December 19, 2006

Dear Colleague,

We are delighted to inform you that the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Division of Education Programs, has funded our 2007 Summer Institute for School Teachers "The Art of Teaching Italian Through Italian Art, in Rome, Italy."

Like the successful Institute that we held in 2004 on the campus of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, the program in Rome is offered in Italian and it is primarily directed to full-time or part-time teachers of Italian in elementary and secondary schools, both public and private. It will be held in Rome, Italy, over a four-week period: June 25 to July 20, 2007. The program will include also a four-day study excursion to Florence, Siena, Arezzo and other sites in Tuscany.

The primary purpose of the Institute is to provide teachers of Italian K-12 with innovative tools and techniques on how to teach Italian language and culture through a content-based approach. Specifically, the content chosen for this Institute is Italian art and the principal Italian artists whose outstanding works can be found in the museums and monuments of Rome and Tuscany. In addition, the Institute will offer participating teachers the opportunity to interact with local art historians specializing in various aspects of Italian art and with Italian artisans who will discuss and demonstrate their skills.

Expert linguists from Italian universities will show how to use works of art -- including those available in your own communities -- in the teaching of Italian as a second language, and will discuss new methodologies and changes in contemporary Italian language. In particular we are excited to share and explore with all of you relevant and up-to-date classroom resources, handouts and manuals on the history of Italian art and on the teaching of a foreign language through a specific subject. We will meet five days per week, using a classroom setting for lectures, discussions, activities and conferences complemented by on-site visits to pertinent monuments and museums both in Rome and in Tuscany.

All the scholars, with one exception, will lecture in Italian. We will provide participants with the necessary art and linguistic vocabulary as well as with the latest information on contemporary Italian language and cultural usages. Tutoring sessions will be available at specific assigned times for those needing or requesting special attention to strengthen their Italian language skills and time will be set aside for individual study, brainstorming and sharing results.

To encourage discussion, analysis and synthesis, participants will be asked to write brief journal entries to be shared with the group. The final products of the Institute will be appropriate syllabi that will include samples of lesson plans integrating art in the teaching of Italian, appropriate for the level the participant teaches. We are fortunate to have Italian scholars who will present the latest information on contemporary Italian language and on teaching methods of Italian as a second language.

The following week-by-week outline will give a general overview of how the academic aspects of the Institute will be structured. A day-by-day tentative schedule of all classes and activities planned for the four-week Institute is attached.

Morning time in general will be dedicated to classroom lectures, discussions and related activities, while afternoons will be spent visiting historical sites, monuments and museums, under the guidance of expert art historians. Some weekends will be yours to spend as you please, while for one or two a special activity may be planned.

During the Institute you will have some time to enjoy on your own Italy's many beautiful artistic treasures, to visit special museums of your choice, or to go to the National Library or the nearby university library to do some research for your specific projects. Your four weeks will be dedicated to an intensive study of Italian art, to learning about content-based instruction and to immersing yourselves in the Italian language and culture.

Week One (June 25-July 1) The first day will be dedicated to orientation activities, to assessing individual language skills, needs, expectations, and to discussing and exploring together the Institute's goals. Classroom work, to be conducted mainly in the mornings, will focus on the following subjects:

• In the art component, under the guidance of Professors Sani and Volpe, we will study 13^th, 14^th and 15^th century Italian art, focusing on the wide-spread use of the affresco technique and the work of artists such as Giotto and Cimabue, who introduced more naturalistic and realistic depiction of the world and the human figure, as well as the revolutionary impact of artists such as Masaccio, Paolo Uccello and other artists who reinterpreted the use of light, perspective and space. At the many Roman museums and, later, in Tuscany, we will be able to study and examine many paintings that illustrate the transition from medieval to Renaissance iconography. In the language/methodology component, Prof. Rose Di Benedetti will introduce and probe the various aspects of content-based instruction (CBI), which integrates language and content and the programs, models and approaches that the CBI method has produced at all levels of instruction. Sample units will be presented and discussed at length. As far as the study of Italian language is concerned, and in order to ascertain the individual Italian language fluency level of the participating teachers, Prof. Lidia Costamagna will conduct an oral and written assessment to address the needs of the group. She will then explore the social situation and the geographic varieties of the Italian language, with emphasis on changes that have taken place, and on contemporary usage.
• Most afternoons will be spent visiting sites and museums containing artworks related to classic, medieval and early modern Italian art. Guided by our art scholars we will visit the Vatican Museums, the Rome National Gallery and other sites and churches. (See attached schedule) Prof. Mario Mignone will make a presentation on Contemporary Italy. On three evenings, from 5:00 to 6:30pm interested participants will have the opportunity to meet with a tutor for specific Italian language instruction.

Week Two (July 2-July 8)

• The teaching of art history will focus on Italian art and artists from the early Renaissance to the Baroque. Again guided by our art scholars, the Institute participants will view the works by artists such as Beato Angelico, Pinturicchio, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Guido Reni and will visit Saint Peter and the Sistine Chapel, the Palazzi Vaticani and museums such as Palazzo Barberini, the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica and Galleria Borghese. Also in the mornings, we will further explore with Prof. Andreina Sgaglione, both the current trends in teaching methods, how to approach successfully the teaching of the more complex syntactical and grammatical structures of the language, and how to prepare quality Unit lessons using the artwork selected. Content-based theory with art as its main component will be applied to specific classroom activities. We will review and discuss the National Standards for teaching Italian. During this week work will begin toward the design of the final project, in the framework of the National Standards by addressing communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities. Afternoons will be dedicated to visiting art galleries, sites and museums housing art objects and major works of the artists and art periods studied. Furthermore, in preparation for our academic excursion in Tuscany, we shall view a video on the "Etruscans" and visit the Etruscan collection at the Villa Giulia National Etruscan Museum. Lecture on the Italian educational system by Prof. Aldo Bove, Italian Ministry of Education. We are planning to attend a reception at the American Embassy in Rome on July 4^th to celebrate the US Independence Day.

Week Three (July 9-July 15)

• Early Monday departure for a three-nights/four-days academic excursion to Tuscany. On our way to our destination we will stop to visit important sites and monuments in Siena. In that city we shall meet also with educators from the UniversitaÌ€ per Stranieri of Siena. While in Tuscany we shall visit some of the most important museums, churches and monuments of Florence such as Gli Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti and study the evolution of Italian art, from the early Medieval masters to Leonardo Da Vinci, Perugino, Andrea del Sarto, Botticelli, Tintoretto and Tiziano, to the 18th Century rediscovery of mannered classicism (in the works of artists such as Vasari, Veronese and Tiepolo) to the 19th Century replacement of neoclassical ideals with romanticized themes and artistic reflection of the political fervor of the Risorgimento. Since this week's focus will be primarily on Italian art, the Institute's participants will be encouraged to begin developing an Italian art timeline. In addition, during our excursion we will attend a lecture on Tuscan lesser arts and crafts by Prof. Carla Castiglioni, head of the Baldassarre Castiglione Institute in Arezzo. In Tuscany participants will have a chance to visit artisan workshops creating ceramics, lace and other crafts, to engage in some hands-on activities and to taste some specialties of the region prepared by the Baldassarre Castiglione Institute cooking school. For Italian language, particular attention will be given to historical and socio-linguistic changes and to collecting and developing content-based teaching materials that can be used in the classrooms. Time will be spent working in groups or individually in preparing the final projects.

Week Four (July 16-July 20)

• Under the guidance of Prof. Kirk, the art history component will focus mainly on Italian artists of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Twentieth century Italian art was ushered in by Marinetti's Futurist Manifesto in 1909, followed both by "official" Fascist Art and by avant-garde works by such artists as De Chirico, Morandi, Fontana and Manzu. We will summarize how Italian painting has affected the history of art through modern times, highlighting our discussion with a visit to the collection housed at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna. Additional time will be spent in visiting some of Rome's monuments that reflect modern art, with discussions on relevant artworks. The cycles of lectures will be brought to conclusion. Teachers will present individual or group projects and receive comments. During three evenings from 5:00 to 6:30pm, interested participants may meet with a tutor for Italian language instruction.

It is expected that by the Institute's end the participants will have completed the following:

1. An annotated list of "How to Create and Adapt" materials for teaching Italian through Art, incorporating current, authentic resources and visuals elements;
2. Sample teaching units for beginners, intermediate or advanced learners including Italian language exercises based on the selected artists and art works, with a set of related language activities using art;
3. A portfolio with a collection of approximately 30 slides and color reproductions of works by Italian artists chosen by the group, including an Italian art timeline and information in Italian, on the artists reviewed and their most representative artworks.

As you know, Rome, the Eternal City, has often been compared to a giant open-air museum with artistic beauty present at every corner. Just bring a camera then, to build a memorable portfolio of images depicting Michelangelo's Pietá at Saint Peter's Church, or a beautiful Madonna painted with chalks by an itinerant artist on the stones of a Roman sidewalk, or a long-necked Modigliani masterpiece seen at the Modern Art Gallery.

The many world-renowned museums that are found in Rome, from the Vatican Museums to Villa Giulia's National Etruscan Museum, Galleria Borghese, The National Gallery of the Academy of San Luca, Galleria Corsini and the National Gallery of Modern Art, just to name a few, constitute an unparalleled repository of masterpieces and precious artifacts. Within their walls you will find a formidable array of great artistic works from early Greek, Etruscan and Roman times to those of the great artists of the Italian Renaissance, and the Baroque masters, to those created by the Futurists and other modern and contemporary masters.

In the course of our four-day academic excursion to Florence and Tuscany, a city and a region both known as the cradle of the Italian language and as the quintessential birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, we will visit the most important museums such as the Palazzo Pitti and the Uffizi Gallery. While there, we will stay near the ancient town of Arezzo in a beautiful country inn and travel daily by private bus to visit and study memorable historical sites built during Dante's or Boccaccio's lifetime. We will be able to see the wondrous paintings or sculptures of Tuscan masters that are displayed in public squares or in major museums, and throughout historical locations of that region. While in Tuscany we will visit some traditional artists' and artisans' workshops and observe how centuries-old techniques are still practiced. With them, you will be able to participate in some hands-on activities that you will be able to use then in your classrooms with your students.

In Rome there may also be occasional special receptions, so in addition to comfortable walking shoes and lots of no-iron summer clothes, bring along some light Sunday attire for these special occasions. Given the strength of the Euro vis-à-vis the dollar, just keep in mind that you may find things a bit pricier then what they used to be.

Housing

In Rome participants will be offered housing in a comfortable air-conditioned hotel conveniently located just across from the National Library and with easy access to the Castro Pretorio subway station and to other public transportation. The hotel has recently been refurbished and offers many amenities. We have managed to negotiate a very special rate for our group (less than 50% of their posted rate) so we expect that a shared room (with two beds or a double bed) will cost about 40 Euro per person and 65 Euro for a single, taxes and breakfast included. However, we want to caution you that these are only good-faith estimate costs and they are in Euro and not in dollars. At this writing we do not know what the exact exchange rate will be at the time we hold the Institute.

More specific information on the hotel facilities will be sent to all participants. If you wish, you are free to make other housing arrangements, however, we strongly encourage everyone to stay and live with the group. Proximate living is an important aspect of the summer study experience as it provides an opportunity to talk with other teachers of Italian from around the United States, to exchange ideas informally, and to build a network of context. A participant may bring a spouse or a significant other to stay at the hotel by paying the same rates offered to the Institute participants. All other necessary information on bus and metro transportation, etc. will be furnished to the participants upon arrival.

Stipend

To help cover travel and living expenses all participants will receive a taxable $3,000 stipend.

Rest assured that every effort will be made to keep costs down. However, do keep in mind that we are going to Italy in the height of the tourist season, and that your NEH stipend may not be enough to cover completely all your traveling and lodging expenses. Some museum entrance fees will be covered but others may not be.

NEH guidelines require that Institute participants are expected to attend all session activities and educational excursions, and must engage fully in the work of the project. No teaching assignment or any other professional activities unrelated to their participation in the project may be undertaken. Participants who for any reason do not complete the full tenure of the project must refund a pro-rata portion of the stipend.

Guests are allowed to participate only in selected social activities and not in excursions or instructional sessions.

Credits

Upon satisfactory attendance and completion of all Institute work, participants will receive a "Certificate of Attendance and Course Completion" offered jointly by NEH and the Italian Cultural Society of Washington, DC, Inc.

Through the George Mason University Office of Adult Learning and Professional Development (ALPD), Fairfax, VA, interested participants will have the opportunity to register for a six (6) graduate credit course at a specially discounted rate of $100 per credit. These credits will be awarded only if you register for the course and complete by the end of the Fall Semester 2007 an extra project or other written academic requirement assigned. This credit opportunity is completely optional.

After the conclusion of the Institute we will keep in touch with each other and share our Institute's results and experiences through a web site maintained courtesy of the Italian Cultural Society of Washington DC.

How to apply

A complete application shall consist of three copies of the following collated items:

• A completed application cover sheet, which must be filled on line at this address: http://www.neh.gov/online/education/participants/. Please print out three copies of the completed cover sheet and add them to your application package.
• Your resume detailing your educational qualifications and professional experience.
• An application essay, two to four double-spaced pages long, that must be written in Italian.
• Two reference letters, preferably from a supervisor or colleague acquainted with your work, with the signature of the referee signed across the seal of his or her letter.

Please review carefully the "NEH Summer Seminars & Institutes for School Teachers, Application Information and Instructions" document included with this letter and also available on line at the following link: www.italianculturalsociety.org

Your completed grant application should be postmarked no later than March 1, 2007 and should be sent to:

Project Director / Selection Committee
NEH Summer Institute 2007 "The Art of Teaching Italian Through Italian Art, in Rome, Italy"
Italian Cultural Society of Washington, DC, Inc.
4848 Battery Lane - Suite 100
Bethesda, MD 20814.

Successful applicants will be notified of their selection by April 1, 2007 and will have until April 15, 2007 to accept or decline the offer.

The Selection Committee will identify the 25 participants from a nationwide search on the basis of their teaching experience, academic qualifications and the application essay.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Institute Directors at: (301) 215-7885 or e-mail Dr. Wilmeth at: wilmeth@italianlanguageprogram.org

We are truly looking forward to your application and to working with you in this summer institute. We are sure that your participation will contribute to a most enjoyable and productive experience for us all.

Best wishes,

Prof. Roberto Severino, (CV)
Project Director

Dr. Maria Wilmeth, (CV)
Project Co-director

Prof. Luigi De Sanctis, (CV)
Project Co-director

Click here for: Helpful Info for the Application Form.
Click here for: Institute Tentative Calendar at a Glance.
Click here: for a Pdf version of the letter.