Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies

Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome
In centro crescit scientia
Location
Rome Italy
Information
Type	Study abroad center
Established	1965
Faculty	6
Enrollment	35
Campus type	urban
Website	ICCS Rome

The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome (ICCS) is an overseas study center located in Rome, Italy for undergraduate students in fields related to Classical Studies.^[1] It was first established in 1965 by ten American colleges and universities; by 2007 the number of member institutions had grown to 113.^[2][3] It is sometimes called the Centro, the Italian word for center.

Structure

Each member institution furnishes a "faculty representative" to the Centro; from these, five are elected to sit on a governing board called the Managing Committee, currently under elected chair Professor Michael Maas of Rice University.^[4] Initially administered by Stanford University, Duke University is now the Centro's administrator.^[5] The Managing Committee hires a Professor-in Charge (PIC) for each year, and three subordinate faculty members, who are responsible for instruction and are usually drawn from American colleges and universities. The Centro offers competitive admission to North American undergraduate students to study the Ancient City, Greek or Latin literature, Italian language, or (Renaissance and Baroque) Art History. A group of 36 undergraduate students are competitively selected as Centristi each semester.

The Centro has received financial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Corning Incorporated Foundation, the Danforth Foundation, the Old Dominion Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, its consortium of colleges and universities, former students, and friends. One of its founders was the American Classicist Brooks Otis, in whose memory the center's library is named.^[6]

Faculty

Normally there are four faculty members at ICCS Rome: a senior 'Professor in Charge' (PIC), two junior professors (often an associate professor and an assistant professor), and a graduate student assistant. The professor in charge is chosen by the Managing Committee and the remaining faculty are hired competitively at the annual meetings of the Archaeological Institute of America/American Philological Association in January. Faculty duties vary in accordance with the organizational plans of the PIC, but the course load is nominally two courses per semester except for the graduate assistant, who teaches a 1-1 load with additional resident supervisorial duties. The professors live in ICCS-rented apartments in the neighborhood, while the graduate assistant lives on the premises of the ICCS.^[7]

Professors-in-Charge

Coursework

The main component of the curriculum at the ICCS is the so-called "Ancient City" course.^[14] Worth two credits and demanding an exceptional amount of time, this course teaches the history and archaeology of the city of Rome with a focus on its topography, ancient and modern.^[15] Although they are supplemented by a weekly lecture, field trips provide the core of the class, with two to three six-to-ten-hour excursions per week. Each student also must give two on-site presentations, which help further emphasize the physicality of the field.^[16][3]

In addition to the ancient city course students must take two additional courses (some choose to take a third). One class must be in either the Greek or the Latin language. Currently Centro provides two electives, Elementary Italian or Renaissance and Baroque Italian art history; however, Francesco Sgariglia, the program's current director, is developing ideas for new classes that would give Centristi more exposure to contemporary Italian culture, such as 'Italian Cooking.'

Paul Tegmeyer, a faculty member of John Cabot University, teaches a course in art history.^[17] The class consists of a weekly lecture Wednesday afternoons and a field trip Friday mornings, normally to a museum or church.^[18]

Life at the Centro

All students live in a small four-story building that previously served as a convent, located at Via Alessandro Algardi 19, in the Monteverde Vecchio section of Rome, having moved here from Via Ulisse Seni 2. Breakfast, dinner, and most lunches are eaten together on all weekdays; the bedrooms are small; the long and frequent field trips for the Ancient City course mean that class time is heavily weighted.

Suzanne Deal Booth Scholar-in-Residence

In 2012 a program of resident scholars was announced,^[19] funded by Suzanne Deal Booth. In November 2012 Richard Talbert of the University of North Carolina served as the inaugural scholar-in-residence.^[20]

External links

• ICCS Newsletter
• Duke Study Abroad : ICCS - Rome
• The Brooks Otis Library

References

Coordinates: 41°53′7″N 12°27′28″E / 41.88528°N 12.45778°E / 41.88528; 12.45778