Overview
Whether you’re an experienced Italian student, or you have no background in the language, there’s a study abroad program for you in Naples, Italy.
In a dynamic city renowned for its influence on greater Italian culture, CIEE offers two tracks of study to develop your language skills and deepen your understanding of the country. Through intensive language study, a range of courses taught in English and Italian, student guides, cultural activities and excursions to local and regional sites, CIEE study abroad in Italy offers you a challenging and truly unique and experience abroad.
Study abroad in Naples and you will:
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Enroll in a wide range of liberal arts courses at an Italian university with highly effective Italian language teaching
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Speak Italian everyday in an authentic and vibrant Italian environment
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Ease into life in Naples with the guidance of Italian roommates and local student guides
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Explore Naples and the Campania region and take overnight field trips to locations such as Rome, the Amalfi Coast, or Sicily
The CIEE Difference
Coursework
Enroll in a variety of specialized CIEE courses taught in both English and Italian. Use the city’s sites and museums to explore Art and Architecture in Naples; study the rich history of Italian film and music; Urban Development; International Migration; Italian Cuisine, and more. You’ll also have access to a full range of courses at the University of Naples “L’Orientale.”
Cultural Activities
The academic study abroad program is supplemented with excursions to local places of interest and cultural activities such as local festivals and seasonal events, theater, art sites, and museums (such as Capodimonte Museum, the Bourbon Royal Palace, and historical churches in the old town and surrounding areas).
You’ll also enjoy a number of group dinners open to local and international university students and extended excursions to field trips to nearby locations such as Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Matera.
Language and Culture Partners
In Naples, you’ll also be paired with native university students for a variety of language and cultural exchange activities throughout the semester. These students help provide you with additional language support and a firsthand look at the lifestyle of your Italian peers.
Credit
Total recommended credit for the semester is 15–18 semester/22.5–27 quarter hours, and 30 semester/45 quarter hours for the academic year.
Course contact hours are 45 and recommended credit for all courses is 3 semester/4.5 quarter hours per course, unless otherwise indicated.
Program Requirements
A full course load for the semester is five or six courses. All study abroad students enroll in a required, intensive Italian language course at the start of each semester. Following the intensive language session, all students are required to continue their Italian language study at the appropriate level throughout the semester. Additionally, students select three or four remaining courses from CIEE or a combination of CIEE and Orientale courses.
Students who wish to audit an Orientale course may do so in addition to the full course load. Academic year students do not participate in the intensive language program in their second semester. Academic year students who have completed Advanced II are not required to take Italian language in their second semester.
About Naples
Framed by nearby Mount Vesuvius, Naples is squeezed onto a narrow strip of land with the city rising almost vertically from its bay. Traversing the narrow streets of the most densely populated city in Europe, one feels transported to ancient Roman times and sometimes to a third world country. While it has a reputation as a tough city, Naples is also known for the friendliness and openness of its inhabitants, its stunning Baroque art and architecture, and its cuisine. At the heart of its large urban area, the central historical district where students live and study has been renovated and revitalized in recent years.
Where You’ll Study
Founded in 1732 by a missionary returned from China, the UniversitàdegliStudidi Napoli “L’Orientale” (University of Naples “L’Orientale," or just “the Orientale”) is based in historic central Naples. The Orientale is a center for the study of foreign languages and cultures—not only Asian but also Middle Eastern, African, European, and American, that is unique in Italy and has few rivals in Europe. There are approximately 10,500 students and 250 faculty. CIEE students have access to the University libraries, computer center, language lab and media center, student canteen services, and sports facilities.
Housing & Meals
Study abroad students live in furnished apartments with CIEE and Italian roommates. The furnished apartments are within walking distance to the historic center. Students have their own room with a shared living, kitchen, bathroom, and dining areas. Meals are not included in the program fee and are the responsibility of the student. Numerous stores for buying food and other items are within walking distance from the apartments. The historic center is also scattered with eateries of many kinds.
Academic Program
The Liberal Arts Program is organized in two tracks.
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The Liberal Arts track is geared to students with four or more semesters of Italian who are interested in learning about Italy from a southern perspective in a very dynamic city such as Naples – one that is highly representative of the country, yet different from the quite “static” image of Italy that is sometimes offered by traditional destinations as Florence and Rome. Courses are taught in Italian.
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The Language and Culture track is designed for students from a variety of backgrounds (among them, Urban Studies, Cultural Studies, Environmental Studies, Social Science, Cinema Studies) with little or no previous knowledge of Italian, who are interested in learning about a dynamic urban reality such as Naples, one that boasts a strong local identity yet has always reflected the greater transformations occurring in Italy and Europe. Courses in this track are taught in English, with one course per semester offered as “language through content” for students who place at the intermediate level.
Academic Culture
The University of Naples “L’Orientale”, where the study abroad program is hosted, is an intensely multicultural environment with a prestigious tradition for teaching languages, literatures, and world cultures.
CIEE Courses will be small; Orientale courses will be small to mid-size. Both CIEE and Orientale courses are academically challenging, dynamic, and involve daily reading and homework assignments, as well as required attendance. Classrooms are modern, comfortable, and equipped with the most up-to-date technology used for instruction.
CIEE courses are designed for U.S. undergraduates, and the teaching and learning methods will be familiar to most U.S. students. Learning takes place through a coherent blend of lectures, group seminars, visits, and practical work. CIEE class size is small with classes taking place Monday through Friday.
Classes at Orientale range from 10–60 students, with the average class size made up of about 20 students. Orientale classes meet from one to three times per week and the average class duration is about two hours, though it can range from one to four hours. The standard format is lecture, though often supplemented with seminars in the latter half of the semester.
Following arrival and orientation, study abroad students take two weeks of intensive Italian language classes, according to their level of language placement. After that, the overall course schedule follows the typical organization of semesters at the Orientale, with fall courses taught October through December and spring courses taught March through May. Some Orientale courses extend into January and into June, but early exams are permitted for CIEE students.
Nature of Classes
CIEE classes are primarily with CIEE students, although Italian students are invited to enroll. Regular Orientale courses are with Italian and other international students.
CIEE Community Language Commitment
All study abroad students take part in the CIEE Community Language Commitment. As they gain proficiency in Italian, resident staff encourages them to use their language skills in everyday settings. Students with an advanced level of Italian are also expected to interact academically using Italian. The more students participate the more a community that contributes to Italian language proficiency and understanding of Italian society and academic world develops.
CIEE students share apartments with Italian Orientale students. Besides gradually increasing the amount of Italian used in daily interaction, Italian roommates and CIEE students work out a plan for language commitment together with CIEE Italian language instructors.
Grading System
CIEE course assessment is grounded in a consistent blend of U.S.-style and local-style methodology. It is based on the students’ overall performance, including class participation, mid-term tests and/or papers, and a final written and/or oral examination. Assessment is based on a U.S. letter grading scale, paralleled with an Italian 30-point scale.
Assessment in Orientale classes is based on a combination of students’ performance during the course, including writing assignments and a final oral examination. Italian academic culture traditionally emphasizes the final oral examination, where students are encouraged to answer questions regarding course materials while articulating a personal perspective on them. However, many courses have now adopted written final tests, or a combination of written tests and oral examinations. Assessment is based on a 30-point scale and is converted to a U.S. grading scale.
Language of Instruction
Italian
Faculty
CIEE courses are taught by faculty from local Italian universities, primarily the Orientale. Orientale courses are taught by Orientale faculty.
