Meredith Abroad in Italy/Switzerland and the U.K. is the oldest of the Meredith programs. Students can choose the 10-week program or they can select either of the continental or U.K. programs individually.

The program begins with four weeks in Sansepolcro, Italy, a small town located in the beautiful Tiber Valley about halfway between Florence and Rome.  As you depart Sansepolcro for a final 4 day independent travel break, you will make your way to Stechelberg, Switzerland where the Swiss Alps will dazzle you, before continuing on to Zurich, from which you will depart. 

At this point, half the students return home and half head for the U.K. where they are joined by a group from the U.S.A. In the U.K., the program begins in the heart of London, in beautiful Kensington Square at the Maria Assumpta Centre.

Both programs provide extended opportunities for independent travel, and faculty will be available to offer advice and help you plan your own advenures.

Dates
Whole Program: May 20 - July 28, 2010 (tentative)

Italy/Switzerland: May 20 - June 27, 2010 (tentative)
UK: June 27 - July 28, 2010 (tentative)

Final Dates are determined in February.

Accommodations
While in Sansepolcro, Italy, students will be housed in the newly renovated Palazzo Alberti, Meredith's home in Sansepolcro. In London, we are indeed lucky to be able to stay at Heythrop College in beautiful Kensington Square one of the most sought after and convenient locations in the city.

Costs*

Whole Program: $9,300

Italy/Switzerland Half: Program Costs: $4,900 (includes room, half-board, tuition, and program excursions).

U.K. Half: Program Costs: $5,600 (includes room, half-board [except for weekends in London], tuition, and excursions).

*These estimates are based on a conservative exchange rate so that we, ideally, will not have to ask for more money.  Should the exchange rate shift significantly, we may adjust this price downward after final program arrangements are solidified. Our job is to monitor, yours to hope!

Additional Costs: Round trip airfare and miscellaneous spending

Cultural and Travel Opportunities

Whole and Italy/Switzerland Participants
Typically students' classes will meet in the morning and early afternoon, leaving most of your evenings for study and for exploration of Sansepolcro and Tuscany. A group excursion will introduce you to the art and architectural delights of nearby Anghiari, Arezzo, and Florence. Two three-day travel breaks will enable you to travel wherever you choose--for example Rome or Venice, or perhaps even farther afield. On the way to Switzerland, a final travel break will allow further travel.

U.K. Participants
U.K. participants will begin in the heart of London in Kensington Square. Participants will find an almost overwhelming variety of opportunities in theatre, music, dance, art, museums, and historic sites to engage the mind and delight the spirit. Again, classes will typically meet in the morning and early afternoon. The rest of most days and weekends are free for sight-seeing and independent travel. Two long weekend breaks while in London will allow participants to travel independently to Paris or Ireland or ???!!!

Curriculum
NOTE: For each half, students are required to take a minimum of 6 credit hours, and three of those must include IDS 300 and/or IDS 301: Arts, Artifacts, and Culture. Independent study is available in many areas, but at an extra cost if taught by non-Meredith abroad faculty. Credit will be available in arts & aesthetics, cultural perspectives, behavioral & social science, and science & society. Students who wish to use this study abroad experience to satisfy the Core 200 of our current Gen Ed program will be able to do so.

Course Offerings for the Italy/Switzerland Half:

ID/ART 142:  HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURAL INTERIORS AND FURNISHINGS

A study of architectural interiors and furnishings from antiquity to present.  Relationship of architecture, art, and furniture styles to interiors.  Survey of contemporary furniture styles to interiors.  Survey of contemporary furniture designers.  Focus on Italian spaces and decorative arts.  Level 100-200.  Credit, 3 hours.  Aesthetics and the Arts.

 Instructor: Ellen Goode

  

BUS 945: CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

In today’s global environment, an understanding of what happens when people from different cultures meet and work together is quintessential for any post-graduation position. In this course, we will explore how individual personalities, perceptions and values help shape the culture of organizations and discuss strategies for interaction with those from different cultures.  Implications for cultural differences in motivation, communication and leadership will also be examined through interviews and visits to local businesses. A paper will be required.  Level: 300-400. Credit: 3 hours. Cultural Perspectives/Cultural Elective OR Social and Behavioral Science (pending approval) and ethics thread (pending approval). Counts as an elective for Business Administration majors or minors in Business Administration. Instructor: Jane Barnes

IDS 300: Arts, Artifacts, and Culture--the Continent
An introduction to the culture and the social life of the peoples of continental Europe based upon a study of the arts and artifacts produced by those peoples. We will place special emphasis on Italy and Switzerland. We will define our terms broadly, looking at literary, visual, and musical arts as well as dance; architecture of both private and public spaces; and artifacts of all sorts. We will be interested in folk culture as well as high culture, ancient times as well as modern, traditional modes as well as avant garde, secular expressions as well as religious, utilitarian expressions as well as purely ornamental, communal as well as personal. Principal assignment -- in addition to readings -- is an in-depth travel journal. Required of all students. Level, 300-400. Credit, 3 hours. Old Gen Ed: Fine Arts or Social Science Elective. Current Gen Ed: Aesthetics and the Arts or Cultural Perspectives Elective. Instructor, Greg Vitarbo.

Course Offerings from the U.K. half

IDS 301: Arts, Artifacts, & Culture--the U.K.
An introduction to the culture and the social mores of the peoples of the United Kingdom based on a study of their arts and artifacts. Principal assignment--in addition to readings--is an in-depth travel journal of what students see and learn in numerous galleries, museums, theaters, concert halls, and other venues in England. Required of all students. Level, 300-400. Credit, 3 hours. Old Gen Ed: Fine Arts or Social Science Elective. Current Gen Ed: Aesthetics and the Arts or Cultural Perspectives Elective. Instructor, Catherine Rodgers.

ENG 945:  LITERARY LONDON: SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY

 Where better to study literature than the center of the English-speaking world -- home to noted writers from Chaucer to Virginia Woolf?  This class will center on the plays of Shakespeare performed live at the new Globe and other London theatres.  We will also take time to visit such landmarks as Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey, as well as the homes and haunts of such notables as Dickens and Keats and Woolf.  Level, 300-400. Credit, 3 hours.   Literature Elective, or Aesthetics & the Arts.  Instructor:  Garry Walton

 

MAT 945:  MATH IN SOCIETY

 Using London as a classroom, students in this course will explore mathematical theories and applications that help them to understand the world around them.  Students will discover the ways in which math is present in their everyday life, both at home and abroad.  This course will encourage students to open their minds to new ideas and develop innovative modes of thought.  Level, 100-200. Credit, 3 hours. Quantitative Elective, Math Elective or Natural Sciences, Mathematics or CS elective  Instructor: Emily Burkhead

 

Eligibility:

Students must be in good academic standing (2.0 minimum GPA)

Deadline for Applications: February 1, 2010

For More Information Contact:

The Office of International Programs

124 Joyner

919-760-2307