Description
Go Where All Roads Lead
We invite you to join the English Department’s spring quarter in Rome, Caput Mundi, head of the world. Enjoy ten weeks of concentrated exercise, reflection, educated sightseeing and literary conversation in and about this Eternal City. As readers, we’ll review the words and thoughts of an array of brilliant novelists and poets who got there before us. As writers, we’ll put ourselves in their shoes, walking the cobbles daily with notebooks in hand. We’ll take constant advantage of the city, its cultural and sensate onslaught. Here history and geography, art and architecture, language and literature, the color and vagary and flavor of daily life all constellate in the literary imagination. Writers are interested in everything: this is a good way to experience foreign study.
Led by English Department faculty Sydney Kaplan and Richard Kenney, the program offers 15 credits in English literature and creative writing (see course descriptions below). This disciplinary partnership permits students to thumb both sides of the literary coin, so to speak, before flipping it over their shoulders into the Trevi Fountain, dreaming (as we will) their quickest chance to return.
We welcome all students. No experience in literary analysis or creative writing is presumed. Classes will held at the University of Washington Rome Center at the 17th-century Palazzo Pio, situated in the vibrant center of the city’s historical district, as well as out and about in the city itself. A number of field trips, museum visits, and excursions will also be included in the program fee. Housing will be in shared apartments arranged by the UW Rome Center.
Requirements:
- Pluck and good humor: we value verve, adaptability, and a spirited willingness to suffer minor inconveniences in the interest of the greater adventure.
- Good shoes and a fit constitution: this program is physically vigorous, involving a lot of walking over stones in a busy urban environment.
- Intellectual and imaginative commitment: Frost said Poetry is play for mortal stakes, and that’s how we see what we do in Rome. Don’t sign up for Roman Holiday. Do sign up for the experience of a lifetime: joyful, serious, intense in every way.
- No knowledge of Italian is presumed or required. Some language instruction will be offered during the course of the program.
Students in the program will maintain their University of Washington residency and any financial aid eligibility they have already established. Credits earned will be recorded on students' UW transcripts and will apply directly to UW graduation requirements. Credits earned in English courses may be used to satisfy requirements in the English major.
Eligibility
The Spring Writers in Rome program values diversity. UW students from any campus, including students in the Evening Degree Program, are eligible to apply to the program. We try to provide as much information as possible on this site and in our printed materials, but that is no substitute for human interaction. We strongly recommend that interested students attend an Information Session or meet individually with Bridget Norquist or the program faculty.
Enrollment will be limited to 30 students.
Application Process
To apply, please use IPE's online application.
Application Deadline: Rolling Admission. Open until filled (or January 11, 2013).
The application includes
- personal statement;
- three short-answer questions;
- two faculty recommendations**;
- electronic signature documents related to University policies and
expectations for study abroad.
**If you are a new transfer student (particularly if this is your first quarter @ UW) we will accept letters from faculty from your transfer school(s) in lieu of (or in addition to) UW Faculty recommendations. If you have any questions about this or any other part of your application, you are more than welcome to contact Bridget Norquist or Professors Kaplan or Kenney.
Following the online application process, students may be contacted by the Program Director for an in-person interview.
Depending on the number of applications submitted, we may maintain a waiting list for the program. Students who are invited to participate in the program will be required to return a signed payment contract and risk form before the deadline indicated in their acceptance email.
Courses
"You Must Change Your Life"
Fiction and Poetry by 20th Century Travelers and Expatriates in Italy
ENGL 440, Special Studies in Literature
5 credits, VLPA
Professor Sydney Kaplan
We will explore the impact of sojourning in Italy on the writing of 20th century American and European poets and novelists. Our focus will be on the transformative effects of living abroad on the writers' literary imagination. We will ask how their experiences of new landscapes, architecture, art, and styles of living led them to question many of the social and cultural assumptions they had brought with them to Italy. Our reading will include A Room With a View, by E.M. Forster; A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway; Death in Venice, by Thomas Mann; Etruscan Places, by D.H. Lawrence; as well as a variety of poems by both modernist and contemporary American and European poets.
This course fulfills the Senior Capstone or the Histories of Language and Literature requirement for English majors.
Sacking Rome: Rome From a Writer's Perspective
ENGL 283/383/483 or 493
5 credits VLPA
Professor Richard Kenney
This course is designed as an introduction to imaginative thinking, from the writer’s perspective, with Rome as a focus. How is language shaped to fit or press against the world of sensation? What does it mean to be an artist? What does it mean to be an artist—an American writer— in Rome? Between “what is art?” and “what is Rome?” lie the several literatures of Rome and Italy, Europe and America, travel and history, culture and archaeology. Apprenticed to all of these, walking the cobbles daily with notebooks in hand, we’ll read, write, converse, and experience personally that carriage of mind which makes art sensible and possible, and so in literary terms sack the city at the center of the world.
This course can be tailored to meet appropriate Creative Writing requirements and may also count toward the Forms and Genres requirement for English Literature majors.
Roaming Rome
ENGL 363 Literature of the Arts and Other Disciplines
5 credits, VLPA
Professors Richard Kenney, Sydney Kaplan, and various guest speakers
Roam Rome with experts in its art, architecture, history, and culture. This course will include various guest speakers and field trips.
This course fulfills the Theories & Methods requirement for the English Literature or the Creative Writing pathway.
Cost
The program fee will be $6500 (estimated). This fee includes instructional costs, group field trips, housing, Rome Center services, and facilities at the Palazzo Pio. No additional tuition payment is required. Resident and non-resident students pay the same fees.
Fees do not include the $300 non-refundable IPE fee, airfare, food, mandatory Study Abroad Insurance, or personal spending money.
Note: program fees are paid in dollars; most program expenses are paid in euros. Unavoidably, we must reserve the right to modify charges in case of unfavorable currency fluctuation. In this unlikely event, students would be notified, and an adjustment made to the final payment.
Payment Schedule
Program fees will be posted to participants' MyUW student accounts and can be paid the same way that they pay tuition and other fees. A $350 non-refundable program deposit and $300 non-refundable IPE Fee will be charged to students' MyUW accounts once their signed contracts have been received by the Study Abroad Office.
- $350.00 non-refundable deposit charged upon receipt of payment contract.
- $300.00 non-refundable IPE fee due by April 12, 2013.
- $6,150 (estimated)remaining program balance due by April 12, 2013.
Health Insurance
The University of Washington has a mandatory comprehensive health insurance plan that is specifically for students studying abroad on UW programs like the Department of English Spring in Rome Program. It has a very low premium: it costs approximately $37 per month for the duration of the program (March - June).
Please visit the webpage or contact the International Programs and Exchanges Office for more information.
Mandatory UW Study Abroad Health Insurance Plan
Withdrawal Policy
The $350 program deposit and the $300 IPE Fee are non-refundable. Students withdrawing from the program will be responsible for paying a percentage of the program fee, determined by the date of withdrawal. More details about the withdrawal policy will be included in participants' payment contracts. No part of the program fee is refundable once the program has begun. The date of withdrawal is considered the date (business day) a withdrawal form is received by the Study Abroad Office.
Notice of withdrawal from the program must be made in writing, according to the following steps:
1. Provide notice in writing to the program directors that you will no longer be participating in the program for which you have signed a contract and accepted a slot.
2. Submit a signed withdrawal form to the Study Abroad Office, 459 Schmitz Hall.
Financial Aid
Most forms of financial aid can be applied to study abroad. You can verify that your financial aid award will apply to your program costs by contacting the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid or scholarships awarded as tuition waivers or tuition exemptions may not apply, so you will need to verify that these funds are eligible for use with study abroad by contacting the funding office.
Revision Request:
You can request an increase in your financial aid award (typically in loan funds) from the Financial Aid Office if the cost of the program exceeds the regular budgeted amount for a student living in the Seattle area. To do this, you will need to submit the following paperwork to the Financial Aid Office:
2. Budget of student expenses for your program: e-mail ipe@uw.edu
Disbursement:
Please remember that financial aid and most scholarships will be disbursed according to the UW academic calendar (beginning of the quarter). If your program starts before the start of the UW quarter, your financial aid award will not be disbursed until after the start of the program. If your program begins after the start of the UW quarter, your financial aid award will be delayed until the start of the program. In either of these cases, you will have to finance any upfront costs such as airfare and health insurance and the start of your time abroad on your own. Please take this into consideration when you plan your foreign study.
Short-term Loans:
The Financial Aid Office does have a Short-Term Loan Program to assist students with temporary cash flow problems. To be eligible, students must be currently enrolled in regular classes in the UW Student Database. Students studying abroad during spring quarter will need to apply for a short term loan before the end of winter quarter.
Scholarships:
There are funding opportunities through the Global Opportunities Program, and students should also reference the IPE website, including their Funding Options page, for more information about Financial Aid and scholarships, including the quarterly Fritz Grant and Go Global Scholarships.
The Global Opportunities Office information session schedule for Autumn Quarter:
GO! and Fritz Scholarships Info Sessions
10/9 from 3 – 4pm in MGH171
11/2 from 12 – 1pm in MGH171
· For Pell Grant or Husky Promise-eligible students and declared social science and humanities majors studying abroad in winter or spring 2013 – deadline November 8th
Additional information for Financial Aid and Scholarships:
Dates & Deadlines
Application Deadline: Rolling admission. Open until filled (or January 11, 2013)
Pre-Departure Orientations
Participants will be required to attend two pre-departure orientations in Seattle during winter quarter.
Program participants are also required attend an in-person pre-departure orientation facilitated by the UW International Programs office. Students must register for this orientation through their online study abroad accounts in order to attend scheduled orientations. For more information, visit the Orientation section of the IPE website to view the current orientation schedule.
The IPE Orientation must be completed prior to the enrollment deadline for the quarter that you are studying abroad.
Any problems or financial losses that occur as as a result of not attending the orientations are entirely the responsibility of individual students.
Travel
Passports/Visas
You will need a passport to travel to Italy. It can take time for your passport application to be processed and your passport issued, so it's a good idea to get the wheels turning as early as possible. As of September 23, 2011, according to the U.S. government's passport services website, the total cost is $135 for a 10-year passport, and the University Neighborhood Service Center, 4534 University Way NE, is the passport acceptance facility closest to campus. The most extensive passport information, including application procedures, fees, office locations, and even printable application forms you can download, is available from the State Department's passport services website. Some general information on applying for passports is also available by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free number: 1-877-487-2778. An automated appointment line and some general information is available at the Seattle Passport Agency: (206) 808-5700.
As of September 1, 2010, students from countries with short-term visa exemption may enter Italy for academic purposes, for periods of up to 90 days, without a study visa. Citizens of the U.S., Canada, and EU countries fall into this category. Program participants from other countries should consult the Italian Consulate website to determine if they need visas in order to study in Italy. If a visa is required, students should contact Katherine Kroeger in the Study Abroad Office for assistance with the application.
*Please note that the 90 day period includes any travel before or after the study program within the entire Schengen area of the EU. Students who stay in the Schengen area beyond 90 days will be in violation of the 90-day visa waiver and risk being fined and/or detained and even banned from travel in the Schengen area for significant periods of time.*
More Web Sites
There are innumerable Rome sites on the web -- let your favorite search engine loose and explore. Here are a very few to get you started. (Remember, some sites will be in Italian; these often have English translations, which you can access by clicking on a little English flag or graphic -- but this is usually the Union Jack, not the Stars and Stripes. In Europe "English" usually means "England.")
- Rick Steves's Europe Through the Back Door (excellent site with extensive travel information and tips)
- Currency Conversion (interactive: how many dollars = how many euros and vice versa)
- World Time Server (what time is it now in Italy, and all around the world?)
- Italian Embassy, Washington, D.C.
- UW Rome Center (information about UW Rome facilities and programs)
- Roman Imperial Forums (archaeology of Rome, virtual tours, etc.)
Bridget Norquist
Academic Adviser
(206)543-2634
bridget@uw.edu
Professor Richard Kenney
Program Director
(206)543-2289
rk@uw.edu
Professor Sydney Kaplan
Program Director
(206)685-1538
sydneyk@uw.edu