Trinity College Rome Campus

Drawing from Masterpieces (ROME 120)

An introduction to drawing from masterpieces of sculpture, painting, and architecture, with emphases on observation, technique, interpretation, and aesthetic emotions. Rome’s museums and cityscape of ruins and monuments will be our studio. We shall focus on the human figure, monumental forms, vantage points, choices of significant details, methods of composition, and techniques of linear and tonal drawing. Cost of supplies: Approx. $150.
Lucy Clink (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Introduction to the Art of Rome (ROME 181)

A survey of Roman art from the Ancient Republic through the seventeenth century. Topics include: religious art; the basilica; monumental architecture designed to express imperial and papal power; visual narrative in sculpture and painting; the rise of perspective and illusion in pictorial space; and the classical tradition. Reserved for students new to art history.
Cristiana Filippini (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Renaissance Art (ROME 210)

Not offered in Fall 2008

Art Conservation (ROME 224)

An introduction to the history, concepts, techniques, institutions, and policies of art conservation from a liberal-arts perspective. Students will deepen their understanding and appreciation of art by viewing masterpieces as complex, vulnerable artifacts that require our involvement in conservation if we are to grasp and preserve the artists’ message. We will examine firsthand outstanding examples of art conservation in several media and from different periods in history. Works include ancient Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia, Egyptian paintings of the 3rd century, the huge Montelparo polyptych of the 15th century, Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, the Casina Pio IV (a beautiful 16th-century structure in the Vatican Gardens that has been comprehensively restored) and its stucco decorations, and gypsum casts of sculptures by Canova. We will consider controversies about the proper scope of art conservation and will draw comparisons and contrasts with restoration and embellishment. We will discuss criteria and policies for selecting particular works of art for conservation (and necessarily neglecting others) when resources are scarce. We will also discuss preventive conservation, particularly the importance of environment and the ideal parameters of temperature, humidity, air quality, and lighting. Slide lectures in the classroom alternate with on-site instruction at museums, monuments, and conservation workshops. Enrollment is limited to 12 students.
Francesca Persegati (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Ancient Art of Rome (ROME 230)

Art and architecture in Rome, from the Etruscan age to the late Empire. Topics include: historical context; style; iconography; building typology and techniques; sculpture; painting; the development of artistic taste; and the use of art as propaganda. Fieldwork includes a trip to the Naples Archeological Museum, Pompeii, and Villa Jovis (Capri). Open to all students.
Jan Gadeyne (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Michelangelo and His World (ROME 340) - Seminar (Old Masters series)

The life and works of Michelangelo painter, sculptor, and architect in historical context. Works include Bacchus, David, the early and late Pietà, the Sistine Chapel frescoes, the Medici Chapel, St. Peter’s dome, Moses, and the unfinished Slaves. Topics include Florence and Rome, genius and patronage, classicism and mannerism, and technique and neo-platonism. The academic excursion to Florence is an integral part of the course. The focus on Michelangelo is supplemented by contextual survey elements. The seminar component consists of reports and presentations on topics chosen in consultation with the instructor. Prerequisite: a course in art history.
Enrollment is limited to 15 students.
Livio Pestilli (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Note: The Michelangelo Seminar will draw connections with the course in Art Conservation, which includes a focus on the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel frescoes.

Splendors of Early Christian and Medieval Art (ROME 238/338)

A course that features the gems of Early Christian and Medieval Art in some of the most memorable churches and museums of Rome.  From the fresco palimpsest of Santa Maria Antiqua to Pietro Cavallini's "Last Judgment" in Santa Cecilia; from the spellbinding mosaics of Santa Pudenziana, Santa Prassede and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to the shimmering apse of San Clemente; from the Museo Gregoriano Profano in the Vatican to the Catacombs of Priscilla and the Sancta Sanctorum, students will learn to analyze and understand the religious and iconographic traditions that inform these masterpieces of western art.  Open to all students.
Valentino Pace (1 course credits = 3 semester hours)

Rome 338; Art history majors may complement the course with a research component with access to specialized art-history institutes in Rome. (1.5 course credits = 5 semester hours)

Intensive Introductory Italian (ROME 101)

A course designed to develop a basic ability to read, write, understand, and speak Italian.
Elena Fossà or Ivana Rinaldi (1.5 course credits = 5 semester hours)

Advanced Introductory Italian (ROME 102)

Continuation of 101, emphasizing conversation, consolidation of basic grammar skills, compositions, and reading comprehension. Prerequisite: Italian 101 or equivalent.
Elena Fossà or Ivana Rinaldi (1.5 course credits = 5 semester hours)

Intermediate Italian I: Conversation and Composition (ROME 201)

A course to develop conversational and writing skills. A brief review of grammar and syntax will be followed by readings from a variety of texts to foster a solid command of the written and spoken language. Prerequisite: Italian 102 or equivalent.
Elena Fossà or Ivana Rinaldi (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Intermediate Italian II: Composition and Introduction to Literary Readings (ROME 202)

Practice in oral and written expression on topics in Italian culture, incorporating an introduction to literary genres (theater, poetry, and prose). Prerequisite: Italian 201 or equivalent.
Elena Fossà or Ivana Rinaldi (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Italian Culture (ROME 299)

Analysis and interpretation of elements of Italian culture. Topics may be drawn from literature, film, performing arts, fine arts, minor arts, anthropology, or contemporary media. Coursework is in Italian. Prerequisite: Intermediate Italian or equivalent.
Elena Fossà or Ivana Rinaldi (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Italian Cinema (ROME 217)

Analysis and comparison of narrative, dramatic and technical elements of Italian cinema. Rossellini, Visconti, Antonioni, Fellini, the Taviani Brothers, Bertolucci, Moretti, Comencini and Salvatores are among those directors whose films may be viewed in class.  The course will be complemented by one or more outings to a local movie theater to view current films.
Chiara Lucarelli (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Food and Culture (ROME 235)

In this course we will examine the relationship between food and culture in Italy from the Romans to the present. Topics include the roles of food in trade, belief systems, and the arts; regional differences; and the language of food. The seminar is supplemented by fieldwork in Rome.
Valentina Dorato (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

The City of Rome (ROME 250)

We will trace the profile and examine the fabric of the Eternal City from ancient to contemporary times, from insula to borgata. We will explore the city not as a showplace of famous monuments but as a complex pattern of historical, political, and social elements that have shaped its distinctive character. Classroom lectures alternate with site visits in Rome. Assignments include readings from a variety of disciplines and field research.
Valentina Dorato or Jan Gadeyne (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

The Divine Comedy (ROME 303)

An intensive reading and analysis of Dante's masterwork, covering Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise.  Attention will be given to critical notions of authority, allegory, autobiography, the interaction of poetry with theology, philosophy, politics, and science, and the poem's Christian and classical influences.  Essential background reading from the Bible, Virgil, Augustine, and Ovid will complement the central text.
Virginia Jewiss (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Reading Ancient Rome (ROME 316)

An introduction to Ancient Rome through Classics in translation. Several lectures will be on site in Rome in places connected to the authors or subjects they cover. Students will read excerpts from outstanding works in a variety of genres that illuminate different aspects of Roman life. Authors include Virgil, Ovid, Livy, Tacitus, Plautus, Terence, Horace, Petronius, Cicero, Pliny the Younger, Catullus, Martial, and Apuleius. Topics include the nature of genres, the relationship between literature and propaganda, the role of rhetoric in politics, the development of theater, the role of religion (both traditional and new cults), the contrast between life in the city and in the countryside, and social distinction (the Roman elite and the plebs).
Inge Weustink (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Twentieth Century Italy (ROME 345)

A course on the political, economic, and cultural aspects of Italian history in the twentieth century. Topics include regional contrasts, migration, war, fascism, the Cold War, family, mafia, terrorism, corruption, and European integration.
Bjorn Thomassen (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

The European Union: History, Political Economy, and Society (ROME 327)

This course is organized around a series of controversies regarding the European Union.  The EU has become the world's largest market, with over 500 million people.  It is unique in world history in creating a form of government across 27 nation states without military conquest or force.  It has become an economic, diplomatic and arguably a political actor at a superpower level, though militarily it remains less important.  What is Europe exactly?  How far can it or should it expand?  Is Europe Christian, Secular, Liberal, Socialist?  Who else should join - Turkey, Russia, Israel, North African countries?  Is the European Social Model an alternative to American Free Market policies?  Can it Survive Globalization?  Can Europe replace the US a leader of the West?  How does the EU work-is it really democratic?  If so, how do the citizens of 27 countries influence their continental governmental bodies?  Who is in charge and how do the institutions of Europe work?  Is the Euro the future reserve money for the world economy, replacing the dollar?
Steven Colatrella (1 course credit =3 semester hours)

Economics of Art (ROME 308 and ECON 203)

Is art just another commodity? Or is art beyond the normal laws of economics? This course will examine markets and policy in the arts to determine how and why the arts are special. Topics include the value of priceless art, the starving artist, subsidies for the arts, the role of non-profits, patronage, and investing in art. There will be guest speakers from the Roman art world. Prerequisite: An introductory economics course (Trinity prerequisite: ECON 101).

Economics majors may do supplementary work to count the course for 300-level economics credit. There will be a supplementary hour of instruction each week to cover 300-level material. Prerequisite for 300-level credit: A course in microeconomic theory (Trinity prerequisite: ECON 301).
Fabio Padovano (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Urban and Global Rome (Rome 270)

This is an interdisciplinary course that draws on perspectives from anthropology, sociology, political science, geography, economy and other relevant disciplines.  It offers the students local perspectives on globalization as it allows global perspectives on the city of Rome.  The intertwined processes of globalization and localization ("glocalization") will be addressed via an in-depth study of the city and the social, cultural, political, demographic and economic transformations Rome is currently going through.  On-site visits will enable students to experience alternative settings of the "Eternal City" and give them direct contact with local inhabitants and representatives of religious/ethnic minority groups.
Bjorn Thomassen (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Cryptology From Caesar to Quantum Cryptography (ROME 104)

Cryptology is the study of secret writing or ciphers. From ancient times through our present Internet age, cipher makers have been engaged in a fierce rivalry with cipher breakers.  How did Julius Caesar send secrets to his generals? Why is the Renaissance humanist Leone Battista Alberti known as the Father of Western Cryptology.  How were British analysts able to decipher the German Enigma machine during WWII?  How do modern ciphers protect the privacy of our communications on the Internet?   This course will take an historical approach to learning the foundations of classical and modern cryptology.  We will focus especially on the contributions of  Italian cryptographers such as Alberti and Giovanni Battista della Porta, especially as examples of their work in art, architecture, and science may be accessible in Rome and other Italian cities.   In addition to readings, writings, and discussions, students will also develop their problem-solving skills by testing their cipher-making and cipher-breaking skills against their classmates. 
Ralph Morelli (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Human Computation from the Ancients to the Supercomputer (ROME 106)

Computation has been a characteristic of human thinking since the dawn of civilization.  The Babylonians developed a technique-- an algorithm--for calculating square roots that is still useful today.  They also had an amazingly good estimate for Pi.  Extensions of Euclid's algorithm for finding the greatest common divisor are now in software that encrypts information sent over the Internet.  Modern variations of the sieve of Eratosthenes (c. 200 BC) are used to factor 100-digit integers.  Around 150 BC the Greeks developed a mechanical calendar device, the Antikythera,  that could predict lunar and solar eclipses.  Leonardo da Vinci left behind sketches for a mechanical calculator and developed one of the very first automatons (robots).  Galileo, Pascal, Leibniz, and other Seventeenth Century scientists and mathematicians developed the first mechanical calculating devices.  How did our ancestors discover these and other amazing computations?  And how have these discoveries contributed to our modern understanding of computers and computation?  We will take a chronological look at some of the major achievements in the history of computation and explore their modern day impact on our computer society. 

Ralph Morelli (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Latin and Greek

The program can provide instruction in Latin or Greek at various levels for students whose majors require continued study in Rome. Students will be grouped according to broad ability levels in small group settings.
Inge Weustink (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)

Rome Internship Seminar (INTR 146)

A seminar limited to students who enroll in approved internships in Rome. Interns meet weekly or bi-weekly as a group with the TC/RC internship coordinator to review their internship experiences and to prepare and present the academic component of their internships. A principal topic is the culture of the workplace in Italy. Credit for the internships is granted through this seminar.
Elena Fossà (0.5 course credit = 2 semester hours)