Throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, Temple University Rome (TUR) developed and launched several new non-credit programs online and in person, which targeted high school students based in the U.S. and Italy, as well as the local Roman community.
In Fall 2020, TUR launched a Pre-College Workshop Series, featuring a focus on the visual arts. Workshops included bookbinding, recycled papermaking, digital drawing, zine publishing, and more, all taught by TUR visual arts faculty. Workshop series were held in person and open to local high school students in Rome. They provided participants with an introduction to the course structure at an American university while helping them improve their English and learn new or familiar subjects from different perspectives. The program was renewed in Spring 2021 and a new series is available for Fall 2021.
In addition, TUR hosted an Online Pre-college Workshop Series, featuring faculty and topics from art history, anthropology, and political science, which supported Main Campus recruiting efforts. These two-hour sessions hosted live from Rome allowed high school students to get a sense of college-level material and learning environments. TUR also participated in Temple’s 2021 Summer Pre-College Workshops, offering two-week lessons (online) in identity, history, art, pop culture, and more.
Participants in one workshop, Race at the Borders of Europe, responded enthusiastically to the series, from the choice of readings to the interactive format. “My instructor… was very flexible, engaging, and friendly. He made it easy to understand (the) material,” said one student. “I enjoyed how interactive the class was and that so much of it was discussion based,” another student commented.
TUR launched its newest initiative, a Business Workshop Series, in Summer 2021. Made possible by a grant from Temple University’s CIBER, this eight-workshop series targeted the Rome business community, including local university students and small business owners. The objective was to help participants develop their international business skills and learn about Temple University. Workshops were taught in English by TUR faculty and included an array of topics, including multinational finance, neuromarketing, sport management, change management, and more.
According to Temple Rome Dean Emilia Zankina, “We are excited to continue the expansion of these programs to the local Roman community and to support Main Campus recruiting efforts, which also highlight the opportunities here at Temple Rome.”
By Emily Kravet, External Relations Coordinator, Temple Rome