Program Overview
Class
The Summer I study abroad trip from the University of Illinois to the University of Pisa was open to all students at U of I. Students on the trip got one credit hour of Italian language, culture, and history, and two credit hours of Energy Systems offered through U of I's Nuclear Plasma and Radiological Engineering Department. Grades were not given for the Italian class, and a credit/no credit option was available if the students did not want to take the Energy Systems class for a grade. No previous knowledge of the Italian language was required for the trip.
The program was four weeks long and based in Pisa, Italy. The three weekends were reserved for travel to other cities in Italy. Guest lectures from local university faculty and engineers were scattered throughout the program. Italian language was taught by an Italian faculty member whose native language is Italian. Italian culture was taught by a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago whose native language is English, but speaks fluent Italian. Italian History was also taught by a native English speaker,
Outside the classroom
While in Pisa, the students lived with locals in apartments scattered throughout town. Living conditions and roommate quality were randomly assigned, and varied drastically. Students were responsible for doing laundry, buying groceries, and taking care of all their basic needs. Mandatory trips were planned to Rome, Florence, Venice, Padua and Ladarello for guest lectures and/or field trips. Students were allowed to take day trips to locations of their choosing. Sienna, Cinque Terre, Bologna, and Lucca were some of the popular day trips.
The four weeks in Italy was designed to encourage interaction with Italians. The cultural difference was presented as a means to learn about others, not as an annoying change from how things work in the U.S. Some aspects of the trip including lodging, scheduling, and transportation was not planned in their entirety; mishaps and adventures were to be expected throughout the trip as part of the fun.