What is so special about studying in Rome?
The Rome Program provides multiple answers to this question. Although only a limited number of courses are offered in Rome, all of them are designed to maximize a student's understanding of the roots and development of European civilization. Some class periods take place within the four walls of UD's Due Santi campus, while others are held on archaeological sites and in museums. Some classes are dedicated to an intense and intimate understanding of the Roman and Italian experience through the ages, while others explore a wider spectrum of themes and issues inherent to the growth and development of Western Civilization. Academic excursions, visiting lectures, and two substantial group trips - one to Greece and the other through Northern Italy - round out the rich academic program on offer.
The classes on the Rome campus are designed both to fit seamlessly into the core curriculum, required of all UD students, and to take full advantage of the unique setting in which they are taught. Taught by UD professors, the courses are selected from those core curriculum requirements which are closely concerned with the philosophical, theological, political, literary and artistic development of Western Civilization.
Students returning from the Rome Semester typically describe their academic experiences in glowing terms. "It is the place," they say, "where UD's Core Curriculum came together for me." The success of the academic program in Rome comes down to two fundamental things: first, superior teaching; and second, the combination of reading great books and seeing firsthand some of the world's most historic places and most extraordinary works of art and architecture.
Fall and Spring Course Offerings
| Core Courses | Additional One Credit Course Offerings (May Vary) | Additional Three Credit Course Offerings (May Vary) |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 2311: Literary Tradition III | MIT 1101: Italian Culture and Conversation ("Survival Italian") | MIT 1302: First-Year Italian II (Spring) |
| HIS 2301: Western Civilization I | GST 1106: Marino Volunteer Project | MIT 2311: Second-Year Italian I (Fall) |
| PHI 2323: The Human Person | GST 1V40: Marino Theater Project (Spring) | MIT 2312: Second Year Italian II (Spring) |
| THE 2311: Western Theological Tradition | CLL 3V50: Latin Readings (Spring) | CLG 3325: Greek Historians (Spring) |
| ART 2311: Art & Architecture of Rome |
Summer Rome Course Offerings
The Summer Rome Program has three session options, “Summer 1”, “Summer 2,” and "Summer 3."
Students in Session 1 and 2 will take 6 credits while students enrolled in session 3 will take 12 credits.
| Courses | Sessions Offered | Course Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Western Civilization I | Sessions 1 and 3 | May 14 - July 8 |
| Western Theological Tradition | Sessions 1 and 3 | May 14 - July 8 |
| Art and Architecture | Sessions 2 and 3 | June 21 - August 7 |
| Literary Tradition III | Sessions 2 and 3 | June 21 - August 7 |
Class Trips
Greece Trip
The Greece Trip is one of the highlights of the Rome Semester. This is a ten-day trip that takes students to some of the greatest cities and the richest sites of the ancient world, including Delphi, Athens, Corinth, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Olympia. The study of Ancient Greece constitutes one of the cornerstones of UD's unique undergraduate education and Core Curriculum. UD Rome's Greece Trip in turn brings these studies to life.
The Rome curriculum immerses students in the world of Ancient Greek art, literature, history and philosophy during the first weeks of the semester, prior to their study of Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Coming in week five or six of the Rome Semester, the Greece Trip is timed to coincide with this early phase of their studies and as such it represents the culmination of every student's encounter with Ancient Greece. In addition to its focus on the distant past, the trip also offers participants the opportunity to become more familiar with Modern Greek culture and society through a number of scheduled music and dance events.
UD professors lead the trip, offering in-depth lectures on site and organizing student performances and special cultural events along the way. Over thirty years of collective experience in Greece has made the Greece Trip a superb travel and learning experience.
Northern Italy Trip
The Northern Italy Trip marks a significant turning point in the Rome Semester. This seven-day trip includes overnight stays in three of Europe's most historic cities--Florence, Venice and Assisi. It is scheduled during the later weeks of the semester in order to take advantage of a natural period of transition in the semester's curriculum. Ancient Greece and Rome now make room for the birth of Christianity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the awakening of the modern world. The Northern Italy Trip is a perfect way to explore these periods to their very fullest. Lectures, guided walks, museum visits and generous amounts of free time for independent exploration are the keys to bringing the great historic and artistic treasures of these Medieval and Renaissance cities alive. Essentially, the Northern Italy Trip invites students to turn their full attention to the historic shift-culturally, politically and religiously-from the ancient to modern world.
Unparalleled works of art and architecture from the Middle Ages and Renaissance are a mainstay of the trip. Visits to world-class museums such as the Uffizi and the Accademia of Florence or the Doges' Palace in Venice bring students into direct contact with many of the great masters of the European past. The trip also includes a visit to the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.
Another attraction of the trip is its focus on Roman Catholic thought and the larger European intellectual tradition in which it is situated. St. Francis of Assisi and Dante hold a prominent place in that tradition, as do Machiavelli, Ficino and Leonardo. Memorials to these and other historic figures are still visible today for students intent upon returning to the roots of Europe's intellectual history.