Rome: Past & Present
Overview
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Arrival Date | May 4, 2025 |
| Teaching Dates | May 5 – May 16, 2025 |
| 6 Credits | ARTH 360 (6 credits) |
| Eligibility | All disciplines welcome to apply |
| Approximate Program Fee | $3,000-$3,400 |
Info Session Recording
We held an info session on October 7th at 6pm. For those that missed the session, please check it out here as it covered all topics related to this Rome program including how to apply, how students are selected, the cost breakdown, the coursework, assignments, and life in Rome.
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Expression of Interest
If you are interested in any of our 2025 Global Seminars, please put your information here and we will share any upcoming information related to this program.
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Application
On the application, search “UBCO Rome GSP” to find the application for the Rome program.
Deadline: December 5, 2024
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Program Information
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Rome. Past and Present explores the rich history, architecture, and cultural context of the iconic monuments and landscapes that define both ancient and contemporary Rome. This three-week program begins with pre-departure asynchronous lectures and preparatory work that lays the groundwork for two weeks of in-country instruction entirely conducted in the streets, city squares, museums, and parks of Rome. The two courses, “Monuments of Ancient Rome” and “Fountains, Gardens, and Villas of Rome” will bring students face-to-face with quintessential examples of ancient art and architecture – the Colosseum, Pantheon, and the Vatican – as well as local parks and neighborhoods of the Romans.
Some potential activities include:
- Opportunities to work on Photo Journaling project
- Self-directed study in world-class museums
- Candidates will be in school four days/week with extended weekends (Fri/Sat/Sun off) to be used for cultural events and travel in the area
- Students cannot leave Italy during the two week program. Students are encouraged to travel to other countries prior to the program or following.
ELIGIBILITY AND PREREQUISITeS
- All disciplines welcome to apply
COURSEWORK
ARTH 360 (6 credits) – this program requires students to take all 6 credits. If you have any questions about the courses or the in-country aspects of this program, please reach out to one or both of the instructors (emails listed below).
- UBCO BFA Visual Arts majors who wish to add a minor in Art History and Visual Culture to their degree program, can easily do so by enrolling in this Go Global program.
- For students in other UBCO programs seeking a minor, the program offers a great way to fulfil part of the necessary credits without extending your program. Please consult with the appropriate advisors or reach out to our office (goglobal.okanagan@ubc.ca).
- Vancouver students – those in the BA Art History degree can have these courses count towards your major. Please consult with your advisor.
Course 1: “Monuments of Ancient Rome” (mornings, 9am to 12noon) lectures are given primarily on site in the historic core of Rome studying ancient structures including the Colosseum, Pantheon, Roman Forum, tomb of Augustus and the archaeological site of Ostia Antica.
Course 2: ‘Fountains, Gardens, and Villas of Rome’ (afternoons, 2 to 5pm) focuses on green spaces of the Eternal City such as the archaeological park of Via Appia, Renaissance estates of Villa Borghese and Villa Medici, and the beach town of Ostia Lido.
Timeline
Teaching Dates: two asynchronous workshops between: April 28-May 2
Arrival in Rome: May 4, 2025
Teaching Dates (Italy): May 5 – May 16, 2025
WEEK 1 (April 28 – May 2, 2025)
Students will attend two pre-departure online asynchronous lectures via Zoom, and complete the following course deliverables: in Course 1, a Monument Report (presentation of monument given on site, in Rome) and Article Critique; in Course 2, the research and text for the Individual Presentation Paper (presentation of topic/artwork given on site, in Rome), and an Article Critique.
WEEK 2 & 3 (MAY 5-16)
Arrive in Italy (May 4th). Monday through Thursday on-site lectures and class discussions held outside, in the city—the streets, public spaces, and in front of the monuments that are the subject of study. Group oral presentations on-site.
Friday: students explore local museums and galleries independently or in small groups, local suggestions provided.
Saturday & Sunday (May 10 & 11): Students are free to explore the city and surrounding areas
Program Fees
Program fees: $3,000-$3,400. The final program fee depends on the number of students in the program.
| Included in program fee | Not included in program fee |
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AWARD
Every student accepted into this program will receive a $1,000 Global Seminar Award. This will be distributed to students in May 2025.
Program Director Bio’s
Antonella De Michelis, PhD (antonella.demichelis@ubc.ca)
Antonella De Michelis is an architectural historian with two decades of teaching experience in the field of study abroad. She is passionate about travel, history, and food culture. Her first introduction to global learning was as a high school exchange student to Belgium, having caught the bug, she completed her undergraduate studies in Italy and continued her postgraduate work in England. As a professor, Antonella lived in Rome for twenty years where she lectured on various subjects including art history, architecture, urban studies, and medical humanities for multiple study abroad programs including the University of Minnesota, Yale University, Auburn University, University of Colorado Boulder, and Michigan State University. Antonella has led workshops and professional development seminars on place learning and teaching in the field. Currently, she is chair of Accent Global Learning Academic Advisory Board and adjunct professor of art history and visual culture in the Department of Creative Studies at the University of British Columbia. She is the co-author of Through Time and the City. Notes on Rome (Routledge, 2021) and recent publications include contributions to Eternal Ephemera. The Papal Possesso and Its Legacies (University of Toronto Press, 2020) and The History of the Papacy (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming).
Nathalie Hager, PhD (nathalie.hager@ubc.ca)
Nathalie Hager is a Canadian art historian by training, but a World Art Historian in the classroom. Currently a continuing lecturer in the Art History and Visual Culture program at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus, Nathalie teaches courses ranging from the first-year global art history survey, third-year subject specialty courses reimagined according to wider, more globalized approaches—including the Art in Canada series and also History of 20th-Century Art—and fourth-year courses critically examining transnational art histories.
Originally from Ottawa, where she taught at the National Gallery of Canada and the (former) Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Nathalie has worked in cultural institutions large and small in roles ranging from visitor services and education, to curatorial and senior administration. In 2011 she returned to study to complete her doctoral degree at UBC, and had been teaching ever since.
Go Global Rome will be another opportunity to engage students in experiential learning—learning by doing by experiencing art and architecture in person and in situ, rather than in a dark room with slides. It will also be return to Italy, which Nathalie very much looks forward to…this time without a toddler in tow and one on the way!
