Application Deadline: Application period has closed. Please contact your campus coordinator for more information about where we will be going spring quarter 2014.
Program Dates: March 21 – May 31, 2013
In the heart of Tuscany, the landscapes and cityscapes of Florence, Italy, have inspired some of the greatest artists in history. Today, the city is a kind of crossroads not only to Italy but all of Europe, attracting visitors (and residents) from many cultural backgrounds. Studying in Florence will give you the chance to be in a very cosmopolitan atmosphere, and at the same time be situated safely among fellow students from Washington State. As you get to know the area and become more practiced in the Italian language, you will meet local residents as well as other students who have chosen to study abroad. Whether you are an artist, a painter, a filmmaker, a musician,a footballer, a hiker, an avid reader, or all of the above, your field trips and class lessons will be suited to your needs and interests, as you travel to concerts, films, soccer matches and museums alike! And remember, your instructor is a student in Italy, as well. You will learn from each other, study the Italian language, and be inspired by your work in the classroom and beyond. The WCCCSA group will become a true community of scholars, making your experience an adventure, a joy, and a comfortable entrance into new terrain and another language.
PROGRAM DOCUMENTS
WCCCSA Scholarship Florence, Italy 2013 (.docx)
Budget Request Form, Florence 2013 (docx.)
FACULTY INSTRUCTOR
Faculty Elizabeth Donley has taught basic writing, composition, literature, and creative writing courses in the English Department at Clark College for almost ten years. She has also developed and taught courses in the online and hybrid modalities and believes that the most effective learning environment is one that is student-centered. Her graduate degrees are from Chapman University, where she earned an MA in English and an MFA in creative writing. Elizabeth also earned a BA in political science with a minor in Italian from DePaul University. While a student at DePaul, she participated in the foreign study program in Florence, Italy where she studied Italian art, literature, and the Italian language through the Dante Alighieri Scuola Linguistica. Her time in Italy was transformative, and after returning from her foreign study trip, she visited Italy three additional times, traveling from the cities of the north to the island of Sicily in the south. She also spent considerable time visiting other countries, including France, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Inspired by her travels, Elizabeth started writing fiction, and today, she is an accomplished fiction writer whose short fiction appears in literary journals like ZYZZYVA. Her work has also been awarded an Oregon Literary Fellowship, a Caldera Residency, and an Elizabeth George Foundation Grant. Elizabeth is looking forward to imparting her love for Italy’s art, culture, literature, and history on her students and hopes they too will experience the transformative power of foreign study.
COURSES
Students take 15 credits and register at their home college before departure.
Italian Life and Culture (5 credits) is required of all students. The Italian language part of this class is taught by local Italian instructors focusing on beginners’ level Italian language and the cultural part of the class is taught by an English speaking instructor and English-speaking guest lecturers focusing on and including separate lectures on historical, political, economic and cultural aspects of Italy and Florence.
English 111 – Introduction to Literature (5 credits)
This class is an introduction to poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and dramatic literature and to the principles of literary analysis. Using Italian literature as our focus–and especially works by Florentine writers–we will read some of the great works of Italian literature, starting with Boccaccio and Dante and weaving our way through the poems of Petrarch, the fiction of Pratolini, the drama of Pirandello, and the non-fiction of Machiavelli and Vasari. Most of these works will allow us to use Florence as a textbook, exploring, for example, the frescoes of Giotto about which Vasari writes, the Via Del Corno on which Partolini’s novel is set, and the ancient churches and buildings in which Dante once glimpsed the woman who inspired his famous poems.
English 236 – Creative Writing I (5 credits)
This course focuses on the fundamentals of writing fiction with an emphasis on short fiction. Conducted in a writing workshop format, students read, write, and critique fiction. Reading assignments will focus on works of expatriate writers and how literary devices, such as setting, are used. Writing exercises will take us onto the cobblestone streets of Florence where student will try to capture the sounds, smells, and sights of this historic city. In workshop, we will critique the student-created works, and the culmination of the course will be a fiction reading in which students share their work at a public venue in Florence.
SITE
Classrooms: Two fully equipped seminar rooms, each has a television, OHP, slide projectors, multi-media projectors, US format VCR and DVD Player, CD player, easels for art classes and white boards, and flexible format including lecture, studio and seminar style’ Classes are well-lit and quiet.
Student Facilities: Computer lounge with wireless internet access capability, Mailboxes for all students, and Membership with borrowing rights to the British Institute Library, the largest collection of English Language books in Italy.
EXCURSIONS/ACTIVITIES
Sienna & San Gimignano: One of Italy’s most enchanting cities, Sienna is home of the exciting festival and race, the Palio. Spend a day exploring the narrow streets and the wealth of artwork contained in its museums and churches. Visit San Gimignono, a town declared by UNESCO to be part of the World’s Architectural Heritage and is known for its medieval towers and museums. Includes guided tour with an English-speaking guide and roundtrip transportation by private motor coach.
Independent Travel: Use free weekends to travel in Italy and to Europe’s great cities. AIFS’s local staff will assist you in choosing your destination and transportation.
Cultural Activities Program: All students may participate in a specially designed cultural activities program that will include visits to many of Florence’s famous sites and cultural venues including such activities as walking tours, cooking classes, wine tasting lectures, ballet, soccer matches, concerts , a day trip to Pisa, and film nights at a subsidized rates. Our students will pay a much reduced price for activities offered as part of the program fee.
HOUSING
Students live in furnished apartments with cooking facilities in the Historical Center of Florence within 30 minutes walking radius of the Study Center. Each apartment will have 4 students with two students per bedroom with linens and cleaning service. Adequate utilities will be provided up to a normal consumption for the duration of the program. Meals are not included in the program, but students are able to prepare meals in their apartments. Students will be invoiced a $250 refundable security deposit in addition to the program fees. The balance of the security deposit (less any charges for damages, missing items or utility overages) will be refunded within 45 days of the last day of the program.
COSTS
Program Fees: $6875 + Amount Equivalent to Full-time Tuition at home institution (Based on a minimum of 25 participants. Does not include $250 refundable housing deposit.)
PROGRAM DATES & DEADLINES
Program Dates: March 21 – May 31, 2013
Application deadline: Friday, January 18, 2013 (for students choosing to make their own flight arrangements)
Payment Schedule: $450 deposit due with application*
$6,945 due January 25, 2013 (plus $250 refundable housing security deposit)
*At least $150 is non-refundable; please check the Florence brochure and AIFS application for full refund policy guidelines.
For a supplemental fee of $495 students can purchase an optional meal plan consisting of 25 vouchers for either lunch or dinner in local trattoria in Florence. These fees are guaranteed not to change as a result of fluctuations in the $ exchange rate.
INCLUDED
- Accommodation in apartments in the Historical Center of Florence. Students will be in twin rooms with typically four WCCCSA students sharing a two-bedroom apartmentwith a full kitchen for cooking all your meals. You will be right in the heart of the city with local Florentines as your neighbors.
- Orientation program in Florence including a meeting with AIFS staff, student information packet, local area information, welcome dinner and half-day guided walking tour of Florence.
- Fully staffed AIFS office in the Study Center there to make sure students get the most out of their time in Florence.
- Weekly program of subsidized cultural activities. The program allows students to experience typical Italian pastimes and explore the city in depth. Each term we offer walking tours, traditional cooking classes, wine-tasting, lectures, ballet, soccer matches, a day trip to Pisa, concerts, film nights and more.
- Museum pass for each student valid for the duration of the program with unlimited entry to the Uffizi Gallery, Accademia, Bargello, then on to see the walled hilltop town of San Gimignano with its famous towers.
- Membership with borrowing rights to the British Institute Library in Florence.
- Free wireless Internet access in the Study Center during class hours Monday to Friday plus free wireless Internet in the apartments.
- $50 non-refundable application fee.
- Student medical and program fee refund insurance policies.
NOT INCLUDED
- College tuition and fees
- Roundtrip airfare from US to Florence (Optional group flight, see application)
- Books and materials
- Passport and visa fees
- Meals
- Personal expenses
- Refundable housing security deposit of $250 (due with final payment)
- Anything not specified as included in the program
ORIENTATION
When: February 9, 2013
Where: Pierce College – Ft. Steilacoom in Olympic Building Room 202
Time: 10 am – 3 pm
What to Bring: Students need to bring (a) a signed copy of the Student Guidelines, (b) 4 passport photos, (c) a copy of your passport, (d) flight itineraries for students not on the group flight, (e) a notepad to take notes, and (f) questions. Student participants should also invite parents, guardians, or whomever they feel should attend with them.
Coffee will be provided in the morning and lunch will be served. The faculty will be available to discuss their courses and expectations.