U.S. TRAVEL VIRTUAL ORIENTATIONMay 19, 2010 : U.S. TRAVEL VIRTUAL ORIENTATIONMay 19, 2010 Greece and Italy Summer Classics Programs
Sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Foundation in Greece, the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, The Fulbright Commission in Italy, the American School of Classical Studies in Rome, and the Vergilian Society
Administered by American Councils for International Education
Orientation Goals : Orientation Goals Through this orientation, you will:
Learn about Program Goals
Understand programming in Greece and Italy
Get recommendations from and ask questions of American Councils staff and other grantees
Understand what to do if…
Learn about follow-on grant opportunities
Program Goals for Greece : Program Goals for Greece To deepen one’s knowledge of the topography, archaeology, and monuments of Greece/Italy from ancient to modern times;
To encourage the professional development of teachers by broadening their familiarity with and increasing their understanding of approaches to their subjects and pedagogical methods;
To improve mutual understanding among teachers and their schools and communities in the U.S., Greece/Italy through professional development and exchange;
To provide U.S. teachers the opportunity to interact with one another and to share perspectives of and best practices for the teaching of Greek, Latin and/or the Classics.
Greece Program (6 weeks) : Greece Program (6 weeks) Friday, June 19
Depart U.S.
Saturday, June 20
Arrive Athens, Greece
Monday, June 21
Grantees will check into Loring Hall the first day of Summer Session at the American School of Classics Studies at Athens.
Friday, August 5
Depart Athens, Greece
Italy Program (8 weeks) : Italy Program (8 weeks) PART I
Saturday, June 19
Depart U.S for Rome, Italy
Sunday, June 20
Arrive in Rome, Italy and check-in to the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (ICCS) in Rome
Monday, June 21
2010 Italy Classics Summer Educational Seminars begins
Friday, July 30
Italy Classics Summer Educational Seminars Program in Rome ends
Italy Program (8 weeks) : Italy Program (8 weeks) PART II
Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1
Independent Study Day
Monday, August 2
Check out of ICCS and travel from Rome to the Villa Vergiliana in Naples.
Tuesday, August 3
Vergilian Society Summer Study Program begins
Saturday, August 14
Vergilian Society Summer Study Program ends. Depart Naples for Rome (Participants need to secure and pay for their lodging for the night of August 14th)
Sunday, August 15
Depart Rome for the U.S.
Washington, DC Program Debrief : Washington, DC Program Debrief Friday, September 24
Arrive in Washington D.C.
Saturday, September 25
One Day Debrief
Sunday, September 26
Depart Washington D.C.
Washington, DC Program Debrief : Washington, DC Program Debrief While on your program, be prepared to develop and share the following at the Debrief:
At a minimum one lesson plan that is built on the Ed. seminars experience
Plans on sharing your experience with your peers in your school and in your discipline
Plans on sharing your cultural experience in:
Your classroom
Your school
Your larger educational community
Sample Program Schedule : Sample Program Schedule Friday, July 3: Latium II: Praeneste and Villa Magna (full day)
7:00 Early Breakfast
7:30 Board CSS bus at Piazza Cucchi for ride to Palestrina
8:00 Porta Maggiore, Tomb of Eurysaces
8:40 Ponte di Nona
9:30 Palestrina bathroom break en route to Duomo
9:45 Praeneste Forum, Area Sacra, Antro delle Sorti
10:30 Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia
11:00 Museum
11:45 Lunch. Students free to wander for an hour
12:45 Leave for Villa Magna excavation
14:00 Autogrill bathroom stop
15:00 Villa Magna excavation
Guest Speaker: Prof. Elizabeth Fentress, American Academy in Rome
16:30 Depart Villa Magna for Centro
19:00 Arrive Centro
19:30 Dinner at Centro
What would you do in the following circumstances? : What would you do in the following circumstances? I received the schedule of events before I arrived in Rome/Athens and I did a little reading on the subjects and sites we are covering and visiting. However, now that I am here, I realize I am really out of my depth. Most of the sites are based on archaeology and I am a Latin teacher. Help!
The classes are great and I am learning a lot! When we visit a site we get background information and historical context to bolster our understanding. However, instead of receiving this information in an air conditioned classroom, we receive it while standing outside in the blistering hot sun.
Program Logistics : Program Logistics Travel
Housing
Stipend
Visas
Health
Packing
Preparing Yourself
Program Logistics: Travel : Program Logistics: Travel For Greece
Flights have been arranged by American Councils. You will receive the finalized e-tickets before the end of the week.
For Italy
Flights are arranged by individual grantees and must follow Fly America Act guidelines. Please send final flight itineraries to Julia (jhomstad@americancouncils.org). Once we have received your flight you will receive your $2400 travel stipend in the form of a wire transfer to your bank account.
Program Logistics: Housing : Program Logistics: Housing For Greece, housing is provided throughout the program. Grantees will stay at the President Hotel (43, Kifissias Av. 11523, Athens, Tel.: 210 69 89 000) on the nights of June 20 and August 4.
For Italy, housing is provided throughout the program, with the exception of August 14—the last program day. Grantees will be responsible for housing on this day.
Program Logistics: Stipend : Program Logistics: Stipend Grantees for Greece will receive an incidental allowance of $600 and a materials/shipping stipend of $200
Grantees for Italy will receive an incidental allowance of $550 and a materials/shipping stipend of $250
Program Logistics: Passports and Visas : Program Logistics: Passports and Visas Greece and Italy are parties to the Schengen agreement. As such, U.S. citizens may enter Greece and Italy for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa.
The passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay.
Program Logistics: Health : Program Logistics: Health You will receive supplemental insurance through ECA’s Accident Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE). This health insurance is supplemental only and should not be used as primary insurance.
The Classics Seminars can be physically challenging, with long hours and lots of walking/climbing. Please make sure you are properly rested and hydrated.
Program Logistics: Packing : Program Logistics: Packing Please remember to bring the following:
A phone card if you will need to call the U.S.
Power adapters/converters for your electronics
Space in your luggage for purchases of educational (and other) materials while on program
Please also be aware of the weather
Different cities may have different climates, pack accordingly
Here are some items to pack… : Here are some items to pack… Pocket knife (don’t forget to put this in your checked luggage)
Flashlight
Hygiene items
Hand sanitizers
Batteries
Umbrella
Over the counter medications
Copies of documents/credit cards
What would you do in this circumstance? : What would you do in this circumstance? The program housing is great. It is centrally located and the food is amazing. However, it is just too hot. Having two people in a room with no air conditioning is driving me up a wall. It’d be ok, except I can’t even get a glass of ice water!
When I heard we were staying at a villa I imagined something out of a movie. It is like a movie—a horror movie! It is much more rustic than I imagined with no plug for my computer in the room and no way to call my family in the U.S. Also, because the villa is so crowded, I can’t seem to get any alone time!
Other Programmatic Difficulties : Other Programmatic Difficulties Please inform American Councils immediately if any of the following occurs while you are in Greece or Italy:
An accident, serious illness, or hospitalization
Arrest or violation of Greek/Italian law
A situation that would prevent your continued participation in the program
How to Continue Collaboration : How to Continue Collaboration The Educational Seminars Program has an Alumni Small Grants component that funds collaborative projects to enable grantees to share and expand on educational experienced gained during the program
The maximum grant award is $5,000 regardless of the number of collaborators
Applications are available on the American Councils website in the announcements section: www.americancouncils.org
Begin brainstorming ideas for applying for Alumni Small Grants while traveling
Most Importantly… : Most Importantly… American Councils staff is here to help you and your international host. Please contact one of our staff if you have any questions or concerns or if you run into any problems.
We can help you with ANY problem you have…but only if we know about it!
We would also love to hear about any of the program success stories too!
American Councils Contact Information : American Councils Contact Information American Councils for International Education*
1828 L Street, NW - Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
(202)833-7522 - telephone
1-800-621-9559 - emergency phone
(202)833-7523 - fax
* If you are mailing something, please state who you would like it sent to (i.e. attn: Julia Homstad, etc.)
American Councils Staff Emails : American Councils Staff Emails Senior Program Manager: Zara Hovhannisyan zhovhannisyan@americancouncils.org
Senior Program Officer: Tim Hair thair@americancouncils.org
Program Officer: Julia Homstad jhomstad@americancouncils.org
Program Officer: Elise Schneck Skiba esskiba@americancouncils.org
Questions? Comments? Concerns?GOOD LUCK WITH THE PROGRAM!! : Questions? Comments? Concerns?GOOD LUCK WITH THE PROGRAM!!