The course is divided into 15 weeks with multi-media content with lectures, discussions and written and visual projects.  When not otherwise specified, the class meets onsite not on campus. Appointment times and meeting places are written on the syllabus. The course uses a thematic order.  Particular attention will be given to the 20th and 21th century but specific exercises throughout the semester will provide the opportunity to excavate the geo-historical and cultural roots of specific social trends in the city. Students will be expected to participate verbally and with written comments. Participation will be graded. Assessment of students’ progress will be conducted throughout the semester. Forms of assessment will include discussions/threads, in-class exams as well as instructor critiques and peer feedbacks.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the city’s urban development from the late1800 to the

present time.

2. Demonstrate familiarity with the effects of globalization on the economic, cultural

    and social life in the city.

 3. Describe individual neighborhoods and identify their their roles in relation to

    the broader urban context.

4 Strengthen the student’s ability to observe and interact in different social

   environments in sensitively and culturally appropriate ways.

5. Apply modern social theories to an urban context.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This on-site course, which will be conducted in English, aims to introduce students to a sociological and spatial analysis of contemporary Rome. It focuses on the changes which are occurring in the city’s populations, its neighborhoods and daily patterns of life and commerce. On-site classes will be held in a variety of neighborhoods in the city in order to analyze the area’s role as a social entity and its relationship with the wider urban context.

TEXTBOOK

There is no textbook for the class. Readings are posted on the course website and handouts, when necessary, will be distributed at the beginning of each on-site visit.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of Rome’s urban development from the late 1800s to the present.
2. Analyze the effects of globalization on the city’s economic, cultural, and social life.
3. Describe individual neighborhoods and evaluate their roles within the broader urban context.
4. Apply modern social theories to urban settings.

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ASSESSMENT METHODS:

• Two Quiz Exams (20% each): 40%
• Independent Project: 20%
• Five Discussions (8% each): 40%

Quiz Exams:
In-class quizzes include 10–20 questions in multiple-choice, true/false, and open-ended formats. Quizzes are not cumulative.

Independent Project:
Students will conduct a visual analysis of two streets in Rome’s historical center, focusing on changes in the last 50 years. This individual exercise introduces students to intuitive methods for observing, describing, and documenting urban evolution. Detailed guidelines and rubrics are provided in the assignment.

Discussions:
Discussions are graded as part of participation. Each discussion requires:

1. A personal statement (minimum 300 words).
2. Two replies to classmates (minimum 50 words each).

Discussions aim to foster engagement and exchange of ideas. Incomplete or late submissions will not be graded. Specific guidelines and rubrics are provided in the assignment.

NOTE:

• Exam schedules, syllabus, and all relevant materials are posted online.
• Students unfamiliar with the platform may seek assistance from AUR’s dedicated support team.
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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

• A: Exceptional work demonstrating a deep understanding of material, critical evaluation, originality, and significant additional reading.
• B: Competent work reflecting a clear understanding and some critical evaluation. Discussions present original arguments beyond lecture material.
• C: Acceptable work with clear but limited answers, relying mainly on lectures and assigned readings.
• D: Poor grasp of material with significant omissions or irrelevant content.
• F: Failure to demonstrate knowledge or understanding of the subject matter.

 ACADEMIC HONESTY:

Any act of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the assignment and may result in failure of the course. Repeat offenses may lead to dismissal from the university. All cases will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES:
Students with approved accommodations must inform their instructors at the beginning of the term. Refer to the university website for the full policy.

ABSENCES:

• Three absences: No penalty.
• Four absences: One full letter grade deduction from the final grade (e.g., A to B).
• Five absences: Dismissal from the course.

Major exams (midterm or final) can only be rescheduled with prior approval from the Dean’s Office for serious reasons. Absences for reasons such as job interviews, family events, or personal convenience will not be excused. Students observing religious holidays must notify the instructor by the Add/Drop deadline to arrange make-up work.

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SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

1\20. IN-CLASS. 8:30AM. COURSE PRESENTATION. ROME BEYOND THE STEREOTYPES

The presentation includes a general explanation and objectives of the course, the different onsite visits, technicalities such as meeting times and places, nature of the assessments and other information relative to the nature of an onsite course.

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1\27. IN-CLASS. 8:30AM.  EXPLANATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL PROJECT

This meeting is dedicated to the individual project. Some of the examples presented in class are from former students and will serve as a templates. The exercise will test the ability of the student to organize a research in all its parts including theory and methodology.

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2\3. ON SITE. THE COMMODIFICATION OF LOCAL CULTURE: A WALK IN TRASTEVERE.

Appointment at 9:15AM in class.

In this class we discuss how traditional Rome really is and what processes affect the history, character and lifestyle of a neighborhood. At the end of the class students will be able to look and think at Rome from the perspective that challenges the conventional images of the city: eternal, traditional, intimate, local.

Readings:

Montanari and B. Staniscia. Rome: A Difficult Path Between Tourist Pressure and Sustainable Development.

Trabalzi: The commodification of culture and the changing identity of a Roman neighborhood (working paper) 

Clough Marinaro, I. and B. Thomassen, 2014:” Into the City: The Changing Faces of Rome,” in Clough Marinaro, I. and B. Thomassen, eds. Global Rome (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press)

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2\5.  FRIDAY MAKE UP FOR APRIL 21. IN-CLASS. 8:30AM.  HOW OLD IS ROME?

In this class we discuss the role of ideology in shaping our perception and understanding of Rome’s past. At the end of the class students will be able to discuss the archaeological landscape of central Rome as the product of modern political objectives and ideologies rather than the result of ages of history untouched.

Readings:

F.Trabalzi. The Roman Forum Reinvented (Working paper)

D. Watkin, “Archaeologists under the kings of United Italy,” pp. 196-200 and “From Mussolini To Hitler to Holes on the Ground,” pp. 201-222, In The Roman Forum (London: Profile Books, 2011).

F. Trabalzi, “Primavalle: Urban Reservation in Rome". in Journal of Architectural Education, 42\3 September 1989: 38-46.

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2\10.  ON-SITE: THE ROMAN FORUM AS A CASE OF OLD ROME REINVENTED

Appointment:  9:15AM   Piazza del Campidoglio.

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2\17.  ON-SITE.  OLD IDENTITIES NOT CONSIDERED. THE OLD JEWISH GHETTO AND THE PARADOX OF PROTECTING CULTURAL HERITAGE.

Appointment: 9:15AM by the statue on the Tiber Island.

In this class we discuss how the city decides which parts of its cultural heritage are worth preserving and which are not and how such decisions shape the narrative of the city's history. At the end of the class students will be able to discuss the paradoxes of cultural heritage in modern Rome.

Readings: F. Trabalzi. The paradox of protecting cultural heritage in Rome (working paper).

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2\24. IN-CLASS. 8:30AM MIDTERM EXAM

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3\3. IN-CLASS. 8:30AM.  SOCIAL MARGINALITY IN CONTEMPORARY ROME: CONVENTIONAL AND RADICAL.

In this class we discuss the meaning of social, cultural, and spatial marginality. At the end of this module students will be able to discuss the definition and difference between alternative theories of social, cultural, and spatial marginality and to describe how such differences are manifested in two main areas of the city: Testaccio and Park of the Aqueducts.

Readings: bell hooks: “Choosing the Margin as a site of Radical   Openness,” in Yearning: Race, Gender and Cultural Politics”, Boston: South End Press,1990.

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3\10 SPRING BREAK. 

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3\17. ON-SITE. THE AQUEDUCTS: A CONVENTIONAL HISTORY OF SOCIAL MARGINALITY.

Appointment: 9:45.AM at Metro A station Giulio Agricola. Expected return time to campus around 12:15.

In this class we explore the social history of the Aqueducts in the last 80 years, why such a history can be told as a case of social marginality and what type of marginality such a history is evidence of. At the end of the class students will be able to discuss social marginality as a condition of life both constructed and perceived.

Readings: F. Trabalzi. The Park of the Aqueducts: A history of social marginality (Working paper)

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3\24. ON-SITE. TESTACCIO: A NEIGHBORHOOD RADICALLY OPEN

Appointment: 9:15AM bus stop Marmorata-Galvani near PIRAMIDE.

In this class we explore the meaning of marginality as a space of radical openness, and why the ex-slaughterhouse of Testaccio be considered a case of margin of radical openness. At the end of the class students will be able to discuss the sociological concept of marginality as place of radically openness,  the meaning of counter-hegemony as manifested in space as well as alternative approaches to the preservation of the multi-layered history of Rome.

 Readings: F. Trabalzi. Testaccio: A neighborhood radically open (Working paper).

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3\31. ONSITE. ROME AND MULTICULTURALISM: A DIFFICULT PARTNERSHIP IN THE ESQUILINO NEIGHBORHOOD

Appointment 9:15AM at Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore in front of the Basilica.

In this class we explore the history of multiculturalism today in Rome and the form it takes in the Esquilino neighborhood, arguable the most diverse in Rome.

Readings: F. Trabalzi. Difficult Multiculturalism in Esquilino, Rome.

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4\7. ONSITE. GREEN ROME. THE HISTORY OF ROME'S PUBLIC PARKS. THE CASE OF VILLA PAMPHILI

Appointment at 9:15AM Guarini Lemon Garden.

In the next two classes we explore the history of public parks in Rome. In particular we will study their origins and their differences with public parks in the US and in other capitals of Europe. At the end of the classes students will be able to compare the history of public parks in Italy and in the US, the concept of "public" behind the origins of public parks, the economic and cultural underpinning that stimulated their creation, and the differences between public parks in the US, France and England in terms of landscape theories.

Readings:  F. Trabalzi. The History of Rome Public Parks (working paper)

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4\14. ON-SITE. GREEN ROME. THE HISTORY OF ROME'S PUBLIC PARKS. THE CASE OF VILLA BORGHESE

Appointment 9:15 ai Piazza del Popolo by the Obelisk.

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4\21. HOLYDAY

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 4\28. IN-CLASS. 8:30. RECAP

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