Close your eyes and imagine being on a vacation visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, seeing Michelangelo’s work in a museum, and going on adventures all across Italy.
Open your eyes and learn about how you can actually visit Italy as part of the upcoming Study Abroad trip that will occur in the summer of 2016, from June 15 to July 13, according to a flier and El Camino’s website.
During this trip, students will learn more about the architecture and culture of Italy, Architecture Professor Michael Stallings, one of the two faculty members in charge of the trip to Florence, Italy, said.
Besides Florence, students will get a chance to visit different museums and cathedrals all across the country in cities like Venice, Verona, Sienna, San Gimignano and other places until ending in Rome, Stallings said.
The other faculty member in charge is ESL Professor Nancy Currey who will be teaching two English courses over the duration of the trip.
Last Tuesday, Oct. 13, the first informational meeting took place in the Industry and Technology Building in Room 203.
It was a room full of about 30 students, as they all listened to Stallings speak. Then there was a look of disappointment on some faces as they found out that there will be interviews to pick out the “best students,” Stallings said.
For this summer trip, there is a limit of how many students can go. There is a minimum of 20 spaces that need to be filled, with a maximum of 40 students that can go, Stallings added.
“We will be looking for students with an interest in the Italian culture and the Florentine culture, as well as the literature and architecture of Italy,” Currey said.
“Some of the things we will be looking at are the transcripts, to ensure students have a good GPA. We are looking for students who can demonstrate an interest in the Italian culture, literature and architecture, as well as an interest in the Florentine culture,” Currey said.
The two English courses that will be taught will be English 34 and English 39. One of them focuses on short stories and the other on “Literature and Film” according to a handout given in the application packet.
While on this trip, students will also get to choose between two architecture classes, one of which focuses on the “History of Western Architecture” and the other on “Architectural Graphic Techniques,” Stallings said during the informational meeting.
“I just hope students are aware of the opportunity… because it is something special,” Currey said.
Study Abroad is a program that offers an “opportunity for students to study and absorb global experience,” and it is a “culturally enriching program for students” as well, Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences Gloria Miranda said.
After five years, the Study Abroad Program is reestablished, Miranda said. One of the major things that impacted the program financially was the recession in 2011.
The trip to Italy costs a little over $4,000, which includes airfare, transportation, excursions and housing, Miranda said.
However, if students want to choose airline and ticket prices, the price may range. Without airfare, the trip costs approximately $2,875, Stallings and Currey said.
Students get to choose if they want to travel along with the professors on the way over there, or if they want to just choose their own flight. According to both Stallings and Currey, the flight itself costs about $2,000.
Financial aid is available for those who qualify. For more information you can email financial aid office at [email protected].
For more information about more meeting times and on the trip in general, visit EC’s website.
