Location:

Florence, Italy

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Academic Year, Fall Semester, Spring Semester

Program Overview

Program Description:

The perfect introduction to Italian art, culture, history and language, this 2015 spring semester study abroad program in Florence is sure to please. Led by George Mason University Associate Professor Cathy Wright, this study abroad program is open to any undergraduate student who has earned 45 semester credit hours (sophomore, junior or senior standing) by January 2015, including non-Mason undergraduate students. It was during the Middle Ages and Renaissance Era that Florence became the cultural hub of Europe, where artists like Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo, architects like Brunelleschi, and writers like Dante flourished. The evidence of their achievements is still present throughout Florence in palaces, squares, churches, monuments, and museums. These days, Florence is an active commercial center for business, banking, fashion, and the production of leather goods. The innumerable artistic treasures and natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside attracts students from all over the world who come to Florence as their place for an unforgettable study abroad experience. This unique city will be yours to absorb, explore, taste, marvel, and enjoy for an entire semester! Excursions are also included in the program's fee!

We are happy to offer a wide selection of course options offered by our new partner CAPA International. Specific course approvals for 2015 are currently under review. While abroad, each student takes one Italian Language course (3 credits) at the Centro Fiorenza and the Academic Director's course (Global Propaganda: 1900 - 1989 / 3 credits) also at the Centro Fiorenza, as well as 9 other credits with CAPA to equal 15 credits total. Students must enroll in 15-16 undergraduate credits. This program is for "resident" credit (counts the same way a class would if taken at the Fairfax campus), and not "transfer" credit!

Setting Description:

Participants are based at the Centro Fiorenza, founded in 1982 and located right in the center of Florence in a prestigious seventeenth century palace called Palazzo Guicciardini. The former palace overlooks Florence's beautiful Arno River and the famous Ponte Vecchio. The Italian language instruction (3 credits of beginning, intermediate or advanced Italian) that participants will receive from the Centro Fiorenza's staff is top notch. Classes typically meet four days a week, allowing students ample opportunity to travel throughout Italy and Europe on the weekends and during Spring Break. Housing is Apartments or homestays. The base program fee includes double occupancy lodgning in a shared student apartment in the historic city center of Florence. See different options (single room and family stay) and costs under the Program Fee section.

Cost:

$12,984. The Center for Global Education Program Fee includes tuition, housing double occupancy self-catering accommodations in student apartments, cultural field trips and local excursions with CAPA, pre-departure orientation, arrival orientation at Centro Fiorenza, emergency medical insurance including medical evacuation and repatriation, administrative fees at Centro Fiorenza and CAPA International and at George Mason University. The Program Fee for a single room in a shared apartment rather