USM in Tuscany: Memory & Commemoration, Ancient & Modern

May 18-June 1, 2014

CLA 399/LSH 340 (3 credits)

Students will explore the rich and diverse geographical, visual, and cultural history of Tuscany and Lazio, regions that gave birth to the Roman Empire. Long before Rome rose to power, the Etruscans established a thriving and influential civilization in central Italy. This course, set primarily in the heart of Etruscan territory (Tuscany), explores the art, religion, landscape, and archaeological remains of the Etruscans and examines the process by which they both profoundly influenced the ancient Romans and were then subsumed by them. Students will consider what the Etruscans have meant to scholars and writers who found in the Etruscans an intriguing alternative to a regimented imperial Rome.

Informing our exploratoin of the ancient world will be modern theories of memory and commemoration. Students will first consider the way in which the Etruscans commemorated themselves: modern Tuscany is replete with funerary monuments and necropoles of the Etruscans, cities of the dead adjacent to cities of the living. Students will then consider the way in which museums in Italy present ancient archaeological and art historical remains to a modern audience; they will approach archaeological sites, both active and defunct, as museums of sorts, and they will consider their understanding of the ancient world as part of a highly mediated rhetorical narrative, constructed in and by the modern world, and contingent upon a variety of factors. This course asks students not only to immerse themselves in ancient Etruria and to consider the historical significance of that time and place but also to consider critically the problematic nature of their access to it.

Tentative Itinerary

Day 1 in Italy: Arrive in Florence; Florence presentations; class time

Day 2: Morning: Day trip to archaeological site at Marzabotto

Afternoon: Archaeological Museum in Florence

Day 3: Morning: Tour site and museum at Fiesole/Poggia Colla

Afternoon: Depart for Castello di Spannocchia

Day 4: Morning: Day trip to Murlo, site and museum

Afternoon: Tour of Castello; class time

Day 5: Morning: Day trip to Siena, Archaeological Museum

Afternoon: Free time in Siena

Day 6: Day trip to Orvieto, musem and site

Day 7: Morning: Day trip to Volterra, museum and site

Afternoon: Class time

Day 8: Free day at Castello or optional day trip

Day 9: Depart for Rome via museums and sites at Tarquinia and Cerveteri

Day 10: Morning: Villa Giulia Museum

Afternoon: Cartography presentation; walking tour of Rome

Day 11: Colosseum, Forum Romanum, Capitoline Museum

Day 12: Morning: Museum visit; prepare for final presentations

Afternoon: Museum presentations

Day 13: Free day in Rome; farewell dinner

Day 14: Depart for Boston

Faculty

Jeannine Diddle Uzzi (BA Hamilton College; PhD Duke University) studied at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome and teaches a wide variety of courses on ancient Italy including Roman civilization, Greek and Roman art, classical mythology, and Latin literature. She co-led USM in Tuscany in 2004 with Peter Aicher and has led or co-led trips to Greece for Duke University, Whitman College, and Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies. Professor Uzzi has traveled extensively in Italy and studied Italian. She is the author of Children in the Visual Arts of Imperial Rome (Cambridge 2005) and The Complete Catullus: An Annotated Translation (forthcoming, Cambridge).

Application

The application deadline is March 17, 2014. The deadline for the first $100 deposit (applied to the program cost) is February 14, 2014.

A complete application includes all of the following:

• Signed, completed application form*
• Second $100 non-refundable deposit (applied to the program cost)
• Typed 200-word essay
• A letter of recommendation from a faculty member or academic advisor (only if you are taking the course for credit)
• Official copies of all academic transcripts (only if you are taking the course for credit)

Incomplete applications will not be accepted. You will be notified by e-mail of your application status. If your application is not accepted, the nonrefundable deposit will be returned. If the program is canceled for any reason by the USM, all deposits will be returned.

* If you are having trouble downloading the application, please contact us at (207) 780-4959 or international@usm.maine.edu and we will send you one. You may also want to try upgrading to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Tuition and Fees

The estimated program fee is $4,200. The cost of tuition and fees at the in-state rate are in addition to the program fee.The program fee includes accommodation, airfare, scheduled in-country travel, site visits, field trips and iNext's comprehensive insurance plan.

Not included in the program fee is the cost of tuition, fees, books, academic supplies, food, or other personal expenses. Three credits of undergraduate tuition and fees is $917. All participants on USM travel programs receive the in-state tuition rate regardless of residency.

All participants will be automatically registered for a payment plan. The two $100 deposits will go towards the cost of the program and the remaining balance will be due as follows:

50% of the balance due April 5, 2014

Remaining balance due May 5, 2014

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Federal financial aid and loans are available to matriculated students who participate in travel courses. In order to receive the benefit of financial aid, students must be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits during the summer for a summer travel course. If financial aid does not cover the full cost of the program, students are responsible for paying the remaining balance according to the payment plan schedule.

Include the costs of this course in your FAFSA application. If you have questions about financial aid or completing your FAFSA, please contact the financial aid office at (207) 780-4166. If you are not a matriculated student at USM, please check with the financial aid office at your institution.

USM's Office of International Programs offers small scholarships for students enrolled in summer travel courses. Scholarships are competitive and awards are up to $500. The application deadline is March 17, 2014. Students applying for the International Summer Scholarship must apply to a travel course before or at the same time as submitting a scholarship application.