About the course

Content

Rome fascinates for at least two reasons. Firstly, because its millennial history as a real and perceived ‘centre of the world’ provides numerous examples of international networks or communities, either religious, artistic, political and diplomatic, or scientific. Secondly because Rome still lives up to its appellation ‘caput mundi’. Partly thanks to its symbolic value, it is still today a unique cross-cultural ‘hub’, presenting a fascinating window to our globalized world. These historical and contemporary dimensions have many lessons to teach, about respectful international collaboration and fruitful intercultural dialogue, but also about rivalries, conflict, abuse and oppression.

As a unique gateway to this theme, a crucial role in this course is to be played by the foreign academies and institutes in Rome. In their capacity of bridges between tradition and modernity, and between national and supranational perspectives, they form one of the primary subjects of investigation.

The course offers a unique opportunity to get to know Rome as an international hub in past and present; learn about relevant academic concepts and discourse, and – last but not least – to personally experience intercultural exchange and international cooperation in a highly diverse group of staff and students.

Learning outcomes

After this course you will be able to:

• Obtain general familiarity with the main historical developments of the city of Rome from the early modern age to the present, in particular concerning (traces of) foreign presences in Rome.
• Become acquainted with different disciplinary approaches, concepts and discourse relating to intercultural exchange and international cooperation; apply these to a case study, either historical or modern.
• Collaborate effectively within a diverse team on research about a specific object, monument, location or institution in the city of Rome, deploying different methods (e.g. textual and visual analysis, interviews, fieldwork).
• Communicate the outcomes of this research to an audience with a general academic background in an oral presentation; receive and process feedback.

Programme

The total study load is 5 ECTS, consisting of:

• Independent study of course material and preparatory assignment: 1 ECTS (28 hours).
• Intensive summer school programme in Rome (12 days): active participation in excursions and discussions, preparations, oral presentation: 3 ECTS (84 hours).
• After the summer school, concluding personal reflection: 1 ECTS (28 hours)

Topics include: (subject to alterations)

• From the Grand Tour and Bildungsreise to present-day mass tourism
• Sites of national communities (neighbourhoods, churches, monuments)
• Foreign academies, cultural institutes and universities, ca 1800-today
• International Relations on the Silver Screen: Cinecittà' vis-à-vos Hollywood.
• The Vatican and its institutions as global agents; Rome as a center of multilingualism
• Rome as a hub of a triple international diplomacy (Treaty of Rome 1957; UN WPF)
• The 1911 and 1942 World Fairs
• 1960 Summer Olympic Games

Assessment

Assessment takes place on the basis of preparatory study and assignment of course material (30%), active participation, oral presentation (40%), and the concluding reflection (30%).

Upon successful completion of the programme, the Summer School offers a Certificate of Attendance that mentions the workload of 140 hours (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.

In addition to the Certificate of Attendance, an ENLIGHT edubadge will be issued, providing participants a life-long digital proof of attendance and completion of the programme.

Lecturers

• Dr. B. Martin (Uppsala University)
• Prof. dr. A. O’Connor (University of Galway)
• Prof. dr. J. Orbie (Ghent University)
• Dr. A. Pelgrom (University of Groningen)
• Ms. M. Puelinck, BA (Ghent University, teaching assistant)
• Prof. dr. E. Sterken (University of Groningen)
• Prof. dr. R. Wittek (University of Groningen, TBC)
• and guest lecturers from Rome