Introduction
Led by Professor Jay Lees, a group of UNI students will travel to Perugia, Italy and earn 3 UNI credits of a capstone course. The course will incorporate a number of excursions and visits to other parts of Italy, including Assisi, Orveito, and visit a religious festival in Gubbio. Half of the time will be in Umbria with residents of the city of Perugia in a hostel. The second half is in Venito (northern Italy) and students will stay in Montagnana in a youth hostel where the hostel is a Medieval city gate. There will be bikes available to explore the city and students will visit Verona, Padua, Venice, and Manchua.
Applying
The course associated with this program is an honors course and honors students are given addmission preference. There are 15 program spots available. After applying online, students are placed on a waiting list. Once 15 online applications are submitted, they are reviewed, and a lottery is held. After the lottery, students are notified of their program status.
Note: this program normally fills fall semester.
Program City
Perugia, the capital of the Umbria region, is located in the center of Italy, situated on a range of hills dominating the Tiber River Valley. Rich in art, architecture, and historical significance, Perugia like many Umbrian towns sits on Roman and Etruscan foundations.
A lively cosmopolitan University town of 150,000 inhabitants, Perugia has a very dynamic student atmosphere and provides a very rich cultural experience. It is the ideal location for students who wish to acquire a genuine experience of Italian life, culture, and history in a safe, student-friendly environment. Perugia, known as the “University City”, is the perfect location for students interested in integrating with Italian and international students.
Montagnana is located in Northern Italy in the province of Padova. This town is surrounded by famous medieval walls; some of the best preserved medieval walls in Europe. There are several villas that are easily accessible and many nearby castles to be explored.
Faculty Leader
Dr. Jay Lees, Associate Professor
Department: History
Phone: 319-273-2269
E-mail: jay.lees@uni.edu
Campus Address: SRL 322 0701
Academic Program
The capstone class in Italy deals with the concept of "sacred space", that is the idea the idea that all space is chaotic and meaningless unless a meaningful or “sacred” space is found which, by virtue of its relationship with surrounding space, lifts the latter out of chaos and lends it meaning. Primarily the concept is used in a religious sense that God or the gods have touched or spoken from a certain place making it sacred. Students will read about and discuss the idea in the Preparation for Study Abroad class students may take in the spring. Students will spend three weeks in central and northern Italy exploring "sacred spaces."
There will be a spring semster, 1 credit course, that is required. This course allows for initial exploration of the subject, "Sacred Space," as well as general pre-departure orienation.
In Italy, participants will spend little or no time in a classroom. Each day at least one site will be visited, and students will attempt to understand how that "sacred space" was originally meant to affect those who approached and/or entered it, as well as how and why it still has the power to affect us. This course will be multi-disciplinary. The anthropological/theological idea of sacred space will be discussed as well as the history of the time when each site we visit was constructed, the architecture of each building, the symbolism of the sculpture, and paintings associated with the sacred space.
Accommodation & Meals
Only a 4-5 meals are built into the cost of the program. Most meals must be paid for individually by program participants.
Program Participants are often hosted by locals, so be prepared to try different foods!
Program Cost
Students pay UNI tuition and fees (in-state or out-of-state), the $65 application fee, and the study abroad administration fee to participate. There will be additional costs for housing, food, books and supplies, round-trip airfare, international health insurance, and other personal expenses.
To ease the financial burden on participants, expenses are broken up into four main categories.
- The first large expense is the airfare; shortly after the program is full* and has been declared closed, participants will be notified by the Study Abroad Center how to go about purchasing the airfare (normally organized by Study Abroad Center).
- The second amount due will be for any reserved activities associated with the program (e.g., housing, local transportation abroad, some cultural activities, some meals); this amount will be due before the program start, usually in the spring semester prior to the program.
- Third, the UNI tuition and fees, the study abroad administration fee, and any remaining amounts will be placed on the U-bill.
- Finally, there will be onsite expenses consisting of meals, additional cultural program activities, and any other personal expenses.
*Note that summer programs fill at different times and so airfare purchase dates will vary greatly by each program. Please contact us (contact page URL) if you have questions about a specific program.
Tales From Abroad
Italy is stunningly beautiful. Everything is steeped in age and history -- I've never experienced anything like it. In the space of three weeks I walked through two Etruscan necropoli, attended a festival that has been going on for over seven hundred years, visited and studied some of the most beautiful churches in the world, stayed in a castle, and so much more. And of course the food was fabulous. I'd go back in a heart-beat.
- Rhiannon Talbot, Summer 2010
