Academics:
The Film and Italian Culture program is first and foremost an academic
program. Students are required to enroll in one three-hour course
for credit and to complete all course requirements. Because we
follow an extensive itinerary, instructional delivery is
very different from the pattern of fixed class time and standard
contact hours of campus courses. On the program,
class sessions are usually scheduled around or during the program
activities that take up most of the day: visits to museums, monuments,
cathedrals and temples, historic sites, governmental institutions,
etc. Thus, in a sense most of the waking hours of each day are
contact hours because students are actively engaged in some aspect
of their academic work. The faculty are very careful to balance
the program activities described in the itinerary with sufficient
time for students to reflect on and discuss the significance of
what they have seen and experienced. And because the faculty travel
with the group and are always available, meaningful discussions
often take place during routine activities such as meals, walking
from one site to the next, etc. Course assignments
are also aimed at organizing students'experiences. The faculty
allow sufficient time for the completion of most course requirements
on the tour. Because of the full itinerary and the academic requirements,
there is relatively little free time on this program.The
itinerary
and daily activities are carefully planned so that students have
opportunities to further explore for themselves the cultural environment
of these great cities.
Credit
FILM AND ITALIAN CULTURE
CTAT
179/379 Tentative Course Plan
The focus of this class is the relationship between motion pictures
and Italian culture. By studying films made by Italian directors
as well as films about Italy made by American and English directors,
we will gain an understanding of how movies distort, simplify,
and romanticize the presentation of people, places, and cultures.
During our three weeks in Venice, Florence, and Rome, we will
see the real Italy and measure it against the movie versions.
Some of the films we will view and discuss are La Dolce Vita,
L’Avventura, The Bicycle Thieves, Malena, Three Coins in
a Fountain, The Seven Hills of Rome, and The Godfather (I, II,
III.)
Our class will meet two mornings of each week for lectures, discussions,
and screenings. The rest of the time, we will visit museums, galleries,
see the sites where films were made, and otherwise enjoy the richness
of Italy.
Course
Requirements:
Attend one pretrip overview lecture and screening
Read text and coursepak materials
Attend all lectures, discussions, screenings and designated site
visits in Italy
Write a 10--15 page research paper on a subject pertaining to
the course after returning home
Write a take home final exam
Three short essays during trip
For more information:
Professor Henry Aldridge
Communication and Theatre Arts
124 Quirk
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
(734) 487-3131
henry.aldridge@emich.edu
EMU
Home
| APA Home
| Cultural
History Tours Home
Academic
Programs Abroad
Eastern Michigan University
103 Boone Hall
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Voice: 734.487.2424 or toll free 1.800.777.3541
FAX: 734.487.4377
E-mail : Programs
Abroad
