SIS Summer Language Study

SIS Intercultural Study Abroad is dedicated to creating formative intercultural experiences.  While many of our students come to us via American universities, we proudly identify ourselves as a European program based primarily in Italy, but defined by an international team and fueled through the years by the energy we draw from continuously evolving collaborations, friendships and experiences all over the world.  Diversity is the cornerstone of intercultural education and the staff and faculty at SIS recognize the uniqueness of European diversity.  We see Europe as a tremendous resource and for that reason we offer a number of opportunities for European students and institutions.

While our semester programs  and our summer programs are all open to any student regardless of their nationality, we also offer the following options designed especially for European students.

The SIS Summer Language Study is one of our most popular programs for European students.  Keep in mind that modifications can be made to this so don’t hesitate to contact us!

Program Dates (2024):

• 8-week summer study abroad Siena: Monday, June 3  – Saturday, July 27
• 4-week summer study abroad Siena – Session 1: Monday, June 3 – Wednesday, July 3
• 6-week summer study abroad Siena: Thursday, June 16 – Saturday, July 27
• 4-week summer study abroad Siena – Session 2*: Thursday, June 27- Saturday, July 27

Program:

Italian language course from 45 up to 100 hours

Siena Italian Studies provides Italian language courses courses for any level of Italian proficiency.  At the end of the course students will take the CILS/PLIDA exam and receive the Internationally recognized CILS/PLIDA certification.  Didactic materials are provided to all students by the program.

Intercultural Dialogue and Reflections Course

(15 hrs) This course combines structured and guided reflection with fundamental issues that characterize today’s world both in a global and a local perspective. Students are invited and led to reflect on the ever-changing challenges that await them as future global citizens.

The course opens with a historical and philosophical discussion about the paradigm of hospitality and its corollaries guiding students to reflect and ponder on how this paradigm has been changing in recent times. It leads students through the understanding of the concept of otherness and includes a brief overview on human rights. It goes on with discussing the history of European institutions and Europe’s efforts to spread the concept of intercultural dialogue and deeply analyzes the most recent European outcomes in terms of democracy protection and democratic competences development.

Reflection in the course is carried out thanks to the discussion of cultural topics that reveal their inner meanings and deepness when put into the right perspective.

The aim of this course is to empower engaged global citizens with the necessary knowledge and skills, and with a reflective attitude that will allow them to open to the world without getting lost, to discover the confines of their own culture, to see reality from different perspectives and to feel common ties of humanity under the flow of apparent differences.

Included Activities

Participating students will be provided with a transfer from Florence airport to Siena*.  Each session begins with an orientation session and a welcome cocktail for all students.  The following is a list of activities:

• Guided trekking in the historical center of Siena
• Participation in Palio and introductory lessons

*Enrollment must meet a minimum number for airport pick-up on designated arrival day.

Optional Activities

Siena Italian Studies staff is happy to organize extra activities for students.  Please inquire about prices for the following optional activities.

• Local wine and cheese tasting
• A Visit to Siena’s underground tunnels, i bottini
• Local museums: Il Museo Civico and Santa Maria della Scala
• Excursion to the seaside (1 night in a hotel. Dinner, breakfast and lunch.)
• A day at the pool in the Chianti region
• Tuscan Cooking Classes
• Dinner the day before Palio di Siena (ONLY available on July 1st)
• Visits to local farms and/or vineyards to experience local products
• Visits to Florence and museums such as the Galleria degli Uffizi or Duomo di Firenze
• A final dinner at the end of the program with all participating students.

Housing Options for European Students

SIS is specialized as a full immersion program.  For this reason we believe that the best option for our students is to experience local culture by living with local host families.  However, there is an option for European students to live in apartments as well.

The host family option includes:

• A room in an apartment with an Italian family.
• Breakfast and Dinner (Monday to Friday)
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner (Saturday and Sunday)
• Weekly laundry

* Host families will provide lunch on the weekends if students are in Siena but they do not provide lunches during the week.  SIS provides access to a University caffetteria, this option costs approx. 7-9eur/meal.  Students can also choose to explore the many options in Siena and eat on their own.

The private apartment option includes:

• A single room a private apartment (possibly shared with other students).
• Laundry and food at the student’s expense.

* SIS can help locate an apartment for any participating students.  However SIS does not own private apartments nor does the program have agreements with local owners or B & B operators. Prices and locations may vary for private apartments.    

Opportunities for European Institutions

Staff and faculty at SIS have dedicated a significant amount of work in forging new relationships with European partners.  During the summer of 2017 SIS welcomed its first group of European students from The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. We are expecting our relationship to grow and we are also expecting more European institutions to follow.  Contact us to learn how we can collaborate: info@sisstudyabroad.com

Partnerships and Research within the EU

SIS already has strong relationships with a number of European institutions.  Our didactic method, EUFICCS was central to a project co-financed by the European Union through the Lifelong Learning Programme – (Key Activity 2 Languages) from November 2011 to October 2014.  For this project, Siena Italian Studies was partnered with Universidade Fernando Pessoa (Porto, Portugal) and Centro de Lengua y Educaciòn Intercultural (Granada, Spain).