Students interested in completing their coursework while absorbing the culture of a historic city have until Oct. 27 to register for the upcoming spring study abroad program in Florence, Italy.
The courses offered during the program will be taught by instructors from across the Los Rios District and students will be required to take an anthropology course during the program. The courses in the program are relevant to Italian and European language and culture and will also cover anthropology, psychology, history, and English.
Guest speakers will also be invited tell participating students more about the city of Florence.
Organizers of the trip stress that these courses are important for gaining a better appreciation for where students are.
“You’re not just visiting a country you’re actually living in that country, having to figure out your daily life and learn how to make personal relationships with people from Florence,” said lead facilitator of the program, ARC anthropology professor Patrice Gibson.
Students will have a museum pass which allows access to local museums as many times as they want, as covered by the initial fees.
During the program, students will live in a shared apartment with twin-bedded rooms located in the historical center of Florence. Housing is fully paid under the main fee, however students will need to purchase their own food and personal necessities.
Former student Maximo Barret took part in this program in the spring semester.
“If you go to the same places enough times you get used to the locals and their way of speaking,” Barret said.
Students can also choose to purchase a Meal Voucher for an extra $545 dollars which allows access to local restaurants, and will provide you 30 meals. It is strongly recommended that students bring extra cash to buy food from the local markets.
Students who wish to go on the optional pre-tour will pay an extra $995 and will be leaving Jan. 27, staying two nights in Paris and London before proceeding to Florence.
The program will cost students $7,795 not including airfare, pre-program tour or community college enrollment fees with airfare costing an extra $1,400.
The American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS) is responsible for all the expenses including plane, apartment and medical coverage, and will also introduce students to the culture of Florence. Students may also be eligible for further financial aid and scholarships.
This program will be also attended by other California community college districts, including Santa Rosa, Diablo Valley and Santa Clara.
To qualify for the program, students must be 18 years or older, have a 2.5 GPA or higher and must have 12 college level credits completed. Students interested must go to www.scc.losrios.edu/studyabroad, and click on Florence 2015 for more details.
