Fordham in Rome

VART 3500: Documentary Photography: Italy

Saint Peter's Square.

Location: Rome, Italy

“My professor made the program so amazing and I learned so much about Italian culture while documenting my time spent there!"
— Molly Hudson, Summer 2025

Fordham University offers a number of summer courses in Rome, Italy each year introducing students to the rich history and culture of the city through daily walking tours, museum visits, and so much more.

Deadline: February 1st

Apply to the Program

Group of Students Posing in Rome - SM

Group of students in front of Parthenon - SM

Rome Train Station Study Abroad

Program Details

  • The "Eternal City" is the capital city of Italy and has been inhabited for 28 centuries, securing its place in history as the site of significant events which influenced the development of modern western civilization. As a global city, Rome has hosted the Olympics and houses the headquarters of a number of specialized United Nations agencies. Vatican City, the home of the Pope and leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, is an enclave surrounded entirely by the city of Rome. Today, nearly 3 million people call Rome their home.

  • VART 3500- Documentary Photography: Italy
    Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock
    4 Credits
    This intensive four-credit class will introduce you to the basic and advanced techniques of image production with a major emphasis on generating documentary projects directly relating to the people, architecture, and culture of Italy. The cosmopolitan city of Rome, rich with artistic history, will serve as the source for our photographic explorations, as well as the catalyst for discussions addressing the historical significance of the documentary impulse. Our studies and production will take us from exhibitions in progressive contemporary art galleries, to the ancient architecture of the Colosseum as we utilize the wealth of visual stimuli as a resource, as well as a backdrop against which to critically discuss the strategies that documentarians utilize in communicating their interests.
    Please note that cameras are provided for the course.
    Each class produces a final book of compiled photography. To see previous classes final published books, click here.
     
    This Course is a Visual Arts Major or Minor Course at Fordham University.
     
     

  • You will live in housing that is centrally located within Rome, in areas with shops and transportation and within reach of city attractions.  Fordham University will bill participants a Program Fee that will cover the cost of housing during the program. Students are housed in shared student apartments which offer a walk or commute by public transport to classes. Students share twin or triple bedrooms and then share living areas with additional flatmates.

  • Participants will attend a pre-departure orientation with both Fordham faculty and study abroad administrators in preparation for their summer experience in Rome. Upon arrival, students attend an on-site orientation to introduce them to accommodations, culture and safety. Throughout the program, students will rarely be seen in the confines of the classroom, but instead, out and about exploring the richness of Roman life, art and culture through visits to historic sites, walking tours, and special excursions throughout the city.

  • Summer 2026

    June 3rd: Arrival & Orientation

    June 28th: Departure