Study Abroad Delivers Language, Culture, and Perspective
Vols immerse in Italian culture, language, and music in interdisciplinary faculty-led study abroad courses.
UT’s faculty-led Bologna, Italy, study abroad program is a collaboration between the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Natalie L. Haslam College School of Music. Combined summer coursework in Italian language, culture, and music gives students a unique and immersive interdisciplinary experience.
Associate Professor Annachiara Mariani leads three courses during the trip: Intermediate Italian 211 and 212 build proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing; Italian 314, Highlights of Culture, Civilization, and Identity explores political, social, and cultural achievements from antiquity to the present.
“Our goal was to create a learning experience that not only immerses students in Italian language and culture but also brings music to life within its historical and geographical context,” said Mariani.
Professor Brendan McConville teaches Music Theory 305: Italian Musical Styles, tracing Italy’s lasting contributions to Western musical traditions from Renaissance polyphony and Baroque ornamentation to operatic forms like the aria, cantabile, and cabaletta.
“Music courses merge lecture and discussion with concerts and presentations in significant venues,” said McConville. “For instance, students perform a concert at the Museo della Musica Bologna and the featured concert works often become the topics of class.”
Students attended class in Bologna Monday–Thursday mornings, accompanied by planned excursions on Thursday afternoons and open travel on Fridays and Saturdays. These days included concerts, learning to make pasta from scratch, touring the region, a visit to the Lamborghini museum, exploring a castle, a beach trip, and just absorbing daily Italian life at area coffee shops.
“This interdisciplinary structure allows students—whether majoring in music, Italian, or other fields—to explore how Italy’s artistic and cultural legacies continue to shape global thought, performance, and identity,” said Mariani.
First-Year Courses Lead to International Insight
Courtney Lynch, a sophomore majoring in political science, needed a first-year language course and chose Italian. Brynn Brickell, a journalism major, made the same choice in her first year and was inspired to declare an Italian minor. Both met Mariani through these classes and credited her welcoming enthusiasm—a trait often mentioned by students about the college’s faculty—as a factor in their decision to take the study abroad courses.
“She is an incredible professor whose class always manages to be both entertaining and informative,” said Brickell. “It is so clear that she cares deeply about all of her students and wants us to succeed in our goals, whatever they may be.”
This faculty-student connection led them to a successful summer studying in Italy.
“Studying abroad is honestly the best experience I’ve had in college so far. It has helped me mature,” said Lynch. “Traveling in a foreign country by myself also helped me create a better understanding of people around me and the world in general.”
Brickell’s study abroad participation accelerated her course program.
“It allowed me to graduate a semester early,” said Brickell. “This was nice enough on its own, but what I really gained was an insight into the culture, people, and scene of Italy.”
Bringing World-Travel Skills Back Home
Brickell’s insightful take-away reflects the high percentage of students who find that studying overseas cultivates stronger cognitive and relationship skills that they carry forward to future personal and professional endeavors.
“Studying abroad really helped me to understand just how different lifestyles can be across the world,” said Brickell. “When you get to experience it first-hand, your perspective shifts. I felt far more self-sufficient and independent in Italy. Though it was an unfamiliar place, it taught me to navigate, to problem solve, and to be more outgoing.”
Lynch found that her international relations classes in political science prepared her for cultural differences but also gained experience with managing unexpected compilations.
“During my time in Italy, we got lost on the Milan Metro, experienced a train strike, and even [visited] an Italian urgent care clinic when I had a cut,” said Lynch. “Handling situations with grace—and knowing that they aren’t completely in your control—is one of the main skills I learned from studying abroad.”
Mariani also finds it rewarding to see these added lessons the students gain from the study abroad experience.
“Watching students grow—linguistically, musically, and personally—in a city as vibrant and historically rich as Bologna is incredibly moving,” said Mariani. “They engage directly with Italy’s living culture: ordering meals in Italian, attending concerts and lectures, collaborating with local musicians, and navigating real-life contexts with growing confidence. Students return with a deeper sense of global citizenship and curiosity that reshapes how they learn, perform, and think.”
By Randall Brown
