A semester study abroad program in Urbino, Italy, designed for VSB Sophomores.
Location
A View of the Ducale PalaceNestled in the foothills of the Apennine Mountains, the walled city of Urbino played a significant role in the Italian Renaissance and was a major rival of both Florence and Siena. Urbino is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a rich cultural and artistic history including being the birthplace of Raphael. The city's central location in Italy, along with its rich academic history, offers an excellent vantage point for students to explore the many facets of modern Italy's economy and culture.
Villanova University has twenty years of experience with the University of Urbino and has a full-time resident director, Dr. Pete Cullen, on-site to assist students with registration, orientation, and other matters throughout the term. In addition, a Villanova faculty member, Dr. Kevin Clark, will accompany the students and will co-teach the anchor course, Competitive Effectiveness.
Why Participate in the Business and Culture in the Italian Context Program?
- Complete VSB requirements while studying abroad.
- Participate in a consultancy project for an Italian company
- Learn about the modern Italian economy and explore Italy's rich history.
- Live in a beautiful and vibrant college town, with opportunities to discover other areas of Italy.
- Work towards an International Business co-major/co-minor and become a participant in the VSB Global Leadership Fellows Program.
Academics
The Business and Culture in the Italian Context (BCIC) Program has been designed to meet the curriculum needs of VSB Sophomores interested in International Business and Italian language and culture. Each participating student will be enrolled in four required courses and will choose one elective course.
Required BCIC Core Course - VSB2020 Competitive Effectiveness (6 credits)
VSB 2020 Competitive Effectiveness is a team-taught core course in which one professor will be from the Villanova Business School and the other from the University of Urbino. The course will cover management and marketing principles and apply them to a class consultancy project for an Italian organization. The letter grade received in the 6-credit VSB 2020 Competitive Effectiveness course will transfer back to Villanova and be incorporated into the student’s GPA.
Required BCIC Economics Course - Taught at the University of Urbino - Economics of Globalisation (3 credits)
Students will also enroll in an Economics of Globalisation course taught in English at the University of Urbino. This University of Urbino course has been approved to fulfill the VSB requirement: ECO3108 Global Political Economy. This course will be open to Villanova students, as well as Italian students. Upon sucessful completion of this class with the equivalent of a 'C' or better, students will earn a 'T' for transfer credit.
Required BCIC Two Language Courses - Beginning to Advanced Italian (6-8 credits)
All students will participate in two language courses: one intensive Italian language course at the beginning of the semester and one Italian language course taught throughout the semester. Students with a prior knowledge of Italian cannot revert to a lower level and placement tests will be given prior to final enrollment. Upon successful completion of these classes with the equivalent of a 'C' or better, students will earn a 'T' for transfer credit.
Beginning Italian Students - complete IB co-major language requirement - 8 credits
Intensive language instruction + Semester language instruction
Fulfills Humanities Requirement & Free Elective
Intermediate Italian Students - complete IB co-major language requirement - 6 credits
Intensive language instruction + Semester language instruction
Fulfills Humanities Requirement & Free Elective
Advanced Italian Students - 6 credits
Intensive language instruction + Semester language instruction or pre-approved Italian-taught University of Urbino course
Fulfills Humanities Requirement & Free Elective
BCIC Elective Courses (3 credits)
Students will choose an additional elective course from the following list to complete their academic schedule in Urbino. All courses are taught in English. Upon successful completion of this class with the equivalent of a 'C' or better, students will earn a 'T' for transfer credit.
- History of Italy from Socioeconomic perspective - fulfills History OR SocNatSci requirement, and IB social science requirement
- Italian Cultural Studies - fulfills SocNatSci OR BeHavSci requirement, and IB social science requirement
Housing
View from the Urbino DormsStudents will live together in dorm-style accommodations alongside Italian students. The residences are located within a 15-minute walk from the center of town and university buildings. A partial meal plan of two meals per day is included, but students should budget to buy some meals during the semester.
Program Costs
Students will pay regular tuition for the semester that they spend in Urbino. As a special VSB program, housing and partial board is included in the tuition fee. Students are responsible for flights, additional meals, and all personal expenses on-site in Urbino.
BCIC Program Calendar
Spring 2014 *tentative - students should not buy flights or plan any other travel until dates are finalized
|
| January 9 |
Departure from US |
January 10
|
Arrival in Urbino
|
| January 13-15 |
Orientation |
January 16
|
Intensive Italian Language Class Begins |
| February 18 |
Semester Italian Language Class Begins |
March 3 - March 11
|
Spring Break |
April 16
|
Easter Break |
May 17
|
Return to the US |
| |
|
