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Section Name

International Summer Institutes

PROGRAM CLOSED FOR 2011

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
Courses Run May 16 – August 6, 2011;
Travel in Sicily from July 2 - July 29, 2011

 

*Scholarship Information*
We are pleased to announce that Montclair State University's 2011 International Summer Institute in Sicily has received a $15,000 award from the Angelo and Mary Cali Fund for Italian Studies. The award will make it possible for the first 15 student participants to complete their program application to receive a $1000 grant to offset tuition costs. Applicants must be Montclair State University students in good standing and meet the following criteria:

- have a minimum GPA of 2.75
- complete an interview with the program's Faculty Director, Dr. Dawn Marie Hayes
- submit a letter of reference from any other MSU faculty member
- submit a $100 non-refundable application fee

N.B.: Recipients must continue to follow the program cost payment schedule (including payment of full balance by May 1, 2011) or their awards will be forfeited.

For Dr. Hayes' open letter about the program, visit:
http://chss.montclair.edu/history/summerinstitute/index.html

 

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 focuses on the Mediterranean world, and is located in Taormina, a town that cultivates a cosmopolitan feel while maintaining its medieval charm and stands out as a jewel in the island’s crown. Mt. Etna provides a spectacular backdrop for the Teatro Greco (“Greek Theater”).

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, films and seminars as well as a multi-day excursion to Rome and the Vatican at additional cost. The Taormina Art Festival offers dance, musical and theater performances that are held in the stunning Teatro Greco.

The Institute offers students a chance to earn up to 15 credits and satisfy up to 4 Gen Ed requirements. Courses run from May 16 – August 6, combining hybrid and fully online offerings. Tentative travel dates, which will include weekly face-to-face meetings for the hybrid courses, are July 2 – 30.

 

Faculty
Dr. Dawn Marie Hayes, the Faculty Director, received her Ph.D. in medieval European history from New York University. 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 is the author of Body and Sacred Place in Medieval Europe as well as numerous articles and conference papers delivered both in the US and in Europe. She has been active in developing online and hybrid courses at MSU.

Dr. Gina M. Miele, assistant professor of Italian and former director of the Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America, received her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University.  While she specializes in 19th and 20th century Italian folktales, particularly those of Luigi Capuana and Italo Calvino, she teaches courses on various periods, authors and genres of the Italian literary tradition.  She has published in Italica, Marvels and Tales, Fabula and Italian Quarterly, the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales, the Harvard College Journal of Italian American History and Culture, the Italian American Review, the Paterson Literary Review and Primo.  Dr. Miele is a regular instructor of hybrid courses and has experimented with Second Life, Elluminate, and Twitter in the Italian language classroom.

Dr. David Sanders, who received his Ph.D. from New York University, is an associate professor in the Broadcasting Department. In addition to his duties as producer of Inside MSU, the weekly campus television news program and audio supervisor for Carpe Diem, the MSU Broadcasting Department's award winning weekly cable show, Dr. Sanders teaches courses in television production, audio production, multi-track recording, sound design, and music technology.  He has been the Director of the National Music Council since 1994.   He produces the National Music Council's annual Leadership in Music symposium and American Eagle Awards in New York City, and is the U.S. representative to the International Music Council of UNESCO.

Academic Offerings
Most classes will be based on a hybrid model, beginning online with (on average) one class meeting per week. In early July participants will travel to Sicily together and most classes will meet face-to-face (again, on average for one class meeting per week). Students will return to Montclair in late July, finishing up with one or two final online sessions. Undergraduate students must choose at least one hybrid course that meets in Sicily plus one to four additional courses. Students may also request a waiver for GNED 303 (Global Issues) through participation in the program.

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

All undergraduates register for 2 - 5 classes, chosen from the following:

  • HIST 103               Foundations of Western Civilization (Satisfies Gen Ed K1) (hybrid)
  • HIST 108               Introduction to African Civilization (Gen Ed K2) (entirely online)
  • HIST 250               Selected Content: Recovering the Culture of Ancient Sicily
  • HIST 299               The Many Manifestations of Italian Culture (hybrid)
  • ENLT 206              World Literature: Coming of Age Theme- Folk and Fairy Tales (Gen Ed F1) (hybrid)
  • HIST 400               History Senior Seminar (hybrid)
  • HIST 401               Sicily & Southern Italy in Antiquity & the Middle Ages (hybrid)
  • BDCS 470             Italian Media Journal

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

  • HIST 580               Seminar in Western History (hybrid)
  • HIST 603               Reading Seminar in History (hybrid)
    *Students taking HIST 603 must be within 2 courses of graduating

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. Hybrid course.

HIST 108     Introduction to African Civilization (Satisfies Gen Ed K2)
This course focuses on the principal social, political, and cultural systems in pre-colonial African civilization and their eclipse under the domination of colonial powers. On line only.

HIST 250    Selected Content: Recovering the Culture of Ancient Sicily
This course will introduce the technical and methodological basis of archaeological research, and give an overview of the most significant archaeological discoveries of eastern Sicily, such as the Roman villa of Patti, Castroreale-S.Biagio Villa of Terme Vigliatore, the ancient theatre and antiquarium of Tindari, Halaesa  Arconidea and the ancient theatre of Taormina.  Please note that this is an entirely face-to-face course which will meet for 3 hours a day on average from July 5 - July 17 and will require a few field trips, including one to the Naxos Archaeological Museum.  Subject to minimum enrollments. This course is taught entirely on site.

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 language levels can be accommodated, with each student placed in a conversational Italian class through an Italian language and culture institute for two weeks. In addition, students will examine the history and culture of the island, 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).  (Primarily taught on site)

ENLT 206    World Literature: Coming of Age Theme- Folk and Fairy Tales (Satisfies Gen Ed F1)
This course combines Western with non-Western works to approximate an approach to a "global perspective" on literature. It is designed to introduce the student to major works of world literature; to foster an international literary sensibility; to present a variety of cultural perspectives in a context which demonstrates how they are interrelated: to present students with assignments that will direct them toward developing skills of literary analysis and interpretation; and to guide students in deepening their awareness of the connections between national literatures and their cultural contexts. Prerequisites: ENWR 106 or HONP 101. Hybrid.

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: (1) HIST 100 and (2) HIST 117 or HIST 118. Hybrid.

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 course, which may be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit, 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. Hybrid.

BDCS 470   Italian Media Journal
This Broadcasting course is open to both Broadcasting majors and non-majors. Students will research, write and produce short videos on various aspects of Italian culture. They will explore the Western European broadcast system to experience Italian culture through its media. Students will train on video camcorders, learn simple production techniques and then use the camcorders as a tool for research.  For their primary project, students will research a particular area and conduct primary source research by interacting with people, doing interviews and producing short video journals.  Knowledge of television production is not necessary.  Primarily taught on site.

HIST 603     Reading Seminar in History (student must be within 2 courses of graduating)         
Required for all master's degree candidates concentrating in history, this seminar entails directed independent study in preparation for a 3 hour written comprehensive examination. Hybrid.

 

Accommodations and Meals
Students stay in a two-star hotel in walking distance of the classrooms, with some of Sicily’s most beautiful beaches just a cable car ride away. Rooms will be doubles or triples 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 arrival. Continental breakfast and use of the hotel’s pool are included. Students will have access to an inexpensive cafeteria in the host institution for lunch.

Tentative Program Cost
Approximately $4,100, plus MSU tuition or Professional Development Units.
The price Includes:

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

Program prices are based on 20 participants and current exchange rates and are subject to change.

Non-Students/Non-Credit Options
A limited number of non-students will be accepted for the program as auditors. Non-student and professional participants pay a $1,000 fee per course to cover both administrative costs and field trips. 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:                                     $1,500   (to be confirmed)

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

Forms
Pre-enrollment Form

Faculty Led Short-Term Study Abroad Institiutes Forms

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: http://chss.montclair.edu/history/summerinstitute/index.html and www.montclair.edu/globaled/StudyAbroad