Ecco/Bologna Program

ECCO / BOLOGNA

"Then we went to Bologna, and I believe that in the whole world no other place more free or so beautiful could be found. Certainly you remember the great throng of students, the orderliness, the professional zeal of our teachers..." Petrarch

E.C.CO. Program in Bologna, Italy

Vassar College, Wellesley College and Wesleyan University offer a study abroad program at the University of Bologna in Italy. The Program is committed to high academic standards and to providing opportunities for students to develop their knowledge of Italian language and culture in one of the most venerable and prestigious academic environments in Europe.

Undergraduates wishing to study humanities and social sciences may enroll for the fall or spring semesters or for the full academic year. Students who enroll for the full year or for the fall or spring semester and who have at least an intermediate knowledge of Italian will complete two regular university courses at the University of Bologna, as well as take courses in language and Italian studies offered by the program. The program accepts no more than 35 students from consortium institutions and from other colleges and universities.

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Features of the Program


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The Nature of the Program

Students applying for the program must have the equivalent of at least two semesters of college-level Italian language study. The program is designed to accommodate different levels of proficiency.


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Bologna as a place to study

Bologna has three nicknames: la dotta, or the learned; la rossa, or the red; and la grassa, or the fat. All three are well deserved, and no thumbnail sketch of Bologna can do without a brief explanation of each.

Bologna

The capital of the northern-central region of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna la dotta is a city of about 500,000 inhabitants, including about 100,000 university students. The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest in Europe. Eminently prestigious, it boasts a diverse and cosmopolitan student body, since the University attracts students from all regions of Italy and from countries around the world. As a thriving center of student life, Bologna has a flourishing intellectual climate and all the amenities that one would expect in or near a university community: theater, cinema, performing arts, live music, and a diehard club scene in the nearby beach resorts along the Adriatic coast.

Bologna

From an architectural point of view, Bologna la rossa is a stunningly beautiful city in a country renowned for unparalleled beauty. The University is located in the heart of the rather large medieval quarter, a veritable maze of narrow, winding, portico-lined streets. The burnt reddish tones of the building façades and the red-tiled roofs -hence, la rossa- are characteristics of Bologna and give the city an almost storybook quality. Today, however, the color red evokes notions of the local political climate for, during most of the post-WW II era, Bologna has been the showcase for Italian Communism. Translated into late 20th century terms, this means a city committed to political engagement, social service, and a brand of political awareness that seems to complement the intellectual life of the University.

Located in Italy's breadbasket, Bologna is also the home of some of the finest food to be found on any Italian table. No Italian would ever dispute the deserved preeminence of Bologna's cuisine. Thus has it earned the last of its three nicknames: la grassa. It is not uncommon to find in the city's various osterie or trattorie some appreciative Tuscan from Florence (one hour south) or Lombard from Milan (two hours north), taking in some of the fabulous food for which Bologna is legendary.

In short, Bologna is an ideal destination for study in Italy. Without the hordes of tourists that plague other cities, students are required to negotiate the city on its terms and in its language: Italian. With its population just under half a million, Bologna is large enough to offer diversion yet not so large that it suffers unduly the kinds of problems that often accompany life in larger urban centers.

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The Program Schedule

The program is run by a resident director who is a faculty member at a consortium institution and who acts as academic advisor for all participating students. The consortium offers courses designed specifically for program students and facilitates access to courses offered at the University di Bologna. In consultation with the director, students will develop a program of study suited to their own language proficiency and disciplinary interests.

The first segment of the program will consist of a language course taught for three weeks in August. This course is ungraded. As students' language skills improve, they will progress to the examination of more complex topics with the transition to Bologna for three more weeks of highly-focused language study in September. This language course is also ungraded.

Program courses will begin in October at the same time as those at the University of Bologna, and will run until mid-December. Students will select three program courses (or two if their language skills permit enrollment in one or two courses at the University di Bologna). The fall semester at the University of Bologna terminates in late December; students enrolling in the fall will take their exams in mid-December.

Students may enroll in the program starting in January if they have taken three semesters of Italian. All students beginning in January will be required to take a three-week intensive language course. This course is ungraded. Students with only three semesters of Italian prior to studying in Italy will be allowed to enroll only in program courses. Others will be expected to take a combination of consortium courses and courses at the University di Bologna. The spring semester at the University di Bologna terminates in late May; students enrolling in the spring will take their exams in mid-May.

TYPICAL Program Calendar
Summer Program in Lecce, August 2006
Aug. 6 Depart US
Aug. 7 Arrive in Italy late morning. Will be met by Director at airport.
Aug. 7 Take up residence in the student housing
Aug. 8 Orientation and language placement
Aug. 9-30 Instruction
Aug. 30- Sept. 5 Free week (students make own living and travel arrangements)

Fall Semester 2006
Sept. 5 Convene in Bologna, entry into ARSTUD Bologna residences.
Sept. 6 Orientation and language placement test
Sept. 7-25 Intensive language course
End September Courses begin to gear up at the University di Bologna. Students explore options.
Oct. 1 E.C.CO. courses begin. All students will select and begin attending three courses.
Dec. 17 E.C.CO. courses examinations begin. Examinations at the UniBO for university courses take place this week.
Dec. 20 Students leave ARSTUD residence. Return date for group flight.

Spring Semester 2007
Jan. 8Group flight leaves US
Jan. 9Arrive in Bologna
Jan. 9-10Orientation and language placement test
Jan. 10-31 Intensive language course
Feb. 5-13Mid-semester break
Feb. 14E.C.CO. courses begin. All students will select and begin attending three courses
End Feb.Course selection at the University di Bologna for second semester courses
March 24-28Tentative Easter trip (voluntary)
May 9 E.C.CO. exams begin.
May 31Students exit ARSTUD residences and return group flight to US.

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Curriculum

Courses offered by the program will be limited in size and taught by Italian faculty members. In addition to these courses, students with adequate Italian (demonstrated by an examination following the intensive language and culture sessions) will have access to a range of courses in the humanities and social sciences at the University di Bologna.

It is anticipated that all students, except the most advanced, will take a half-credit workshop in Italian language, designed to help them develop their writing skills and to support the academic work they are pursuing.