Virtual Study Abroad

In light of the continuing global effects of the COVID virus and its variant, Maryville University will again offer several virtual study-abroad courses taught by local professors at two of our regular on-site locations, Oxford, England and Florence, Italy in summer 2022.

These three-credit courses will occur in either Summer Session 1 (May 2 – June 24) or Summer Session 2 (June 27 – August 19). The cost of each course is the regular summer tuition rate of $1,866. Students may enroll in up to two courses per summer session as long as there are no time conflicts.

Course Descriptions

• INTD 449: Oxford Don Tutorial (Oxford, England) – Summer Session 1 & 2
  • Experience a one-on-one interactive tutorial with a professor/scholar (called Don) from one of the world’s greatest universities.
  • Six meetings with the Don through zoom, focusing on weekly readings and three student research/writing essays of around 1,500 words each.
  • Six virtual tours of major English cities with a 360-degree camera (Oxford, London, Bath, Canterbury, Manchester, Liverpool) with written assignments.
  • Course may be used to fulfill general education requirements for any academic area as determined by the nature of the Tutorial subject.
• INTD 449: World Affairs (Oxford, England) – Summer Session 2
  • Focus on 16 virtual lectures on world affairs topics by Oxford professors and other former government officials with important experiences in world affairs.
  • Students write short papers on each lecture and on its readings.
  • Past topics have included British-American Intelligence, War and History; An Introduction to British Government and Politics; Britain and the European Union; A History of Modern Britain—“Revolution!” (television documentary); The “Special Relationship” between the US and UK and its Influence on World Affairs; Operational Intelligence in a Counter Insurgency Campaign (Case Study: Northern Ireland); Anglo-American Relations/Foreign Policy during the Falklands War; The Arab Spring; Diplomatic Lessons from Brexit; The ‘Refugee Crisis’ – the Role of the European Union; The Peace Process in Northern Ireland: An Anglo-American Perspective; China and the Belt Road Initiative; Domestic Drivers of Chinese Foreign Policy; American Foreign Policy under Obama; Four Major Transformation of the International System by Global War since 1500.
  • Six virtual tours with a 360-degree camera (Oxford, London, Bath, Canterbury, Manchester, Liverpool) with written assignments for each.
  • Course may be used to fulfill general education requirements for history and political science.
• INTD 349: Florence and Its Contributions to Italian History and Culture (Florence, Italy) – Summer Session 2
  • From its Ancient Roman origins (1st century CE) to the present, students will study the history of Florence and its Italian culture from up close.
  • Attention to the changes that have influenced Italian culture and shaped the national character:, the birth of Humanistic culture (14th-15th centuries) and its major artistic development in the Renaissance, the role of the city of Florence during the season of great discoveries (15th-16th centuries); the birth and development of the Protestant Reformation; the scientific revolution of the 17th century; the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, the tragic events of the 20th century and the formation of contemporary Italian identity.
  • Students will be guided every day into the streets of the city to discover the most famous places as well as the most hidden spots; the shops that have made Florence a worldwide famous workshop for artisanal skills and the people who made the city what it is today.
  • The instructor will explain life in the city, their stories, and their relationship with both their Florentine and Italian identity.
  • This course may be used to fulfill general education requirements for history and humanities.