Several City College students have the opportunity to spend the upcoming spring semester studying and adventuring in Europe.
The Film Studies and Art History study abroad program will begin on Feb. 10 and extend through May 10 beginning in Rome and ending in Paris. There are currently only six of the permissible 20 spots left for the trip.
Film Studies Instructor Michael Stinson designed the curriculum, but the program was coordinated by ACCENT student services, an independent company that provides colleges and universities with study abroad programs. This will be the sixth study abroad program that Stinson hosts, and he describes the program as a “life changing experience.”
“It’s nice that students will be able to explore two different culture, to compare,” said Carola Smith, director of international education. “Dr. Stinson is very experienced and has travelled all over the world.”
Two to three students will be housed in apartments in the heart of the city, with everything provided. The apartments are located in the Trastevere rione, or neighborhood, which Smith describes as being “very student-centered and centrally-located.”
While in Rome, students will meet daily to watch an Italian film. They will take Italian language courses and create their own screenplays.
Outside the classroom, students have the freedom to walk or take public transportation using their passes to go on excursions to destinations such as the Coliseum, Roman Forum, or Cine Citta, which Stinson describes as the “Hollywood of Italy.” At night, students will also be able to attend an Italian film festival screening at Tiberina Isola, an island in the Tiber River.
Students will have the week of Spring Break off. Previous students traveled to Greece, Spain, and Amsterdam. In the meantime, their luggage is transported from Rome to Paris by moving truck, and one week later the group will reunite again in Paris at the ACCENT Center with their luggage.
The second half of the trip is in Paris, where students will continue writing their screenplays, in addition to studying art history and French film.
In the week that follows the program, students also have the option to attend the 70th annual Festival de Cannes, which takes place from May 17-28 in France.
“I come up with the idea, I chose Rome and Paris, [and] I design the whole program,” Stinson said. “I approach ACCENT and tell them ‘This is what we need,” and they provide all of the things we need.
The cost of the program is $7250 plus airfare, including a $250 non-refundable down payment, which is due with the application. However, opportunities available, including the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship.
“Even though there is a deadline, the brochure does say to turn them in early,” Stoker said. Students are accepted on a first come, first serve basis, and after there is a waiting list.
“In the past, I have accepted a lot more students,” Stinson said. “I enjoy having a bigger class. The more students, the bigger the impact. I love the chemistry of a big group.”
The final deadline for applications is Oct. 28, but early submission is advised.
Informational meetings for the program will be at 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 in the Luria Library Conference Room.
