Program Description

Join other UW-Madison students on this faculty-led summer program to Italy. Throughout the three weeks in Italy, students will experience ancient Roman civilization first-hand while enhancing their knowledge of Roman history, literature and art. The program is designed to give undergraduate students interested in Classics and related fields the chance to study ancient Roman civilization in Italy, through an exploration of the material remains, principally the ruins of ancient Rome, such as the Forum, the Colosseum, and the Palatine hill, and those of Pompeii and other ancient towns located around the Bay of Naples.

Academics

The program will familiarize students with the art, architecture, literature and culture of Rome from the late Republic to the early Imperial era (ca. 40 BC – AD 140), through investigation of significant sites, monuments, and museum collections in Rome and locations throughout southern Italy. Material objects considered will be both monumental and domestic architecture, wall painting, mosaics and epigraphic evidence as well as ancient literary and historical sources.

The course has three specific aims: 1) to provide students with a general knowledge of ancient Roman culture through on-site exploration of significant monuments and artifacts; 2) to help students achieve a better understanding of the daily lives of the Romans through investigation of these materials in their original contexts, and 3) to spark students' love for Roman art forms and culture as well as for their legacy in the Western world.

Participants will earn three credits for Classics 372: Topics in Roman Culture. The course will be taught by a UW-Madison faculty member and will include half and full-day excursions as well as time set aside for in-classroom instruction.

Housing

Housing is provided for participants for the duration of the program and is included in the program fee. Students will be housed in double rooms in a centally located area of Rome.

Excursions and Activities

Students will participate in a program orientation upon arrival in Rome. One part of the program will be in Rome and will include half-day tours throughout Rome which complement topics covered in class. Some of the sites visited will be the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Palantine Hill and Via Appia. The other part of the program will be based in Castellammare de Stabia which is located on the Bay of Naples. From there, students will visit ancient sites such as Pompeii, Herculaneum, Olpontis and Stabia.