The American University of Rome's Summer I session runs from 22 May to 19 June 2025.
(For our Summer II program which runs from 25 June to 22 July 2025, see this page)
AUR Summer Schools offer you an educational, social, and cultural experience you’ll never forget. Immerse yourself in engaging classroom discussions, intensive language study, and in-depth courses with professors and students from around the world. Earn credits towards your degree or pursue a personal interest while exploring Rome's culture, history, and food through this unique, thought-provoking international experience.
We have a great range of courses available for summer 2025. Scroll through and find the courses that fascinate you, or use these links to jump directly to a theme. You could select to do two courses under a single theme or mix and match courses that interest you. For quick access, you'll find a complete index of courses in the right sidebar (on desktop) or at the foot of the page (on mobile).
Archaeology & Classics | Art/Fine Arts | Art History | Business | Communication & Digital Media | English Writing, Literature, and Publishing | International Relations & Global Politics | Italian Language & Culture | Mathematics & Science
An introductory off-campus course exploring the archaeological sites and ancient monuments of Rome. The course will begin with the evidence for the earliest settlement in Rome and continue through the development of the Republic, the empire, and the transition to early Christian Rome. The course will focus on placing the archaeological and architectural evidence in its topographical context. Students are responsible for all entry fees.
Course Code: ARC 101 - Download sample syllabus
This course is a practicum course that allows students to experience archaeological excavation firsthand and to receive credit for it. This course may be repeated for credit. Instructor consent required.
Course Code: ARC 293 - Download sample syllabus
A study of the legends about the origins and history of a people, their deities, ancestors, and heroes. The stories of the gods and legendary heroes of the Greco-Roman tradition have provided the fountainhead for literature and the arts in the service of religious and political imagery down to the present. While the emphasis will be primarily literary, with extensive readings of such writers as Homer and Vergil (noting, in passing, the influence upon later literature). The visual depiction of these myths will also be studied. A field trip to a museum in Rome may be required.
Course Code: CLS 101 - Download sample syllabus
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Roman Sketchbook is an introductory course in drawing. On-site classes will provide landscape views, architectural forms, paintings, and three-dimensional sculpture as subject matter, using pencil, pen, charcoal, and sanguigna (red chalk) as drawing techniques. The course includes individual drawing projects and a written component related to the experience of sketching on location. The aim is to develop confidence and visual awareness in creating representations of the vast selection of art that the city of Rome has to offer. Students are required to purchase their own materials and are responsible for all entry fees.
Course Code: ART 101 - Download sample syllabus
This course introduces students to the techniques of painting in water-based and /or oil-based colors. The complexity of the artist’s craft will be introduced through a series of gradually scaled exercises; for example, students will learn how to make preparatory drawings for transfer to the canvas. Other projects include an introduction to imprimaturs, the function of grisaille, and the skill of working with glazes. The course culminates in participation in a public exhibition of student work. Course fee (includes materials) Euro 75. Students are also responsible for all entry fees.
Pre-requisites: ART 101 or ART 102 or permission of the instructor.
Course Code: ART 115 - Download sample syllabus
This introductory course traces the history of art as a healing agent, introducing the key concepts of art therapy and defining its field of action. The historical debate about 'process' (art as therapy) versus 'product' (art in therapy) in the evolution of this practice will be discussed. A brief theoretical introduction will be followed by experiential and practical work. This course is recommended for students who want to experiment with art as a powerful tool for self-knowledge and personal growth and for students who want to explore the possibilities of art therapy as a profession. Art Studio fee (includes materials) Euro 75. Students are also responsible for all entry fees.
Course Code: FAPS 210 - Download sample syllabus
Art of Rome is an introductory course in art history. The course focuses on Rome, from its origin to contemporary times. Masterpieces of painting, sculpture, architecture, and urban planning are examined within their historical contexts. Most of the classes are held off-campus. The course hones a method of description, critical analysis, and interpretation of art and builds an understanding of traditional forms and cultural themes useful in comprehending all western art. Students are responsible for all entry fees.
Course Code: AH 100 - Download sample syllabus
This course investigates the major developments in Italian painting, sculpture and architecture during the seventeenth century with a particular focus on the role of art patrons as catalysts for change. A range of patrons will be considered, from popes, cardinals, religious orders, and foreign kings, to scholars, nuns, widows, and a disinherited virgin queen. The range of motives that led these patrons to spend fortunes on art, their criteria for selecting artists to carry out their commissions, and the personal perspectives they brought to bear upon their direction of artistic endeavors are the primary issues that will be faced. More than half the class meetings will be on-site visits to examine relevant artworks in Rome.
Pre-requisites: A lower-level Art History course or permission of the instructor. Students are responsible for all entry fees.
Course Code: AH 301 - Download sample syllabus
The course explores main ideas behind the sacral space on the example of sacral architecture of Rome, from the ancient times to the postmodern period. The course maximizes the opportunity of on-site teaching in Rome to best illustrates the main themes and particular topics of the course. Students will study different religious traditions, various religious ideas and practices (including the ancient Roman religion, early Roman Catholicism as well as Judaism and Islam), and learn about the broader cultural and historical context in which they appeared. Students are responsible for all entry fees.
Course Code: AH 106 - Download sample syllabus
This course provides an introduction to the environmental and operational aspects of international business. Topics include international business background, comparative environmental frameworks, theories and institutions of trade and investment, world financial environment, dynamics of international business, governmental relationships, corporate policy and strategy, functional management, operations and related concerns.
Pre-requisites: Junior or Senior standing or permission of the instructor.
Course Code: BUS 300 - Download sample syllabus
Students will learn to both cope and succeed as professionals in the midst of chaos as catastrophe threatens both the firm and individuals. The course will define a crisis and the ways in which individuals and organizations’ management cope during a crisis. Crisis intervention methods and tools for business professionals to effectively work with crisis situations will be presented. The course will cover different „crises“ as they relate to day-to-day interactions, emergency situations (i.e., business related: product, facility and image-related, as well as employee-related: suicide, bereavement, violence and substance-abuse). Crisis management programs and plans will be developed alongside a crisis management simulation exercise, to provide a "real-world".
Pre-requisites: MKT 201 or MGT 201 and any 300-level or higher business course or permission of the instructor.
Course Code: MGT 309 - Download sample syllabus
With a focus on models for understanding and interpreting culture, this course examines an array of organizational communication tools, including marketing communication, advertising, public relations, and managerial communication, as they are practiced in Italy and the United States. Students will explore these practices and examine how cultural differences affect marketing and organizational communication, and will apply their increased understanding and honed skills to a final project designed for a “real-life” client. The course includes lectures, discussion, guest speakers and possible field trips.
Pre-requisites: MKT 200 or ECO 208 or equivalent.
Course Code: MKT 303 - Download sample syllabus
We live in a consumer centric world and the fashion industry is one of the main drivers of consumer purchases around the globe. In this course students are introduced to core marketing activities surrounding the world of fashion. These activities include but are not limited to market segmentation, market research, consumer motivation, product strategy, pricing, promotions and retail districution. Fashion marketing will explore the terminology and fundamentals of the fashion industry while examining the development of fashion products from concept to consumer. Marketing principles, practices, and policies used by fashion manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers will be explored. A global perspective of fashion marketing will also be discussed.
Pre-requisites: MKT 200 or equivalent.
Course Code: MKT 316 - Download sample syllabus
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This hybrid course provides hands-on skills for future music managers, concert and festival promoters, and tour managers. Moreover, the course explores the process of signing artists, planning, budgeting, booking, and advancing concerts, festivals, and tours with a focus on pre-production, logistics, production, promotion, and consumption, highlighting the impact of converged technology on the industry and professional practice. Finally, issues of copyright and security will also be assessed.
Pre-requisites:ECO 208 or MGT 201 or permission of the instructor. Students are responsible for all entry fees.
Course Code: COM 314 - Download sample syllabus
This course entails a series of workshops where, under professional guidance and through practical experience, students are trained in magazine writing and production. Students will be working on a well-established cultural events’ magazine, Wanted in Rome, covering a variety of roles - from writing and editing to social media content production (i.e. Instagram and podcasting) in both print and online versions. The course aims to foster journalistic skills such as idea development, research, outlining, interviewing, and copy editing - in addition to practice writing clear and concise sentences, paragraphs, blog posts, short explanatory pieces, descriptive passages, opinion and narratives. Course fee Euro 75.
Pre-requisites: ENG 202 or permission of the instructor.
Course Code: COM 403 - Download sample syllabus
Using Rome as our canvas space/playground, students will engage weekly with the city (on-site) to understand the complexities of: composition, exposure, aperture, speed, and light to fully realize and capture the beauty of this monumental city. Students will learn to shoot using a variety of techniques and lenses to understand their inherent pros and cons in Rome, while also learning the fundamentals of the exposure triangle, composition, and post production to produce aesthetically pleasing photographs of Rome. Photographs will be presented (online) locally and internationally.
Bring Your Own Camera. If you want to have the ability to control all the aspects of photography, a DSLR camera is highly recommended, or a Mirrorless camera. Course fee Euro 75.
Course Code: DM 104 - Download sample syllabus
The course aims to offer a professional view of the world of fashion communication. Starting from a reflection linked to the world of storytelling and current narratives of fashion brands, the students will experiment with different ways of presenting their content, with specific focus on digital video and fashion film. An essential part of the program will be the identification and analysis of the relationship between art, fashion and visual communication, with an overview of the campaigns by the most successful brands and the most interesting personalities related to video production and direction. A specific focus of the course will be set design and the creation of environments for video narration. Workshops and visits to production and post-production studios will complete the project. At the end of the course a small video clip will be realized. Course fee Euro 75. Students are responsible for all entry fees.
Pre-requisites: Sophomore standing.
Course Code: DM 210 - Download sample syllabus
The course aims to develop expertise in the field of fashion communication and to provide the main tools available to a fashion communicator through exercises, laboratory activity, and workshops that will help students grasp the inner workings of the fashion system. After a sociological introduction to the concept of fashion and its importance, students will focus their attention on styling and its various professional typologies: red carpet celebrities, paper and digital magazines, and fashion shows. At the end of the course, students will acquire editorial and styling skills in a photo-shooting session. Course fee Euro 75. Students are responsible for all entry fees.
Pre-requisites: Sophomore standing.
Course Code: DM 211 - Download sample syllabus
This course explores the city of Rome through writing. On-site classes provide an interdisciplinary, studio-art approach to the generation of written work. Through the studied practice of descriptive writing and the examination of setting as a vital literary component, students will create their own textual map of the Eternal City.
Pre-requisites: ENG 102 or equivalent.
Course Code: ENG 203 - Download sample syllabus
This advanced writing course is designed to develop students’ skills in writing fiction expressly for children and young adults. The course will focus on the writing process and the approaches to writing for various age groups within the genre, specifically examining story structure, character, plot, and theme. In addition to writing and work-shopping their own work, students will read and analyze texts from classic and contemporary children’s and YA literature.
Pre-requisites: ENG 102 or equivalent.
Course Code: ENG 317 - Download sample syllabus
This course will provide a detailed perspective on how Fascism transformed Rome. Grounding students in the history, architecture and politics of this dramatic period of urban change and expansion, study of the capital under Mussolini will be contextualized within a broad analysis of Italy during the Fascist regime. Classes will include site visits, lectures and class discussion with structured group break-out work. Teaching will also include the use of historic video material.
Pre-requisites: ENG102, Junior standing, or permission of the instructor.
Course Code: HSSO 312 - Download sample syllabus
This is an introductory course for all majors; it provides substantive knowledge about the history of Italy from the Napoleonic period to the present day. The study concentrates on the centuries of political fragmentation and the efforts to develop an effective political system. In this respect, the course offers insights for the comparative study of different ‘paths to modernity’ in Western Europe.
Pre-requisites: ENG102 or equivalent
Course Code: HST 200 - Download sample syllabus
This course is aimed at an improved understanding of the relationship between peace (both between and within nations), criminal justice and human rights in an international perspective, by addressing the legal obstacles and ethical dilemmas faced by the international community in pursuing these different but reciprocally connected goals. It addresses the maintenance of peace and security, the fight against impunity for international crimes (such as aggression, genocide, war crimes and torture), the protection of human rights (such as the right to life, to personal integrity and to personal freedom) in the context of different types of conflicts.
Pre-requisites: IA or POL 100-level course or equivalent.
Course Code: IA 313 - Download sample syllabus
This course focuses on law, global governance, and human security – the interplay among states, international organizations, and non-governmental actors to create and enforce rules that govern the world. The course provides the opportunity for students to explore global governance and human security in institutional, societal, and global contexts. Global governance aims to ensure stability and world order, providing services and public goods. How are these rules made, and who do they benefit? How were international institutions crafted and how do they enforce international norms and agreements? The course provides students with analytical tools for understanding key actors and current developments in global governance. We will examine the functions and policies of some of the world’s major international organizations, and the political forces—both international and domestic—that influence their effectiveness and will explore challenges to global governance today. Throughout the course, we will apply theoretical concepts to real-world issues, exploring global governance in key policy areas such as human security and human rights.
Pre-requisites: IA or POL 100-level course or equivalent
Course Code: IA 314 - Download sample syllabus
This course will analyze NATO’s evolving role in European and international security from three major perspectives, namely the history of NATO: from the Cold War to the present, relations between NATO and the European Union, and NATO’s involvement in the Mediterranean and Middle East. [See more detail here].
Pre-requisites: a lower-level IA or POL course. Students enrolled in the course are required to participate in a one-day international conference on NATO hosted at AUR on 20 June 2025 and organized in cooperation with the NATO Public Diplomacy Division. The conference substitutes for the fourth week of classes.
Course Code: IA 383 - Download sample syllabus
Open to students with no previous training in Italian, the course introduces features of the Italian language needed for interaction in everyday practical situations, such as the caffè, restaurants, accommodation, and shops. The course satisfies a limited number of immediate needs necessary for survival in the target language culture. Cultural topics, such as religion in Italy, Italian geography, and Italian families, will also be studied through readings in English in order to familiarize the student with certain aspects of contemporary Italian society and culture.No placement examination. This course does not constitute a pre-requisites for ITL 102. This course can not be taken simultaneously with, or after successful completion of ITL 101.
Course Code: ITL 100 - Download sample syllabus
This interdisciplinary course will focus on the social and cultural aspects of food and eating in different geographical areas with a special emphasis on Italy and its history. The course will be taught through a variety of readings, class discussions and presentations and there will also be some practical experiences. Please note that this is not a cooking course. Please note that this is not a cooking course. The course is conducted in English
Pre-requisites: ENG102 or equivalent
Course Code: IS 212 - Download sample syllabus
This course examines contemporary Italy’s fashion industry in order to understand how it gained strength and importance in Italian culture from the post-WWII period to the present. The course will analyze how fashion has been effective as a communication system that has represented the development of Italian national identity and in turn has had considerable impact on Italian society and culture. Interdisciplinary in nature, the course highlights the close connection between the massive presence of art in Italy and its influence on the development of a collective sense of aesthetics that finds confirmation in fashion. The course will also address contemporary issues relating to the fashion industry, such as black-market fashion production and the search for a humanitarian and ethically responsible fashion practices.
Pre-requisites: ENG102 or equivalent
Course Code: IS 214 - Download sample syllabus
This course aims to explore representations of the Italian Mafia in literature and cinema, with reference also to the Italian-American context. Students will be introduced to the history of the Mafia, starting from its beginnings in Sicily, and follow its historical and geographical evolution within, and also outside, Italy. The course will make reference to Italian literary texts as well as Italian and Italian-American cinematic representations of the phenomenon.
Pre-requisites: ENG102 or equivalent
Course Code: IS 301 - Download sample syllabus
