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International Summer Institutes

 

MSU Faculty Led Short-Term Study Abroad Institutes
Global Education Center
Montclair State University
22 Normal Avenue
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043

Tel: 973 655-4185
Fax: 973 655-7654
simonw@mail.montclair.edu

Montclair in Sicily
The Mediterranean: Crossroads of Civilizations
June 25 - July 22, 2010

         
Program Overview
Boasting some of the richest history and breathtaking landscapes in the Mediterranean world, Sicily is a land relatively undiscovered by tourists and American universities with study abroad programs. This unique program is not only based in Sicily, but its academic focus is on the Mediterranean world. The program is located in Taormina, a town that has managed to cultivate a cosmopolitan feel while maintaining its medieval charm. Mt. Etna provides a spectacular backdrop for its most famous landmark, the Teatro Greco (“Greek Theater”). Of the many charming towns of Sicily, Taormina stands out as a jewel in the island’s crown.
       
Yet the location is not the only unique aspect of this program. The organization is, too, as the Institute will introduce an exciting new model of summer study abroad to MSU. Maximizing the opportunity presented by the summer months, the Institute will offer students a chance to earn up to 15 credits and satisfy up to 4 Gen Ed requirements while traveling for a month in one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Courses run from June 5 – August 7, combining hybrid and fully online offerings. The tentative travel dates, which will include weekly face-to-face meetings for the hybrid courses, are June 25 – July 22.
The program cost includes two day-long field trips to (1) Agrigento and Piazza Armerina and (2) Palermo and Monreale. Students may participate in a number of optional excursions and cultural activities, such as a field trip to Mt. Etna (a breathtaking volcano, standing about 11,000 feet tall), films and seminars as well as a multi-day excursion to Rome and the Vatican at additional cost. In addition, the Taormina Art Festival offers students the opportunity to attend dance, musical and theater performances that are held in the stunning Teatro Greco.

Faculty Director
Dr. Dawn Marie Hayes received her Ph.D. in medieval European history from New York University in 1998. An associate professor of history, she teaches broadly on the European Middle Ages while her research focuses on the religious, social and cultural history of southern and western Europe from 1000-1300. She had been active in developing online and hybrid courses at MSU and is eager to explore this new model of instruction.

Academic Offerings
Most classes will be based on a hybrid model, beginning online with (on average) one class meeting per week. In late June participants will travel to Sicily together and most classes will meet face-to-face (again, on average for one class meeting per week) while abroad. Students will return to the States in late July, finishing up their courses with one or two final online sessions.

The program is open to both students and non-students, including a limited number of high achieving high school juniors and seniors. A limited number of non-students may participate as auditors or for Continuing Education Units. Please see note below regarding fees. High achieving high school juniors and seniors should contact the Global Education Center regarding additional admissions requirements.

All undergraduates will register for 2 - 5 classes, depending on their preference, chosen from the following:

  • HIST 103          Foundations of Western Civilization (Satisfies Gen Ed K1) (hybrid)
  • HIST 299          The Many Manifestations of Italian Culture (hybrid)
  • EUGS 100        Principles of Geography (Satisfies GNED 201) (entirely online)
  • ARHS 105        Art in Western Civilization (Satisfies Gen Ed F1) (hybrid)
  • HIST 400          History Senior Seminar (hybrid)
  • HIST 401          Sicily & Southern Italy in Antiquity & the Middle Ages (hybrid)

Students may also waive GNED 303 (Global Issues) through participation in the program.

Graduate students may also participate by taking the following two courses:

  • HIST 570          Seminar in Non-Western History(entirely online)
  • HIST 580          Seminar in Western History (hybrid)
     

Course Descriptions
HIST 103  Foundations of Western Civilization (Satisfies Gen Ed K1)
This course focuses on the origins and development of Western civilization to about 1350, including Egyptian, Judaic, Greek, Roman, Islamic and Medieval European contributions. Special attention will be paid to the historical significance of Sicily and Southern Italy.

HIST 299, History Study Abroad: The Many Manifestations of Italian Culture
This undergraduate course is designed to introduce students to conversational Italian and southern Italian culture. All levels of language skill can be accommodated, with each student placed in a conversational Italian class through Babilonia, an Italian language and culture institute.  For two weeks, students learn conversational Italian through immersion. The remaining two weeks of the course are rooted in the history and culture of the island, during which students are introduced to topics such as the Arabic poets of Sicily, Bellini’s operas, the geology of Mt. Etna, myths and legends, Italian cinema, handmade carts, the evolution of ceramics, and an introduction to regional foods (including marzipan and the role of olive oil in the island’s multicultural cuisine).

EUGS 100  Principles of Geography (Satisfies GNED 201)
This online course studies the major elements of the natural environment and their interrelation. The principles and processes essential to the understanding of the natural environmental system and their significance are stressed. The elements studied include: atmosphere, weather and climate, continents, landforms, river systems, ocean currents and tides, soils, vegetation, animal and marine life.

ARHS 105  Art in Western Civilization: Ancient and Medieval (Satisfies Gen Ed F1)
This course focuses on the history of Western art and architecture from Prehistoric Europe through the Middle Ages. The course covers ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, Greece and Rome, then Byzantine, Early Medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic art.

HIST 400  Senior Seminar in History
Directed research and preparation of a written paper on an aspect of Sicilian and/or Southern Italian history. Senior seminar is required of all history majors. Prerequisite: a passing grade in the following: (1) HIST 100 and (2) HIST 117 or HIST 118.

 

     

HIST 401  Kingdoms in the Sun: Sicily and Southern Italy in Antiquity and the Middle Ages
HIST 580  Seminar in Western History: Kingdoms in the Sun
This advanced history course can be taken for either undergraduate or graduate credit. It is an excursion into the history of Sicily and the southern Italian mainland from approximately 500 BC - 1300 AD and is driven by the cultures that left lasting impressions on this diverse region, investigating Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, German and French occupations and influences. The art and archaeology of Sicily - including the cross-fertilization of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures - figure prominently in this exploration of the island’s distant past.

HIST 570  Seminar in Non-Western History: Africa and the Mediterranean World
This graduate-level course will examine the points of connection between the history of Africa and the Mediterranean world through a series of thematically chosen and chronologically organized case studies. It will include topics such as the emergence of Egyptian civilization, the early spread of Christianity and the development of the Coptic Church, the introduction of Islam in North and West Africa, Trans-Saharan Trade Networks, among others.

       

Accommodations and Meals
Students will stay in a two-star hotel in walking distance of the classrooms. Continental breakfast and use of the hotel’s pool are included. Some of Sicily’s most beautiful beaches are just a cable car ride away. Rooms will be doubles in suites with a shared bathroom with shower. Single accommodations are available at an extra cost. Air-conditioning is available in the hotel for additional daily fees and must be arranged before departure.

Tentative Program Cost
Approximately $4,200, plus MSU tuition or Continuing Education Units.
The Price Includes:

  • Roundtrip Airfare
  • Transportation and Transfers in Italy
  • Double Room in 2-Star Hotel Suite, with Shared Bathrooms
  • All Breakfasts
  • Two Full-Day Excursions
  • A Field Trip to Mt. Etna
  • Pre-Departure Seminar
  • Administrative and Guest Lecturer’s Fees
  • An optional excursion to Rome at the end of the program is available for additional cost.

Program prices are based on 20 participants and current exchange rates and are subject to change. An odd number of students may require some students in larger triple room suites.

Non-Students/Non-Credit Options
A limited number of non-students will be accepted for the program as auditors. Non-student and professional participants signing up for HIST 299 pay a $900 fee to cover both administrative costs and field trips. Non-student participants signing up for any of the other courses pay a $300 administrative fee per course. These fees are due May 1.

Non-MSU Students Registering for Credit
Send two reference forms and an official transcript from home institution, plus $100 non-MSU administrative fee.

Payment Schedule:
Non-Refundable Deposit:        $   100            
By February 1:                        $1,000            
By March 15:                          $1,500            
By May 1:                               $1,600 (to be confirmed)       

Financial aid may be applicable and a limited number of partial scholarships will be available to MSU students.

For Further Information:
Contact the Global Education Center at 973-655-4185 or email simonW@mail.montclair.edu.
For further information regarding the academic offerings, please contact Dr. Hayes at 973-655-7939 or Dawn.Hayes@Montclair.edu.


Please view our websites: Information from the History Department and www.montclair.edu/globaled/StudyAbroad