RISD : Rhode Island School of Design : RISD ABROAD

EUROPEAN HONORS PROGRAM
Founded in 1960, RISD’s European Honors Program (EHP) offers highly motivated and self-directed juniors and seniors the opportunity to live and study in Rome. “The experience changed my life,” notes alumnus David Macaulay [RISD ’69 Architecture], a 2006 MacArthur Fellow and author/illustrator of The Way Things Work, Ship, Cathedral, Rome-Antics and numerous other bestsellers.

Housed in the Palazzetto Cenci, a 16th-century palace within walking distance of the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Coliseum and the Roman Forum, EHP enables students to delve deep into independent study of the fine arts, architecture and design. Studio work is supervised by a chief critic (a member of RISD’s faculty who is appointed to the position), with visiting scholars, artists and short-term critics complementing the program. While in Rome, students participate in Italian language and art history courses that make full use of the city’s museums and architectural and archaeological monuments as subjects for study. Special study tours of northern and southern Italy enable students to explore other culturally significant cities such as Venice, Florence, Assisi, Perugia, Siena, Naples and Pompeii.

With the launch of the 2008-09 academic year, the honors program in Rome will be offered twice per year — in summer-fall and winter-spring. Each EHP session will run for 21 weeks, enabling more students to participate in the program and still enjoy a semester of study in Providence in any given year.

“As the founders envisioned, EHP continues to offer students a unique base for independent reflection and personal growth at their own pace,” notes Landscape Architecture Professor Colgate Searle RISD ’71 [Landscape Architecture], chairman of the committee that oversees the program. With the pending changes to the length of the program, the committee also expects to expand opportunities for students to engage in potentially broader independent study away from the classroom in Rome, with guidance from RISD critics. Digital connections to faculty members in Providence and other critics throughout the world also allow students to interface with a wider range of resources.

Acceptance to the European Honors Program (EHP) is competitive — based on grade point average, an essay of intention and faculty recommendations. Interested students should contact the EHP Committee through International Programs at 401 454-6754 or e-mail oip@risd.edu.

WINTERSESSION TRAVEL-STUDY
During the six-week Wintersession term in January and February, RISD faculty lead small groups of students on first-hand exploration of the arts, architecture and culture of other countries. Study groups have traveled to Mexico, Russia, India, Egypt, Japan, Peru and Cuba; students have studied “Graphic Design” in New Zealand; “Photography” in Paris; “Renaissance Painting Techniques” in Florence, Italy; “The Architecture of Two Cities: Edinburgh and Providence,” in Scotland; “Spirtuality in Pueblo Art” in New Mexico; and “The Culture of the Maya” in the Yucatan. Costs and travel arrangements vary from course to course.