Jewelry Design/Fashion Accessories Design Semester Abroad Program
This program aims to help students acquire a profound understanding within either the design of a Jewelry or Accessories collection. Students will first analyze the materials and fabrics, and the advanced technology needed to realize the final product, as well as a thorough understanding of the market itself. After having learned these various techniques, they will then create their own collection from the initial concept to the final design product.


Program Components

Module 1: Research/Trends
Credit Hours: 3.0 Contact Hours: 45

Description

Students will analyze trend atmospheres and lifestyles within the fashion & textile world, through research methods, as well as paying special attention to anthropological and sociological changes in society through a brief history of contemporary fashion.
Students enrolled in this program will acquire an understanding of the methods involved in marketing and communication within the Italian market.

Objective

The objective of this module is to introduce students to the process involved in creating a mood board, with particular attention focused on the research phase, with lectures on contemporary fashion history and the remarkable success of the ‘made in Italy’ phenomenon.

Module 2: Fashion Marketing and Communication
Credit Hours: 3.0 Contact Hours: 45

Description

Students will acquire an understanding of the methods involved in marketing fashion products and specific brands. Emphasis will be placed on methods and varieties of communication, and the mechanisms of the Fashion System in general.

Objective

The object of this module is to provide students with a basic general knowledge of the various sections of communicating a fashion product.

Choose either between Module 3 or Module 4:

Module 3: Jewelry Design
Credit Hours: 6.0 Contact Hours: 90

Description

An introduction to the fundamentals of jewelry designing and making. Students will have direct experience in a workshop context. They will explore the different stages of jewelry design, starting with the initial stages of the process, considering the objects in a three-dimensional context. At the end of this component, students will be prepared to participate in the existing industry and will understand correct jewelry marketing techniques. Contacts with professionals will help students to comprehend the different directions their work may take.

Objective

The object of this module is to teach the students how to develop and project an individual jewelry collection for today’s market. Students will develop their design skills and their ability to articulate and visualize their ideas. That ability will help them produce designs that can be easily transformed into the final product.

Module 4: Accessories Design
Credit Hours: 6.0 Contact Hours: 90

Description

A study of the generalities, classifications, and types of materials used in the design of shoes and bags, as well as the various methods of production.
The course will introduce a brief history of accessories, along with definitions of fashion market trends. This component may include visits to accessories trade fairs and to design studios or showrooms in Milan.
Students will study the generalities, classifications, and types of materials used in the design of shoes and bags, as well as the various methods of production.

Objective

The objective of this module is to teach the student how to develop and project an accessories collection, specifically developing shoes and bags.
Students will learn how to enhance design skills, technical drawings and rendering illustrations arriving at completion of a coordinated shoes and bags accessories collection. Contacts with professionals will help students to comprehend the different directions their work may take.

Module 5: Italian
Credit Hours: 3.0 Contact Hours: 45

*NB: The fifth module of all semester abroad programs is a 45-hour Italian language course. Students will either take Italian 101 or Italian 102, based on their language abilities


ITALIAN 101 LANGUAGE COURSE
Beginner/Elementary Level Course program

Objectives

After a 45 hours Italian language course students should be able to express themselves in the present and past tense, ask and answer questions about daily life, follow a simple conversation in common situations (in a train, in a café, in a shop, etc.), describe persons and places.

Methodology

In the direct method, the grammar and texts progress in such a way that the teacher can carry out his or her didactic approach directly in Italian, certain of being understood without the aid of translation. The course proceed through mostly communication activities, with conceptual and functional elements of the language gradually introduced. The themes used in the excerpts and reading are always selected in order to support and reflect the gradual learning of the morphosyntactic forms and structures.

Grammatical points covered

The verb to be (essere), this (questo), definite articles, there is and there are (c’è, ci sono)
The verb to have (avere), plural nouns and adjectives, the indefinite article
Regular present tense
Irregular present tense
Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives, comparative, buono, bello, invariable plurals
Simple prepositions
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
Interrogative, ci, superlatives, adverbs of quantity
Reflexive verbs in the present, progressive form
Conversation activities

Situations:

a) Greetings, introductions and identifying oneself
b) Description of common objects and places
c) Explanation of one’s profession, scholastic status, names of the main professions and trades
d) Dialogues and vocabulary relating to cafés and restaurants
e) Description of people and physical features
f) Dialogues and vocabulary relating to markets
g) Vocabulary relating to clothing
h) Street directions, describing the city
Listening comprehension, dictation, summarizing stories


ITALIAN 102 – LANGUAGE COURSE
ADMISSION REQUIREMENT: ITALIAN 101
Intermediate Level Course program

Objectives

After a 45 hours Italian language course students should be capable of using the main grammatical structures, the future tense, the imperfect tense, reflexive and passive forms. The students should be more accurate in the construction of sentences, able to use direct and indirect object pronouns, relative pronouns, impersonal forms … They are therefore able to conduct a conversation on common topics from everyday life (food, travel, sports, etc.) as well as confront more general topics, such as comparing the situation of employment, of education, of study, etc., in Italy with that of their own country.

Methodology

In the direct method, the grammar and texts progress in such a way that the teacher can carry out his or her didactic approach directly in Italian, certain of being understood without the aid of translation. The course proceed through mostly communication activities, with conceptual and functional elements of the language gradually introduced. The themes used in the excerpts and reading are always selected in order to support and reflect the gradual learning of the morphosyntactic forms and structures.

Grammatical points covered

Imperatives, irregular plurals
Simple future tense
Reflexive constructions
Relative pronouns with who (chi)
Imperfect indicative tense
Impersonal si, forms of courtesy, comparatives
Passive constructions
Partitive pronoun ne
Prepositions
Conversation activities

Situations:

a) Arrival in Italy
b) Hobbies and sports
c) Describing everyday activities
d) Trades and professions
e) Trips, vacations, visits
f) Italian cooking
g) Education in Italy
h) Shopping

Excerpts from newspapers and magazines, listening compehension, summarizing stories,dictation.