Italy: Eternal Rome – Piety and Power

Overview 

Discover the rich religious and political history of medieval Rome over spring break and complete your Tier III!     

During this 1 week intensive travel program, students will focus on the physical transformation of the city of Rome and the impact of political and religious leaders, visiting sites and museums reflecting Rome's ancient, medieval, Renaissance and modern eras. Participants will keep a journal which they use to prepare a final project after returning to campus. The class will meet on a weekly basis before Spring Break to discuss readings and prepare for the trip. This course fulfills Ohio University's "Capstone" and "Bridge: Learning and Doing" General Education requirement.  

Students will be housed in centrally located hotels and explore dozens of archeological sites, museums, and churches in Rome and its vicinity, all with the guidance of an OU professor with expert knowledge and extensive familiarity of Rome.   

Highlights and Excursions

Planned excursions include the Roman Forum, Colosseum, the Castel Sant' Angelo (the emperor Hadrian's mausoleum), the Pantheon, the ancient Roman port city of Ostia Antica, ancient Christian catacombs, the Vatican Museums and Necropolis, St. Peter's Basilica and many other historic churches.  

Living Arrangements

Shared housing (2-4 students per room, separate beds) at Hotel Prati (or similar). Basic Italian breakfast will be provided daily along with some additional meals.

Program Dates 

Spring Break 2025: March 8 - March 15

Note: This program includes a group flight departing from Columbus on March 8. Students will arrive in Rome on March 9 and begin on-site activities. The group will return to the US on March 15th. 

Academics  

Students will be enrolled in a total of 4 credit hours comprised of the courses below: 

HIST 4536 - Eternal Rome - 3 credit hours (Capstone)
This 3-credit interdisciplinary course will use the topography, architecture, and iconography of Rome to teach about ideology and representations of power throughout history. By focusing on three discrete themes (Piety, Power, & Urban Remains) and taking full advantage of an intensive week of site visits, students will see how political authority and religious beliefs were given physical shape.  

HIST 4930 – Independent Study - 1 credit hour (Bridge: Learning and Doing)
Students will be required to enroll in HIST 4930 – Independent Study. This is a 1 credit orientation course to prepare for studying in a different culture and for background knowledge about the course.  

Cost  

The program fee for this program includes: Student roundtrip airfare (Columbus, OH to Rome, Italy), accommodations, breakfast daily, some additional meals, Transportation/entrance fees to all program-related activities, and international medical health insurance.

In addition to the program fee, students should plan for 4 credit hours of tuition*, administrative fee, and out-of-pocket costs. Below is the student budget worksheet for this program, which outlines these costs.  

• Undergraduate Student Budget Worksheet 2025

Items that are not related to the program (ie. additional entertainment, souvenirs, extra travel, contingency funds) are not included in the cost estimates provided and should be budgeted for separately.  

*Note: 

• If you are nominated to this program, you will be required to pay a deposit to confirm your participation. The deposit is a down payment on the total costs to be billed by OHIO and is determined by the total cost of the program. 
• For programs completed over winter-break and spring break, the credit-hours associated with the program are part of the spring semester. Students taking between 12 to 20 Athens campus hours, including those associated with the program, will not incur additional tuition costs for the spring semester. Students taking less than 12 or more than 20 Athens campus credits for the spring term will see their tuition charge adjusted accordingly.  

Funding Opportunities 

More information on financial aid and scholarships can be found on our funding pages.

Eligibility

This program is open to all OHIO undergraduate students in good academic standing. 

Students who will be on probation at any point during the program for a conduct offense that took place less than a calendar year from the program start date may not study abroad.  Read the entire conduct policy . 

This program accepts NON-OHIO students. For more information about this process visit the Non-OHIO student page .   

Participants must have a at least a high school diploma or the equivalent (e.g. GED) by the start date of the program to be considered for eligibility.  Students enrolled in College Credit Plus (CC+) are not eligible for study away programs.

Application Requirements 

To ensure program quality, the number of students able to participate in this program is limited. Nomination will be assessed based on a combination of GPA, personal statement, and references.  

• A statement of purpose:  Prompt: "A 1 - 2 page typed essay describing how this program would help you to achieve your academic, personal and/or professional goals?”
• A copy of your DARs
• 1 academic reference letter provided by an instructor who is familiar with your classroom work.

Entry and Exit Requirements 

U.S. citizens are required to have a valid U.S. passport when traveling outside of the United States. If you plan to study or travel abroad in the next year,   apply for your passport   now.

U.S. citizens  will not  need a visa or other special document to enter the country for the length of this program. Please also note that visa requirements may vary if you plan to stay in the country longer than the program dates or travel to other countries during or after the program. Please familiarize yourself with these recommendations and requirements prior to applying to this program. 

For more specific visa related information, please visit OGO’s   Visa Information Page

Information for  Non-U.S. citizens

Resources 

• Health and Safety
• Accessibility Requests and Accommodations