Renaissance Art and Culture in Italy

This course is an introduction to Renaissance art by exploring the historical, political and cultural evolution of Italy between the 14th and the 16th centuries. This overview will be not confined to works of art but will include social and patronage issues, such as the role of the guilds and the differences in private, civic and church patronage, which affected the style, form and content of Italian art.

Rome and Pompeii

This course addresses many aspects of the development of the urban environment across the centuries. Students taking this course will explore how geology, geography and hydrology of the territory are deeply connected with the development, history and culture of Rome in the city and beyond her walls, with an in depth exploration of the resort towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the port city of Ostia, all satellites of Rome but unlike Rome, build on the typical framework of Roman military camp (decumanus maximus and cardo maximus, the same basic framework of cities like Paris and London, originally Roman colonies).

The ancient cultures of Peru have long fascinated archaeologists and tourists alike. The 1911 rediscovery of the Inca city of Machu Picchu ignited archaeological imagination about Peru, and this fascination continues today. While Machu Picchu is the best-known Inca settlement, it is but one of tens of thousands of ancient sites still visible on the Peruvian landscape.

The New Cuba

There has never been a better time to study abroad in Cuba.

Cuba’s unique political and cultural history has long made it the subject of rich intellectual discussion and debate. Economic, political, and social reforms have signaled a time of transition since the 1990s. And this year’s diplomatic opening between the US and Cuba promises to profoundly impact the island’s future.

This course will be an investigation of the history of nations, nationalism, and the great cities of East Central Europe - Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Because the course is designed around a study tour, students will be examining the events in history where they happened.

Students will go on an academic and experiential journey through the tropical province of KwaZulu-Natal. Students will live with Zulu families in urban townships and rural villages, observe infrastructure projects, cultural performances, and traditional rituals.

Greece: Monumental Politics

When people fight over the ‘sacred ground’ of the 9/11 memorial, debate the politics of the Vietnam Memorial, or grieve with the six thousand statues that attended the death of Sulla in Rome; they demonstrate the political stakes and importance of public monuments. This class examines the political importance of monuments and memorials. What lives are worthy of commemoration?

Interested in a longer experience abroad? The Oxford Semester or Academic Year Experience is the perfect program for students intrigued with History. Imagine yourself strolling down the narrow streets with twelfth century walls on either side of you. The Oxford tradition of tutorship will provide the historian in you with valuable research and analytical skills that will great improve your scholarship.

Spend this spring in Florence on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The perfect introduction to Italian art, culture, history and language, this spring semester study abroad program in Florence is sure to please.

Bilateral Exchange (Semester or Academic Year)

Most affordable option for students paying in-state tuition - pay Mason tuition to Mason, pay room and board abroad. Credits from the institutions below can be applied to your major!

• University of Technology Sydney - Australia
• University of Malta - Malta
• University of Leicester - England
• Linnaeus University - Sweden
• Erasmus Faculty of Social Sciences - Netherlands
• University of East Anglia - England
• Yonsei University - South Korea
• Sophia University - Japan
• SciencesPo - France
• Akita International University - Japan
• Universidad de Zaragoza - Spain

Direct Enrollment (Semester or Academic Year)

Most affordable option for students paying out-of-state tuition - pay a set program fee that is less expensive than tuition at Mason. Credits from the institutions below can be applied to your major!

• Griffith University - Australia
• Freie Universität Berlin - Germany [classes in English and/or German]
• National University of Ireland Galway - Ireland
• University of Nicosia - Cyprus
• University of Fribourg - Switzerland [classes in French and/or German]

Earn Mason credit for ARTH or HIST with an internship study abroad program. One Mason student in the London summer 2016 internship program completed an internship at the British Museum, and another interned at a private art gallery. The "British Life & Culture" course of the London Internship Study Abroad program is a course made up of classroom and field visits covering all of London, for HIST credit. Students are not limited to London, ARTH and HIST internships are also available in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Argentina, Spain, and Brazil. Contact Mary Getsey Bernier at [log in to unmask], for more information.