When thinking about studying abroad, I occasionally gloss over the "study" part. But it'll be interesting to attend a more normal (read less insanely difficult) university than Rice. The destination is the American University of Rome, where I recently registered for classes for Fall 2011. Here is my schedule:
Tuesdays and Thursdays:
Classical Political Philosophy, 9am-10:30am
A survey of seminal thinkers from classical antiquity (Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, Cicero) who articulated responses to the fundamental questions of classical politics and political philosophy, such as: What is justice? What is law? What is (civic) virtue? What is the best regime and political order? Themes and issues include: Justice and War; political necessity and rhetoric; the Rule of Law and international relations in antiquity; ancient imperialism and tyranny; the types of government and causes of revolution; the virtue of the good citizen and the question of the best regime; Roman republicanism and the threat of Caesarism. The purpose of the course is to familiarize students with the classical tradition of political philosophy as the origin of – and alternative to – modern political thought.
History of Modern Italy, 10:35am-12pm
This is an introductory course for all majors; it provides substantive knowledge about the history of Italy from the Napoleonic period to the present day. The study concentrates on the centuries of political fragmentation and the efforts to develop an effective political system. In this respect, the course offers insights for the comparative study of different ‘paths to modernity’ in Western Europe.
Introduction to Italian Language and Culture, 2:05pm-3:30pm
Open to students with no previous training in Italian, the course introduces features of the Italian language needed for interaction in everyday
practical situations, such as the caffè, restaurant, accommodation and in shops. The course satisfies a limited number of immediate needs
necessary for survival in the target language culture. Cultural topics, such as Italian gestures, the Italian family, the working world, religion, and
women in Italy, will also be studied in order to familiarize the student with certain aspects of contemporary Italian society and culture.
Wednesdays:
Italian Sketchbook: Images of Rome, 9am-1pm
Italian Sketchbook is an introductory course in drawing. On-site classes will provide landscape views, architectural forms, paintings and
three-dimensional sculpture as subject matter, using pencil, pen, charcoal and sanguigna as drawing techniques. The course includes art historical introductions to sites, individual drawing projects and a written component related to the experience of sketching on location. The aim is to develop confidence and visual awareness in creating representations of the vast selection of art works that Rome has to offer.
Field Trip Weekend Classes:
Mystery Paintings
Art historians have spent centuries trying to decipher paintings whose exact meanings have been lost to Modern man. Learning this visual
vocabulary of allegory and symbol allows us to interpret and decode masterpieces, which are renowned for their beauty and skill, but whose true meaning has remained elusive. Great works of art speak in universal truths about the human condition, about love, fear, death, jealousy, and faith. This course will introduce students to this phenomenon of “mystery paintings” and, in the process, it will explain why the mysteries are present to begin with, and what this tells us about ourselves.
Brussells: Internationalorganizational Relations
The trip takes two very different looks at international relations; before leaving, there will be a class introducing the basic structure of the IGOs
visited. On the first day of the trip students see the formal side and visit two key international organizations, the European Commission and NATO. They are given briefings on topical issues facing the organizations and the responses which are being formulated to address the issues. There are informal meetings representatives of Brussels' political organizations, from some of the many parties present at the IGOs. On the second day, they visit some of the key political sites in the city and the museum and battlefield of Waterloo. There is a final classroom session to draw conclusions from the trip.
*Note the lack of classes on Mondays and Fridays. Why hello there, four day weekends.
