Study Abroad with Ohio Dominican
ODU Roma
Course Offerings - Fall 2008
Below are the classes that are being offered during ODU Roma Fall 2008. All students will be required to take an Italian language course. The remainder of your course selection must be approved by your academic advisor. The recommended ODU course equivalents are listed below as well, but they should be discussed with and approved by your academic advisor. Please note that each course is three credits.
Business | Italian Language | Social & Behavioral Science | Theology, Arts & Ideas
BUSINESS
Recommended ODU Course: ECN 385
Primary Subject Area: Classics
Other Subject Area(s): Economics, Archeology, History
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
Before NASDAC was the Piazzale delle Corporazioni in Ostia Antica; before Donald Trump was Marcus Licinius Crassus; and, before e-commerce, thousands of ships crisscrossed the Mediterranean Sea in a global system of exchange. The ancient Roman economy was no less complex than the economies that existed prior to the Industrial Revolution. This unique seminar focuses upon the ancient Roman economy combining classroom discussions with visits to archaeological sites and museums. Students should expect to gain a broad knowledge of the economy during the Roman period and will discover that aspects of the modern economy - supply/demand, management, advertising, logistics of production and transport - all have ancient roots. In addition to the osmosis of information, students will have the opportunity to undertake basic forms of archaeological research - library skills, introduction to the ancient sources, artifact analysis and architectural analysis. Assessment is based upon a series of reports (some written by individual students and some written by small groups of students) which include an analysis of a Roman building in order to determine the logistics and costs of construction and a study of a group of Roman pottery in order to elucidate supply patterns. Texts include Moses Finley's "The Ancient Economy" and Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations." Field trips will include a weekend visit to Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Recommended ODU Course: ECN 385
Primary Subject Area: Economics
Other Subject Area(s): International Relations
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Macro and Microeconomics
Description
With the creation of the Single European Market, the ratification and enforcement of the Maastricht Treaty (leading to the adoption of the Euro), the further expansion in the number of member countries (especially of those in Central and Eastern Europe), the on-going ratification process of a new European Constitution, and the creation of economic associations elsewhere in the planet, it is imperative to understand what the European Union is all about, how it functions, how it affects the region's political and economic environment, how it is possible to interact with its decision-making structure and how it might develop in the near future.
This course explores the various Treaties that have marked the evolution of the Union, its various forms of economic integration such as trade creation and trade diversion, the socio-economic impact of a common market, the institutions of the EU ( the Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Council) and the financial ramifications of the European Parliament, the Courts of the European Union and EU legislation. We will also investigate the interest group of the EU, the Single European Market, the single currency and future economic prospects.
Special attention will be devoted to the EU's economic relations with the U.S., Japan, China and Central and Eastern Europe, and the practical implications that current world events might have on the EU economy.
Recommended ODU Course: BUS 385, counts toward Management Emphasis for BS in Business Administration
Primary Subject Area: Business
Other Subject Area(s): Management, Cultural Studies
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
This course provides a broad survey of the theoretical and practical aspects of management practice in Europe, introducing you to the major financial, economic and socio-economic, physical, socio-cultural, political, legal, labor, competitive, and distributive forces that characterize business in Europe. The course will help you develop an increased awareness of the differences between European and North American business practices, and a better grasp of the impact of differences in business practices on the conduct of business internationally. It is based on an understanding of comparative business cultures covering the work of Clyde Kluckholm and Fred Strodtbeck, Gary Ferraro, Bjorn Bjerke, Fons Trompenaars, Geert Hofstede as well as the G.L.O.B.E. project.
The emphasis in this course is both on understanding and applying one's knowledge of different management practices using national cultures as an aid to understanding the evolution of various management practices. We'll examine improved management of human resources, enhancement of cross border trade, relocation of business activities to different countries as well as the 'melding' of different cultures in multi-national companies as well as companies which are involved in joint ventures, mergers or take-overs.
As today's manager needs to develop both individual as well as effective team skills, you'll be encouraged to engage in creative group problem-solving intended to develop your analytical and creative people management skills. Emphasis in this course is also given to the development of effective business communication skills through formal report writing as well as the delivery of oral presentations.
Recommended ODU Course: BUS 385, counts toward Management Emphasis for BS in Business Administration
Primary Subject Area: Business
Other Subject Area(s): Management
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
This course provides a broad survey of the theoretical and practical aspects of international business practices, especially European, and explores the major international forces that affect them: financial, economic and socio-economic, physical, socio-cultural, political, legal, labor, competitive, and distributive. Starting from a comparative analysis of European and American business practices, international trade theories and global expansion strategies, this course will move to an analysis of management practices, patterns of evolution of International organizations and an examination of regional market characteristics.
Throughout, the emphasis in this course is both on understanding and applying one?s knowledge of different business practices to trace the evolution of various business practices. So, you will be expected to apply the knowledge you acquire during the course to analyzing and evaluating various case studies.
As today's manager needs to develop both individual as well as effective team skills, you will be encouraged to engage in creative group problem solving, intended to challenge you to develop your analytical and creative business skills. Emphasis in this course is also given to the development of effective business communication skills through the production of both formal report writing as well as oral presentations.
ITALIAN LANGUAGE & CULTURE
Recommended ODU Course: LNG185A- Introductory Italian
Primary Subject Area: Italian Language & Literature
Instruction in: Italian
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
The course is designed for complete beginners and provides you with a basic grounding in Italian language. Vocabulary and grammar are introduced in ways that deal with real-life situations wholly relevant to your experience in Italy. These methods include role-playing, street assignments, personal and group research, delivering reports and in-class discussions.
You'll also be introduced to the reading of short texts and to the writing of brief compositions. Throughout the course, you'll be studying situations that often represent obstacles to newcomers to Italy, and this will help you get the most out of your immersion into a new country and a new culture. You will also study grammatical structures and vocabulary, developing a range of linguistic skill, speaking, comprehension, reading and writing.
Recommended ODU Course: LNG185C- Elementary Italian II
Primary Subject Area: Italian Language & Literature
Instruction in: Italian
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Beginning Italian I or equivalent.
Description
This course is designed for second semester students who have successfully completed the Beginning Italian I course, or who can demonstrate an appropriate level of competence. On this course you will further your study of grammar and vocabulary through topics and situations relevant to your daily life in Rome. These methods include role-playing, street assignments, personal and group research, delivering reports and in-class discussions. You'll also be reading short texts and writing brief compositions.
Throughout the course, you'll be studying many situations that often represent obstacles to newcomers to Italy, and this will help you get the most out of your immersion into a new country and a new culture. Furthermore, you will be especially encouraged to speak and practice outside the classroom, interacting with Italians and using your developing language skills as a means of communication and discovery.
Recommended ODU Course: LNG285- Special Topics
Primary Subject Area: Italian Language & Literature
Instruction in: Italian
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Beginning Italian II or equivalent.
Description
This course is designed for third semester students who have successfully completed the previous two Beginning Italian courses, or who can demonstrate an appropriate level of competence. Vocabulary and grammar are presented in ways that deal with real-life situations relevant to your experience in Italy. These methods include role-playing, street assignments, personal and group research, delivering reports and in-class discussions.
You'll also be reading texts and writing compositions, conducting interviews and research outside the classroom in the heart of your host community. You will further your understanding of grammatical structures and broaden your vocabulary, developing a range of strong linguistic talents: speaking, understanding, reading and writing. Various activities will be organized to encourage you to practice and further sharpen your spoken Italian through conversations and discussions about different topics such as current affairs and Italian movies.
Recommended ODU Course: LNG285- Special Topics
Primary Subject Area: Cultural Studies
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
Living Italy, taught in English, is a special, ongoing tutorial consisting of multiple, experiential activities designed to reinforce your Italian skills by immersing you in a weekly sequence of personal and group-based projects based closely in expressions of Italian culture and society, such as movies, games, sporting events, songs, public conferences, cultural visits, wine-tasting and pizza-making. This tutorial in Cultural Studies is designed for students with no previous experience in Italian language, and consequently much of it is taught in English, but it will nevertheless compliment and strengthen your progress in your regular Italian language class. Students will be constantly monitored and assisted by their tutor as they write papers and make presentations to demonstrate their progress.
SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
Recommended ODU Course POL 360 International Relations Elective for Peace & Justice Majors SOC385- Special Topics
Primary Subject Area: Political Science
Other Subject Area(s): International Relations
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
The course provides a survey and analysis of political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of human rights; the problems and challenges of setting and upholding universal standards of respect for international human rights in contemporary world politics. Particular consideration will be given to the difficult tasks of defining and protecting universal principles of human rights, of considering the different cultural and theoretical approaches to these rights, and of creating effective methods of monitoring and enforcing human rights standards.
The historical, cultural and ideological background of human rights will be reviewed and the specific content and interpretation of today's internationally recognized human rights treaties and conventions will be closely analyzed. Emphasis, therefore, will be placed upon the human rights framework of the United Nations and on the role and significance of the recently created Human Rights Council. The more successful regional and non-governmental attempts to codify and enforce standards of human rights protection will also be studied, and to enhance your progress in this area you will enjoy the unique opportunity to meet and talk with guest speakers from Human Rights organizations in Rome.
This vigorous course offers a range of dynamic activities, from illustrated lectures, class discussions, your own collaborative presentations and personal portfolios to field trips, guest speakers, and film screenings, in order to develop the skills required to critically analyze the processes, concepts and cultural contexts of global human rights. Furthermore, in order to exploit and explore the new and ever-growing range of digital media adopted by international organizations to publicize and further their campaigns, you’ll learn how to make extensive personal use of information and communication technology.
Recommended ODU Course- POL 348C Comparative Civilization
Primary Subject Area: Political Science
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
This course provides you with a comprehensive survey of politics and political change in modern Italy, and will greatly help you develop your skills in critical thinking and comparative analysis. Employing a variety of lectures, site visits, classroom discussions, debates, guest lectures and your own independent research projects, you'll learn about the political theories, movements and events that have affected the course of this nation's development: Fascism, the reconstruction of Italy after the war, the implications of the cold war for the shape of domestic politics, the shifting structure of modern Italian political movements, the party system, and the political ideologies and theories that continue to shape change. An additional, comparative function of this course will be a correlation of political institutions in Europe and those in the United States, urging you to reflect upon your own political environment.
To bring these topics alive in both an animated and constructive fashion, and to provide you with the skills in the areas of collaborative learning, oral debate and presentation, you will be holding simulated debates on social issues, and making independent and team presentations with audiovisual and electronic materials. We will also be viewing selected movies during the course, analysing the viewpoints of Italian film-makers as social commentators.
To complement your learning we will be using the city of Rome, the nation's political capital, as a constant resource to observe and analyze Italian politics in real life situations, including visits to the chambers of the Italian Parliament and Senate, and we will hear presentations delivered by guest speakers from the Italian political scene.
Recommended ODU Course- POL 360 International Relations
Primary Subject Area: International Relations
Other Subject Area(s): Political Science
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
From this course you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Europe in terms of nationalism, multiculturalism, ethnicity, migration and integration. After an examination of the ideals that inspired the European Union, you'll move to an analysis of the range of factors that define and redefine the identities of both Western and Eastern European peoples, such as religion, geolinguistics, geogenetics, demography, geopolitics, regionalism and federalism. The problems of racism, xenophobia, and ethnic cleansing will be set against situations of multiculturalism and social pluralism. Discussion will also turn to the difficulties faced by Europeans with regards to nationalism, ethnicity, ethnonationalism, transnational minorities and polyethnic states.
To bring these topics alive in both an animated and constructive fashion, and to provide you with the skills in the areas of collaborative learning, oral debate and presentation, you will be holding simulated debates on key issues, and creating independent and team presentations with audiovisual and electronic materials.
Recommended ODU Course- Sociology Elective SOC385- Special Topics
Primary Subject Area: Sociology
Other Subject Area(s): Cultural Studies
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
This dynamic course provides you with a thoroughly interactive introduction to life and culture in Italy, exploring a range of issues that characterize the country and its people. Our emphasis will be on helping you reach informed opinions about many traits of Italian culture and society, as well as understand some aspects in greater depth. Many site visits are planned, in addition to field research, carried out individually or in groups.
Students will be thoroughly exposed to their host city, Rome, through visits to relevant sites like markets, places of religious worship, and immigrant communities. An important part of your learning will consist in documenting your knowledge and discussing your experiences with other students on a course blog, engaging in and presenting your own field research through conducting surveys and polls, and sharing your own experiences while traveling in Rome and other parts of the country. Guest speakers will provide personal views of life in Italy and Rome, which will be followed by student-led discussions and debates. You'll also attend film screenings which will illustrate key social, economic, and political issues in the development of postwar Italy.
THEOLOGY, ARTS & IDEAS
Recommended ODU Course- ART150 History of Western Art I
Primary Subject Area: Classics
Other Subject Area(s): Art History, Archeology
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
This is an onsite course on the ancient city of Rome from its archaic origins through the late Roman Empire (ca. 1700 BC - AD 400) consisting of visits to archaeological sites and museums in Rome and Ostia Antica. Class meetings are organized chronologically in order to discuss urbanistic-architectural developments in the light of Roman history. The intention of this course is for students to gain a solid appreciation of the ancient city of Rome through personal contact - not only the technical details of individual monuments, but, more importantly, their function and meaning in Roman society. For example, knowing when the Colosseum was built, its dimensions and details about its features are interesting facts; however, that this monument was commissioned by the emperor Vespasian as a component of a broader program of urban renewal aimed at expressing this ruler's commitment to reconsolidate the Empire is of greater significance. A component of this class is a 2-day field trip to the Bay of Naples where we will visit Pompeii and the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Major issues addressed in this course include the relationship between legends and archaeological facts, Roman architecture as physical forms of political propaganda and/or collective memory, and the use of public areas of the city for daily activities. In addition to exams, each student will present two oral reports on monuments of their choice and will write a term paper that places students in the shoes of an ancient Roman.
Recommended ODU Course- ART151 History of Western Art II
Primary Subject Area: Art History
Other Subject Area(s): Architecture
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
The objective of this course is to provide students with the necessary background, context and methodology to understand Renaissance and Baroque art and the transition from one period to the other. Students will learn to recognize, interpret and analyze a work of art produced in Italy between the fourteenth and the seventeenth centuries and place it both within its artistic and historical context and within the individual artist's career. In addition, the course should widen students' cultural horizons, and increase their capacity to absorb and elaborate sophisticated intellectual and artistic issues in the future.
This course gives students a survey of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Rome from Giotto to Bernini, a period marking the passage from the Middle Ages to Modernity through the rediscovery of the heritage of the Classics, the transformation of Christian Europe that followed Luther?s Reformation, and the passage from feudalism to absolutism. These great changes are reflected in the art movements of the time: the Renaissance with its search for balance and harmony, Mannerism with its emphasis on the artist's persona, and the Baroque with its complexity and goal of a new unity of artistic media.
Onsite classes and visits will help you acquire a concrete idea of Rome as a city that was home to many of the major Renaissance artists and the cradle of the Baroque revolution. Fundamental to the course is the examination of masterworks by Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Bernini and others in situ in the city's public piazze, famous museums, palaces and churches.
The course also demonstrates that a clearer understanding Renaissance and Baroque Art is achieved by following various traditional methodologies - philosophical, theological, aesthetic, historical/archival, iconographic and political.
Recommended ODU Course- ART385 Special Topics
Primary Subject Area: Architecture
Other Subject Area(s): Art History, History
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
Emperors, popes, kings and dictators have left indelible marks on the city of Rome. This survey investigates the making of Rome: the politics of urban planning, the mythology of Rome as Caput Mundi ("the head of the world"), and the physical city and its infrastructures from antiquity to the fascist regime under Benito Mussolini in the 1940s. This course will provide you with a clear grasp of the topography, urban makeup and history of the city and its monuments; as well as introduce the theoretical tools needed to examine, evaluate and critically assess city form, design and architecture. We will consider the practicalities of urbanism: how streets were planned and funded; who were the planners and agencies involved; and what laws governed the process. Urban theory and street design; the political power and strategy expressed symbolically through building projects, and the early science of cartography with particular emphasis on the maps of Leonardo Bufalini (1551) and Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748) will be studied.
In addition to class lectures and discussions, onsite visits are a key component of this course. During these excursions we will explore the historic center of Rome including the ancient processional routes like the Via Papalis and the Via Peregrinorum, as well as venture outside the ancient city walls to the modern Garbatella district and EUR complex.
You will have the opportunity to develop your skills of visual analysis and to examine urban space both individually, through journal writing, and as a group work. You will work in teams to discover the applications and accuracy of 16th century cartography by using Bufalini's map of Rome to guide you through the city, and to understand the ancient taxation system of the Gettito by reproducing the procedures involved. This course will encourage you to think critically not only about the city of Rome, but importantly the environment in which you live and the broader implications of urban life.
You will be asked to produce a term project on one of the major thoroughfares of historic Rome where you will actively conduct field research and be given a chance to apply the theory, knowledge and skills you learned in class. The end result will be a both a historic examination and a creative exploration of urban space and form.
Recommended ODU Course- ART116 Fundamentals of Photographic Art; Fulfills Fine Arts requirement
Primary Subject Area: Photography
Other Subject Area(s): Studio Arts
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Required Supplies: Digital camera (minimum of 4 megapixels) or 35 mm manual SRL camera and 50 mm and equivalent lens with zoom function. You will be required to spend between $200 and $250 on film and developing during this course.
Description
Learn how the camera can be used in a foreign environment as an exciting tool of documentary record, cross-cultural understanding, artistic expression and self-discovery. After an introduction to the fundamentals of photography, both traditional and digital, your camera will be constantly trained on the city of Rome itself, its architecture, history, people, and rich culture, and as you develop your technical, compositional and critical skills as a photographer you will create a portfolio of images that will both showcase and celebrate your whole unforgettable study abroad experience. Throughout the course you will be able to post your best work on the course website to record and display your experiences.
Your in-class workshops will develop your practical and theoretical skills, and your photographic trips throughout the streets, squares and courtyards of the city centre will be complemented with landscape work in the Roman countryside and an encounter with a local photographer in his studio, and with a visit to the Roman Historical Museum and Archive of Photography to see historic and contemporary photographs of Rome and Italy. At the end of the course your instructor will deliver a critical review of all of your work, and you will exhibit your best work at the school.
You may choose to work with traditional or digital photography. Either way, it is absolutely mandatory that you bring a 35 mm SLR (single lens reflex) camera (digital or traditional). Digital cameras must have a minimum of 4 mega pixels. Traditional cameras must be able to be loaded with 35 mm films. Your camera must have a manual mode and at least a 50 mm lens (or a zoom including the 50 mm focal length). It must be functioning and, particularly if old and unused for a long time, has to be reviewed professionally before you leave the U.S. Do not bring any film with you as it is frequently destroyed by airport security scans.
Primary Subject Area: History
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Description
Despite its ancient legacy, Italy is a young nation-state and one which has followed a unique and often troubled path to modernity. Drawing on primary and secondary historical accounts, literature, music and film, this course will trace that path and introduce students to the major political, cultural and social trends in Italy since the Congress of Vienna. Within this broad overview you will examine three historical ?problems? in depth: 1) the place of the Risorgimento in Italian unification; 2) the breakdown of the Liberal state and emergence of Fascism; and 3) tangentopoli and the "crisis" of the Italian republic. Throughout the course, the city of Rome itself and its environs will be among your primary sources for considering the interplay of politics, society and public spaces in Italy's recent past.
To fully exploit this source we will enjoy a series of distinguished guest lecturers from the community. Likewise we visit places most often unknown or inaccessible to the typical visitor to Rome, such as the Foro Italico, the Museum of the Resistance, the Ardeatine caves, and the Italian Parliament, and we will interrogate more familiar sites of Rome, such as the Victor Emanuel monument, the Piazza Augusto Imperatore and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in terms of their significance to modern Italian history. You are encouraged to explore these on your own or in groups, and to be vigilant in your travels throughout Italy for similar "primary source" sites. Your photos, written descriptions and/or observations about such discoveries may be posted to the course website and used in class discussions and assignments.
