The Winter Session Program

The Winter Session Program
at
St. John International University

Welcome and Overview:

Earn academic credit during your Winter Break (Intersession) while enjoying skiing and other winter sports in the Italian, Swiss, and French Alps. Explore the cultural riches and daily life of the northern Italian cities of Milan and Torino. The Winter Session at St John International University has been purposefully designed to ensure that students participate in a lifetime experience, blending superior academic instruction with recreation and culture.

The campus of St. John international University will house the academic portion of the Winter Session Program (WSP). Students may choose from one of three undergraduate courses: Beginning Italian Language and Culture, The Italian Renaissance, or The EU Market and Economy. Although the academic component of the Program is intended as a 3-credit curriculum, participating students may earn up to 6 credits through a directed study approved by the students’ home institution. Participants in the WSP will depart the United States on December 29, 2011, spend fifteen full days in Italy, France and Switzerland, and return home on January 15, 2012.

About St. John International University

St. John International University (SJIU) is an American-charted and -approved institution of higher learning, with its main campus located in Vinovo (suburban Torino) in the picturesque Piemonte region of northern Italy. At the center of the Vinovo campus is the Castello Della Rovere, an exquisitely restored iconic 16th Century castle that provides faculty and students with an unparalleled setting for teaching and learning. The main campus is one hour’s drive from France (east) and Switzerland (north), as well as just over an hour’s distance from the villages and beaches of the Italian Riviera (south). The University is ideally situated for daily travel to the cities of Torino (20 minutes) and Milan (one hour).

SJIU offers undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree programs in architecture, art history, business, environmental studies, and film studies. At the graduate (master’s) level, St. John International University distinguishes itself by specializing in architecture, business, and the arts. The University offers a Master’s in Architecture (M.Arch.), with a focus on sustainable design; a Master of Business Administration (MBA), customized to serve the professional needs of managers in a range of business sectors, as well as government, NGOs, and other non-profit entities; and the Master of Arts in International Arts Administration (MIAA). As an American University, all degree instruction at SJIU is offered in English.

St. John International University is the first and only American university in Italy authorized and approved to grant graduate degrees. At the graduate (master’s) level, SJIU distinguishes itself by specializing in architecture, business, and the arts. The University offers a Master’s in Architecture (M.Arch.), with a focus on sustainable design; a Master of Business Administration (MBA), customized to serve the professional needs of managers in a range of business sectors, as well as government, NGOs, and other non-profit entities; and the Master of Arts in International Arts Administration (MIAA).

Undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree programs are offered in architecture, art history, business, environmental studies, and film studies. The unifying theme of the University and its curriculum is that of “sustainability”. Embed in all graduate and undergraduate coursework, as well as internship experiences across all disciplines, this thematic focus compels our students to consider and confront the timely and timeless challenges, implications, and rewards of balancing the concerns of “people, planet, and profits”.

The University hosts an active Study Abroad program throughout the calendar year, including Fall semester, Spring semester, and Summer sessions. Beginning in January of 2012, SJIU will also offer shorter-term “signature” programs during Winter session (December/January intersession) and during the months of March and April. In combination, these programs attract and, in the future, will broaden the diversity of undergraduate and graduate students from the United States and around the world.

SJIU is now preparing to launch a new and groundbreaking curriculum focused on a population of international students which comprises an underserved market of significant magnitude (considerably larger than the population which is at the core of current higher education marketing and recruitment efforts). This market segment is comprised of talented students who ultimately desire to study in the United States, but whose English language proficiency is inadequate to assure their entry to and success in the classrooms of competitive American institutions of higher learning. The EuroBridge-US Program allows for students to master the essential English language competence and academic skills needed for their transition to competitive colleges and universities in the United States. At the same time, over the course of this 12-18 months program (depending on a student’s entry academic and language qualifications), EuroBridge-US participants will be expected to earn a minimum of 15 transferrable American university academic credits.

The Goals of the Winter Session Program at St. John International University:

The Winter Session (WSP) at St. John International University has five distinct goals for Program participants:

WSP students will successfully complete a three (3) undergraduate credit curriculum and will get the necessary approvals from their home campus if they intend to transfer these credits to their college or university of record.
WSP students will gain an understanding of and appreciation for the culture and traditions of the Piemonte region of northern Italy, as well as those of Alpine France and Switzerland.
Students in the Winter Session Program at SJIU will extend themselves to become part of the local community and, in so doing, become affirming ambassadors for their home country.
WSP students will enjoy the recreational opportunities, which abound in northern Italy and adjoining regions of France and Switzerland.
Students participating in the WSP will conduct themselves in a manner that respects local customs and laws and that assures their safety and wellbeing at all times.

The WSP Curriculum:

At the core of the Winter Session Program at SJIU is the academic component. Each WSP participant will be required to enroll in one of three (3) courses specifically tailored for this European experience. Each course offers three (3) university credits that can be transferred to the student’s home institution, as determined by each student. Brief course descriptions follow, but course syllabi are available through SJIU’s Registrar’s Office; just contact j.redman@sjiu.it if you wish to receive the syllabus for a specific course.

The Winter Session Program 2012-13 course offerings are:

DHM-ITA/1000 - Beginning Italian Language and Culture

The Beginning Italian Language and Culture course is for students with almost no knowledge of Italian. The class aims to give basic competence in Italian to use in typical situations in everyday and university life through classroom lessons and integrated project work.
Prerequisite: None

DHM-HIS/2520 - The Italian Renaissance (W)

This course offers an expansive view of the Renaissance in Italy. Over a chronological span of 300 years, from 1300 to 1600, the major political, cultural, intellectual and religious developments that took place in the independent city-states and princely courts of northern Italy set the pattern for all of Europe. This course explores these developments with special emphasis on the “re-discovery” of classical civilization (the intellectual movement known as Humanism), and on the crisis of Italy’s political fragmentation in the Sixteenth Century.
Prerequisite: None

EU Market & Economy

The European Union (EU) is a complex and diverse political, legal, and cultural entity. The EU is also an extraordinary global economic engine. Students will be introduced to social, political, and economic realities that led to the creation of the Union and, then, examine the nature and scope of the EU market and economy today. The course will conclude with an exploration of the internal and external forces that impose themselves on the EU and its member nations and an assessment of how these pressures will influence the markets and economy of the EU and the world in the future.
Prerequisite: None

Students participating in the WSP at St. John International University may also choose to earn an additional three (3) university credits through the creation of a directed study project in coordination with their home institution (college or university of record). An additional fee (covering tuition) of $875 is charged to students who elect this option. For more information on this Program option, please contact SJIU’s Registrar, Ms. Jennifer Redman at j.redman@sjiu.it.

SJIU's Winter Session Program Package and Cost:

The all-inclusive price for the Winter Session Program at St. John International University is $ 3, 450. The WSP Package includes:

International round-trip airfare (Boston-Torino-Boston)
Group transportation to all venues and scheduled activities
Three/Four star hotel accommodations in Torino and in all ski resort venues
Breakfast and main meal (lunch or dinner) daily
Tuition and Fees for one 3-credit University courses on the SJIU campus
Ski passes to scheduled venues in the Italian, French, and Swiss Alps
Evening entertainment, sightseeing, cultural excursions (with translator and guide)
Full-group Welcome and Farewell Dinners scheduled upon arrival and immediately prior to departure

The Anticipated Program Schedule:

The WSP at St. John International University is designed to serve traditional undergraduate students (ages 17-24); the Program will also accept advanced high school students who seek to earn college credit or who wish to explore and test themselves on a university campus in an international environment. Currently, this eighteen (18) day program is organized as follows:

Day 1 – Thursday (12.29.11)
Depart Boston (Early Evening/Late Evening)

Day 2 – Friday (12.30.11)
Arrive Torino
Welcome Dinner and Orientation at SJIU in Vinovo

Day 3 - Saturday (12.31.11)
Classes at SJIU

Day 4 - Sunday (01.01.12)
New Year’s Day (Tour and celebration)

Day 5 - Monday (01.02.12)
Classes at SJIU

Days 6 - & 8 – Tuesday through Thursday (01.03-05.12)
Skiing in Bardonecchia Olympic Ski venue at the Olympic Village (Italy)

Days 9 - 11 – Friday through Sunday (01.06-08.12)
Classes at SJIU

Days 12 -15 - Monday-Thursday (01.09-12.12)
Travel to and ski in France and Switzerland

Day 16 - Friday 01.13
Classes at SJIU

Day 17 - Saturday 01.14.
Classes at SJIU
Formal Farewell Dinner in Torino.

Day 18 - Sunday (01.15.12)
Depart from Torino for Boston

For More Information contact:

Jennifer Redman

welcome@sjiu.it