Liberal Arts Major: Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Other Major: World Languages, Education, Latin
Hometown: Libertyville, IL

How did you learn about this opportunity?

Members of the Classics department would present study abroad options in various courses, and this was one of them. I also had professors who had led the tour in previous years and thus mentioned it.

Tell us a little bit about your experience.

Each day we would go to a site and talk about it. The focus was on the ancient world, however the importance of modern history also played a part. We would be at the site until early afternoon, and would then be allowed to explore Rome for the rest of the day. There would be readings associated with most of the sites and each student was required to do one site report, in which we did more research on a specific building, area, or piece of artwork. There were also a handful of quizzes that helped to solidly the information we were receiving at the sites.

How did this experience impact you academically?

I was able to fulfill an academic requirement with this study abroad program. Since the program is during the summer, it doesn’t disrupt plans for the school year. I was able to fulfill this requirement, then, without taking out a class I had planned for the academic year. The tour offers two courses: a 100 level Gen Ed credit and a 400 level optional credit. This tour is also helpful because you learn about Ancient Rome while at ancient sites in Rome and the area. The knowledge I was learning was supplemented by the location of the program.

What are your career goals and plans?  How did this experience impact them?

I plan on becoming a high school Latin teacher. This program was extremely helpful for me, as it allowed me to explore the city I will be eventually teaching about. This study abroad experience has encouraged me to return to Rome on my own one day, so that I can further develop the knowledge I learned on the tour. I was also able to take plenty of picture for my lessons, as we went to so many important places for the ancient world. It has sparked new interests in some areas of Ancient Rome that I didn’t know as much about before the study abroad program.

Would you recommend this experience to other Liberal Arts students?

Yes! If you have any interest in Ancient Rome or Italy, it’s a great program. Since it’s during the summer, it’s easier to fit into a schedule. It’s fast paced and the sites visited are really interesting.