Overview | Academics | Cost | Location | Life Abroad | Student Voices
Co-sponsored by UW-Madison and Duke University, the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome (ICCS) offers you the opportunity to study ancient history, archaeology, Greek and Latin literature, Italian language, and ancient art. This competitive program is for students with a strong background and interest in Classics and Roman History. To apply, you must have prior study in both Latin and/or Greek.
The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome (ICCS) was established on the initiative of Stanford University Professor Brooks Otis in 1965. Representatives of ten American and Canadian colleges and universities collaborated to provide undergraduate students the opportunity to study Greek and Latin literature, ancient history and archaeology, and ancient art. A consortium of more than 100 colleges and universities currently supports ICCS. Member schools elect a Managing Committee to define the academic program, set policy, and select faculty and students. The Managing Committee has arranged for Duke's Office of Study Abroad to manage ICCS.
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populous city, with over 2.7 million residents. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River. Rome's history as a city spans over two and a half thousand years, as one of the founding cities of Western Civilization. It was the centre of the Roman Empire, which dominated Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for four hundred years until the 4th Century AD. Rome has a significant place in Christianity and is the present day home of the Roman Catholic Church and the site of the Vatican City, an independent city-state run by the Catholic Church as an enclave of Rome. As one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. Rome is the third-most-visited tourist destination in the European Union.
Getting to Your Program
You are responsible for arranging your own transportation to Rome, but are given arrival dates and guidelines.
Visa
A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of the program is required. A student visa is also required for the duration of the program. Duke University provides you with instructions on how to apply for the visa.
Orientation
IAP expects you to be an active participant in preparing yourself for your study abroad experience. As a participant on an IAP program, you will receive a pre-departure orientation, either in-person or online. The type and format of this orientation will vary by program and will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program. There is also an on-site orientation upon arrival in country, designed to introduce you to the program and prepare you for living abroad.
Housing
Located in a four-story building on one of the main streets of the Janiculum,
the Center is ten minutes by bus from the Piazza Venezia and downtown Rome. It is close to the American Academy in Rome with which it maintains cordial relations. The building is owned by the Suore Infermiere dell'Addolorata, containing bedrooms (mostly doubles) for 36 students, classrooms, a library, offices, dining rooms, and a kitchen. Outside is a small and pleasant garden. The neighborhood is residential with apartment buildings, small shops, cafes, and services. Three meals a day are provided at the Center, Monday through Friday. Other meals are at your expense and are not included in the program fees.
The Centro staff makes rooming assignments. Because the Center is small, the living situation can be very intense and generally requires adjustment on everyone's part. You are urged to have a positive outlook and to spend time outside of the Center.
Excursions and Activities
The schedule and demands of the curriculum require that much attention and time in Rome will be directed to the academic program, which includes a significant amount of time spent at archaeological sites. As part of the Ancient City Course, you will participate in frequent site visits and explorations, intensive museum tours and lectures, and wider-ranging trips.
You may want to travel beyond Rome if you can afford the time and expense, and some exploration of other parts of Italy is recommended. Whether you will extend your travels to include other parts of Europe depends on affordability and organization of traveling.
Insurance
All participants in IAP programs are enrolled in health insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) and the cost of the insurance coverage is included in program fees.
On-Site Support
ICCS on-site staff
Returned Student Network
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here to see testimonials from students abroad or to contact a returned student.
This program is intended for Classics majors who have studied both Greek and Latin prior to applying. You take courses with other program participant, at the ICCS program center. The curriculum is structured differently from that at many American colleges and universities. You are expected to take four courses, which is the minimum and normal load; a few students take five courses. Students who apply to the program should be very driven and academically focused.
A major part of the academic work is a required comprehensive and integrated course called The Ancient City. This intensive course covers Roman archaeology and topography, aspects of social and urban history of Rome, and Roman civilization. Frequent site visits and explorations, intensive museum tours and lectures, and wider-ranging trips based on the Professor-in-Charge's areas of expertise outside Rome are included as part of the course. In the recent past, Campania and Sicily have been the focus of extended and focused study. Because The Ancient City course depends on prior knowledge of Roman history, you are expected to prepare yourself by taking a Roman history course or by careful reading on the subject.
In addition to the Ancient City, you are required to take at least one course in Latin or Greek as part of their ICCS courseload. You may choose from the following courses:
Intermediate or Advanced Latin
Intermediate Greek
Advanced Greek
Renaissance and Baroque Art History
Elementary Italian
Program Web Page(s)
globaled.duke.edu/Programs/Semester/ICCS_Rome/Expenses
Course Equivalents
Use the links below to see a list of courses that students have taken on this program before and the UW equivalents. Note: this list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses or departments. You will get instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance.
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