University for Foreigners Perugia
| Università per Stranieri di Perugia | |
 | |
| Latin: Antiquam exquirite matrem | |
| Motto | Ambassador of Italy in the World |
|---|---|
| Type | State-supported |
| Established | 1921 |
| Rector | Prof. Giovanni Paciullo (previous rector Prof. Stefania Giannini) |
Administrative staff | 150 |
| Students | 1,730[1] |
| Postgraduates | 444 |
| 3 (2007) | |
| Address | Piazza Fortebraccio, 4 – 06122 Perugia, Perugia, Italy |
| Campus | Urban |
| Sports teams | CUS Perugia [2] |
| Affiliations | AlmaLaurea, UNIMED |
| Website | http://www.unistrapg.it/ |
The University for Foreigners Perugia (Italian: Università per Stranieri di Perugia), established in 1921, is the oldest university oriented towards study by foreign students for the Italian language and culture. The university is located in Perugia, Italy, a city rich in history and culture.
History
The university was founded in 1921, when the Perugian lawyer Astorre Lupattelli, who dedicated many years to working on the project, instituted in his own city the first courses of high culture with the intention of spreading awareness of the Umbrian region and its history, institutions, and artistic and natural beauty in Italy and abroad.
Until 1926, the courses were held in the halls of the University of Perugia (in Italian, L'Università degli Studi di Perugia), and also in the Sala dei Notari of the Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia.
From 1927 onward, the university had its own premises in the Palazzo Gallenga, in the heart of the city.
The university was founded during the fascist period and can be seen as a historical part of the statewide effort to create institutions whose purpose was to "spread the superior Italian culture around the world." Since then the university has been privatized and has a much simpler mission: to teach high quality Italian language and Italian culture courses to foreign students.
The modern university
On 17 February 1992, the school became a university in its own right, and takes part in the Italian Faculty of Language and Culture and the Departments of Linguistics and Comparative Culture. In addition to Italian language and culture courses, the university now also offers courses for an undergraduate degree, language certifications, and a master's degree.
It has long been a popular destination for foreign students from around the world to immerse themselves in an Italian city in order to quickly learn the language and culture. Students test into various levels of courses based on their degree of Italian comprehension. Because of the diverse crowd — each class tends to have students from countries all over the world — the lingua franca is Italian and students tend to practise the language much more than in traditional Italian courses taught in their home countries.
Notable alumni
- Helmut Berger
- Shirlee Emmons
- Michaëlle Jean
- Amanda Knox
- Leka, Crown Prince of Albania
- Bront Palarae
- Arthur Penn
- Iain Duncan Smith (though he did not obtain any qualifications or finish his exams) [3]
See also
- Perugia
- University of Perugia (established in 1308)
- List of Italian universities
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to University for Foreigners. |
References
External links
Coordinates: 43°06′54″N 12°23′20″E / 43.115°N 12.389°E