Program Title: AU Semester Abroad in Taormina, Italy - Fall 2008 or Spring 2009 Host: Auburn University College
of Liberal Arts, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures |
Auburn University offers an intensive academic program for undergraduate students in Taormina, Sicily, Italy. Students will spend the entire semester in Italy, from September 14 to December 6 or from January 11 to April 4. No previous knowledge of Italian is required since the program offers language courses at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced level.
J. W. Goethe wrote about Sicily, in his book Italianische Reise, "Without Sicily, Italy cannot be fully understood. It is here one finds the key to all things." With its sun, its beige pebble and sandy beaches, its warm blue waters, its snow-topped volcano, its forests and rolling hills, Sicily has always been at the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Every major European royal dynasty wishing power wanted to "own" it; every major power has left its mark. In arts, law, and sciences, Sicilian contribution has been enormous: Caronda, Pirandello, Quasimodo (2 Nobel Prizes), Verga, Bellini, Antonello da Messina, Renato Guttuso, Sciascia, Vittorini, Tornatore, Dolce & Gabbana are unforgettable, without mentioning writers who have written of it (among these are Vivant Denon, Maupassant, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, and D. H. Lawrence). Taormina, 
on top of the Mount Tauro hill, overlooking the coastline of the Ionian Sea, is a treasure chest of history: walking along its streets, one finds a Theatre and Gymnasium of the Greek Empire, Odeon and Baths of the Roman Empire, and architectural traces of the Byzantine, Arab, and Norman dominations. It offers many opportunities of entertainment, among these the International Festival of Taormina Arte (films, operas, plays, ballets, and concerts) all year long. The school is housed in a four-story XIX building which faces the community tennis courts, the lush public gardens, the magnificent bay of Naxos and the impressive Mount Etna. The teaching methodology emphasizes the communicative approach in classrooms of no more than 10 students to ensure that students are able to employ the Italian language in the Italian context. The school, Il Centro di Lingua e Cultura Italiana Babilonia, is accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education, I.A.L.C. (International Association of Language Centres) A.S.I.L.S.(Association of Language Schools of Italian as a Foreign Language) and E.L.I.T.E. (Excellent Language Institutions Teaching in Europe), the University for Foreigners of Perugia, and the University Ca' Foscari of Venice for teachers of Italian. It is quite easy to travel to any part of the country as well as to visit other parts of Europe. Students can travel at their own expense during the period after the end of the program.
Click here for more information on Babilonia, and here for more information on study abroad in Sicily. For more information on Taormina, click here.
Application for a United States passport must be made well in advance. If you do not have a PASSPORT: Please check http://travel.state.gov for the nearest local passport office and forms. Application for a United States passport should be made at least 120 days in advance of your departure date. Once in Italy, students must request a Permesso di Soggiorno (Stay Permit) at the local police station within 8 days of arrival (photos and other documentation will be needed at that time. Contact director for details).