International Field Experience: Art in Rome
As the capital of the Roman Empire and of Western Christendom, Rome has always occupied a position unlike any other city in the world. Even when its ancient grandeur lay in ruins, the city’s mythical power exerted an almost magical allure on anyone who sought achievement, from Petrarch and Michelangelo to Napoleon and Mussolini. As such, it served as a showpiece for emperors, popes, cardinals, and kings to display their wealth, power, and taste.
Given its centrality in history and myth, Rome is a city of unparalleled artistic riches whether painting, sculpture, architecture, or city planning. This course is intended to serve as an intensive introduction to Rome’s artistic and cultural heritage, with an emphasis on the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Through daily excursions to artistically and culturally significant sites in and around the city in conjunction with lectures, readings, student presentations, and guided exploration, students will gain a grasp of fundamental concepts, methods, and issues in the history of art and, at the same time, a comprehension of the history, topography, and culture of Rome and its environs. But Rome is of course not a dusty museum but a vibrant and living city whose culture and vitality will exert an equally strong appeal on students today, and serve as an ideal arena for cross-cultural experiences.
Although the course content is arranged in roughly chronological order, Rome’s historical layers are inseparable and cannot be studied in strict chronology. The course will begin with consideration of city’s ancient past, providing essential background for understanding the city’s subsequent fortunes and artistic legacy. This will include visits to the Forum and adjoining Palatine Hill and Rome’s most splendid ruin, the Pantheon. Next we will turn to the crucial transition from Paganism to Christianity, as seen in the churches of Santa Sabina and San Clemente, the catacombs beneath the city, and (should permission be granted) the Necropolis below St. Peter’s Basilica. Although much of medieval Rome was destroyed in subsequent centuries, there remain astonishing glimpses of the city’s medieval character visible in the churches of the Trastevere neighborhood. The remaining time will focus on the art and culture of Rome in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. These include the major churches commissions, such as St. Peter’s, Il Gesù, and S. Andrea al Quirinale; masterpieces by Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Bernini; aristocratic palaces and villas (Villa Borghese, Palazzo Farnese, Palazzo Barberini, and the Villa d’Este); and highlights of Rome’s influential urban planning campaigns (Via Giulia, Piazza Navona, and Piazza del Popolo).
A knowledge of Italian is not required, but would strongly enhance the students’ experience and learning basic phrases prior to departure is encouraged.
Program Focus
Course Information:
ART 410/510 Art in Rome 8 cr.
Program Dates:
- June 18 OR 25 (Monday) – Pre-departure Orientation to the class (at PSU) – 2 hours (Time TBD)
- The international component runs: July 1 – 14, 2012
Program Duration
Relevant Academic Disciplines
Art, Art History, Foreign Languages, History
Program Provider
Pre-Requisites
Although this program is conceived foremost to complement the education of students of art history, it would be of value for students looking to fulfill requirements in the Interpreting the Past cluster, or for those with a focus on history, romance languages, urban planning, architecture or art.
Preference will be given to students who have taken one of the following:
- ARH 204, 205 Ancient-Rococo Art
- ARH 456, 457, 458, 459 Medieval Art
- ARH 471, 472, 473 Italian Renaissance Art
- ARH 476, 477, 478 Baroque Art
- HST 101-102 Western Civilizations
- HST 300, 316, 354-357 Renaissance and Reformation history
- ENG 340-341 Renaissance Literature
- IT 330 Italian Culture and Civilization
- UNST 259A Renaissance Studies
- Junior or senior standing at the time of participation
- GPA 2.75
- Sophomores or graduate students may be apply with the consent of the program faculty.
Students who have taken UNST 259A or any upper division courses in Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance or Baroque art history will have the option of choosing special topics for their course presentations.
Language Skill: None
Housing Options
Other Program ArrangedProgram Links
PSU
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Deadlines
Friday, March 16, 2012
Program Contact
Miller, Joseph
Faculty Led Programs Coordinator
503-725-5309
East Hall - 209
To make an appointment with an advisor call 503-725-4094
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