Sunset over Acropolis. Photo by AussieActive on Unsplash

Architectonics in Greece and Italy

Architectonics in Greece and Italy

31 Years of Studying in Italy (and Greece since 2006!)

This program focuses on the study of European art and architecture from the bronze age to the preindustrial world. Students study works in Greece and Italy through immersive courses taught at the most significant museums, archeological sites and historical buildings and document, analyze and interpret them using digital tools.

About the Program

Now in its 30th year, the primary academic mission of the program is to expand the opportunities for study of the humanities for architecture and non-architecture majors at Georgia Tech using technological tools..

Unlike a classroom setting where issues of context and scale are virtually absent from any discussion of the arts, this program provides the opportunity to study art and architecture within their historical context in real-time, and conduct in-person collection of raw data. This robust primer initiates a profound understanding of the development of the visual arts and architecture in the western world. A signature part of the program studies the role that Greco-Roman civilization and Renaissance and Baroque Italy have played as the artistic, engineering, and political cornerstones of the western world.

student group in front of two doric temples in Paestum

Program Details

The on-site, experiential study offered by the program facilitates an introduction to the humanities that is accessible and open to students from all majors at Georgia Tech. Each year the program accepts candidates at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Graduate students receive graduate credits for program courses.

Program Director: Dr. Athanassios Economou, Ph.D.
Program Dates: May 11 – June 22, 2024
Program Courses: ARCH 3007 / 3008 / 3009 / 4921 – 8921 / 4127 – 6127
Program Application Fee: $6,000

The program offers 9 hours of humanities credit with an additional 3 hours of independent study and will cost approximately the same as a semester at Georgia Tech for the in-state student and less than an on-campus semester for the out-of-state student (this savings is due to the payment of in-state tuition for foreign study programs).

Program application fee*: $6,000.00
Books (estimated): $150.00
Meals (estimated at $35/day for 42 days): $1,500.00
Airfare (estimated): $1,400.00
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Matriculation Fee (12 credit hours required): $4,103.16
Mandatory Study Abroad Fees: $107.00
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Total UG (resident and non-resident): $13,260.16

* Lodging (42 days), travel in Italy and Greece, entry tickets to museums, and program administration including health and travel insurance.

Students may apply for financial aid to foreign studies programs. The program director will collect only the cost of lodging and program administration. Matriculation will be paid to the Bursar’s Office. All other expenses are budgeted by the student. The program director offer advice on the most economical air travel; however, many students have lowered their costs by obtaining their air flights through frequent flyer programs.

In the Spring Semester, a one credit hour orientation course will provide preparatory information about Greece, Italy and basic Greek and Italian language instruction. The group will be limited to approximately twenty students due to the individualized nature of the program.

Payment Fees Installment

The program fees will be paid in four payment installments at the Georgia Tech Bursar Office, Lyman Hall, 225 North Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30332-0255.

The dates of the payment installments are :
November 17: $ 500 Initial deposit - OIE Application deadline
December 15: $ 1500 payment payable to "Georgia Tech"
January 12: $ 2,000 payment payable to "Georgia Tech"
February 9: $ 2,000 payment payable to "Georgia Tech"

Cancellation Policy

The $500 initial deposit applies toward the program fees; if a student is not accepted to the program, he /she will be fully refunded. If a student decides to cancel his/her membership after his/her acceptance into the program and before the December 15th installment the student will be refunded. If a student decides to cancel his/her membership after his/her acceptance into the program and prior to the summer trip, the student will be refunded only if another eligible student can be found who can take their spot in the program. 

Georgia Tech reserves the right to alter or cancel this program due to unforeseen circumstances including low enrollment, unavailability of a professor to teach a planned course, or other unforeseen circumstances. If Georgia Tech cancels the program before departure for reasons within its control, all fees paid by participants will be refunded. If Georgia Tech cancels the program before departure or while the program is in progress for reasons beyond its control, such as political unrest or danger to participants’ safety, only those fees that Georgia Tech will be able to have refunded by service providers will be returned to participants.

November 01, 2023: Application deadline. OIE $500 deposit.
December 16, 2023: $1,500 payment payable to "Georgia Tech"
January 10, 2024: Italy Prep Class first meeting.
January 13, 2024: $2,000 payment payable to "Georgia Tech"
February 10, 2024: $2,000 payment payable to "Georgia Tech"
May 11, 2024: Arrival in Heraklion, Crete. First night paid for by the program
May 13, 2024: Program begins in Crete, Greece
June 21, 2024: Program ends in Venice, Italy. Last night paid for by the program
June 22, 2024: Check-out from the Hotel.


The program fees will be paid in four payment installments as scheduled above. Payments should be made at the Georgia Tech Bursar Office, Lyman Hall, 225 North Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30332-0255. More details can be found at: http://www.bursar.gatech.edu/

The program ends six weeks before the beginning of Fall Semester leaving sufficient time for continued travel in Europe or summer employment.

 

The application process and procedure are managed by the Office of International Education (OIE). Students should go to the website of the OIE, read the appropriate information, complete the application, collect the supplementary materials, enclose a Program Deposit Check for $500 to OIE, and hand deliver everything to OIE.

The $500 initial deposit applies toward the program fees; if a student is not accepted to the program, they will be fully refunded. If a student decides to cancel their membership after their acceptance into the program and prior to the summer trip, the student will be refunded only if another eligible student can be found who can take their spot in the program. Georgia Tech reserves the right to alter this program due to unforeseen circumstances.

After formal acceptance to the Program from OIE, all students should follow instructions carefully regarding required orientation meetings organized by OIE and the information meetings conducted by the faculty in the Architecture Program.

The OIE distributes several scholarships for international study, so students should be sure to apply for those as well. Information regarding financial aid, scholarships and other information is available on the OIE Website.

Program map in Greece and Italy

Schedule and Courses

We host intensive, on-site studies at the Athenian Agora, Acropolis, Crete, Delphi, Epidaurus, Olympia, Roman Forum, Pompeii, Ostia, Paestum, Hadrian's Villa, Villa D'Este, Villa Giulia, The Vatican Museum, Borghese Museum, Basilica of St. Peter, and other sites. These places provide students with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the role that Classical Greco-Roman civilization and Italy has played as the artistic, engineering, and political cornerstones of the western world. Students have the opportunity to study art and architecture in Athens, Delphi, Epidaurus, Olympia in Greece, and Rome, Pompeii, Paestum, Florence, Sienna, Vicenza, Venice in Italy.

ARCH 3007: Architectonics in Greece

This course is part of a three-course sequence on the interrelated subjects of architecture, urban design, and the arts from the Bronze Age to the eighteenth century in Greece and Italy. This course is distinguished from the second and third in the sequence by its emphasis on the archaic, classical and Hellenistic Greek period.

Objectives
The purpose of the course is to provide an intensive on-site investigation of the role that the arts have played in the development of the ancient Greek civilization, and by extension the influence of this civilization on the historical development of the visual arts in the western world. The core of the class is a two-and-a-half-week intensive, on-site, study of cities, buildings, sculpture, and painting of the ancient Greek world in Greece and South Italy. The course includes visits and lectures on some of the most important sites and museums of the ancient Greek world, including Mycenae, Athens, Delphi, Olympia, and Epidauros in Greece and Paestum in South Italy. The course is aimed primarily at undergraduate students in disciplines other than architecture but is open to architecture students as well.

Requirements
Students are required to attend the lectures, read the assigned daily readings, and participate in the discussions. Additionally they are required to make a presentation, keep field notes, and produce a final journal. The specific requirements for the presentation, field notes and journal, follow below:

Presentation
Each student is required to give a fifteen-minute presentation of a specific topic assigned prior to the trip. Students may work in teams for more ambitious projects; in all cases the requirements of each presentation will increase proportionally in modules of fifteen minutes each. Presentations include topics pertaining to the contextual setting of the world-making of the classical world and include aspects of culture and myths, history of science, religion, sports, politics, theater, and so on. All presentations are given on-site and typically in sties that foreground the assigned topic; i.e. Olympia and sports; Epidauros and theater; Delphi and religion etc. All presentations have to be accompanied by a one-pager handout to be distributed to the class during the presentation.

Field notes
The field-notes notebook consists of notes taken on-site during the lectures including text, sketches, diagrams, measurements, and so on. The field notes will be submitted in the end of the course for evaluation.

Journal
The journal consists of a conversion of the field notes in a formal presentation including text, commentary, reflections, as well as historical data, original or edited photos, diagrams, sketches, drawings, and other media if appropriate. The journal will be submitted in the end of the course for evaluation.

Grading
All three course-specific assignment requirements (presentation, field-notes and journal) are graded for accuracy, completeness, comprehensiveness, and criticality. The grading of the class is distributed in the following fashion:

Presentation: 30%
Field notes: 20%
Journal: 50%

Schedule
This course is organized in roughly three parts; the first part is in the Aegean and Peloponnesus, the second in Athens and nearby sites, and the third in Peloponnesus and South Italy. Generally, on-site lectures are given Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM. This schedule varies, depending upon the site and the subject.

For detailed schedule, see the schedule of the program. Schedule is subject to change upon the announcement of boat schedules in Greece in the end of April.

ARCH 3008: Architectonics in Italy

The course is part of a three-course sequence on the interrelated subjects of architecture, painting and sculpture from the Bronze Age to the eighteenth century in Greece and Italy. This course is distinguished from the first and third in the sequence by its emphasis on the Roman period. The course has Institute approval for humanities credit.

Objectives
The purpose of the course is to provide an intensive on-site investigation of the role that the arts have played in the development of the Roman civilization, and by extension the influence of this civilization on the historical development of the visual arts in the western world. The core of the class is a two-and-a-half-week intensive, on-site, study of cities, buildings, sculpture and painting of the early, middle and late roman period. The course is organized around a core of a two-week residence period in Rome and includes visits and lectures on some of the most important sites and museums in the city as well as in Pompeii, Ostia and Tivoli. The course is aimed primarily at undergraduate students in disciplines other than architecture but is open to architecture students as well.

Requirements
Students are required to attend the lectures, read the assigned daily readings, and participate in the discussions. Additionally they are required to make a presentation, keep field notes, and produce a final journal. The specific requirements for the presentation, field notes and journal, are given below:

Presentation
Each student is required to give a fifteen-minute presentation of a specific topic assigned prior to the trip. Students may work in teams for more ambitious projects; in all cases the requirements of each presentation will increase proportionally in modules of fifteen minutes each. Presentations include topics pertaining to the contextual setting of the world-making of the classical world and include aspects of culture and myths, history of science, religion, sports, politics, theater, and so on. All presentations are given on-site and typically in sties that foreground the assigned topic; i.e. Olympia and sports; Epidauros and theater; Delphi and religion etc. All presentations have to be accompanied by a one-pager handout to be distributed to the class during the presentation.

Field notes
The field-notes notebook consists of notes taken on-site during the lectures including text, sketches, diagrams, measurements, and so on. The field notes will be submitted in the end of the course for evaluation.

Journal
The journal consists of a conversion of the field notes in a formal presentation including text, commentary, reflections, as well as historical data, original or edited photos, diagrams, sketches, drawings, and other media if appropriate. The journal will be submitted in the end of the course for evaluation.

Grading
All three course-specific assignment requirements (presentation, field-notes and journal) are graded for accuracy, completeness, comprehensiveness, and criticality. The grading of the class is distributed in the following fashion:

Presentation: 30%
Field notes: 20%
Journal: 50%

Schedule
This course is organized in two parts; the first part is in south Italy and the second is in Rome and nearby sites. Generally, on-site lectures are given Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM. This schedule varies, depending upon the site and the subject.

For detailed schedule, see the schedule of the program.

ARCH 3009: Architectonics in Italy II

The course is part of a three-course sequence on the interrelated subjects of architecture, painting and sculpture from the Bronze Age to the eighteenth century in Greece and Italy. This course is distinguished from the first and second in the sequence by its emphasis on the late medieval, renaissance, and baroque Italian periods. The course has Institute approval for humanities credit.

Objectives
The purpose of the course is to provide an intensive on-site investigation of the role that the arts have played in the development of the Italian civilization, and by extension the influence of this civilization on the historical development of the visual arts in the western world. The core of the class is a two-and-a-half-week intensive, on-site, study of cities, buildings, sculpture and painting of medieval, renaissance, and baroque Italy. The course is organized around a two-and-a-half week residence period in Rome, Florence and Venice and includes visits and lectures on some of the most important relevant sites and museums. The course is aimed primarily at undergraduate students in disciplines other than architecture but is open to architecture students as well.

Requirements
Students are required to attend the lectures, read the assigned daily readings, and participate in the discussions. Additionally they are required to make a presentation, keep field notes, and produce a final journal. The specific requirements for the presentation, field notes and journal, are given below:

Presentation
Each student is required to give a fifteen-minute presentation of a specific topic assigned prior to the trip. Students may work in teams for more ambitious projects; in all cases the requirements of each presentation will increase proportionally in modules of fifteen minutes each. Presentations include topics pertaining to the contextual setting of the world-making of the classical world and include aspects of culture and myths, history of science, religion, sports, politics, theater, and so on. All presentations are given on-site and typically in sties that foreground the assigned topic; i.e. Olympia and sports; Epidauros and theater; Delphi and religion etc. All presentations have to be accompanied by a one-pager handout to be distributed to the class during the presentation.

Field notes
The field-notes notebook consists of notes taken on-site during the lectures including text, sketches, diagrams, measurements, and so on. The field notes will be submitted in the end of the course for evaluation.

Journal
The journal consists of a conversion of the field notes in a formal presentation including text, commentary, reflections, as well as historical data, original or edited photos, diagrams, sketches, drawings, and other media if appropriate. The journal will be submitted in the end of the course for evaluation.

Grading
All three course-specific assignment requirements (presentation, field-notes and journal) are graded for accuracy, completeness, comprehensiveness, and criticality. The grading of the class is distributed in the following fashion:

Presentation: 30%
Field notes: 20%
Journal: 50%

Schedule
This course is organized in three parts; the first part is in Rome, the second in the Florence and nearby cities, and the third in Venice and nearby cities. Generally, on-site lectures are given Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM. This schedule varies, depending upon the site and the subject.

For detailed schedule, see the schedule of the program.

ARCH 4921/8921: Architectonics in Italy I | Independent Study

Purpose
The course is organized as an individual independent study offered to students that participate in the Study Abroad Program on Architectonics in Greece and Italy. The course is offered in addition to the three courses of the program, ARCH 3007, 3008, 3009, and students receive three hours of free elective credit through faculty directed, independent studies worked out during the course. These research topics are developed during the spring semester and must receive departmental approval from a faculty advisor and the Director of the Architecture Program. Although these topics may range widely across a number of subjects, and may be entirely within an art historical paradigm, every effort is made to generate interdisciplinary topics suited to the particular major of each student. Examples include masonry vaulting, or water supply and urban infrastructure for civil engineers, or an examination of the effects of atmospheric sulfur dioxide on marble and limestone for a chemical engineer.  The use of technological tools, and methodologies appropriate for each field is strongly encouraged and supported.  While the program is aimed primarily at undergraduate students from the other colleges at Tech, students within the College of Architecture have also participated in the program. A handful of graduate students, most from architecture, some from other colleges, have also participated. The diversity of the student enrollment is viewed as one of the program's strengths.

Format
These special problem independent studies are organized around regular scheduled meetings between the student and the faculty in charge, and it is supplemented by a weekly series of lectures and workshops on the different technologies that will be used on site during the introductory preparatory course the spring semester prior to the study abroad program; furthermore the research is supported by onsite field trips in Greece and Italy where the students have direct access to their object of study and are required to apply methods of data collection and analysis. Students conduct field studies on their own during afternoons, after the formal lectures and presentations for the regular three core courses are over. The required paper or project is completed after returning to Tech, prior to the end of the summer term. Guidelines for requests for approval for an independent study, and samples of good papers are given in the beginning of the spring semester prior to the trip abroad.

Areas of Concentration
Studies related to painting
Studies related to sculpture
Studies related to architecture (style, type, language, program)
Studies related to urbanism
Digital documentation and analysis of historical architecture
Measured drawings of individual buildings or urban spaces

Reading Assignments
An anthology of readings is required and it varies according to the subject matter of the proposed research. Readings may range from general background basic references to highly specific technical articles and they should provide a basic foundation for the development of the proposed research. The list of appropriate readings for the proposed research is worked out during the initial discussions between the student and the faculty in charge and is attached in the formal request for approval for independent study in the program.

ARCH 4127/8127: Architectonics in Greece and Italy

Purpose
An one credit course designed to prepare the students for the summer study program in Greece and Italy. The class includes: a) An overview of the subject matter of the program covering the arts, architecture and town planning from the bronze age to the industrial revolution in the Mediterranean world; b) A virtual tour of the trip as it is going to take place in the summer; c) Preparation of the independent study proposal that will be completed during the summer; d) Preparation of the three oral presentations that will be given during the trip; e) Guidelines and requirements for the field notes and journals that will be turned in at the end of the program; f) Completion of various forms and paperwork pertaining to the trip; and g) Survival Greek and Italian language.

Schedule
Week 1
Introduction to the program; Readings, Assignments, Logistics

Intro to COA 3114
Week 2:Culture and Architecture of prehistoric Greece / Minoan and Mycenaean culture
Week 3: Culture and Architecture of Archaic Greece
Week 4:Culture and Architecture of Classical Greece
Week 5:Culture and Architecture of Hellenistic Greece
Assignment 1 Due

Intro to COA 3115
Week 6: Rome | Gods, Farmers, and Generals: The History of Early Rome
Week 7: Rome | From Republic to Empire: Roman Institutions in the Imperial Age
Week 8: Rome | From Republic to Empire: Roman Institutions in the Imperial Age
Week 9: Rome | The Roman city & villa; Ostia – Tivoli
Week 10: The mediaeval city | East and West: Rise of Christianity
Assignement 2 Due

Intro to COA 3116
Week 11: North Italy | An introduction
Week 12: Spring break
Week 13: Renaissance Italy | Principal artists and architects
Week 14: Florence | Art and Architecture
Week 15: Venice | Art and Architecture
Assignement 3 Due

Week 16: Final review / Q&A
Assignement 4 Due

Assignments and Grades
Primary work to be accomplished for this prep course includes:
1) Assignment 1 (25%)
Develop library research for your on-site presentation in Greece in ARCH 3007 and complete a first draft of the handout that will accompany the presentation.
2) Assignment 2 (25%)
Develop library research for your on-site presentation in Rome in ARCH 3008 and complete a first draft of the handout that will accompany the presentation.
3) Assignment 3 (25%)
Develop library research for your on-site presentation in North Italy in ARCH 3009 and complete a first draft of the handout that will accompany the presentation.
4) Assignment 4 (25%)
Develop library research and complete independent study form for your paper (ARCH 4921 / 6921)

Required Books
Stefano Maggi, Christina Troso. The Treasures of Ancient Greece (2004)
Blue Guide: Rome
Valerio Lintner. A Traveller's History of Italy
Peter Murray. The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance
Markella Callimassia. Greek Phrasebook (2000)
Lonely Planet (2004)
Fast Talk Italian: Essential Language for Short Trips

Additional recommended readings:
Robert Flaceliere. Daily Life in Greece at the Time of Pericles, Trsl. Peter Green (2002)
JJ Coulton. Ancient Greek Architects at Work: Problems of Structure and Design (1995)
Loren Partridge. Art of Renaissance Florence, 1400-1600 (2009)
Valerio Lintner. A Traveller's History of Italy, Eight Edition (2008)

Review Materials
A review list of architectural terms and names of major architects and artists that will help you with the material being covered this summer. Most of these words are common usage terms, but some may require review to recall their meaning:
Column types, Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Composite, Podium, Pilaster, Portico Colonnade, Prostyle, Pseudo-peripteral, Thermae, Circus, Tepidarium, Calidarium, Frigidarium, Basilica, Amphitheater, Theater, Apse, Niche, Pier, Pedestal, Podium, Atrium, Coffer, Vault, Opus Caementicium, Opus Incertum, Opus Reticulatum, Opus Testaceum, Dome, Narthex, Mosaic, Nave, Impost block, Aisle, Transept, Bema, Aedicula, Quadratura, Thermal Window, Astylar, quoin, Trompe-l'oeil, Baldachino, Rustication, Contraposto, String course, Palladian motif, Serliano, Piano nobile, Stylar, Piazza, Hadrian, Apollodorus of Damascus, Vitruvius, Giotto, Arnolfo di Cambio, Brunelleschi, Alberti, Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, Borromini, Perruzzi, Palladio.

 

Faculty

Athanassios Economou

Athanassios Economou

Program Director

Danielle Willkens

Danielle Willkens

Professor

Myrsini Mamoli

Myrsini Mamoli

Lecturer

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