semester in florence

DATES: January 17 - May 1, 2010

COST: $13,400 in double occupancy in a self-catering student apartment. $14,375 for a single. Live in an Italian home for $15,050 for double occupancy. Includes breakfast and dinner. $16,025 for a single.

Abruzzo & Molise Heritage Society Scholarships

CONTACT: Marie alice Arnold or 703.993.2167

CREDITS: 15 undergraduate credits in Italian Language, English, Art History, Politics & Organized Crime, and Philosophy.

TYPE OF HOUSING: Apartments or home stays. Please contact Marie alice for more details.

EXCURSIONS: Weekend in Rome and 5 days in Sicily!

APPLY BY: October 9, 2009

The perfect introduction to Italian art, culture, history and language, this spring semester program Florence is sure to please. This year it will also offer ENG 302, a General Education requirement for Mason students!

It was during the Middle Ages and Renaissance Era that Florence became the cultural hub of Europe, where artists like Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo, architects like Brunelleschi, and writers like Dante flourished. The evidence of their achievements is still present all over Florence in palaces, squares, churches, monuments and museums.

These days Florence is an active commercial center for business, banking, fashion, and the production of leather goods. The innumerable artistic treasures and natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside attracts students from all over the world who come to Florence as their place for an unforgettable study abroad experience. This unique city will be yours to absorb, explore, taste, marvel and enjoy for an entire semester! Excursions to Rome and Sicily are also included in the program's cost!

Participants study at the Centro Fiorenza, founded in 1982 and located right in the center of Florence in a prestigious seventeenth century palace called Palazzo Guicciardini. The instruction students will receive from the Centro Fiorenza's staff is top notch.

Led by George Mason University Assistant Professor of English Paul Rogers, this study abroad program is open to any undergraduate who has earned 45 credit hours (sophomore or junior standing) by January of next year, including non-Mason undergraduates. While abroad, each student takes one Italian Language course (6 credits of introductory Italian 110 or 3 credits of higher division Italian) and 9-12 other credits across these disciplines:

• Administration of Justice (ADJ 490, 3 cr) - "History of the Mafia"
• Art History (ARTH 340, 3 cr)- "The Living Art of the Renaissance"
• Government (GOVT 334 or 339 or HIST 388, 3 cr) - "History & Politics of Modern Italy"
• English 302 B Advanced Composition (3credits) taught by Professor Rogers

All classes meet four days a week in the Centro Fiorenza, a former palace that overlooks Florence's beautiful river Arno and the famous Ponte Vecchio. One benefit of this schedule is it gives students ample opportunity to travel throughout Italy and Europe on the weekends and during their Spring Break in March.

*CGE reserves the right to make changes to a program in light of currency fluctuations, changing security and safety conditions, or any other unforeseen circumstances.