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Faculty of Arts goes Italian |
An aerial view of Cortona, Italy |
When most Edmontonians will be waking up to cold, dark weather this January, some U of A students and faculty will be able to look out their windows and face rolling hills, sleepy olive trees and cobblestone steps. That's because they'll be living and studying in Cortona, Italy, an Etruscan town still surrounded by centuries-old walls and nestled oh-so-conveniently between Florence and Rome.
"We have pushed back the walls of the university," says Dr. Helena Fracchia, professor of classics and director of the new English-language School in Cortona. An extension of the U of A's Faculty of Arts, the school will offer students the opportunity to earn university credits in up to five classes in central Italy.
Where better to study Renaissance art or Italian history than in one of the very cradles of civilization?
"This is part of what you would expect from a mature university: offering new opportunities to students based on academic performances," says Fracchia.
The school is currently accepting applications for about 25 spots. Students are expected to arrive by Jan. 21, 1999 in order to participate in an orientation, get settled in and be ready for classes on the 25th, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after their breakfast of espresso e brioche (Italian coffee and croissant.)
"We've received calls from Montreal and Toronto. Students in our field school know all about it," says Fracchia, who has been involved with an archeological site in Cortona for about 10 years. With the support of the University of Perugia, Cortona's municipal government and the U of A's Department of History and Classics, Fracchia and her husband, Dr. Maurizio Gualtieri, a professor emeritus now at the University of Perugia, established a field school to excavate a Roman villa in a nearby suburb.
"[The Italians] liked the organization of the field school. We had a good relationship and they liked how the Canadian students integrated into the community," says Fracchia. (And integrate they did: there have been five marriages and four children to date.)
By 1995, as the reputation of the studious Canadians grew, the town of Cortona wanted to increase the U of A's presence in its community. It offered classroom space, administrative support, and a library grant. It also struck a deal with the local hostel for room and board. Fracchia, meanwhile, recruited faculty from the U of A, American University in Florence and Cortona.
A five-person delegation from Italy including the sindaco (mayor) of Cortona, Ilio Pasqui, and the cultural assessor, Ida Nocentini, celebrated the opening of the school on this side of the Atlantic Sept. 18 with an Italian extravaganza of spuntini (snacks) including bruschetta (that's brew-sketta NOT brew-shetta) and, of course, gelato (Italian ice cream), to name a few morsels.
If students want to party in Cortona, it will have to be on their own time. "This is an academic term abroad. University standards are not being lowered in any way. If you want to party and fail, it's up to you," says Fracchia who is very much aware of other schools set up in Europe that have developed unsavory reputations.
Her goal is to expand their minds, and not just about Italian history and culture.
"We don't realize the impact Canada has had in other parts of the world," says Fracchia, who mentions Canadian military history. "There are nearby cemeteries with Canadian contingents, in fact, one with a large contingent from Edmonton."
A thought students and faculty can keep in mind when trekking through time in Cortona.
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