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 “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, 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 daytrip (TBD) to a nearby medieval city such as Ravenna, known for its famous mosaics, Parma known for its art and food, 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 travel writer!
Our challenge: to get a taste of the life of a travel writer, while developing stories you can feature in your professional portfolio and publish. Working with University of Bologna interpretation students, Rutgers students will be organized into teams, and will have an opportunity to write and photograph a professional-quality story, under the guidance of Professor Regina Marchi https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/marchi-regina
Through your research and interviews, you’ll learn what makes Bologna a “hidden gem” in Italy, and what everyday Bolognese are thinking, dreaming and worrying about.
Classes will meet weekday mornings, around two modules: basic Italian for one hour per day taught by a professional Italian teacher, and travel journalism, taught by Professor Marchi. 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 with different teams each day.
The first (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, and Rome are all easily accessible by train. (Students must remain inside Italy during the program and cannot travel to other countries.)
The course fee includes accommodations, daily breakfast, travel health insurance, ground transportation for group activities, all instruction and credits, the cost of hiring Italian interpreters, a few 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. I look forward to reporting, and adventuring, with you!
Sample Course Syllabus:
See a past Travel Writing syllabus.
See photos from previous classes:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/746217540325273
See publications from Professor Marchi’s previous students below:
Diving into Underground Bologna:
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/diving-into-underground-bologna/
Women’s Library Key to advancing feminism
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/womens-library-key-to-advancing-feminism/
Young Activists Pave the Way to a Unified World:
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/young-activists-pave-the-way-to-a-unified-world/
Where gay Travelers are Welcome:
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/a-welcoming-destination-for-gay-and-other-open-hearted-travelers/
The Happiest Hour (Aperitivo):
https://kairosmagazine.rutgers.edu/bologna-apertivo-marchi-team/
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.
Program Costs
| NJ Resident | non-NJ Resident | |
|---|---|---|
| Undergrad | $3,820 | $4,150 |
Program Cost includes:
- Tuition
- Housing
- Some meals
- Excursions
- Administrative Fees
- Emergency Medical Access Abroad
- *JMS students will receive a $500 scholarship to lower the program cost. JMS UG price: $3320 or $3650
Out-of-Pocket Costs
| Airfare | $1,200 |
| Meals | $400 |
| Personal Expenses | $200 |
| Total | $1,800.00 |
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.
Program Costs
| NJ Resident | non-NJ Resident | |
|---|---|---|
| Undergrad | $7,420 | $8,080 |
Program Cost includes:
- Tuition
- Housing
- Some meals
- Excursions
- Administrative Fees
- Emergency Medical Access Abroad
- *JMS students will receive $1000 scholarship to lower the program cost. JMS UG price: $6420 or $ 7080
Out-of-Pocket Costs
| Airfare | $1,200 |
| Meals | $800 |
| Personal Expenses | $400 |
| Total | $2,400.00 |
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
Professor Regina Marchi, Ph.D. is a former journalist and current researcher who has traveled widely throughout Italy and is one of the co-founders of the Journalism and Media Studies Department’s short-term study abroad initiative. She speaks Italian and Spanish. For more information, please contact Prof. Regina Marchi <rmarchi@rutgers.edu>