Adriatic Italy's Travel Storytelling Program

Travel Storytelling Fact Sheet

Apply now to reserve your place in Travel Storytelling

DATES: June 2 - June 16, 2023

APPLICATION DEADLINES:
Final Application Deadline: March 1, 2023
Rolling Admissions Deadline: Applications are accepted after March 1, 2023 until program is full.

PROGRAM COST:
TOTAL COST: $2,995 ($2,545 without Credit) + airfare
FEE: $50 application fee (non-refundable)
DEPOSIT: $2,000 ($500 non-refundable) due by March 9th, 2023
BALANCE: $995 due by April 1, 2023
DISCOUNT: A $150 discount is available for applications submitted by January 17, 2023 and paid in full within 10 business days from your acceptance notice (usually within 1-2 weeks after application submitted).

INCLUDES: Tuition for three credits, accommodations, most meals, and travel insurance). Students will have the option of signing up for side trips for cost of travel. Note: This program is an ideal companion to the four-week Urbino program in multimedia journalism.

GENERAL LOCATION: Based in Urbino, Italy with day trips to the Adriatic coast, local wineries, and historical sites. Additional travel option includes an overnight ferry trip to Split, Croatia.

FOCUS: Storytelling from a traveler’s perspective using mobile media tools and social media channels.

PARTNER UNIVERSITIES: University of Jamestown, Colorado State University

PLEASE NOTE: In order for your application to be complete, you must also submit a personal statement to admissions@ieimedia.com within 48 hours of submitting your application that answers the following questions. There are no formatting requirements for the personal statement, but please include your name and program of interest in the header and/or footer of the document.

• Why have you selected this specific program and location?
• How does this program tie into achieving your personal and professional goals?
• What skills do you hope to gain by participating in this program?

APPLY NOW

Adriatic Italy's Travel Storytelling Program

Earn three credits during a travel-focused storytelling and media production program. This photo, video, and information-gathering adventure includes travel along the central Adriatic coastline and in the enchanting countryside of Italy’s Marche region. The base of operations for this two-week program will be the medieval city of Urbino. Faculty will lead day trips by van, bus, and train to hilltop restaurants, coastal cities and beaches, and historic walled villages. All day trips focus on how to travel safely, inexpensively, and efficiently. Students will learn to use smart phones, small cameras, and microphones to connect with local citizens and culture. During alternate days in Urbino, they will work with instructors to produce professional-quality travel stories for social media. At the end of the program students will compile their work in personal online blogs suitable for a professional portfolio.

An optional excursion includes an adventure to and from Croatia. The group will travel by bus and train to Ancona, Italy, and take an overnight ferry (with comfortable sleeping cabins) to the historic coastal city of Split, Croatia. The day will be spent exploring and collecting media at historical sites, markets, and the world famous Riva Promenade on the Split waterfront. The group will take the ferry back to Italy that night, spending the following day exploring the city of Pesaro and its beaches, then returning to Urbino by bus. Including ferry, train, bus fees and meals, this optional trip will cost approximately $250.

BeautIful scenery in the Marche Region of Italy.

Students are located in the magical walled city of Urbino. The program includes lodging and most meals provided by the University of Urbino. The city will serve as a base of operations, with day trips to the coast, beautiful villages with spectacular food, out-of-the way historical sites and at least one major tourist destination. The nearby cities of Bologna, Rimini, and Ancona are easily accessible by train. Program faculty have a decade of experience in the area and are well acquainted with the region and travel options.  For more information about Urbino, see the Urbino Project, a four-week program that precedes the travel journalism course.

Credits

Students will sign up for three credits of transferable upper-level journalism electives from our partner university, Jamestown University. Students who are interested in earning six credits can complete both the Urbino program and the Marche program back to back over a six week period.

Contact: Program Directors Steve Weiss (steve.weiss@ieimedia.com) or Greg Luft (greg.luft@ieimedia.com).

Students

The program is open to English-speaking college students and recent graduates from any school. Students from many universities have participated in past ieiMedia programs, including: James Madison University, Colorado State University, Ithaca College, Iowa State University, Stanford University, Pennsylvania University, Penn State University, McGill University, Rider University, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Louisiana State University, Virginia Tech, Carleton University, Ryerson University, New York University, UCLA, Truman State University, Rutgers University, University of Wisconsin, Kennesaw State University, California State University-Fullerton, Colorado State University, Temple University, Arizona State University, State University of New York at New Paltz, University of Arizona, University of Illinois, Georgetown University, University of Northern Iowa, Humboldt State University, Indiana University, Washington & Lee University, Wilkes University, San Diego State University, American University, Nanyang Technological University, University of British Columbia, Westminster College and Baylor University. We’ve also had students from Japan, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Thailand and Trinidad.

The program is based in the historic city of Urbino.

Many of our students are journalism, media, communication, or English majors, but those studying in other disciplines are welcome. For non-journalism/communication majors, experience working for a college or professional publication is helpful, but is not necessary. The program is open to English-speaking students and recent graduates from around the world.

Graduate students also are invited to apply. We’re happy to talk with you about supervising an independent project that would qualify for graduate credit at your school -- or to offer this experience as a graduate internship.

Faculty

Vineyards near Urbino.

This program is led by professors Greg Luft and Steve Weiss from Colorado State University. They have taught repeatedly in Urbino and have experience traveling to all program locations. Additional, experienced travel journalists and alumni of this program will serve as guest lecturers.

Steve Weiss is an award-winning television anchor, reporter and producer of local and network television sports and news programming. He has produced and hosted programs for ESPN, TNN, FOX Prime Sports and the Outdoor Network, among others. He began teaching part time at Colorado State University in 1992, and has been teaching full time since 2010. Steve directs the university’s program in live television production unit, first taught in Italy in 2013, and led several travel journalism courses in Croatia. Along with other awards for teaching, Steve received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University in 2021.

Greg Luft has recently been appointed as the interim Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Colorado State University.  Prior to that he as held a position with the university as a professor and chair of the Journalism and Media Communication department.  Greg is also an award-winning reporter and photojournalist, with a diverse career in television news and documentary production before and during his career in academia. He began teaching in Urbino in 2012. Greg served as academic dean on the Spring, 2019 Semester at Sea voyage, has served as a visiting professor at the Communication University of China in Beijing, and was named a Colorado State University Best Teacher in 2013.

View complete faculty biographies on our Marche/Italy Faculty Page.

Accommodations

Students will live in University of Urbino dorms, either in a private room with private bath or sharing a room with a private bath with one other student. Three meals a day in the student cafeteria are included. Sheets and towels are provided.

Equipment

Students are expected to bring a laptop computer and mobile phone, and are welcome to bring professional camera equipment, but this is not required. Additional accessories will be available through the program.

Interpreters

University of Urbino students with experience in this program will act as interpreters in Italy. Students find working with these Italian students to be one of the most rewarding experiences in the program.

Program Cost

$2,995 plus airfare (includes tuition for three credits, accommodations, most meals, travel insurance, farewell dinner and program-related local travel.)  Modest additional costs may be incurred with optional travel.

Financial Aid

Students studying abroad for the summer term have limited financial aid options, but they increase if you are earning six credits for the summer by taking the two-week Marche Travel Journalism Program after the four-week Urbino Project. Check with your school’s financial aid office and your study-abroad offices to find out if assistance is available. More information on financial aid is available here.

Location Map