Rome is the quintessential site for examining the evolution of various cultural phenomena across millennia, the structuring of political power, intertextual relationships in virtually all of the arts, the development of religion, the aesthetic exploration of place, and more. The city stands as a theater of humanity where themes and questions can be explored within a deep historical spectrum, where artists and scholars are tested in their capacity to comprehend and relate to a tremendous complexity unfolding before their eyes and to the very essence of culture and human time.

This January, a group of Chapman students across various majors spent two weeks visiting Rome’s major museums and most representative neighborhoods while designing and carrying out individual projects. The travel course is the fruit of a collaboration between Chapman’s Ferrucci Institute for Italian Experience and Research and the Borromini Institute in Rome. Students under the mentorship of Dr. Federico Pacchioni, interviewed experts in various fields, and collaborated with Italian peers from local universities.

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