Exploring Rome
Memories of Rome
Course Description
Professors Dan Curley (Classics) and Gregory Spinner (Religious Studies) will lead students on a transformative 17-day travel seminar in Rome, Italy.
Rome is the Eternal City, an urban center three millennia in the making. As a religious,
political, and cultural world
capital, Rome has become one of the most imaged and imagined cities on earth, depicted
in literature and art by citizens, expatriates, exiles, and visitors alike. Exploring
Rome offers an immersive residential experience, where representations of the city
meet the realities of urban space and urban planning. Students will tour and present
on ancient sites (the Forum, the Colosseum, the Pantheon), as well as the Vatican,
major museums, churches, synagogues, palazzi, Fascist monuments, and other locales in which it is possible to discern the spatial
and social layering that is Rome's hallmark. In addition, students will keep travel
journals and produce a portfolio that captures their experiences on the tour, thereby
continuing the ages-old tradition of writing about Rome.
Learning Goals
Students enrolled in the Exploring Rome travel seminar will:
1) explore Rome as a living and layered urban environment, immersing themselves in the city's history and culture;
2) synthesize the reading and research of the spring on-campus course, Mapping Rome, during on-site excursions and exercises;
3) finalize and deliver peer-to-peer presentations in and around the city; and
4) record their excursions and experiences in clear and effective prose, and build a portfolio of travel writing.
Sample Itinerary
May 21-22: Travel to Rome and settling in
May 23: Presenting Rome
May 24: Piazzas & Pasquinades
May 25: Imperial Patronage
May 26: Above & below the Vatican
May 27: Over & around the Capitoline
May 28: Red Roses & Golden Houses
May 29: Oranges & Artichokes
May 30: The Heart of Ancient Rome
May 31: Treasures of the Vatican
June 1: A City of the Future
June 2: La Reppublica e Roma
June 3: Ostia, the Tiber's End
June 4: No Way but the Appian Way
June 5: Gladiators & Glory
June 6: On the Path of the Pilgrim
June 7: Cemeteries & Other Landfills
June 8: The Great Beauty
June 9: Arrivederci, Roma!
Important Information
Prerequisite: CC 265: Mapping Rome/RE 230: Topics in Religion (course in spring 2023).
Credits: 4 credits total: Mapping Rome - 3 credits and Exploring Rome Travel Seminar - 1 credit.
Dates: May 21 - June 9, 2023 (inclusive of travel)
Program Fee: The anticipated fee for the travel seminar to Rome will be between $4,600 and $5,000 (depending on enrollment and the exchange rate). This includes airfare from New York City to Rome, group meals and a meal stipend to help cover costs of additional meals, accommodation (double occupancy), activities and ground transportation, Skidmore faculty on site, insurance and the support of OCSE. The fee does not include personal expenses. Financial aid is available for eligible students. Please see the OCSE travel seminar financial policy page for additional information.
Meals and Housing: The program fee includes program housing in dorm accommodations for the duration of the program in Rome. Some group meals will be included in the program fee, as will as a stipend for most breakfasts and lunches. More specific information about meals and housing will be communicated to students upon acceptance.
Flights: Roundtrip airfare from New York City is included in the program fee. Students will be responsible for their own transport to/from NYC to join the group flight.
Application Process: The deadline for applications is October 15, 2022. Students are required to apply for Travel Seminars through the MyOCSE portal. Applications will be reviewed and students will be notified of acceptances before spring 2023 registration. Students will then be required to register for CC 265/RE 230.
Questions
Stop by the OCSE office (Starbuck 202) or contact Dan Curley (dcurley@skidmore.edu) or Gregory Spinner (gspinner@skidmore.edu) directly.
