia at amiraglia@umassd.edu or by phone at 508.999.8573. Students attending the program from Assumption College may forward their questions to Prof. Richard Bonanno at rbonanno@assumption.edu.