The program curriculum — mostly taught in English — provides an in-depth focus on the city of Rome and gives you an extraordinary perspective into Italian history and culture.
Classes are small and the faculty instructors are all long-term residents of Rome. With excursions as part of most courses, historical sites such as the Forum, Piazza Navona, and the Colosseum become your classroom. Internships and volunteer activities provide you with the opportunity to practice the Italian you are learning in class and put you in direct contact with the local culture and society.
The Kenyon-Rome program is comprised of a variety of course options. Students begin with a three week intensive Italian Practicum. Following this, students take the required Core Course (ARTS 291), an Italian course and elective courses. Elective offerings include courses offered by Kenyon faculty (ARTS 391), as well as Italian Area Studies courses offered through the University of California at the ACCENT Center. Because the program is informed by a liberal arts pedagogy, it is open to all majors.
The ACCENT Rome Study Center is located in the beautiful Palazzo Banco S. Spirito on the Piazza dell'Orologio, which is marked by the impressive clock tower by Borromini and is considered the very heart of Rome. Among the historical palaces of Piazza dell'Orologio is the famous Casa delle Letterature or Biblioteca dell'Orologio, which is the home of literature in the "Eternal City." ACCENT's central location makes it an ideal base for classes and as a jumping-off point for onsite study visits.
In this three-week intensive course, emphasis is placed on practical skills in using Italian grammar, vocabulary, and idioms. Students complete daily written assignments, either in class or at home, and are required to make use of newly learned grammatical skills to interact with native speakers in everyday urban life. At least one hour per day is devoted to role play both to further reinforce the use of Italian grammar and vocabulary within the context of Rome and the experience of the city. Italian folk and popular music are also used to enhance students’ interaction with Italian culture and history. The course is conducted entirely in Italian.
In this course, emphasis is placed on complex forms of syntax, grammar, and in particular, the correct use of complex verb tenses and modes such as the past perfect, the conditional, the imperative, the present and past progressive, and the present subjunctive. There are weekly reading assignments in Italian culture, written compositions, and nightly graded homework exercises.