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. No prior drawing experience necessary. 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)

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 artefacts 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)

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

The course will focus on the art of Gianlorenzo Bernini's oeuvre in the context of late-sixteenth and seventeenth-century Italian art and society.  Students will investigate the artistic evolution of the sculptor/architect, the influence he exerted on his contemporaries, the legacy he left to posterity, as well as the literary and biographical texts that shaped the image of the artist as we have come to know him.  The weekly lectures will be complemented by weekly on-site visits to museums (such as the Borghese Gallery and the Palazzo Barberini), churches (such as Sant' Andrea al Quirinale and St. Peter's Basilica) and sites usually inaccessible to general visitor (such as the Oratorio del Gonfalone, the Casino Rospigliosi and the archives of the Accademia di San Luca)/  The seminar component of the course consists of reports and on-site presentations by the students.  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.
Jan Gadeyne (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.
TBA (1 course credit = 3 semester hours)  

Public Finance: Local and International (Rome 306 and ECON 306)

A course in the economics of taxation, government spending, governmental finance and related policy issues in comparative institutional perspective.  Part I is a brief overview of the role of government from positive and normative perspectives.  Part II develops the economics of public choice and public finance in a range of institutional settings:  majority vs. unanimity voting, presidential vs. parliamentary democracy, federal vs. centralized states, dictatorships, and supranational institutions.  Part III applies the tools developed in parts I and II to special topics, which may include health-care and pension systems, taxation, appropriations, expenditures, bureaucracy, the size of government, and corruption.  Empirical examples are drawn from Italy and the EU, the U.S., and developing countries.
Prerequisite:  A course in Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (Trinity prerequisite: ECON 301)  Textbooks: H. Rosen, Public Finance, 7th edition (MacGraw Hill) and D.C. Mueller, Public Choice III (Cambridge University Press).
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)

Latin and Greek Tutorials

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)