Early Childhood Education in Florence: Graduate Program

Use Florence and greater Italy as your classroom during this 4-week, 6-credit program. Your program will consist of lectures, cultural activities, excursions and school visits. These activities and visits will help you use Italy as a case study to examine issues of cross-cultural psychology and how they affect education in different countries. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to complete a research project of your own choosing, with the ability to gather data in Italy while working under the guidance of a Pitt professor. This program is designed for students who are pursuing graduate degrees in the School of Education or a related field. There is an undergraduate education in Florence program with different courses/learning objectives as well. Please apply to the correct program for your academic level.

What You'll Accomplish:

As an active and engaged participant on this program, you will have the opportunity to develop:

The ability to use theory in practice when working with young children and literature
Deeper knowledge of best practices in teaching English Language Learners and managing bilingual classrooms
Language and literacy practices for young children, including applied theories, language development and literature selection

Florence, Italy is the capital city of the Firenze province and Tuscany region with approximately 370,000 inhabitants and expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area. It is surrounded by the picturesque rolling hills of Tuscany. Florence is a majestic city that is visually stunning, culturally rich and has a storied past. Florence was founded as a Roman Military colony around the 1st Century BC. The city’s population began to grow due to its location in the fertile, farmable hills. Its location also was perfect for economic development in the region. Florence became a haven for an ever-growing immigrant population that still exists today. Florence has its strong Italian roots, but is also very much a multi-cultural city.

Due to the growing economy and influx of immigrants it became the perfect location for merchants and artists. This in part, led to the Renaissance period in the 14th to 16th centuries. Many of the most influential artists of that time period flocked to the city to work on their art including Michelangelo, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Leonardo da Vinci. They left behind masterpieces in the forms frescoes, sculptures, paintings and architecture that are still visible throughout the city today. Students will earn 3-credits in History of Art and Architecture. The city will be your classroom for this program as it feels like a living, breathing museum of Italian Renaissance masterpieces. Florence is a major tourist destination, but the authentic-Italian experience is easy to discover.

Temperatures and precipitation vary based on the season. In May, the temperatures can range from mild to quite hot. The old stone buildings across the city are designed to make sure they are never too hot, nor too cold. It is important though to be prepared with a variety of clothes that you can layer with during your program.

Where You'll Live:

Students will live like a Florentine during their time abroad. Housing placements are scattered throughout the city-center and location depends on availability and housing option. Exact addresses are provided closer to departure. The city is a very flat, pedestrian friendly, and walkable city.

Like the streets of Florence, no two apartments on the Early Childhood Education Graduate program are alike in terms of design, but all will give you a comfortable place to call home in Italy. Most apartments are located within 40 minutes commute to the CAPA Center, either on foot or by bus. Apartments are still within what is considered the city-center.

You can expect the following at your accommodations:

Shared bedroom (typically two students per bedroom)
There are typically up to six students in each apartment
A fully equipped, shared kitchen
En-suite bathroom (typically 1 bathroom per 2 students)
Shared living area
Washing machine(s) in the building (Italian apartments typically do not have dryers).
Meals aren’t included, so plan on learning to cook with local ingredients or budget money to eat out.

We do our best to provide the most accurate information about housing and amenities but due to the nature of the locations in which we offer programs and limited availability, these items are subject to change. Contact your program manager with any questions.

A/C is not common and, if/when available, is regulated.

What You'll Study:

You'll earn a total of 6 credits on the Early Childhood Education in Italy program. Everyone who participates on the program will take the same courses. The Cross-Cultural Psychology course and Directed-Study courses are taught by Pitt professor Anna Arlotta-Guerrero. The courses will be taught in English and it will be comprised of lectures, guest speakers, city tours, cultural activities and visits to local schools around Florence. You will also have the opportunity to meet and engage with local teachers and school administrators.

Directed Study PhD (HHD3598)

This course is intended to provide graduate students with an opportunity to conduct their own research project in Italy. This project will be individualized to meet the needs and interests of each student. All projects, however, will include data collection in Italy, and a final paper written in the form of a manuscript suitable for submission to a professional journal. Projects may include (1) intensive data collection in Italy, or (2) light data collection in the U.S. (prior to the trip to Italy) and in Italy to allow for cross-cultural comparisons.

Depending on your academic stage, this project may serve as the initial steps toward a pre-dissertation project or some other academic milestone. If so, however, you are expected to work with the Directed Study Instructor, and be in close contact with an academic advisor.

If you are interested in presenting this project data, or publishing it, you will need to complete an IRB proposal at Pitt before collecting data. Due to the potential complexity of international IRB proposals, if you would like to go through this process you should meet with the Directed Study Instructor by February at the latest (preferably much earlier).

Special Topics: Cross-Cultural Psychology (HHD2588)

This course is an overview of the theoretical and methodological issues that characterize cross-cultural research in psychology. Students will grapple with the inherent limitations in comparing cultures, and with the historical tensions between looking for universal and culturally specific phenomena. We will read and discuss empirical examples from across many cultures, but will conduct observations in Italy as case examples.

Directed Study Masters (HHD2598)

The University of Pittsburgh partners with CEA CAPA Education Abroad for this program. CEA CAPA works with institutions of higher education to build programs that meet their goals for learning abroad, and offers study abroad and internship programs in destinations around the globe. CEA CAPA focuses on academic offerings, support frameworks, and oversight structures for students and visiting faculty. The CEA CAPA Florence Center is housed in three buildings in the heart of Florence, including in Palazzo Galli-Tassi, a 15th century palace. The CEA CAPA Florence team is available throughout your program to assist and support you 24/7 with any urgent situations.

There are many CEA CAPA-led events during the program through CEA CAPA’s own My Global City Program. These events/activities may include a walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for stunning views over the city of Florence and a hike in the nearby hills, followed by dinner in one of the best pizzerias in town. Other activities, often self-guided, reflect what is on in the city at the time and may include a walking tour to the most important markets of Florence, tasting typical Italian snacks, a night at the Opera or attending soccer match at the Florence Stadium. Some events/activities are free while others may require a small fee. Many students say that the CEA CAPA My Global City Programs were some of the best experiences on their entire program.

Your Pitt Study Abroad Contacts:

Lauren Perri

Hi! I'm Lauren, Program Manager for Arts & Sciences students. As an undergraduate student, I studied abroad in Marburg, Germany. Since then, my career in international education has taken me to many locations around the world. Particularly, I have an affinity for Florence, Italy. There is nothing quite like the challenge of navigating a new city, country, and culture! Let's chat about global experiences.

E-mail:

lap140@pitt.edu

Schedule an appointment

Schedule an appointment with me using Pathways!

Don't see a time that works for you? Just send me an email at lap140@pitt.edu

Your In-Country Contacts:

Professor Anna Arlotta-Guerrero

Dr. Anna Arlotta-Guerrero is an Associate Professor of Practice within Pitt's department of Health and Human Development. She earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Pittsburgh. Her teaching and research interests include the instruction and learning of Young English language learners and early childhood education. Prior to coming to the University of Pittsburgh she taught for many years in the public school system in grades PK-4.

Items Billed by Pitt
	In-State	Out-of-State
Program Fee	$6,099.00	$6,299.00
Pitt GEO Admin Fee	$300.00	$300.00
Total Billed by Pitt	$6,399.00	$6,599.00

Estimated Additional Out-of-Pocket Costs
Airfare		$1,700
Meals and Personal Expenses		$1,000 - $1,500

Remember that your lifestyle and spending choices can greatly affect the amount of money you'll need while abroad. Visit our Budgeting page for more information. The above estimates are estimates.

What's Included:

As a part of your Florence program fee, the follow are included in the program:

Tuition for six credits
Guest lectures and panel discussions
Shared apartments in Florence for the duration of your program
Class related activities and site visits
Welcome and farewell meals
Full day excursion to Reggio Emilia area
Full day excursion to Siena and San Gimignano
International travel insurance

When You'll Go:

This program runs during the month of May. See program side bar for exact dates.

What Else You Need to Know:

This program is designed for students who are pursuing graduate degrees in the School of Education or a related field.

In addition to the Pitt Global Experiences Office agreement meeting and pre-departure orientation, all students MUST attend two academic sessions prior to departure for Florence. These sessions will count as class sessions towards your grade.

If you are a non-US citizen, you may need a visa to travel to Italy, in which case you will be responsible for your visa. The Global Experiences Office, and our partner, CEA CAPA, will provide some of the supporting documents for your visa, but you will need to travel to Philadelphia to obtain the visa. Keep this in mind as you consider your budget.

Due to the nature of the program, the schedule is subject to change. There may be instances where a guest speaker or visit needs to be rescheduled. We ask for your patience and understanding in advance.

Time management skills will be a very important part of this program.

Remember that this is an academic program and that you should expect to invest the same amount of time and effort on your courses abroad as you would on a course at Pitt.

Florence can be very warm in May and A/C, if/when available, is regulated.