Month: May 2016

Students work at the previous dig site

This weekend, the Umbra Institute excitedly welcomed participants to the third edition of its Archaeology Field School in beautiful Castiglione del Lago, on the shores of Lake Trasimeno, near Perugia. After the promising results of an extensive survey and digital mapping of a vast area, conducted in 2015, this year’s students will have the unique chance to experience an archaeological dig.

As a preliminary step, the site area has been delimited through geological investigations (geoprospection), that revealed hidden structures beneath the surface where field school students will be working. The first analysis seems to indicate the ruins of a Roman villa, but this is still a work in progress and the full extent and historical context of what lies beneath is not yet known.

The field school is run in cooperation with the Soprintrendenza Archeologia dell’Umbria (Archaeological Superintendency of the Region of Umbria) and the Comune di Castiglione del Lago (City Government of Castiglione del Lago). It guarantees an exceptional educational opportunity, that can only be offered through hands on, professional work experience.

Students arrived in Perugia on Saturday where, throughout the weekend, they got to know the city and the institute through a welcome dinner, guided tours, and orientation meetings. Yesterday morning, students were shown around their new home in Castiglione del Lago; as this week goes on, they will experience their first survey of the archaeological area and begin working on the excavation site, which will be their open-air classroom for the remaining five weeks of the program.  

Click here to read more about the Trasimeno Archaeology Field School.

Professor Burton presenting at the University of Perugia

On May 18^th, Umbra’s visiting Professor Leslie Burton (University of Connecticut) presented her study on “Gender and Personality”. A large number of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Perugia were in attendance, as well as Professor Burton’s students who took part in this summer’s Faculty-Led study abroad program at the Umbra Institute.

The study was meant to analyze “Gender differences in personality”, specifically aggression, in a sample of university students. Professor Burton pointed out that aggression has played a crucial role in human evolution, as in acquiring food and other resources and defending family members. In modern society, it appears in a number of different behaviors: not only physical aggression, but also competition, as well as verbal and relational aggression.

One student in attendance, Rachela Calvi, commented:

“The conclusion that I got from this is that men show more physical aggression than women and women are more verbally aggressive…Men showed more egocentricity and less pressure from social support than women, but, surprisingly, there were no significant gender differences when it came to relational aggression.”

Calvi then went on to describe the Big Five Model and the significance of openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism; all of which were discussed in detail during Professor Burton’s presentation.

Click here to learn more about faculty-led opportunities at the Umbra Institute.

The Mandatory Safety and Academic Info Meeting

This summer’s study abroad semester has kicked off to an exciting start here at the Umbra Institute!

Saturday: Umbra staff members waited eagerly at Rome’s Fiumicino airport for General Studies and Intensive Italian through Culture students to arrive. Students were then brought by private bus to a hotel just outside of Perugia, where they were welcomed with dinner and an evening of games, with a side of tea and cookies. Those who took part in the games got to know each other through questions about travel and tips regarding life in Italy.

Sunday: Students woke up bright and early so that they could be taken to their new homes in Perugia’s city center. Once they were settled in, General Studies students were given a tour of the city while Intensive Italian students took their Italian placement exams. The afternoon offered many opportunities to tour Umbra’s facilities and meet faculty and staff during the Institute’s open house and its Mandatory Safety and Academic Info Meeting. The day came to a close with a pizza night during which many learned that, in Italy, it is okay to eat an entire pizza by yourself!

Today, Umbra’s halls are once again full of excitement as students begin their first day of class. 

Students Mariah Noth and Derrick Newton, Jr. during their video interview with Luoghi Comuni

Umbra students have a habit of inspiring headlines during their study abroad experience. This semester, ARFP 210: Fresco Painting and ESUS 310: Placemaking: Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces and Communities students started simple by inspiring the Umbra blog with the concept of building community as they continued the terrace project that was begun by ESUS 310 participants during the Fall 2015 semester.

Now, that habit has branched out into the local media of Perugia.

A city-wide magazine, Luoghi Comuni, has recently worked with Umbra ESUS 310 students to create both a video and a blog series to publicize the students’ work within inBorgo Bello, an active and artistic neighborhood in the city center of Perugia where the terrace is located; all in order to encourage collaboration with local citizens and bring them closer to the urban planning and community revitalization project. Luoghi Comuni is a magazine dedicated to sharing the initiatives of organizations, associations, and locals who are committed to maintaining and bettering the districts of Perugia in which they live.

Click here to see the video.

Click here to read Luoghi Comuni’s article (in English).

Click here to read more on the Borgo Bello Association.