Temple University Office of International Programs
By Kelly Dougherty, Outreach and Marketing Coordinator, Temple University

Here in Temple University's International Programs office, we were very excited when one of our Temple University Rome participants, Phil Assetto, was chosen to help launch BlogAbroad.com. The staff of StudyAbroad.com have been big supporters of education abroad and BlogAbroad.com is another innovative way to share information and perspectives with students interested in studying overseas. As it turns out, Phil has been a very effective and articulate spokesperson and we have enjoyed enormously his well-written reports from Rome.

Temple University Rome, soon to celebrate its 40th anniversary, offers a semester or academic year program of full-time study designed primarily for third-year undergraduate students. The program is comprised of four academic components: Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Liberal Arts and Italian Studies, Visual Arts and International Business. Summer study is also an option.

The Temple Rome campus is housed in the Villa Caproni, a handsome building facing the Tiber River in the heart of Rome. Just north of Piazza del Popolo and within walking distance of the lively Spanish Steps and the beautiful Borghese Gardens, the Villa Caproni is convenient to living accommodations, shops, and restaurants. Its facilities include academic classrooms; a 13,000-volume library, one of the largest English-language libraries in Rome; extensive professional visual art and architecture studios; an art gallery; student lounges and administrative offices. The studios are fully equipped for printmaking, sculpture, photography, and architecture, and contain areas assigned to students for use throughout the term.

The academic program is enriched by regular lecture series throughout the semester on archaeology, art, architecture, culture, film studies, and literature, and course field trips that are conducted to acquaint students with the sites, paintings, monuments, and festivals associated with the people, history, and events of Italy.

Phil's Early Renaissance Art History class, for example, took a three-day trip to Sienna and Florence. Phil brings this experience to life in his blog: "On Sunday morning I saw the sun rise over the Ponte Vecchio making the Arno River gold. It was a moment to see nature's art before continuing the survey of the Renaissance. We visited the Uffizi Gallery where I saw Botticelli's Primavera and the Birth of Venus. Both of which survived the bonfires of Savonarola, who himself was bonfired in the Piazza Signori right near the Uffizi. We finished by going to see the frescoes of Massacio who further developed the realism of Giotto's style. I know how to get around Florence very well now. Before coming to Italy and doing this Tuscan art review I never would have considered myself particularly artsy, but I must say I loved it. For the weekend I was definitely wild about art history."

In addition to the Rome program, Temple University has a branch campus in Japan as well as 15 summer programs in 11 countries.

Temple University Japan (TUJ) is the Tokyo campus of Temple University with an enrollment of 1,700 students. The TUJ study abroad program offers U.S. undergraduates the opportunity to study in Tokyo for a semester, summer, or full academic year alongside bilingual Japanese and other international students. The academic program is comprised of an extensive liberal arts curriculum that includes Japanese language instruction for both native and non-native speakers, and upper level courses in American Studies, Art, Art History, Asian Studies, Communications, Economics, History, International Affairs, International Business, Political Science, Psychological Studies, Religion and Sociology. With the exception of Asian language classes, all courses are conducted in English. Because the student body is predominantly Japanese, the program provides extensive exposure to Japanese society and culture within an English-speaking environment.

Temple University's Summer Programs run for four to six weeks and vary from year to year. In summer 2005, for example, students will study Portuguese Language and Afro-Brazilian Culture in Brazil, Public Health and Development in Costa Rica, Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations in Turkey, and Graphic Design and Digital Photography in Japan. To see the full listing of our summer programs abroad, go to www.temple.edu/studyabroad.

For more information on Temple University Rome or any of Temple's programs abroad, please contact Temple University International Programs, 200 Tuttleman Learning Center, 1809 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, study.abroad@temple.edu, tel: 215-204-0720, www.temple.edu/studyabroad

The mythic resonances of Rome echo across the ages.

Rome has been a cultural and political center throughout its prestigious history. Governmental seat to the most famous empire in history, today it remains the capital of Italy as well as the home of Vatican City, the seat of a different sort of empire. Also home to some of the most famous thinkers and artists of the Renaissance and their work, Rome has much to offer to students wishing to study in a variety of fields.

The legacy of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance can also be seen in the amazing architecture and art that was accumulated and created over time. Each year, Rome draws countless students wishing to marvel at the Colosseum or reverently admire the works of Michelangelo. Few places in the world can offer wonders on such a scale and studying in these august surroundings adds a unique dimension of concrete reality to traditional studies.

Each piece of art and architecture also contributes to an understanding of the history and development that occurred to create what can be seen in Rome today. Students of history, of anthropology, of cultural studies and many more are fascinated by the varied landscape they find in this city.

All roads may not lead to Rome with the same regularity that they did in the past. However, Rome still remains a crossroads and a gathering place for a variety of people. It is therefore a rich environment for those wishing to pursue studies in international relations or business. The influence of Vatican City has made Rome a popular location for a number of international organizations, particularly relief organizations such as the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Food Program. These are just two of the examples for students interested in studying the dynamics of international cooperation and efforts to face shared problems such as world hunger.

The study of modern Italy can be an equally fascinating one for many students. Particularly those interested in political science find unparalleled opportunities in Italy. Government officials in Rome show an unusual willingness and enthusiasm for meeting with and talking to students. The students benefit as officials share with them the realities and complexities of the modern political climate in Italy. Students find in Rome a confluence of the Northern and Southern politics and learn the ways in which history and geography can influence politics, even in today's modern era.

Political science students as well as those interested in sociology, history, and a variety of other disciplines are also fascinated by the legacy of the divide between Northern and Southern Italy. There is actually a political party in Italy known as the Lega Nord (Northern League) that was heavily advocating that the North secede from Italy and declare independence under the name Padonia. While the party has softened these goals over the past few years, the presence of such a call brings into sharp relief the gap between the two regions of this country. This gap was created primarily through geography that allowed the South to be susceptible to invasion and exploitation throughout its history while the North was defensible and grew into a system of strong city-states that were well governed. The legacy of this history can be seen in many aspects of modern Italy, and of course, it all meets in Rome as both the geographical midpoint as well as the seat of the central government.

All of the politics and history and art and life make Rome an unparalleled location for a variety of studies.