Viterbo Courses – 2024 Summer Sessions I & II
Studying abroad can be a more meaningful and invigorating learning experience than at home—both inside and outside of the classroom. You may be more curious and alert than you usually are so use this heightened energy to enhance your studies as well as your cultural and geographical explorations. You may also encounter different teaching styles and course processes; be prepared to adapt and to learn.
Courses
You may take three to seven credits per session. At least one 3-credit course is required each session you are enrolled. Course availability is contingent upon on student enrollment and is subject to change.
Click the course title to view course details, description, and availability.
Italian Language Studies
Summer language courses are intensive, with one to four credits of Italian taught in each five-week session. Language courses generally have a maximum enrollment of 15 students each.
Session I
- Summer Session IItalian 100-level 1 credit Taught in English and ItalianSummer Session IIItalian 100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Italian
This course will introduce students to Italian language topics, including a general introduction to everyday vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. Students will learn and practice speaking and pronunciation in groups and with guidance from the instructor. Class activities will consist of role-playing, songs, games, and practical exercises.
- Summer Session IItalian 100-level 4 credits Taught in ItalianSummer Session IIItalian 100-level 4 credits Taught in Italian
Elementary Italian I is a four-credit language course offered to students who are enrolled in USAC and have not taken any Italian courses at college-level before. This course is designed to help non-native speakers of Italian to acquire basic communicative competence by providing the opportunities to develop the basic skills of a language: listening, speaking, interacting, reading and writing.
- Summer Session IItalian 200-level 3 credits Taught in ItalianSummer Session IIItalian 200-level 3 credits Taught in Italian
This course is designed to help learners of Italian to improve their communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The course will allow students to improve their knowledge of grammar, wide their vocabulary and their understanding of cultural and social aspects of Italian life.
Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Italian, or equivalent
Session II
- Summer Session IItalian 100-level 1 credit Taught in English and ItalianSummer Session IIItalian 100-level 1 credit Taught in English and Italian
This course will introduce students to Italian language topics, including a general introduction to everyday vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. Students will learn and practice speaking and pronunciation in groups and with guidance from the instructor. Class activities will consist of role-playing, songs, games, and practical exercises.
- Summer Session IItalian 100-level 4 credits Taught in ItalianSummer Session IIItalian 100-level 4 credits Taught in Italian
Elementary Italian I is a four-credit language course offered to students who are enrolled in USAC and have not taken any Italian courses at college-level before. This course is designed to help non-native speakers of Italian to acquire basic communicative competence by providing the opportunities to develop the basic skills of a language: listening, speaking, interacting, reading and writing.
- Summer Session IIItalian 100-level 4 credits Taught in Italian
This course is designed to help learners of Italian to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. This course will allow students to improve their knowledge of Italian grammar, enrich the vocabulary and develop the understanding of oral and written Italian.The main emphasis of this course course is on communication and, therefore, class attendance is essential.
Prerequisite: one semester of college Italian, or equivalent
- Summer Session IItalian 200-level 3 credits Taught in ItalianSummer Session IIItalian 200-level 3 credits Taught in Italian
This course is designed to help learners of Italian to improve their communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The course will allow students to improve their knowledge of grammar, wide their vocabulary and their understanding of cultural and social aspects of Italian life.
Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Italian, or equivalent
- Summer Session IIItalian 200-level 3 credits Taught in Italian
This course is designed to help learners of Italian to improve and deepen the knowledge of Italian grammar, provide a wider and more specific range of vocabulary, meeting the students’ communicative needs. It will allow students to recognize and discuss meaningful cultural and social aspects of Italian life.
Prerequisite: three semesters of college-level Italian, or equivalent
History and the Arts
The following courses offer a wide range of subject matter to provide a multi-disciplinary perspective to your studies.
Session I
- Summer Session IArt 100-level 1 credit Taught in English CancelledSummer Session IIArt 100-level 1 credit Taught in English
This course is centered on the sketchbook as an instrument for developing drawing and painting techniques and for learning how to observe and understand visual information. Most classes will take place around the medieval city of Viterbo, with some visits to nearby towns. Students will use a variety of materials to document historic sites, building up a unique and personal record of the world around them. The course will involve no formal lectures; rather, students will receive individual instruction throughout on drawing and painting techniques and will be guided through the process of creating an informative and attractive sketchbook up to the development of a final artwork project based on themes studied in the sketchbook. Content will be an important factor and the course will place an emphasis on techniques of observation and concise capturing of information, as well as concentrating on the technical aspects of drawing and painting.
This course has an additional fee
- Summer Session IAnthropology Nutrition 300-level 3 credits Taught in EnglishSummer Session IIAnthropology Nutrition 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
Food is a topic with which every student of every ethnicity has personal experience; it is so common that its cultural connotations tend to be overlooked. Food is often related to identity, whether positive or negative, as well as one’s ancestry. Cuisines are not just about sustenance, but about cultural symbols that bind people together in ritual and as a community. How one participates in the act of eating, when/how/why certain foods are to be prepared are learned and understood at the table is the heart of this course. In the North American context, Thanksgiving has an established food tradition; there are similar established food-related traditions among other populations, such as the lunar new year, Easter or Day of the Dead.
Food is of wide-ranging anthropological interest because, in eating, humans incorporate into our bodies the products of nature transformed into culture. This course explores connections between what we eat and who we are through cross-cultural study of how personal identities and social groups are formed via food production, preparation, and consumption.
The course will initially explore the general topic of food and culture to present a background with which to discuss the specifics of identity and meaning. The role of food will be examined in a number of different communities. Documentaries and films will be used as an entrée to discussing specific topics, such as festivals/rituals and food as family/community; moreover, our topics and readings will be eclectic: food taboos, gender and kinship, voice and identity, symbolic and expressive culture, feasts, festivals, fasts, famine, religion and spirituality, race and ethnicity, nationalism, class and social stratification, politics of globalization, among others. Students will reflect on documentaries and films we watch together and in independent research for a class project.
- Summer Session IArt Women's Studies / Gender Studies 300-level 3 credits Taught in English Cancelled
This course will cover various art-historical topics in ways that reveal the gender inequality that has influenced the art profession throughout history. Students will develop the theoretical and historical foundation to evaluate the gender imbalance in the arts effectively. This course will present neglected artists based on gender and encourage students to develop ideas for creating a more inclusive environment in the art community.
- Summer Session IHistory Italian 300-level 3 credits Taught in English Cancelled
Prominent thinker in the fields of literary theory, moral and social philosophy, and political thought, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) is considered the leading poet of the late Middle-Ages and pre-Renaissance. His most famous work, The Divine Comedy, is considered a literary landmark, a synthesis of his political, religious, and social views, as well as an encyclopedic summary of medieval culture.
This course will examine some of the main historical items of Italian and European history in connection with Dante’s work. Guided trips within the city of Viterbo and other places are will be part of this course and a stimulation to students to encourage them to take full advantage of their Italian cultural experience of study.
This course will analyze the definition of “Middle-Ages” as a historical period and cultural phenomenon, giving students the ability to establish or recognize connections between past and contemporary events in terms of society, culture, language, aesthetics, and politics. The course will also offer students the opportunity to improve their skills in reading and analyzing historical and literary sources and to develop skills to talk and present their studies.
- Summer Session INutrition 200-level 1 credit Taught in EnglishSummer Session IINutrition 200-level 1 credit Taught in English
This course will introduce local cuisine in a hands-on kitchen environment, including the authentic preparation of several local dishes as well as an emphasis on correct cooking techniques. Readings and lectures on local food customs and traditions will support and contextualize the cooking instruction.
This course has an additional fee
- Summer Session IArt History 300-level 3 credits Taught in EnglishSummer Session IIArt History 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course will explore the most important examples of Roman art and architecture through on-site visits to archaeological sites, monuments, and museums in the Rome and Lazio region, providing students with foundational knowledge of Roman history related to the world of art and architecture.
- Summer Session IArt 200-level 3 credits Taught in English Cancelled
This course will explore Italian art in its physical and cultural context, focusing on the importance of direct observation and analysis of monuments and art works. Students will analyze art in various forms such as painting, sculpture, and architecture, emphasizing the complementary relationships between the artistic disciplines.
- Summer Session IArt 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
Photographers, like any other artists, have the responsibility of mediating reality for those who will view their pictures. Travel photography is the quintessential mediation of reality, since people looking at a travel reportage will probably never get to visit the places depicted. The job of travel photographers is then to show their own impressions of a place, representing what caught their attention and what they deemed important, rather than showing famous landmarks.
This course will help you to capture memories, learn to tell a story with images, and give your own impression of a place through photographic expression. In particular, the course will go through the basics of exposure management, getting to know the main features of your camera, managing studio lighting, and understanding composition. The course will also go through the work of the masters of travel photography to encourage students to find their own style of visual expression.
Session II
- Summer Session IArt 100-level 1 credit Taught in English CancelledSummer Session IIArt 100-level 1 credit Taught in English
This course is centered on the sketchbook as an instrument for developing drawing and painting techniques and for learning how to observe and understand visual information. Most classes will take place around the medieval city of Viterbo, with some visits to nearby towns. Students will use a variety of materials to document historic sites, building up a unique and personal record of the world around them. The course will involve no formal lectures; rather, students will receive individual instruction throughout on drawing and painting techniques and will be guided through the process of creating an informative and attractive sketchbook up to the development of a final artwork project based on themes studied in the sketchbook. Content will be an important factor and the course will place an emphasis on techniques of observation and concise capturing of information, as well as concentrating on the technical aspects of drawing and painting.
This course has an additional fee
- Summer Session IAnthropology Nutrition 300-level 3 credits Taught in EnglishSummer Session IIAnthropology Nutrition 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
Food is a topic with which every student of every ethnicity has personal experience; it is so common that its cultural connotations tend to be overlooked. Food is often related to identity, whether positive or negative, as well as one’s ancestry. Cuisines are not just about sustenance, but about cultural symbols that bind people together in ritual and as a community. How one participates in the act of eating, when/how/why certain foods are to be prepared are learned and understood at the table is the heart of this course. In the North American context, Thanksgiving has an established food tradition; there are similar established food-related traditions among other populations, such as the lunar new year, Easter or Day of the Dead.
Food is of wide-ranging anthropological interest because, in eating, humans incorporate into our bodies the products of nature transformed into culture. This course explores connections between what we eat and who we are through cross-cultural study of how personal identities and social groups are formed via food production, preparation, and consumption.
The course will initially explore the general topic of food and culture to present a background with which to discuss the specifics of identity and meaning. The role of food will be examined in a number of different communities. Documentaries and films will be used as an entrée to discussing specific topics, such as festivals/rituals and food as family/community; moreover, our topics and readings will be eclectic: food taboos, gender and kinship, voice and identity, symbolic and expressive culture, feasts, festivals, fasts, famine, religion and spirituality, race and ethnicity, nationalism, class and social stratification, politics of globalization, among others. Students will reflect on documentaries and films we watch together and in independent research for a class project.
- Summer Session INutrition 200-level 1 credit Taught in EnglishSummer Session IINutrition 200-level 1 credit Taught in English
This course will introduce local cuisine in a hands-on kitchen environment, including the authentic preparation of several local dishes as well as an emphasis on correct cooking techniques. Readings and lectures on local food customs and traditions will support and contextualize the cooking instruction.
This course has an additional fee
- Summer Session IIItalian Studies 200-level 3 credits Taught in EnglishSummer Session IIItalian Studies 300-level 3 credits Taught in Italian
This course provides an overview of cultural studies, with an emphasis on Italy. The object of the course is to present students with a picture as complete as possible, and angled from a multiplicity of perspectives of Italian culture and lifestyle, and it also aims to provide the tools to better-understand and compare, in a cross-cultural perspective, Italy as a post-modern, complex, and layered society.
- Summer Session IIArt General Humanities And Social Sciences History 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course explores the fundamental concepts of arts in the Italian Renaissance (14th – 16th century, from early Humanism to Mannerism), in order to furnish the tools to interpret the practice of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater, and poetry of that period. Specific attention is given to the evolution of the relationship between art and nature, its heritage in Western culture, and its relation to technology and environmental issues today. Students are given the opportunity to study significant Renaissance masterpieces in class and in sites, such as Viterbo, Rome, and Caprarola. This course will provide students with the opportunity to experience the spirit, creation, and reception of arts in the Italian renaissance, as well as reflect on their influence on today’s practices of the arts.
- Summer Session IArt History 300-level 3 credits Taught in EnglishSummer Session IIArt History 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course will explore the most important examples of Roman art and architecture through on-site visits to archaeological sites, monuments, and museums in the Rome and Lazio region, providing students with foundational knowledge of Roman history related to the world of art and architecture.
- Summer Session IIEnglish 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course will develop writing skills and the ability to focus on an aspect of travel writing. Students will read and discuss classics of travel writing and travel journalism articles. Students will focus on a topic related to travel writing each week and develop skills in all aspects of the travel writing process.
Prerequisite: one semester of college-level English composition, or equivalent
To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu
U.S. Visiting Professors
While most USAC courses are taught by local faculty, the following U.S. professor will also teach in this program:
Viterbo Summer Session I, 2024
Course: Food and Culture
Maria Giovanni, California State University, Chico.
As a food scientist with training in nutrition, Dr. Giovanni’s career has spanned education, government, and the food industry. Her research uses sensory evaluation to improve acceptance of diversity. Her interactive classes engage students and use food to link people together and others to create healthy people and a healthy planet.
Internships
For eligibility requirements and application information, see the USAC internship page.
For more information about placement options, see the Viterbo internship page.
- Summer Sessions I & IIInternships 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
USAC skills-based internships abroad are designed to complement a student’s program of study while providing a structured work or field experience under the direction of a professional supervisor and with the oversight and support of an on-site USAC internship coordinator.
USAC internships facilitate the academic and professional development of students through:
1) the practical application of knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a professional work environment.
2) the further development of practical competencies essential to the ongoing work of the placement site.
3) the cultivation of a network of professional contacts.
USAC internships will expose students to the workplace culture, norms, and expectations of their respective placement site and host country, deepening cross-cultural understanding and helping students develop intercultural communication and language skills in an internationally focused organization or other professional work setting.
Through the consistent participation in the processes and practices of a professional field, students will acquire a working knowledge of that field and will apply that learning to their own career and academic choices and goals.
This course has an additional fee