The January term at SIS offers a mixture of academics and cultural engagement in a 3 week period. Students enroll in one 15 hour Italian language course (1 credit) as well as one elective course (3 - 4 credits). The program also includes museum visits, cooking lessons and wine tasting activities. SAI students live with local Italian families for the duration of the program, affording them the opportunity to improve their language skills and create life-long relationships.
Application: Closed
Application Requirements
Complete online application
Personal statement (300-500 words)
Official transcript
Academic letter of recommendation
Passport scan (photo page)
Italian privacy consent form
Highlights
- Live in a homestay with a local family for an immersive experience.
- Enjoy engaging cultural activities like local museum visits and hikes.
Program Dates
December 27, 2023 – January 13, 2024
Eligibility Requirements
Age: 18+
Academic Year: Freshman (1st year) or above
Cumulative GPA:* 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale)
*contact SAI if you don’t meet requirements
Italian Language
Mathematics
Natural and Environmental Sciences
Science
reflective education, this three-week course offers the possibility to
explore Italy’s migration history in an active and participatory way. The
departure point of the largest emigration from any country in recorded
world history, seeing more than 13 million Italians leaving their homeland
between 1880 and 1915, Italy represents an ideal laboratory to learn about
the many facets of the migration issue.
Against this historic backdrop of emigration, newer patterns have
manifested, making Italy a destination for migrants from various regions,
whether for permanent settlement or as a way station. Furthermore, by
accident of geography, Italy has played an outsized role in the current
European migration crisis, receiving vast numbers of irregular arrivals via
the Mediterranean over the last 10 years which present Italy and the
European Union with new challenges in curbing asylum seeker and migrant
journeys across the often treacherous sea.
The 45 hours of this course will be taught by experts in the field who will
analyze these historical, political, economic and social aspects related to
Italy as a theater of migration. Students will have the opportunity to meet
with representatives of NGOs involved in the reception of migrants, as well
as other figures such as journalists & historians. Students will also
actively participate in literacy and citizenship education activities for
groups of refugees in the territory of Siena.
The theoretical part will be coupled with laboratory work: lab activity will be planned to provide students with practical skills. Students will do simple (volumetric and instrumental) analyses in order to determine the concentration of pollutants and other elements (metals, organic matter, BOD, COD, alkalinity, etc.) in waters.
Language of Instruction: English
This course will introduce participants to discipline's theoretical evolution and current approach, focusing both multidisciplinary and interconnections between different research fields. This course will follow the main steps of theoretical and methodological evolution of archaeological thinking (e.g. New/Processual Archaeology vs Post-processualism). It will frame the main methods (e.g. survey and excavation) and lineages of discipline, focusing the interconnection between the different fields of research "in action" (e.g. anthropology, zooarchaeology, paleobotany, sedimentology and archaeological stratigraphy, lithic technology, pottery analysis, quantitative and spatial archaeology, excavation/survey approach,
dating methods, geophysics). Moreover, a special attention will be putted on specific themes of the Past, as the reconstruction of social and economic structures of societies, behaviors and production organization, mobility, exchanges, cognitive world. Practical activities will be also included in this course, allowing to better understand how the archaeology works (e.g. reading and documentation the stratigraphy by drawing, profiles, forms, reports and Harris's matrix, analysis of archaeological materials, experimental archaeology). Some of the practical activities will be carried out to the Department of Earth, Environmental and Physical Sciences of University of Siena, where participants will get in touch with researches and they will observe archaeological materials from the didactic collection of the Research Unit of Prehistory and Anthropology.
Courses & Schedule
SIS courses run Monday – Friday. Final schedules (with days and times) are provided at orientation in Siena.
Course Registration
Students complete their course registration during the SAI application process, with the assistance of their SAI Admissions Counselor.
| Pre-Departure Calendar | |
|---|---|
| October 15 2023 |
Application Closes Applications accepted after closing as space permits. |
| Within 1 week of acceptance |
SAI Deposits Due $500 Confirmation Deposit (applied toward program fee) $300 Security Deposit (refundable) |
| September 28 2023 |
50% of Total Program Fee Due Students who are accepted and submit SAI deposits after this date will have an amended pay schedule. Either 50% or 100% of Program Fee will be due within 5 business days, based on the deposit payment date. |
| October 13 2023 |
SAI Financial Aid Verification Deadline Students wishing to defer payment until financial aid disbursement must submit the financial aid verification forms to SAI by this date. |
| October 28 2023 |
Balance of Total Program Fee Due |
| On-site Calendar | |
|---|---|
| December 27 2023 |
Arrival & Housing Check-in Students arrive at Florence Peretola Airport (FLR). Students must arrive by 2:30pm for the group shuttle to Siena where students are transferred to family housing. |
| Coming soon |
SIS Academic Orientation SIS holds several days of orientation activities and events including walking tours and group social events. |
| Coming soon |
Classes Start |
| January 13 2024 |
Program End & Housing Check-out Students must move out of housing by 10:00am to return home or pursue independent travel. |
| SAI Program Fees* | USD |
|---|---|
| Application Fee | $120 |
| Security Deposit Refundable at the end of the term. |
$300 |
| Program Fee Includes tuition, standard housing and SAI 360° Services (see What's Included). |
$4,630 |
| Optional / Additional Fees: | |
| International Mailing Supplement When applicable, students are charged an international mailing supplement to ensure visa paperwork arrives in a timely manner. |
$90 |
*prices are subject to change
Note: certain SAI-affiliated US universities require specific payment arrangements. These may require that some fees are paid by the student directly to SAI, and other fees are paid to SAI by the affiliated university on behalf of the student. If you attend a SAI-affiliated university please contact your study abroad office or speak with your SAI Admissions Counselor for details.
| Budget | Low Est. | High Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Airfare to/from Florence |
$900 | $1,800 |
| Books, Supplies & Course Fees Course fees are sometimes imposed to cover field trips. |
$25 / course | $50 / course |
| Meals Host family supplies all meals except eating out. |
Included | $100 / month |
| Personal Expenses | $250 / month | $350 / month |
| Transportation within Siena Public transportation with some taxi rides. |
$100 / month | $150 / month |
| Weekend Travel Cost varies greatly by student. |
$300 / month | $1,000 / month |
This is a SAI 360° Services Program; it includes our full services!
- Program tuition and U.S. academic credit
- Accommodation in carefully selected student housing
- Airport pickup and transportation on arrival day
- Welcome reception and events
- Orientation to the host city and school
- Staff on-site dedicated to fostering a welcoming community for all students by providing assistance to diverse needs
- 3 meals/day provided by host family and local café
- SAI Viva Experience: frequent cultural activities & trips outside host city
- Student health insurance providing full coverage and medical emergency evacuation
- 24-hour on-site emergency support
- Farewell event with all students
Pre-departure and Re-entry services
- US-based admissions counselor assigned to you, providing friendly assistance
- Helpful pre-departure tools and resources
- Online student groups to acquaint you with other SAI students
- SAI Student Visa consulting
- Assistance with financial aid processing
- Need-based SAI scholarships
- Paid registration fees for national re-entry conferences
- SAI Ambassador Program for SAI alumni, with paid internship opportunities
- SAI alumni network
SAI offers all students the Viva Experience: frequent cultural activities, at no extra cost, for participants to get to know their community, city and country. Following is a sample of the activities included in this program. Please note that actual activities may differ.
Welcome Reception
Upon arrival, new students, host families and SIS faculty and staff unite at a welcome reception to kick off the program.
Wine Tasting
Students visit a winery, learn about the wine-making process, and enjoy various tastings.
Tuscan Cooking Lessons
Students learn the art of Italian cooking in two complete, hands-on, Italian cooking lessons, including appetizers, main courses and dessert. Lessons conclude with a tasting of all that is prepared!
Museum Visits in Siena
Students visit various museums in Siena as part of Italian class and other content courses. These include the Duomo, OPA Museum, the Museo Civico, the Santa Maria della Scala, as well as others.
Farewell Dinner
After the exams are completed and final papers handed in, the students, faculty and staff share in a celebratory final meal to reflect upon the program experience and to say final goodbyes before departure.
Standard Housing: Family homestay
All participants are accommodated with local host families. Homestay accommodations include 3 meals a day 7 days a week. Depending on the particular family placement students could be in a shared or private room. Homestays are an integral and indispensable part of all SIS programs, offering students the opportunity to make life-long friends, reinforce the language skills acquired during daily lessons and to experience modern Italian culture from “the inside.” SIS’s carefully selected families, whether a single mother, a young married couple with children or an elderly widow, are all experienced in hosting American students. The host families view this experience as a form of cultural exchange and are eager to share their version of Italian culture with program participants.
Passports
Passports should be valid for 3 months after planned departure from Italy.
Student Visas
In accordance with Italian law U.S. students studying in Italy for 90 days or less are not required to obtain a student visa. Therefore all U.S. students do not require a student visa for this program. Non-US nationals should consult their local Consulate for information on student visa requirements.