Engaging History: Media Studies in Rome

Why AIRC?
AIRC engages daily with the history, conservation, excavation, and digital documentation of Rome (through video, social media, etc.), in places such as the Roman Forum and Ostia Antica. AIRC has unique partnerships with the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiBAC) and other prominent academic and cultural entities. AIRC’s faculty and staff are based full-time in Rome and have lived/ worked there for nearly 50 years combined. AIRC operated a month-long undergraduate study program for the College of the Holy Cross for five years with great success, introducing more than 100 enthusiastic students to the marvels of the Eternal City. No other institution in Rome has AIRC’s track record and relationships.

The Course
Even after 2800 years of continuous habitation the city of Rome continues to excite interest around the world, and Rome’s timeless culture remains a reference-point in numerous academic fields. This course—an abbreviated version of AIRC’s innovative semester program in History, Media, and Cultural Heritage—peels back the layers of Rome’s complex history by relying on a wide variety of disciplines and approaches, led by archaeologists, historians, and experts in communication. Students will gain insights into Rome’s appeal through its ever-relevant past. Besides gaining a grasp of the overall historical framework, main protagonists, and key sites and collections, students will learn through on-site exploration and study, including hot topics such as digital/virtual archaeology (latest immersive displays in new sites), and media and video production. Students will come away with a solid grasp of the layout of the modern and ancient city, its history, and its development through time, as well as a completed media project that communicates one or more aspects of Roman culture to a broad audience in a compelling way.

The course examines the politics, economics, religion, social structure, daily life, physical infrastructure, art, and historical development of Rome, from its beginning to the 6th century AD. The morning on-site lectures will also offer numerous opportunities to discuss important issues such as conservation/ preservation of cultural heritage, new and ongoing excavations, and technology and media in the humanities. In the afternoons students work on their projects, which will be presented to faculty at course's end.

 Total hours of instruction: 90
·       On-site lectures: 70
·       Classroom hours: 20 (includes final colloquium)

On-site Lectures
We will see Rome’s incredible layered past during the site visits, from its humble origins to the end of the empire and the onset of the Late Antique and Medieval periods. Being in Rome, we will trace the development of the city and how Romans perceived their city and continually labored to preserve and reinvent it over time. The course looks at Roman topography, i.e., the man-made and natural landscape of the city, which was preserved or changed according to a number of socio-political and religious needs. During on-site visits, we will view the ancient monuments in their original urban contexts and evaluate the changes that took place to those structures over time.

Lectures on Roman History
Following a rough chronological framework, students will become familiar with the key historical developments and the individuals that shaped the political and natural landscape.

Goals
As a result of the course, students, having assessed and comprehended the key sources relating to the development of the city, will have attained a comprehensive, objective understanding of the major individuals and events that shaped ancient Rome, the material and intellectual culture they left behind, and the major contemporary approaches to the city and Roman culture. Just as importantly, students will be able to organize, synthesize, and cogently present the information they have learned about a topic of their choosing in a written, visual, or audio-visual format.

Textbooks
A. Claridge, Rome. An Oxford Archaeological Guide. 2nd ed. Oxford 2010.
A. MacAdam, Blue Guide Rome. 10th ed. New York 2010.
Course packet with handouts and maps for daily lectures.

Assignments and Grading
Testing and grading will consist of your participation and preparation, two short presentations on topics of interest (which may become part of the final project), two project briefings, and a final colloquium with the faculty in which you present your completed project.

Note: Students must bring their own equipment. AIRC does not have equipment for individual projects. For journalism/communication students, a laptop computer. For photography students, a digital or film 35mm SLR camera. For media/film students, a digital video camera (SD or HD) and laptop computer with NLE software.

Click here to download a PDF description of this program.

To apply for this program, click here to access the online application form.

For more information about this program, send an e-mail to studyabroad[at]romanculture.org.