Summer: Rutgers- Global Journalism in Italy
The Program
Practice working as a foreign correspondent or travel writer in Italy!
Cover the global stories of our time, from impacts of immigration in Italy to struggles for human rights. Or focus on travel and culture stories related to Bologna’s renowned music, art, architecture and culinary scene. This sophisticated university city offers much to write about, as you learn how to conduct effective interviews, work with interpreters, shoot compelling photos and craft attention-grabbing stories!
Program Location
Italy
Bologna
Home to the oldest university in the Western hemisphere, elegant Bologna is known in Italian as “la dotta” (referring to “knowledge”), “la grassa,” for its extraordinary food, and “la rossa,” for its leftist politics. This gorgeous university city is magnificently located in one of Italy’s most exciting regions, with Florence, Venice, Rome, Milan, the Apennine mountains, the Italian lakes and the Adriatic coast all a short train or bus ride away.
The surrounding Emilia Romagna region is also well worth exploring: it’s home to some of Italy’s top food destinations and restaurants; to the luxury car empires of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati; and to the sophisticated Renaissance cities of Ferrara and Ravenna, known for their palaces, artistic heritage and bike-friendly medieval roads.
Italy
Ravenna
The International Reporting course will take a day trip to Ravenna, to see the city’s famous mosaics, visit Dante’s tomb, enjoy a typical meal and report and write about the city. This excursion is included in your course fee.
Italy
Parma
Included in the cost of the course is a day trip to a nearby medieval city such as Ravenna, known for its famous mosaics; Parma, known for its art, cheesemaking and signature ham; or Porretta Terme, a thermal bath spa town, with hot underground mineral water from the Apennine mountains, that has been a relaxing hot springs for visitors since Roman times.
Academics
Benvenuti! Get ready for our two-week adventure in one of the world’ s greatest cities, where you’ll have a chance to practice working as a foreign correspondent or travel writer!
Our challenge: to get a taste of the life of an international journalist, while developing stories you can publish, and feature in your professional portfolio. Working with University of Bologna interpretation and translation students, you’ll be organized into teams, and will be assigned to report, write and photograph high-quality articles, under the guidance of Professor Mary D'Ambrosio https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/dambrosio-mary
You’ll also learn about what makes this extraordinary city tick, and about the lives, hopes and dreams of the Bolognese.
Classes will meet weekday mornings, around two modules: basic Italian, taught by a professional Italian teacher, and international reporting, taught by Professor D'Ambrosio. After lunch, you’ll put your morning studies into action: you’ll go out reporting in teams, accompanied by your Italian interpreters, and sometimes by your professor, who will rotate among the teams.
Arrival weekend will be devoted to orientation, local excursions within Bologna and a welcome dinner. The second long weekend – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – will be free for you to travel within Italy. Venice, Florence, Padua, Rome, the Cinque Terre and the Italian lakes are all easily accessible by train and bus. (Students must stay in Italy during the program.)
Your course fee includes accommodations, daily breakfast, travel health insurance, ground transportation for group activities, all instruction and credits, the cost of hiring Italian interpreters, several group meals for special events, and a range of cultural excursions to museums, concerts and vineyards. It also includes a day trip to a nearby gorgeous medieval city, such as Ravenna or Parma.
I look forward to reporting, and adventuring, with you!
See a past International Reporting Syllabus (Link)
Sample Course Syllabus:
See articles, posts, photos and videos from previous classes:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063473289976
See publications by Professor D'Ambrosio's past students:
The tragedies, legends and true tales of Bologna’s abandoned villas, by Rosey Connelly
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/the-tragedies-legends-and-true-tales-of-bolognas-abandoned-villas/
Bologna welcomes Ukrainian arrivals, by Elle Jimenz, Hailey Kershaw and Bridget Patterson https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/bologna-welcomes-ukrainian-arrivals/
Migration conflicts fuel the rise of the Italian right, by Kira Herzog and Olivia Whelan / Interpreter: Sofia Cordioli
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/migration-conflicts-fuel-the-rise-of-the-italian-right/
How biking connects people to their city, by Caroline Poskrobko and Sophia Silva
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/how-biking-connects-people-to-their-city/
Where gay (and other open-hearted) travelers are welcome, by Gavin Deshmukh and Erica Limatola / Interpreter: Claudia Paolozza
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/a-welcoming-destination-for-gay-and-other-open-hearted-travelers/
Does street art belong in a museum? by Sade Ford, Emily Liu and Samantha Jeannot / Interpreters: Claudia Paolozza and Tommaso Garagnani
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/does-street-art-belong-in-a-museum/
The multimedia world of Giovanni Pelagalli, by Liz Pace, Leona Juan, Angelica Morales and Dalila Radoncic
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/the-multimedia-world-of-giovanni-pelagalli/
Housing and Meals
Students will live in a centrally located residence hall in the city center, in double rooms with one other roommate. The program covers daily breakfast, group welcome and farewell dinners, and a number of local cultural activities and excursions. The rest of meals are on your own. Airfare is not included.
Financial Information
Program Costs
| NJ Resident | non-NJ Resident | |
|---|---|---|
| Undergrad | $3,990 | $4,320 |
| Graduate | $4,200 | $4,520 |
Program Cost includes:
• Tuition
• Housing
• Excursions
• Administrative Fees
• Emergency Medical Access Abroad
*JMS students will receive $500 scholarship to lower the program cost. JMS UG price: $3490 or $3820
Out-of-Pocket Costs
| Airfare | $1,300 |
| Meals | $400 |
| Personal Expenses | $200 |
| Total | $1,900.00 |
Out-of-Pocket Cost includes:
The above costs are estimations and represent the known out-of-pocket costs students encounter during their time abroad.
Some of these expenses will be paid for prior to going abroad, such as an airline ticket, while some of these expenses, such as meals and personal expenses, will be paid in-country as part of your daily expenses. As you plan, you will need to budget these costs and spend wisely throughout your time abroad.
Scholarships
Faculty Leaders
Prof. Mary D’Ambrosio is a journalist who specializes in writing about international affairs. She has reported extensively from Europe and Latin America, and her work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Anthropology Now, Institutional Investor, Islands, and Working Woman magazines, as well as in the San Francisco Chronicle, Newsday, and the Miami Herald. Co-liaison to the Journalism and Media Studies Department’s Global Media specialization, Prof. D’Ambrosio is a dual U.S.-Italian citizen, and was the founding director of Rutgers’ Global Journalism in Italy program.
This trip will forever be a core moment of my life. I’ve met a lot of amazing people, made such great memories, and ate a lot of delicious gelato. This trip allowed me to grow and allowed me to visit a part of a world that I didn’t know I could visit. I visited states and been out of the country a few times when I was younger. But going alone with people who also are in the same scenario as you can create such a lifelong bonding experience. I wanted to say thank you to my friends who tagged along for this trip, vincenzo and the interpreters who showed us a different part of world, and Professor Marchi who showed us a different part of life that we can all experience. I don’t think anyone of us will be the same going back home. But if there’s one thing live by after all of this is over, just take it one day at a time. Arrivederci!
My overall experience was informative and so inspiring to travel more as well as driving my passion for Journalism.
This experience allowed me to learn how to navigate this new environment while embracing the welcoming atmosphere. I am grateful to have been able to participate in this program and would like to push this experience forward to all incoming students for future opportunities to study abroad. I am very appreciative towards Professor Marchi for her wonderful comments, teaching ability and knowledge of the course material.