Semester in Urbino, Italy

The COLFA Semester in Urbino offers students—both those within the College of Liberal and Fine Arts and those simply wishing to take COLFA classes—a full semester abroad, focusing on the art, history, literature, music, and culture of Italy while also offering an immersion in the Italian language.   Our students come from all 11 COLFA departments—from Psychology to Modern Languages and Literatures, from Art and Art History to English, from Music and History to Communication.  Every semester, students study Renaissance Art History, taught by a faculty member from the University of Urbino, the History and Culture of Italy, team-taught by UTSA and UNIURB faculty, and Italian language, taught by native Italian instructors.  In addition, each semester, a focus is chosen from the array of COLFA specializations, with History often being the focus in the Fall, and Language and Literature in the Spring. The curriculum of Spring, 2016, however, has been specially designed so that Music majors could participate alongside other COLFA majors, with a focus on Music, Art History, and Literature.  Music majors will receive special instruction each day at the Cappella Musicale, working with faculty from the University of Urbino as well as UTSA faculty. 


The COLFA Semester in Urbino offers students a top-tier experience, allowing them to continue working towards graduation while enriching their lives with travel and a more global perspective.  They live among Italian and other European students, making friends and learning about student life from an insider’s perspective.  Friendships also grow up among the UTSA students, as well, as they travel together on long trips to Rome, Florence, Siena, Verona, and Venice, and shorter day trips to Assisi, Perugia, Ravenna, and other sites. These trips are an integral part of the curriculum, and give the students the opportunity to experience the art and history they are studying, but also allow students to enjoy traveling together with their peers. Ample free time is always built into each trip, and into the program in general.
Students who return from the COLFA Semester in Urbino have invariably fallen in love with the charming town.  We always hear, “I didn’t want to come home,”  “Urbino is my second home,” and, above all, “It changed my life.”  Their lives seem to bear this statement out, since many doors have been opened to our students as a direct or indirect result of the program. For example, many of our students have gone on to enter M.A. and Ph.D. programs—in Italy, the U.K., Ireland, and in prestigious programs across the U.S.  One is pursuing a doctorate in neurolinguistics at Rice University, another is enrolled in an MFA program in art at Parsons in New York City, a third chose to specialize in Italian studies at Georgetown University largely because of her rich experience in Urbino and her mastery of Italian while there.  Many other success stories could be told in which students used their experiences in this program to refocus and shape their career goals in new directions.

What we want to say to students considering a semester in Urbino—we don’t know exactly how it will affect you, but one thing we do know—it will change your life.

Bridget Drinka, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of English
Director, COLFA Semester in Urbino



UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO:
College of Liberal and Fine Arts 
One UTSA Circe
San Antonio, Texas 78249

LEGAL ADDRESS: Global Education Ventures via Risorgimento, 8/B 61032 Fano (PU) Italy OPERATING ADDRESS: Global Education Ventures c/o Collegio Aquilone via dei cappuccini, 15 61029 Urbino (PU) Italy grifone multimedia | web media agency GEV Global Education Ventures