RIC in Perugia

 

Sustainability & Food Systems: Study and Intern in Italy

Experience the Real Italy: The Umbra Institute is located in Perugia, a big college town in a medium-sized Italian city. Join 30,000 Italian and 3,000 other foreign students in a beautiful hill-top town. Perugia is a welcoming city where you can become a temporary citizen; it’s also perfectly placed to let you explore the rest of Italy and Europe.

Earn credit while abroad: RIC’s agreement with The Umbra Institute in Perugia means that you can study abroad and still make progress towards your degree. The Umbra Institute offers courses in a wide variety of disciplines that RIC students can use for major credit. This is especially true for Environmental Studies students, who can take courses in the the Institute’s Center for Food & Sustainability Studies  (see the course equivalencies on the brochure here).

Courses in Food, Sustainability, and Environmental Studies
Students interested in completing the Certificate for the Food & Sustainability Studies Program (FSSP) may do so by enrolling in one of the tracks described below. The equivalencies for the RIC major in Environmental Studies are in parentheses after each course’s name. All Certificate students are required to take an Italian language and culture class as well as the one-credit certificate core course, FSST 100: Experiencing Sustainable Italian Foodways (counts as 1F, ENST 150).

Students completing the Food Studies track will then choose three of the following 3-credit elective courses:
•FSST/GSCI 250: The Science of Italian Food  (counts as Depth, ENST 350)
•ENV/FSST/SOC 330: Sustainable Food Production in Italy: Local Traditions and Global Transformations (counts as 1F, SUST 200)
•FSST/HIST/SOC 350: The History and Culture of Food in Italy  (counts as 2E, HIST 358)
•COMM/BUS/FSST 355: Digital Marketing: Wine and Wineries of Central Italy (counts as 1C, ENG 321)
•ANTH/FSST/SOC 375: The Anthropology of Food (counts as 1E, ANTH 101)

Students completing the Environmental Studies & Sustainability track will choose three of the
following 3-credit elective courses:
•ENV/FSST/GSCI 320: Water Resources: Environment, Society and Power (counts as 1D, PSCI 212)
•ENV/FSST/SOC 330: Sustainable Food Production in Italy: Local Traditions and Global Transformations (counts as 1F, SUST 200)
•BUS/ENV 340: Global Sustainable Business (counts as 1F, ENST 250)
•ENV/SOC 355: Towards “Green Cities”: Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces & Communities (counts as Depth, ENST 350)
•BUS/ENV 365: Tourism for Sustainable Development: Italian & Global Models (counts as Depth, ENST 350)

Students can complete a Dual Concentration by completing two elective courses in food studies and two courses in sustainability & environmental studies.

Study something else? RIC students can choose another specialized program, like Umbra’s Multicultural Psychology Program (for which they can also get electives within the Pscyhology major) or Direct Enrollment Options (chances to study at an Italian university, in Italian). Alternatively, they can build their own semester, selecting courses from a variety of disciplines as part of the General Studies Program. Click to view all course options. 

Intern abroad: The Institute also offers 1 or 3-credit internships in May through June. Help the University of Perugia expand its urban gardening outreach program, work with a tour company to offer more food-related tours, or help a small winery with online marketing.

Live like an Italian: Learn to appreciate the Italian lifestyle. Umbra provides students with shared apartments within a 5-minute walk of the Institute, allowing for innumerable opportunities to enjoy mid-day siestas, eat a panino on the fountain steps, and walk the city center like a native. Apartments are furnished with full kitchens so that you can try to duplicate your favorite new Italian dish. WiFi is provided both within the Institute and in each student apartment.

To ask questions about program options, fill out the form below.

Interested in studying in Perugia, Italy? Fill out this form to get more information about the Umbra Institute including housing, academics, life in Perugia, admission requirements, internships, tuition, and travel scholarships for RIC students.

Student Profiles

Rosie Steinberg
“The Umbra Food & Sustainability Studies Program has been perfect for me, and Perugia has provided a truly authentic experience. Unfortunately, for the same reasons Perugia is so authentic, it is also unknown in the US. I want to make sure students have exposure to this great city.”

UNM_student_Donahue2Samuel Marlinga
“Italy is wonderful and Perugia is a unique city, but the real reason I love Umbra is the people I met here. Whether it was Professor Antonella telling us about Italian culture or learning the strange history of saints from Professor Hoch or bothering the staff with stupid travel questions, the people are truly the best part of Umbra.”

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Explore Perugia

Here you can see the main square in Perugia. The beautiful fountain and the entrance of Umbra Institute.

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