note -- this form is frequently updated; please check back from time to time.

 

Please note -- this is the program description for 2006; if you are interested in the program for summer 2007, please follow this link

International Program in Communication Arts & Sciences

Summer in ROME 2006

 

 

A program of
Penn State University
Department of Communication Arts & Sciences, and
the University Office of International Programs

Professor Thomas W. Benson, director

 

A street in Trastevere

 

9 credits

A unique approach to the study of international and intercultural communication and rhetoric -- Roman architecture and urban design; the rhetoric of travel; and Italian cinema.

No prerequisites.

Housing provided.

Courses are conducted in English.

Field trips to Pompeii, Florence, Venice, the hill towns of Tuscany, and more.

The International Program in Communication Arts & Sciences offers a unique opportunity for students to explore the sights and sounds of contemporary Rome while taking courses in Italian film, the rhetoric of travel and tourism, and the arts and architecture of Rome and Italy.

Classroom work is enhanced by guided explorations in Rome and throughout Italy, so that students may experience for themselves the complex layering of history, art, and culture that has drawn travelers to Rome for centuries as pilgrims and tourists.

Students will visit archeological sites, streets, buildings, piazzas, and museums. The central focus of the summer will be on Rome, with added travel to Pompeii, Paestum, Florence, Venice, and Tuscan hill towns, where we will study the art, architecture, and culture of Rome and Italy over the centuries, from ancient Roman and Etruscan times through medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, the Risorgimento, twentieth-century and contemporary Rome, Florence, and Venice.

A window in Trastevere

The Colosseum

 

Schedule

The program begins on Monday, May 15, 2006, and ends on Friday, June 30, 2006.

 


Courses

Students will enroll in three courses:

CAS 415 (3 credits) Rhetoric of Film--Italian Cinema. An intensive introduction to Italian film, with emphasis on the neo-realist films that emerged in the aftermath of World War II, and the influence of those films on later filmmakers. Most of the films are set in Rome, allowing students to compare their own experience of Rome with the vision of these great Italian films. Film screenings will include, among others, Rome, Open City; Shoeshine; Bicycle Thief; Umberto D; The White Sheik; Mamma Roma.

CAS 499 (3 credits) International Study: The Rhetoric of Travel-American and British Writers in Italy from the 19th Century to the Present. Reading, discussion, and student observational writing, in the context of the encounter with Rome. We will study the writings of selected American and British writers from the 19th century to the present who, in encountering Italy, and especially Rome, were also encountering themselves and their own national identities; who were interpreting what they saw with a developing rhetoric of observation; and who were interpreting the experience for other travelers who were beginning to follow the path of middle class tourism. Selections from Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Henry James, Charles Dickens, and later writers. Visits to sites described in the writings.

 

Paestum

 

ARCH 297 (3 credits) Exploration of the Architecture and Urban Spaces of Italy. The architecture of Rome and Italy, emphasizing the relations among social and cultural activity, and the meaning of architecture and piazza designs as physical representation of lifestyle patterns. Field trips to other cities (Florence and Venice) and historic sites (Pompeii and Ercolano) compare architecture and lifestyle in differing climatic and social conditions. The Italian experience in architectual design is strongly regional and illustrates a rich legacy in designing liveable rural and urban spaces. The legacy in architectural design and community planning will be explored in monuments, piazzas, palazzos, churches, villas, monasteries, and the streets of Rome.

Roman boys playing soccer in a piazza as other Romans pass by early in the evening


Faculty

Thomas W. Benson (CAS 415 and CAS 499), director of the International Program in Communication Arts & Sciences, is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Rhetoric at Penn State. He teaches courses and conducts research in rhetorical criticism, political rhetoric, and film.

Romolo Martemucci (ARCH 297) is director of the Penn State Sede di Roma. An architecture generalist, he teaches and conducts research in architectural theory, representation and meaning in architecture, urban design, materials and materiality, the human body as a paradigm, Renaissance planning, and town design.

 

Who Should Apply?

The program is designed for undergraduate students majoring in Communication Arts & Sciences, and is open to all other students in any major who are interested in the program and meet the basic requirements. CAS 415 and 499 may be used for humanities credit (GH). ARCH 297 may be approved as a GA course. CAS 415 and CAS 499 may be used to satisfy required credits in International Cultures (IL). Preference is given to students who are entering the junior or senior year of college; applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5.

For further information:

Professor Thomas W. Benson
Director, International Program in CAS
Department of Communication Arts & Sciences
Penn State University
227 Sparks Building
University Park, PA 16802

814-238-5277 (home) -- use this number first
814-865-4201 (office)
814-865-3461 (department)

e-mail: t3b@psu.edu


APPLY NOW --
Applications are now being accepted, and will be accepted as long as space is available.


Contact Thomas W. Benson, program director, at t3b@psu.edu


 

Program Costs

note: some of these costs are still being calculated by the University for 2006; in such cases we note the 2005 fees so that applicants can make an estimate of program costs for 2006--which are likely to be somewhat higher than those of 2005. We will update the figures on this page as soon as they are made available from the Penn State Office of International Programs.

 

Tuition
in state = $451/credit*
$4059
out of state = $879/credit*
$7911
Housing
in 2005, the housing fee was $1600
$1600
Information-Technology Fee
  $190
IP administrative fee
  $150
student insurance
  $80
Field trip fee
[last year's fee is used as an estimate]
$200
total
estimated [probably a bit low] cost for in-state, upper-division undergraduate student
$6279

* these tuition numbers are for upper-division undergraduate students; students in other categories may pay different tuition rates.

Students are responsible for arranging and paying for round trip air fare, personal items, and most meals.

Students will need a current passport, for which they are advised to apply early. Forms may be obtained at post offices. The U.S. State Department has information on how to obtain a passport.

Students may wish to obtain an international ID card.

Schedule

The program begins on Monday, May 15, 2006, and ends on Friday, June 30, 2006.


The Penn State Sede di Roma is Penn State's headquarters in Rome. The Sede is in the Palazzo Doria Pamphili, located in the Piazza del Collegio Romano in the heart of central Rome's historic district. Student apartments are in or near this neighborhood, a short walk from the Pantheon, the Campo dei Fiori, the Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum. The Sede di Roma includes studio space, classrooms, a small library, a computer lab, seminar rooms, facilities for film showings, and administrative support areas.


application form

The form is in rtf format; open it with your word processor, fill it out on your computer or by hand, and mail it or send as an e-mail attachment to Professor Benson. Applications are now being accepted.


Professor Benson's home page | Department of CAS | Penn State home page

Frequently Asked Questions

poster (please print, post, and distribute)