Month: February 2016

In Italian, there is a popular saying “Sapere è diverso da saper fare”, or “knowledge is different from ability”. With this idea in mind, it is important to note that an interactive teaching method, based on an experience-oriented teaching philosophy, is essential to successful language learning. When students choose to study abroad at the Umbra Institute, they are choosing to put this concept into action when learning Italian, as exemplified by last week’s Intensive Intermediate Italian activity – the making of tiramisu.

Umbra’s Intensive Intermediate Italian students have recently learned imperativo informale, the informal imperative verb tense, which is used to give instructions, advice, and orders. After long hours in class, learning the technical side of communication, students were given a tiramisu recipe in Italian and tasked with putting their recently acquired knowledge into practice.

To make the tiramisu, students were divided into groups and instructed to read aloud and follow the recipe provided to them (an exercise in written and oral comprehension). Putting the students into teams created competition that inspired enthusiastic completion of the project. In the end, students not only reviewed their understanding of the imperativo informale, but also revisited the presente progressivo, a verb tense that describes actions in the moment in which they occur, during a written exercise that was given to them after having made the tiramisu.

In the end, students recognized that language learning should be fun, not laborious. In the same way that one learns their native language, through interaction and the construction of memories, so should one learn a new language.

To find out more about Umbra’s Italian language and culture program, click here.

When Sophie Panetti, a student from Gustavus Adolphus College, came to study abroad in Perugia, Italy, she decided to make her mark on the community by organizing a student-run Creative Works night, which was designed as a casual open-mic night. During this event, students were invited to publically read their own writings, or those of their favorite authors, at the local Alphaville Caffè.

Not only were American students present, but students from the University of Perugia and the University for Foreigners of Perugia also attended, both to listen and to read. Nearly 30 students made their way to the event where readings lasted for over an hour. Sophie opened it up with It All Counts, a personal poem about the beauty of all art, to encourage participants to not be shy, no matter what their preferred literary genre.

“If you are searching for a group of people that share an appreciation with you, search for it. If there isn’t already a group that meets to share this appreciation, start it yourself! Don’t wait for it to come to you. Don’t leave Italy wishing you’d started something here,” said Sophie as she shared her passion for creative writing and her motivation for organizing the event.

Throughout the evening, some students read pieces by authors such as E.E. Cummings and Patricia Lockwood, while others read their own writings relative to social issues, life in Italy, romance, and more. Each student was unique to their own background and form of expression, including: Dutch student, Frank Piels, who read excerpts from the Diary of Anne Frank, in both Dutch and English, before sharing their interpretation and significance to Dutch culture, particularly to that of Amsterdam; and American student, Shameesha Pryor, who shared a more personal piece to challenge societal standards.

In the end, students seemed to agree with Sophie’s closing remark about the importance of writing and sharing: “Study abroad is a step away from real life, and there’s no way we can go through it without being changed. To me, the best way to process this change is by writing and sharing.”

Umbra Professor Alessandro Celani, Ph.D., recently published, Victima.Words and Forms of Murdering. Throughout his book, Celani’s research, narrations, and photography seek to unveil the deepest relations between the act of being dominated by images – producing them, sharing them, and coveting them – and the act of worshiping them, admiring them, and destroying them.

Through his writing, Celani presents research that delves into imagery from the times of Roman Civilization to the present,  including 20th century paintings (Guernica by P. Picasso), cinema (W. Herzog, Kim Ki Duk and K. Kieslowski), and politics (Charlie Hebdo and religious fundamentalism).

“I think people should read it to become aware of how many certainties we take for granted and that they are nothing more than prejudices embedded in language. The more we think we are victims, the closer we are to becoming executioners,” says Celani as he describes the importance of his newest novel, and its relation to his previous book, Una certa inquietudine naturale – a work that describes how one may think they have control of their language and the images around them yet they are, instead, controlled by them.

Celani will make his first presentation of Victima during the second edition of Book Pride on April 1^st, at 4 PM, in Milan. Additional presentations will be made in the future.

International Business students learn quickly that cultural differences impact business markets and that what one country’s culture seeks, is never exactly the same as that which another culture expects.

For this reason, when business students choose to study abroad at The Umbra Institute, they are given service learning opportunities that allow them to work directly with Italian companies through courses such as IBST 380: International Business Strategy, among others.

This semester, IBST 380 students are working with Listone Giordano, a family owned, eco-friendly, flooring company. Students were given the opportunity to meet with Listone Giordano’s Production Director and International Marketing and Communications Director to discuss the company’s culture, which is based on its strong Italian values relative to tradition and quality. During this meeting, students learned how Italian companies evolve to match modern demands while never abandoning their traditional roots. Students inquired about the company’s international sales management and gathered detailed information on its use of showrooms, consultants, and other methods that the company currently uses or is considering employing in the near future.

IBST 380 students will use this information, along with other sources of more statistical information, to help Listone Giordano develop new services and technology to improve its ability to reach out to international clientele, specifically in the United States. In order to complete the project, students will need to understand cultural differences and expectations in both Italy and the U.S. to develop an international business strategy proposal that can be seen as beneficial and effective in both cultures.

To learn more about Umbra’s service learning projects, click here.

Studying abroad in Italy means becoming a part of the local community and cultivating an intercultural connection with locals. For this reason, contributing to the evolution of the local community through the conversion of urban spaces into friendly, inclusive communities is the goal of the Umbra Institute’s ESUS 310: Placemaking: Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces and Communities.

This semester, students participating in ESUS 310, also known as Urban Spaces, are continuing a complex project that previous Umbra students started in Perugia’s Borgo Bello district. The overall goal is to transform forgotten corners of the community into lively areas that can be used, year-round, for various neighborhood needs. As a continuation of this project, students are currently focusing on the renovation of a terrace that is located on Via del Cortone. Students will use the next few months to:

• work on community fundraising initiatives;

  

• collaborate with Umbra students from the ARFP 210: Fresco Painting course who will liven up the terrace by creating a vibrant afresco;
• continue to build strong alliances with major actors within the Borgo Bello district, from inhabitants to theater owners; and
• collaborate with Perugia’s administrative and political offices, such as that of the Mayor, to gain confirmation of the future logistical process for project completion.

This project is designed to give students a well-rounded experience in the world of Placemaking, a novelty design strategy that bases the design of public space on input provided directly by locals who live and work in that space.

Spring 2016 Urban Spaces’ students are currently dedicating their time to better understand the community they will be working in through scheduled meetings with representatives from the Borgo Bello community, as well as through historic and cultural tours throughout community landmarks, such as the impressive San Domenico church that rests only a short distance from the Terrace on Via del Cortone.

Read more about previous project accomplishments and future goals.

Sarah Fuller, a student in Early Childhood and Special Education as well as International Studies from Elizabethtown College, chose to attend the Umbra Institute during the Fall 2015 semester to complete a self-directed research project. Sarah’s research is to be used for a thesis project relative to her interest in international special education policy as Sarah says that her dream is “to ensure that all children, regardless of disability, have access to inclusive education”.

During her semester at Umbra, Sarah completed a qualitative case-study which she designed before her arrival. In collaboration with Dr. Christian Tarchi, Umbra professor in Education Studies, Sarah was able to conduct interviews of Perugia’s education community, including staff of the regional Office of Education, professors who work in teacher formation both in Perugia and in Florence, and other experienced educators. Throughout her time at Umbra, her goal was to learn how laws and culture interact to support inclusive education.

Sarah Fuller’s plans for the future include presenting her thesis project at education conferences and seeking further applications for her research. She plans to further develop her interest in international special education policy by pursuing graduate studies in International and Comparative Education and a career in research, advocacy, or work with an NGO.

To aid Sarah in her research, Prof. Tarchi gave her three assignments all with the aim of targeting her research design, method, and data in search of a comprehensive pattern that focused on results with practical implications. Prof. Tarchi noted that what stood out most about Sarah was that “she made every effort possible to find a key or a solution to the problem she was studying so that her study could bring some contribution, rather than being just a mere theoretical exercise”.

The Umbra Institute is proud of its research and independent study offerings for students who hold special academic interests while abroad. Research offerings include ISIR 499: Advanced Research Project and ISRM 400: Research Writing & Methodology.

For more information about research options and education coursework at Umbra, contact Umbra’s Academic Director, Francesco Burzacca, at [email protected].