UA Rome Center

Academics & Course Offerings

Calendar
For a day-to-day look, check out the UARC Academic Calendars at http://www.arkrome.it/

Architecture Courses

Required Courses

ARCH 4116 Architectural Design (Vitali)
Rome offers a unique opportunity of investigating and understanding contemporary design issues within a historical urban context. Emphasis is put on the relationship between old and new and it is investigated in sites located in the historical center of Rome or in the proximity. Themes are chosen for their pertinence to problems that occur once you intervene in the context of an old city. The course offers advanced problems in architectural design and planning.

ARCH 4653 Architecture of the City - History & Theory of Urban Form (Vitali) (satisfies Fine Arts core)
The aim of this course is to accompany you through the layering that composes Rome’s urban form. The different periods of the history of Rome will be presented in a series of site visits in which related issues will be analyzed and developed. The first part of the series will provide basic information on Ancient Rome’s architectural history; the second part of the series will be devoted to the description of the historic city, from the middle-ages to the 21st century, seeking to develop knowledge of the environment in which you are presently immersed. Professional Elective for Architecture Students

Electives

ARCH 4023 Modern & Contemporary Architecture (Kohan) (satisfies Fine Arts core)
The course will explore all the different local conditions that determined these changes. The program is designed to enable students to acquire a critical understanding of architecture and debates in Italy and Europe in these last couple of decades. Central to the course is a consideration of a variety of interpretations of very recent architecture, in terms of formal architectural analysis, the analysis of space and the different theories that inform these analysis.

ARCH 2993 Art and Culture in Italy (Del Gesso) (satisfies H2P III or equivalency)
Several civilizations and cultures have left an impressive collection of unique art and architectural masterpieces in Italy. This course describes the evolution of culture and aesthetics, and their immediate relationship with the creation of these works. The course includes site visits and lectures. Requirements include individual research projects (class presentation) and a final exam.

ARCH 4023 Historic Preservation Seminar (Salvo/Cherubini)
This course aims to educate architects to assume leadership roles in historic preservation design and planning. While the programs will expose students to a broad spectrum of architectural preservation practices, the curriculum emphasizes the preservation of mid-20th century architecture, an emerging issue of concern in the discipline.

ARCH 4023 Principles of Sustainable Architecture (Bedeschi)
Starting from the fundamental factors related to the definition of sustainable development, through the essential aspects of climate change, the course offers a reasoned analysis of the principles of sustainable and integrated design.
Designing for sustainability requires awareness of the full, short and long-term consequences of any transformation of the environment. Sustainable design is the conception and realization of environmentally sensitive and responsible expression as a part of the evolving matrix of nature.

ARCH 4023 Travel Writing (McGovern)
This course provides an opportunity for students to focus first-hand on the art and craft of travel writing, with particular emphasis on Italy. Through reading, writing, and visits in and around the city center, students will explore places of historic, artistic, cultural and personal interest. They will learn "by example" from a selection of great travel literature from the world in general, and from Italy in particular.
And they will learn "by doing," via a series of guided exercises and assignments that explore the distinctive qualities of travel writing and the ways in which this particular art can lead to a deeper understanding of their own experiences and cultural identity.

Liberal Arts Seminars (Tenative: These courses require a minimum participation of 12 students.)

Special Topic: Ancient European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Giardino)
This course deals with the study of European and Mediterranean archaeology and introduces the archaeological study of human societies; therefore migrations, trade, cultural and religious influences will be studied. Special emphasis will be given to the relations between ancient Europe and the peoples of Europe and Middle East from the prehistoric times until the spread of Christianity in the ancient world.
Special Topic: Roman Archaeology & Monuments (Giardino)
This introductory course is designed to provide a basic study of core aspects of the archaeology of the Roman world, from Italy to Greece and the Mediterranean. It covers the period from the origins of Rome to the end of the Western Empire (fifth century A.D) and introduces students to the development of Roman history, its political, cultural and religious importance for the ancient world. Guided excursions to monuments and/or places are part of this course.
HUMN 425V(H) (3 hours) History of Italian Design (Vitali, Buono, Wasserman) (satisfies Honors HUMN Colloquium)
Design is a fundamental component of the culture and of the economy of Italy. Since the beginning of the 20th century until the present day, the different activities of this multi-faceted discipline have played a significant role in the local and international scenario. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with this vast field and to expose them to some of the most important events, projects and products in the fields of industrial design, fashion design and, lately, web and digital design.
HUMN 425V(H) (3 hours) Living in Rome: From Antiquity to Modern Life (Del Gesso) (satisfies Honors HUMN Colloquium)
The purpose of this class is to understand how the daily life in Rome from the Roman Empire to present times has been influenced by religion, art and history. The class will be structured in chronological sections each one related to a specific change of mentality and behavior: the history of women and men in relationship to their rules in a society administrated by emperors, popes , aristocrats and finally by a dictator will be considered.

Language

ITAL 1003 Italian I (Spaccini)
This course is a presentation of Italian phonology, grammar and structure through vocabulary and situations of every-day life. The purpose is to give students the ability to communicate as soon as possible. There will be oral practice in class on pronunciation, intonation, elements of grammar and conversation and home assignments.
ITAL 1013 Italian 2 (Spaccini)
This course is for students who are already familiar with the Italian language and have mastered the grammatical structures envisaged in the Level 1 course. There will be oral practice in class on elements of grammar and conversation, and home assignments.
Advanced Italian language courses may be offered for students that require an upper level.