Florence, Italy - Spring 2010
BCC Programs
WCCCSA Programs
Tuscany is renowned throughout the world for its art, history and beautiful landscape. Florence lies like a jewel in the heart of Tuscany, compact and teeming with piazzas, palaces, churches, museums and markets. Here, in the center of Italy, you will walk in the footsteps of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Botticelli, Brunelleschi, Petrarch and Dante. As you walk the narrow and hand-hewn streets, absorb the magnificence of the medieval and renaissance architecture and the beauty of the sculptures that adorn walls and stand in the loggias of their grand piazzas.
Learn the way of Italian living from the lively and intellectual Florentines as you rub elbows with them in small "caffe" bars while enjoying the local cappuccino and panini. Your Italian ‘Life and Culture’ instructor will help set the stage and serve as your ‘cultural informant’.
"Changed my perceptions,
my expectations and my life!"
-AIFS student
Site
Classrooms
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Two fully equipped seminar rooms
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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
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Flexible format including lecture, studio and seminar style
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Classes are well-lit and quiet
Student Facilities
Computer lounge with internet access wireless capability mailboxes for all students
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Library
Membership with borrowing rights to the British Institute Library, the largest collection of English - language books in Italy.
Courses
Florence offers students a selection of courses primarily in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Students choose 10 credits from typical course offerings such as Art, Art History, Literature, Philosophy, Western Civilization, etc.
Italian Life and Culture: HUMAN 205 (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.
Intro. to World Literature: Italian Voices in the Renaissance and Today : ENGL 219 (5 credits)
Many have heard of the Renaissance and some have studied the stunning artistic works of this period. However, few have the opportunity to live in Florence, such a profound creative center, while reading the literature and seeing up-close the visual masterpieces of this time. In this course, we will study Florence and its surroundings not only during the Renaissance but in the modern world, as well. We will consider this question: How have people’s lives changed (through technology, politics, international travel, and mass communication) and how are our lives very similar not only to the artists/writers of the Renaissance but also the characters in the literature we read? Through close observation of life in Florence today, and by reading 20th and 21st century Italian authors, we will have the unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in history/literature while traveling the same streets and the same geographical landscapes of the Renaissance greats. Our own experiences and writing will provide a kind of dialogue across the centuries, helping us better understand our surroundings while we engage some dynamic questions of human experience.
Creative Writing I & II: "Italy in Your Own Words" (5 credits each)
This class will provide students with strategies that build confidence and creativity, whether they are accomplished writers or just getting interested in poetry and prose. The natural and cultural landscapes will inspire us as we complete some of our “classroom” writing exercises at museums/on field trips/and in the cafes around Florence. Imagine writing about the texture of stone and the light entering a room while standing next to Michelangelo’s David. Imagine studying the spring wildflowers near the walls of San Gimignano, a medieval city. Students will write weekly assignments in poetry, fiction, or memoir. Assessment will center on the student workshop, also called peer review. The techniques employed in our poetry and prose, such as detailed images and use of the five senses in writing, will encourage every student, no matter whether they consider themselves beginners or advanced writers. The small books we create will be reminders of the power of language, memory, and inspiration during this unique experience.
Kate Reavey is the author of two limited-edition, letter pressed chapbooks of poetry and one collection, Too Small to Hold You (Pleasure Boat Studio, NYC), now in its third printing. She is co-director of the Foothills Writers Series, poetry editor for Pharos: the Journal of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Medical Society, and has published her work in both popular magazines and literary journals. As an undergraduate, she studied anthropology, writing, and literature at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African studies. Her graduate mentor, Gary Snyder, emphasized Ethno poetics and an approach to teaching that honors the diversity of geography and the human spirit, leading Reavey to a deep interest in interdisciplinary learning. She began teaching English composition, literature, and creative writing in 1993, which led to a series of learning community courses based on the literature, natural history, biology, and botany of the Olympic Peninsula. She was recently named Coordinator of Environmental Humanities in the Center of Excellence at Peninsula College.
Excursions/Activities
Sienna
One of Italy's most enchanting cities, Sienna is home of the exciting festival and race, the Palio. Spend a full day exploring the narrow streets and the wealth of artwork contained in its museums and churches. 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, soccor matches, concerts , and film nights.
Housing
Students live in furnished apartments with cooking facilities in the Historical Center of Florence within 30 minutes walking radius of the Study Cenetr. Each apartment will have 4 students with two students per bedroom. A change of linen will be provided along with a regular cleaning service. Adequate utlilities will be provided up to a normal consumption for the duration of the program.
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PROGRAM FEES: $6,800 (Based on a minimum of 25 participants.)
Program Dates: March 24 - June 4, 2010
Application deadline:
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 – (for students wishing to purchase the group flight)
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Monday, Feb. 1, 2010 – (for students wishing to make their own flight arrangements)
Payment Schedule: $450 deposit due with application*
$6,350 due Jan. 26, 2010 (balance of $6100 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.
When: February
Where: Pierce Community College
Time: 9am-3pm
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.
Included
Housing in 2 bedroom apartments in Historical Center of Florence with fully equipped kitchens, linens, cleaning, and utilities.
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Pre-departure orientation
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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.
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Use of the AIFS office, access to the AIFS Program Coordinator and support staff in Florence with 24-hour emergency duty phone service.
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Museum pass for each student for the duration of the program with unlimited entry to the Uffizi Gallery, Academia, Bargello, Pitti Palace, San Marco Museum and Medici Chapel
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Free wireless Internet access in the Study Center during class hours Monday - Friday plus a card to use at a chain of Internet centers in Florence.
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Membership with borrowing rights to the British Institute Library in Florence.
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Guided day trip to Sienna and San Gimignano
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Weekly program of subsidized cultural activities including such activities as walking tours, cooking classes, wine-tasting lectures, ballet, soccer matches, a day trip to Pisa, concerts and film nights.
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Student medical and program fee refund insurance policies
Not Included
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College tuition and fees (register and pay at Bellevue College)
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Roundtrip airfare from US to Florence (Optional group flight, see application)
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Books and materials
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Passport and visa fees
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Meals
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Personal expenses
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Refundable housing security deposit of $250 (due with final payment)
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Anything not specified as included in the program