Studies in Italian Language, Culture and Society
DePaul’s Rome program stands out among other Italy programs. This is one of the first language programs in Rome to develop a homestay program that works closely with the host families to provide students with safe, comfortable and culturally enriching experiences. Recently, we’ve added another distinct element to this program through a service learning option for advance Italian language students. These features have been designed to complement and support the intensive language study at Italiaidea, a small, student-centered language institute with a superb record and reputation for high quality instruction. We’ve brought these various elements together to provide a unique opportunity to experience and participate in the culture and society of Italy.
The program is designed as an introduction to the rich culture and history of Rome and of its place in the development of Western culture. During the fall, students will study the language, art, history, religious background and various monuments of this fascinating city. The courses all take advantage of Rome’s beauty and history, making visits to sites or conducting classes on the streets and in the plazas. Your likely to have lectures or activities that integrate visits to the Vatican Museum, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Colosseum. Above all, Rome offers endless opportunities for education and enjoyment that program participants will cherish for the rest of their lives.
Upon arrival, students will participate in a “Rome immersion weekend”, which will allow them to become more familiar with their surroundings. They then begin their coursework and attend language classes at Italiaidea, which was founded in 1984 with the goal of providing innovative teaching of Italian to foreigners. Italiaidea is centrally located near Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain and some of the best Gelato shops in the city.
Dr. Michael DeAngelis, Associate Professor in the School for New Learning, will be offering a course on the program that will satisfy an Arts & Literature Liberal Studies Domain requirement.
Students will enroll for 18 credits during their stay in Rome. Nine of those credits will be in language courses at the students’ appropriate levels. For the remaining nine credits, students will take Dr. DeAngelis's course and one elective course, which will be 
taught by local professors.
Language Courses (4.5 credits each):
ITA102 - Italian II
ITA103 - Italian III
ITA104 - Italian IV
ITA201 - Advanced Communication I
ITA202 - Advanced Communication II
ITA203 - Advanced Communication III
ITA398 - Italia Oggi
Required Faculty Director Course, fall 2009 (4.5 credits each):
SNL395 / Digital Cinema 395 - Made in Rome: Italian Cinema on City Streets and Studio Lots (Arts & Literature)
Dr. Michael DeAngelis's course examines the history of Roman settings in cinema since the end of World War II and through the present, focusing upon the look and feel of the city that was developed through on-location shooting and studio production at Cinecitta. In two ways, the course takes advantage of the unique opportunity to study this cinema while residing in Rome. First, the class will make several excursions to the Cinecittà studios, which continue to operate to this day as both a production center and a historical museum. Second, the class will experience the actual Roman settings that have figured so prominently in this nation’s "cultural imaginary" of cinema, including Stazione Termini, the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Piazzi de Spagna, the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, the Stock Exchange, the Baths of Caracalla, and the Via Veneto. By investigating these sites of production, the course explores the ways in which settings and locations reinforce moods and themes in cinematic narrative. At the same time, the course encourages students to compare their own first-hand experience of these "foreign" settings to the experiences of place and space that the film narratives organize for them. Ultimately, the study of this Italian culture’s film settings will inform students’ understanding of how film settings function in American culture as well.
**The required Faculty Director course for fall 2010 is to be determined.
Elective Courses (4.5 credits each):
ART397 - Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome
(Arts & Literature)
This course is intended to offer students an introduction to the city of Rome that is topographic, architectural, and art historical in nature. In our study of Rome, we will focus on developments in the architecture, painting, sculpture, and urban development in the city. While our survey is limited to antiquity, it is understood that Rome's modern urban fabric is profoundly affected by the events of the ancient period, so this course is also intended to facilitate your understanding of the modern city in which you are spending the semester.
PHL390 - Modern Philosophy: The Conception of the Human after the Scientific Revolution
(Philosophical Inquiry)
An examination of some of the central figures and questions of modern European philosophy. Focusing mainly on the epistemological positions of these thinkers, the course will also include an analysis of their metaphysical and ethical positions and the location of their thought within cultural, religious, and scientific contexts. Areas to be covered will include the continental rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz), the British empiricists (Berkeley, Locke, Hume), the German idealists (Kant, Hegel, Marx), with a look toward how contemporary thought will be influenced (Nietzsche). Issues to be explored will include the possibility and character of knowledge and scientific explanation, the nature of the human mind and personal identity, and the possibility of a philosophical understanding of God and the self.
REL392 - The Papacy and the Development of the Church in Rome
(Religious Dimensions: Traditions in Context)
Since the fourth century, Rome has been a city of the Christian Church, the center and embodiment of the Roman Catholic Church. The history of the city is tied to the history of the Church and is intimately connected with its leaders, the popes. Students in the course will study the development of the meaning of the papacy throughout history. They will critically examine the interaction between theory (the understanding and theology of the papacy) and reality (the actual lives of the men who filled this roleCand often fell far short of the ideal, the places they walked, and the buildings and artwork they inspired). Through a study of the historical development of the papacy, students will reflect on the Roman Catholic understanding of Church and its commitment to the Pope as the successor of Peter, Vicar of Christ, and Servant of the Servants of God.
Note: Electives are subject to change based on scheduling at the host institution.
Circumstances, such as an unexpected event abroad or a curriculum change at a host institution, may require DePaul University to make changes to the program. DePaul University reserves the right to cancel or alter programs and courses without notice.
The cost of the Fall 0809 Rome program is DePaul tuition for 18 quarter hours of credit plus a specific program fee. For updated information on specific program expenses, click here:
For this program, the program fee includes housing, some meals, study abroad health insurance, monthly Rome transportation passes and program excursions.
Students must plan their budgets to cover airfare, passport and visa fees, additional meals, supplies, textbooks and personal expenses.
Program fees are based on actual costs of the prior year and projections for the current year. Inflation and fluctuating exchange rates make it impossible to state a fixed cost.
Students participating in the Rome program must have at least a 2.5 GPA and completed ITA 101 or demonstrated at least an equivalent language proficiency level to participate in this program. To apply to this program, students must submit the following:
• A complete DePaul Study Abroad Program application
• Two (2) academic recommendation forms from faculty familiar with your academic work (one must be from a language instructor)
• An official copy of your transcripts. At DePaul, these may be requested on Campus Connect in the Students section under Records and Registration.
DePaul University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or handicap in admissions, employment or the provision of services. Inquiries regarding this policy should be addressed to the Director of Human Resources, 243 South Jackson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60604.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 15, 2009
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