Rome Campus J-Term Program

Based on the Aventine Hill, the southernmost of Rome’s seven hills, Trinity’s Rome Campus is surrounded by ancient churches, monasteries, and spectacular views.

Information about J-term 2026 will be announced during the summer.

January 4th – January 17th, 2025 (2 weeks)

Applications Deadline is extended to September 27th, 2024. This program is not accepting late applications.
Applications will be accepted on a first come first serve bases.
Open to Trinity and Visiting Students (First Year through Senior Year)
Language of Instructions: English
Eligibility:
- 2.5 GPA
- Students must be 18 years or older prior to the program start date
- Students must have a valid passport in hand when they apply.

Overview

Each course has a max capacity of 12 students.

Trinity College Rome Campus J-Term program runs for 14 days and offers three courses constructed in collaboration with local community partners. Students enroll in one of the following courses taught by Trinity Rome faculty: Exploring Awe: Rome as Laboratory, Food & Culture, or The Politics of Magnificence. Course offerings are dependent on enrollment and students will be asked for their first choice and alternate course offerings.

The Trinity College Rome Campus offers an exciting opportunity for undergraduate students in all fields of study to explore first-hand one of the oldest and most international cities in the world. Trinity College Rome Campus courses facilitate dialogue and collaboration between students, professors, and community partners. Students will gain an understanding of the complexity of interconnected global and local issues in an international and contemporary urban setting.

Courses

Students will be enrolled in ONE of the three courses below. Students are NOT guaranteed their first choice course.

ROME ### – EXPLORING AWE: ROME AS LABORATORY – 0.5 TRINITY CREDIT

The psychological literature defines awe as an emotional response to physical or conceptual vastness. It’s an expansive feeling that challenges you to see the world differently and to connect with something larger than yourself. In this course, we will build a theoretical understanding of awe, as conceptualized in the psychological, neuroscientific, and philosophical literature, while using Rome–a city rich with history, art, and human achievement–as a natural laboratory for finding and exploring the phenomenology of awe. Prerequisite: None; Faculty: Michael Grubb

ROME 235 – FOOD AND CULTURE – 0.5 TRINITY CREDIT

The saying, “A tavola non s’invecchia” (“One doesn’t age at the supper table”) expresses the importance of food and eating for Italians. In this course, we will examine the relationship between food and culture in Italy, from the ancient world to the present, through a variety of readings, class discussion and some personal and practical experience. Because the study of food culture in Italy invites comparison with your own alimentary habits, we will examine the culture and meaning of food in Italy and in your own country. If “we are what we eat”, then “what” we choose to eat affects many aspects of our lives. The study of food culture is an interdisciplinary study. Even though the historical point of view will be the main one, during our reading, class discussion and lecture we will touch upon a lot of different fields: anthropology, sociology, literature, art, philosophy. Besides studying food culture through readings, written assignments, and class discussion, students will undertake a group-learning project around Rome that will enhance their classroom experience. The course will be taught through a variety of readings, class discussions and presentations and there will also be some practical experiences. Prerequisite: None; Faculty: Valentina Dorato

ROME 241 – THE POLITICS OF MAGNIFICENCE: Art and Power in Rome throughout the Centuries –0.5 TRINITY CREDIT

As Goethe pointed out “there is only one Rome in the world” – it is a space where “a new life begins.” This proposal is inspired by the hope that after a short J-term, students, like the German poet after his journey in Italy, will “feel better than ever in body and soul.” Conscious of the intimate link that exists between politics and aesthetics, this course seeks to examine through specific case studies how those who have governed Rome throughout the centuries have used architecture, town planning, statues, paintings, artifacts and ceremonies to inspire people and to strengthen their own legitimacy. Students will explore the visual exercise of power: a) how Rome transformed from a “city of bricks” to a “city of marble” during the “golden age” of Augustus; b) in what ways Renaissance artworks celebrated the power of their patrons; c) the use of art by the Catholic Church to confront the challenge posed by the Protestant Reformation; d) Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s endeavors to prove that real power is ennobling; e) the mission of the first public museum in Europe (built on the Capitol hill) to “promote the magnificence and splendor of Rome among foreign nations”; e) the challenging and creative process of fashioning and building the Italian nation in the Nineteenth-century; f) how Fascist art celebrated the very essence of the regime; and g) how after the Second World War, “Made in Italy” design contributed to shaping a modern identity for a new nation. Numerous onsite classes and a special visit to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will allow students to explore the (both changing and constant) sources of Rome’s soft power: its culture, its political values and its foreign policies. A daytrip to Tivoli will conclude their period of experiential learning: at the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este, they will have the chance to feel and reflect on the transformational power of beauty. Prerequisite: None; Faculty: Eszter Salgó

Housing & Meals

Double bedrooms
In-suite bathroom
Closet
Desk
Access to coin operated washers and dryers
Bed linens, blankets, pillowcases and towels
Cleaning service
Wi-Fi internet connectivity
Courtyard garden common area
Some meals included

Cost

$3,500

Includes tuition (.5 Trinity credit), room and partial board (meals), metro pass, extra-curricular activities, staff support, international safety and health insurance.

Does not include airfare, partial board (meals), passport application and fees (if applicable) and spending money.

Financial Aid

Trinity College is pleased to offer J-Term study away financial aid to Trinity students. Aid will be based on financial need and will take into account tuition, room & board and air travel.