PCC Offers Study Abroad In Florence, Italy this Fall

Pasadena City College’s Dr. Rita D’Amico, associate professor of Italian, and Dr. Sandra Haynes, professor of art history, will be leading the Florence Study Abroad program this fall semester. D’Amico will be teaching Italian Culture and Italian Cinema, while Haynes will be teaching History of Western Art, European, Renaissance and Baroque Art, and Art Fundamentals.

The study abroad program in Florence was started in 1996 by Dr. Simonetta May, a professor in the Languages Division at PCC, with the goal of exposing students to the rich culture of Italy and to provide the experience of living in a foreign country for an extended period of time. An integral part of the program, now in its 16th year, has been the study of the language, which has allowed our students to immerse themselves in the Italian life.

“It’s impossible to sum up the effects Italy has both socially and personally on the students’ lives,” D’Amico said. “Living and studying for an extended period of time in another country is crucial to becoming an open minded individual. Being part of this life changing experience and seeing how it changes students’ lives and their perspective on the world and on their own country is one of the most rewarding experiences of my profession.”

PCC is the only community college in the Los Angeles area to offer a study abroad program in Italy and one of the few in the state of California.

To learn more about the program, students are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on either May 8 or June 5. Due to the high demand for the program, the priority application deadline is May 18.

For more information on the 2012 Fall Semester Abroad Program in Florence, visit www.pasadena.edu/travel/florence/index.cfm or contact the Study Abroad Office at (626) 585-7203.