{"id":258,"date":"2016-06-22T15:17:01","date_gmt":"2016-06-22T15:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/?page_id=258"},"modified":"2026-02-14T00:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T00:15:18","slug":"outside-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/academics\/outside-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Outside the Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We encourage you to take full advantage of your experience abroad by participating in learning experiences outside the classroom. Volunteer work, language tandems, and cultural activities provide you with opportunities to deepen your social immersion in Italian culture, enhance your language skills, and gain a better understanding of present-day Italy. Immersion is not passive, but an active process you should strive to engage in beginning your first day. In order to immerse yourself, you should check what your host city has to offer<\/a>; pick an activity that you would like to engage in, and get involved! Start right away to get in touch with native speakers who are interested in the same things you are. Time spent alone in your room, chatting with English speakers via the internet, or surfing non-local websites is time taken away from your successful immersion in the language and culture you came to study. Don’t hesitate: If you plunge in right away and disregard shyness, hesitancy, and self-consciousness about your language skills, you will reap the benefits faster than you expected!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Olivia's<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Practicum \u2013 Master of Arts in Applied Languages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

All graduate students in the Applied Languages (A.M.A.) degree program are required to complete a practicum in their specialization as a requirement of the degree.  The practicum will be evaluated on both the student\u2019s professional performance at the practicum itself and on the academic work completed in relation to the practicum experience.  The supervising faculty member will work in close consultation with the student\u2019s practicum supervisor throughout the semester and consider their feedback when assigning the final grade for the practicum experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that the practicum is a key component to successful completion of the A.M.A. degree, any student whose practicum performance is evaluated as unsatisfactory by the practicum- and\/or faculty supervisor will be deemed to have made unsatisfactory progress in their degree as a whole and will not be permitted to continue in the A.M.A. program.<\/strong>  If their academic work earns a passing grade (defined as a grade of B- or better), they will, however, be given the opportunity to transfer to the M.A. program in the same language of study, with permission from the program director.  Students should be aware that this transfer may require additional coursework beyond the standard 12 units of credit that comprise an M.A. or an A.M.A. degree. Any additional and\/or remaining coursework must be completed within the ten years allotted for degree completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with any other course, a student who receives a final grade of \u201cF\u201d in their practicum will be dismissed from the graduate program all together, without the option of transferring from the A.M.A. to the M.A. program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer Work<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer work is not easy to find, but is available to students staying in Italy.  Students may have to take a short course before beginning any volunteer work. Students should think hard before taking a volunteer job because it is necessary to maintain it for the time they are in Italy, and often the initial enthusiasm wanes after the first few weeks. Talk with the staff at the Sede for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Museum Entrance Fees<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The School in Italy will pay for museum visits taken as a group and field trips in conjunction with course work at the Sede during the academic year. You are responsible for these expenses when visiting museums independently.  Entrance fees for museums in Italy vary. Churches are often free, but those with important works of art may charge a fee. Students enrolled in art history courses at the University of Florence may be eligible for a special card that allows free entrance to state-run museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language Tandem<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A language tandem is an excellent way to better your speaking abilities. The program will put students in touch with an Italian language partner for an Italian-English conversation exchange and organize a first meeting. Future meetings are arranged and organized independently by the students. Having a language partner is a good way of meeting Italians and getting to know the Italian culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural Activities<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Other options that can facilitate your immersion include sports, cultural, and outdoor activities.\u00a0 The School in Italy staff is available to advise you on the wide range of possibilities Italy has to offer.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Soccer<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Back to Academics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We encourage you to take full advantage of your experience abroad by participating in learning experiences outside the classroom. Volunteer work, language tandems, and cultural activities provide you with opportunities to deepen your social immersion in Italian culture, enhance your language skills, and gain a better understanding of present-day Italy. Immersion is not passive, but an active process you should<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44,"parent":181,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-258","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1424,"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/258\/revisions\/1424"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolsabroadhandbooks.middcreate.net\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}