Rome was Troy's destiny, Aeneas's new home, the heir to the glory of Greece. Under Augustus, Rome was the Caput Mundi, seat of the most extraordinary imperial power the world has ever known. Rome was where Peter became the rock of the Church, and it remains the indisputable center of western Christendom. Rome was where Petrarch stood and gazed out on the ruins of that ancient civilization; his ruminations gave rise to the Renaissance. Rome was where Martin Luther witnessed the corruption and decadence of ecclesiastic power, his outrage fueling the Reformation. And Rome is where the Church responded most dramatically to that schism: the Counter-Reformation sparked a period of spectacular artistic patronage and urban planning. Rome was where Gibbon sat and mused and decided to write his history. Rome was the high point of the Grand Tour, the mecca and inspiration of the Romantics. And alas, in 1938 Rome was the meeting place of Hitler and Mussolini.

Nothing is simply ancient history in this eternal city: its multiple layers of history and the intersection of the arts and politics are ever-present in Rome's urban landscape and cultural imagination.

Noted translator and Humanities professor Virginia Jewiss (and resident of Rome) will lead Humanities majors in an interdisciplinary study of Rome from its legendary origins through its evolving presence at the crossroads of Europe and the world. During the Spring term students will enroll in HUMS 396b “The City of Rome,” in which they will examine the city from its mythical founding through the twentieth century using ancient and modern sources from literature, philosophy, theology and history.

Students enrolled in the Spring course may then apply to spend five weeks in Rome during the summer, continuing their exploration of the city's rich interweaving of history, theology, literature, philosophy, and the arts. Once in Rome, students will experience the city itself as their classroom. The program will take full advantage of all Rome has to offer: world-class museums, archaeological sites, churches, piazzas, historic libraries and archives, and the very fabric of the city itself. More information on this program will be made available soon. Keep checking this page and with Yale Summer Session for more details.

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