Duke in Bologna

A 6-Week Summer Italian Language & Culture Program

EARN CREDIT FOR ITALIAN 203 & 204 IN ONE SUMMER SESSION

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Offered in cooperation with the University of Bologna, one of Europe’s oldest universities, this six-week, two-course summer pro­gram provides you the opportunity to improve your Italian language skills, become acquainted with advanced topics in Italian studies through a culture-based course, and develop your cultural knowledge by utilizing Bologna in a “city as classroom” capacity to explore the richness of Italian society, art, and literature. Via the program’s project-based experiential pedagogy, students actively engage with the city and its multiple communities and institutions, (from museums and ancient medical labs to urban gardens and soup kitchens), participate in the complexity of Italian society and explore, its multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual past and present. Bologna, known for its exciting and forward-looking intellectual and cultural life is the setting for these discoveries. The program will be staffed by one Duke faculty member as Program Director and a lecturing fellow or advanced graduate student. The faculty member will direct the program and teach the advanced culture course. The lecturing fellow or graduate student teaches the language course and assists in the coordination of the program.

PROGRAM FAST FACTS

Location: Bologna, Italy

Term: Summer I

Dates: May 12, 2023 - June 24, 2023

Application Deadline: Extended to February 15th

Academic Theme(s): Italian Language and Culture

Credit Type: Duke Credit

Eligibility: Must have completed the equivalent of two semesters of college-level Italian. Non-Duke students are welcome to apply.

Duke Affiliation: Co-sponsored by the Duke Department of Romance Studies

Housing: Apartments

Primary Contact: Kayla Soltis-Katella

  • Bologna as seen from Asinelli tower

  • Duke in Bologna group

  • Basilica Bologna

  • Porticos in Bologna

  • Piazza Santo Stefano

  • Bologna market

ACADEMICS

Students will enroll in both a language course and a culture-based content course, each offering one Duke credit. No pass/fail option or auditing is permitted for either course. 

ITALIAN 213A
Accelerated Intermediate Italian

(FL, CZ) 1.0 Credit

Pre-requisite: Italian 102 or 112 (the equivalent of two semesters of college-level Italian), or have the consent of the Italian Language Director, Luciana Fellin.

This course is the equivalent of Italian 203 and 204 together. The course is project-based and fosters students’ speaking, reading, and writing abilities through immersion and exploration of the city. Bologna will be used as a classroom with which students engage to develop their linguistic and intercultural competencies.
 

SAMPLE CONTENT COURSE

ITALIAN 340SA, MUSIC 340SA
Performing Italy
(ALP, CZ, CCI) 1.0 Credit

Italy’s vibrant musical-theatrical  traditions  make  it  one  of  the  most  sonorous  and  captivating  places  on earth. This six-week course immerses students in the rich history of the Italian performing arts, from the birth  of  opera  in  Florencein the early seventeenth century to Venice’s spectacular carnival culture still alive today. Course materials are both textual and architectural: students will have  the  opportunity not only to read about the intertwining histories of performance, politics, gender, and diplomacy from 1600 to 1900, but will travel to some of Italy’s most historic theaters and opera houses for occasional performances and backstage tours.

Using  as  our  base  the  harmonious  city  of  Bologna—the first “Wagnerian” city in Italy—students  will experience the international dynamism of the country’s performing arts traditions. How and why have Italian communities long come together to perform art in front of audiences, both local and global? How can performance act as an instrument of politics and history-making, especially in times of resistance and change? In what ways do gender dynamics play out in staged representations of heroes, heroines, villains, and divas? And what role do the performing arts hold today in Italian cultural and national identity?

The timing of the course overlaps with some of Europe’s most celebrated summer music festivals. Possible site visits (depending on schedule and availability) may thus include Vivaldi’s Venice and the historic “La Fenice” theater, Cremona’s Museum of the Violin and Monteverdi Festival, Verona’s Arena Opera Festival in the city’s stunning Roman amphitheater, and Milan’s world-renowned Teatro alla Scala.

No specific training in music or performance is required

EXCURSIONS

As part of this unique program, we will take advantage of Bologna's central location and enjoy excursions to other cities across Italy. Possible destinations include Venice, Cremona, Verona, and Milan. The final itinerary will depend on ticket availability and performance calendars (TBD), as well as other scheduling factors.

Given its central location in Europe and status as a travel hub, Bologna is a great base for further travel throughout Europe both by rail and by plane. Students typically take longer trips before or after the program, and shorter ones on some weekends during the session.

HOUSING & MEALS

You'll be housed in apartments in central Bologna, with two or three students per apartment. Students will be responsible for their own meals, either purchasing food at grocery stores and markets and cooking in the apartment kitchens or frequenting restaurants and cafés.

COSTS

These costs are estimated based on previous years’ programs and the current exchange rate. All costs are subject to change.

Summer 2022

  Duke Students Non-Duke Students
Tuition $5,410 $5,410
Program Fee $6,500 $6,500
Transcript Fee N/A $120
Other Costs Other Costs Other Costs
TOTAL (Estimated) $14,800 $14,920

Explanation of Costs

Financial Aid

Duke students receiving institutional need-based grant aid are eligible for aid for this program; work-study funds are converted to grants. Students are individually responsible for making the necessary arrangements with the Karsh Office of Undergraduate Financial Support and the Duke Bursar’s Office.

Non-Duke students are not eligible to receive financial aid at Duke and should contact their home institutions for financial aid information.

Scholarships

This program offers the following scholarship opportunities:

DATES

Attendance is required at all classes, excursions, and group events. Given the intense nature of this program, late arrival and/or early departure is not permitted.

  • Arrival: May 12, 2023
  • Departure: June 24, 2023

Flights

You will make your own travel arrangements to and from the program site. You are expected to arrive on the arrival date cited above, which usually means departing the U.S. one day prior. Once you have a flight itinerary, log in to MyExperientialEd to update your travel registry.

Housing Before/After

You will need to make your own housing arrangements if you will be arriving before the program start date or leaving later than the program end date.

VISA & PASSPORT

VISA

No visa is required of U.S. citizens to participate in this program. Non-U.S. citizens should pay special attention to the visa requirements for their specific citizenship by contacting the country embassy to find out if any visa restrictions are in effect.

PASSPORT

All participants must have a valid passport. Make sure your passport has at least six months of validity beyond the program end date to avoid unintended disruptions. For instructions on obtaining or renewing your U.S. passport, visit passports.state.gov.

International Student Identity Card

An International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is optional. ISIC is the only internationally recognized form of student ID, endorsed by UNESCO. If purchased in the U.S., the card also carries with it a supplemental insurance policy, which can prove to be very helpful in the event of serious injury. You may purchase this card through www.myisic.com. Processing of the card takes between 4-15 days. 

PROGRAM FACULTY & STAFF

Program faculty director(s) can assist with questions related to program academics, admissions, on-site needs, etc. For all other inquiries, please contact the GEO representative listed.

Kate Driscoll

Assistant Professor of Romance Studies

Kayla Soltis-Katella

GEO Assistant Director

ADMISSIONS

Deadline: Extended to February 15th

This program has rolling admission. Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis until the program fills; after that, qualified students are added to a waitlist and notified of openings. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered. Application opens November 1.

PriorityPriority is given to applicants who apply early and meet the prerequisites.

Minimum GPA: There is no minimum GPA.

Non-Duke studentsNon-Duke students are welcome to apply for this program. You must be a degree-seeking student in good standing at an accredited college or university. Consult your university’s registrar and/or study away advisor for assistance with transfer credit. Students who are not matriculated at a college or university are not eligible to participate in Duke’s study away programs.

APPLY

Start your application early to ensure that it is complete by the deadline! Incomplete applications will not be forwarded to the program directors for consideration.

Submit the following items using MyExperientialEd:

  1. Online application
  2. Transcript(s) from all colleges and universities attended. First-year students should wait for fall semester grades to be posted before submitting their transcript.
  3. Personal statement, no longer than one page, explaining why you would like to participate
  4. One recommendation from a language professor noting your linguistic and academic abilities. Letters from high school teachers will not be accepted

STUDENT STORIES

Isaiah Mason

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When in Italy...

"To say the least, Duke's program did not disappoint and even exceeded my imagination in unfathomable ways."
 

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Benvenuti in Italia!

"I realized how much I liked Italian culture on this trip, so I actually signed up for more Italian classes to fulfill an Italian major while I was studying in Bologna. Bologna is a decently tourist-free city, so I felt that I was really immersed in Italian culture."
 

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The "Real Italy"

"It sounds cliche, but being abroad is about opening yourself up to new experiences and living in the present moment. If the present moment has you sprinting through the Bologna Train Station to catch a last-minute train to Ferrara on a random Wednesday night, then you're doing something right."
 

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Back to Back: How I Studied Abroad Twice in the Same Summer

In the summer after her sophomore year at Duke, Tiffany de Guzman ('19) did two Duke-In summer programs: Duke in Bologna and Duke in Oxford. We asked her to share what motivated her to tackle four credits in one summer and what advice she has for others considering doing the same.

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Rounding Out The Econ Degree

By Anna Kropf

Before I began my Italian studies at Duke, I might have (admittedly) been on the side of the liberal arts education debate that was confused why so many general education requirements were necessary for graduation. If I knew what I wanted to do, why would I need to take so many classes in other disciplines? But Duke in Bologna pushed me into the realm of “hopeless romantic” for the liberal arts education.

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A Typical Day Attending the Oldest University in Europe

By Sarah Perrin

Our classes were held in an architecturally and historically rich building that was once part of a monastery, then a penitentiary, until it was finally adopted into the fold of the oldest university in Europe, the University of Bologna.
 

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