The Urbino Now Project

The Urbino Now Project

Urbino lies in the northern part of central Italy’s Marche Region, nestled between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Many say the Renaissance started here under the patronage of Duke Federico da Montefeltro, whose twin-turreted palace still houses an outstanding collection of period art. Work with a team of experienced media professionals to create multimedia publications about the town of Urbino, Italy, and get a taste of being a foreign correspondent and digital storyteller.

Students will live and learn at the University of Urbino, with two meals per day included. No Italian language proficiency is required. Students will work with University of Urbino students who serve as translators/interpreters.

Students who sign up for Multimedia Journalism will study photography, international reporting, and video, and will produce a website about the city.

Those who sign up for Long-form/non-fiction Journalism will study photography, international reporting, and feature writing where your work will be part of the website.

Students who register for Exploring the World of Public Relations will engage in a 3-week course that provides an overview and exploration into the key elements of designing and implementing a global PR campaign. Students will partner with local merchants and artists in the Renaissance-city of Urbino to bring unique features and stories of the region to life. Students will design and launch a multi-faceted campaign during the program, as well as complete a highlight reel to showcase key aspects of their campaign. Course will be focused on PR but also include social media, graphic design and video editing.

Registering for Screenwriting: The Adaptation focuses the student on the art and craft of adapting short stories into short film screenplays; the journey from telling a story to showing a story. Students will learn basic screenwriting principles and formatting while adapting Italian short stories in translation. The class will be run workshop style, allowing students to take part in frequent table reads and critiques of each script in progress.

Working in teams of two, students choosing to focus on Documentary Storytelling will learn the fundamentals of documentary project development by researching story ideas in and around the region, writing a prospectus and then conducting audio only interviews, working with translators when necessary. Students learn how to create a two-column documentary script by writing narration, selecting sound bites from their interview transcripts and representing the visual aspects of the project primarily through still photography. The focus is on story development rather than the technical aspects of video production. Weekly screenings and discussions of a wide range of documentaries help develop critical viewing skills.

• Instruction will come from a combination of traditional classroom teachings and field experience, with the program's overall goal to be one centered in experiential learning.
• Lectures will be from ieiMedia faculty and outside industry professionals from around the world.
• Possibility of visiting PR firms in local towns and neighboring cities.

The programs include full room and board in a University of Urbino dormitory. During this four-week program, you will learn how to:

• Research and report a story in a foreign setting.
• Produce multimedia content for a website or produce articles and photos for a feature story.
• Tell stories in ways that incorporate text, photos, video, and interactive elements.
• Work with an interpreter.

The City

Urbino is a picturesque Renaissance hill town and the jewel of the Marche region of central Italy. Although Urbino was a Roman and medieval city, its peak came during the 15th century when Duke Federico da Montefeltro established one of Europe’s most illustrious courts. Urbino’s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Urbino is relatively small and off the beaten path of tourists, yet it's a hip college town with one of the oldest universities in Italy. The town is nestled on a sloping hillside and the surrounding scenery is awe inspiring. You're not likely to see buses with large groups of tourists here.

Beautiful Adriatic beaches are a short distance away and reachable via local bus service that runs multiple times per day. Florence and Venice are easily reachable via train in the nearby town of Pesaro.

The University

The University of Urbino was founded in 1506, and currently has about 20,000 students, many of whom are from overseas. The university has no central campus as such, and instead occupies numerous buildings throughout the town and in the surrounding countryside.

Recent Urbino Multimedia Projects

Check out the content Urbino students produced over the years:

• 2023.urbinoproject.com
• 2022.urbinoproject.com
• 2019.urbinoproject.com
• 2018.urbinoproject.com
• 2017.urbinoproject.com
• 2016.urbinoproject.com
• projects.ieimedia.com/2015urbino
• projects.ieimedia.com/2014urbino
• projects.ieimedia.com/2013urbino
• projects.ieimedia.com/2012urbino
• and the Eppy Award-winning 2011 site at projects.ieimedia.com/2011urbino

EPPY Award Winner

Recent Long-form Projects

Academic Credit

Journalism Course (3 credits) Students in The Urbino Now Project can sign up for either Section 1 Multimedia Journalism, Section 2 Long-form Journalism or Section 3 International PR/Marketing. An optional 3 academic credits are available for the section you choose. Students can only chose one of the 3 sections.

Students in Section 1 Multimedia Journalism will study photography, international reporting, and video, and will produce content for a website about the community. Each student will be required to write and create a slideshow and/or shoot and edit a short video story. - 2022 Multimedia Journalism Syllabus

Students in Section 2 Magazine Journalism and Photography will study feature reporting, writing, and photography, and will create content for a website about Urbino and the surrounding area. Each student will produce text and photos for a full-length feature article. - 2022 Magazine Journalism and Photography Syllabus

Students in Section 3 International PR and Marketing will study designing and implementation of a global PR campaign. Students will partner with local merchants and artists. Student work will include the design and launch a multi-faceted campaign during the program, as well as completed highlight reel to showcase key aspects of their campaign. Social media, graphic design and video editing are among some of the competencies students will acquire. Syllabus TBA.

Coached by teachers who have won Pulitzer Prizes and other top journalism awards, students in both sections will work on skills critical for successful journalism, including the basics of reporting and telling compelling stories, through both words and images. Students will learn how to navigate as professional journalists in a foreign culture by working with interpreters and crafting ready-to-publish features and news stories.

Students can sign up for 3 credits from our partner university, University of Jamestown. Credits are transferable and may be accepted for journalism elective credit by your college or university. An optional six(6) transferable academic credits are available for students who continue on to The Siena Project, The Cagli Project, or the The Urbino International PR Project.

Graduate Students

Graduate students are also invited to apply. We’d be 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. Contact our Director of Admissions for more assistance at: admissions@ieimedia.com.

Travel Opportunities

Students will have two 2-day weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) free to explore the city, or to travel within Italy. Florence, Rome, Bologna and Venice are accessible by bus and train; regional buses from Urbino serve many charming, small towns in the region. Those who want to tour extensively should plan travel time before or after the program.

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, Rider University, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Louisiana State University, Virginia Tech, Ryerson University, New York University, UCLA, Truman State University, Rutgers University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Georgia College and State University, Frostburg State University, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Kennesaw State University, California State University Fullerton, 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, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Humboldt State University, Indiana University, Washington and Lee University, Wilkes University, Carleton 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. Most of our students are journalism or communications majors, but those majoring in other subjects are welcome as well. For non-journalism/communication majors, experience working for a college or professional publication is helpful but not necessary. The program is open to English-speaking students and recent graduates from around the world.

Faculty

Our faculty come from leading universities and news organizations. In 2025 our faculty will likely include:

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Terri Ciofalo is the associate director for production and the director of new work at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts as well as a member of the stage management faculty in the Department of Theatre at the University of Illinois. An expert logistical manager, Terri has toured nationally and regionally with a variety of theatre artists and dance companies as a Production and Stage Manager. Originally from New York City, she was the production manager and production stage manager for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet prior to joining Krannert Center in 2007. Terri has stage-managed for the Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and Maryland Stage Company and has toured with Ralph Lemon, Urban Tap, and American Repertory Ballet, among others.

Prior to earning her MFA from the Yale School of Drama in 2000, Terri worked as a Communications Operations Manager for T. Rowe Price as well as a freelance Communications Professional writing, editing and designing publications for various non-profit organizations in the Maryland/D.C. area. She is happy to blend both her publications background and her logistical management experience. Terri first joined the ieiMedia faculty as Program Director for the Armagh Project bringing American college students to Northern Ireland each summer to study playwriting, performance, creative writing, and journalism.

FACULTY

(Subject to enrollments/budget)

Susan Biddle was a Washington Post staff photographer for thirteen years and now freelances for the Post as well as other publications and organizations. As a White House photographer, she documented the Presidency for the last year of the Reagan administration and all four years of the George H.W. Bush administration.

Rustin Greene spent his first career as a television writer/producer/director, earning two Los Angeles Area EMMY awards and three Cable ACE awards. Rusty is now in his second career, teaching in James Madison University’s School of Media Arts and Design.

Elisabeth Kvernen currently works as an Assistant Professor at the School of Media Arts & Design at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  She is a graphic designer and communications specialist with more than a decade of experience working in multiple design disciplines. She has worked with non-profit organizations, cultural institutions, universities, and small businesses — both locally and globally. Past clients include the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the Louvre Museum, the New York Public Library, and the Kennedy Center. Elisabeth teaches magazine design in Urbino.

Kathryn Lancioni is lecturer in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. She is an award-winning, internationally recognized expert in the field of communications and was recently named as one of PR News' "People of the Year." Her expertise lies in the intersection of communication, technology, and society. Ms. Lancioni has a unique appreciation and understanding of its dynamic landscape working as a journalist, public relations executive, communications strategist, and college professor. She has worked for some of the world’s leading PR agencies and with numerous global corporations, and in 2006 she launched Presenting Perfection, a communications consultancy. Ms. Lancioni has served on the faculty of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Montclair State University, Seton Hall University, St. John Fisher College, and William Paterson University, has guest lectured at various universities, and has been the featured speaker at many international conferences. She is the author of three books, a regular contributor to Medium, and a member of The Forbes Business Council.

Frederick Lewis is a Professor in the School of Media Arts & Studies at Ohio University, and a documentary filmmaker whose work has been seen on PBS stations throughout the U.S. and screened at more than 100 cultural/educational venues, including the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.

A long time practitioner of project-based learning, Lewis is a recipient of the Presidential Teacher Award, Ohio University’s highest honor for transformative teaching, curriculum innovation and mentoring.

Professor Lewis has also taught at Boston University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Internationally he has been a Fulbright Specialist in Hungary and has taught or conducted workshops in England, Germany, France, Ukraine, Romania, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Dorian Geiger, an ieiMedia Urbino alum, is an award-winning Canadian journalist, producer, and filmmaker based in New York City. He has a diverse background in breaking news, digital video, and media strategy and is a currently a full-time writer-producer at LinkedIn News. He also serves as a part-time national crime reporter for NBC Universal.  His journalism has been featured by The New York Times, POLITICO, Al Jazeera English, AJ+, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, TIME Magazine, Fortune, VICE, The New York Post, NowThis, Teen Vogue, the BBC, Insider, The Root, The Toronto Star, CBC, The Canadian Press, and others. In 2015, Dorian directed the documentary, "Glen's Village,” which won a National Award for Education Reporting in the category of best news single topic feature.

Barry Janes works and teaches electronic media theory, programming and technology at Rider University. He has been a producer, director and/or writer of more than 100 video productions, and has advised numerous corporations, non-profit organizations and municipalities.

Bob Marshall is a New Orleans journalist whose reporting on Louisiana coastal issues at The Times-Picayune and The Lens has been recognized by two Pulitzer Prizes; the John H. Oakes Prize for Distinguished Environmental Reporting from Columbia University; the Keck Award for best science reporting from The National Academies of Sciences, a national Edward Murrow Award from the Radio, Television and Digital News Association, Gannett Award for Innovative Watchdog Journalism from the Investigative Reports and Editors Association, The National Headliners Award and many others.

Robert A. Reeder has taught photojournalism as well as mentored graduate photojournalism students at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC. His work has been widely published and recognized by White House Press Photographers Association, National Press Photographers Association, as well as other organizations.

PAST FACULTY

Steven D. Anderson is a professor in the James Madison University School of Media Arts & Design. He is also a former environmental reporter at KCNC television, a network O&O station in Denver, Colorado. His reporting often involved in-depth examination of local and regional environmental issues and an explanation of the science behind them.

Deni Chamberlin is an associate professor of journalism at Iowa State University, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and the Director of Photography at the Food & Environment Reporting Network. She has more than 20 years experience as a newspaper and magazine photojournalist and has worked for publications such as TIME, The New York Times Sunday Magazine and National Geographic.

Doug Cumming, Ph.D. is an associate professor of journalism at Washington & Lee University with 26 years experience at metro newspapers and magazines.

Michael Gold has been a writer, editor, and manager at award-winning publications, in print and online. He started his career as a reporter at the Bergen County (NJ) Record and the Boston Herald American. He was a founding writer and editor for Science 80, which won three National Magazine Awards while he was there. As a consultant for West Gold Editorial, he helped conceive and launch University Business and Dwell magazines as well as Thrive, an online health network produced by Time, Inc. and AOL.

Susan West is a principal at West Gold Editorial consulting, where she has helped launch magazines such as Dwell, trained online editors at websites such as BabyCenter, and advised publications from the New England Journal of Medicine to Cooking Light and Acoustic Guitar.

View complete faculty biographies on our Urbino Faculty Page.

Accommodations

Students will live in a student residential building in a single or double room. A few students will stay in a triple room. The building is located in the center of Urbino just 40 yards from the main piazza and the Palazzo Ducale. Our classrooms and the another main piazza (Piazza della Repubblica) are within a short walking distance. Two tasty, varied meals a day in the nearby student cafeteria are included. Laundry facilities are also on the premises. Sheets, towels, and a pillow will be provided.

Equipment

Students are expected to bring a laptop computer and digital camera. Digital high-definition video cameras, microphones (handheld, lavalier and wireless) and tripods are provided by ieiMedia. Some digital still cameras will also be provided for those who need them.

Interpreters

When reporting you will work with University of Urbino students, who will act as interpreters. In the past, students have found the process of working with these Italian students to be one of the most rewarding experiences in the program.

Program Cost

The cost is $4,545 plus airfare. This includes housing, most meals, instruction, basic travel insurance, farewell dinner, special programs and transfers from and to the airport in Rome.

DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRFARE. ACADEMIC CREDIT IS OPTIONAL.

Application Deadline Details

Our application deadline for Summer 2025 programs is February 7, 2025. Applications submitted after the deadline will be accepted on a rolling basis dependent on program capacity.

Submitting your application by the priority deadline means you will be accepted to a priority spot on the program of your choosing, as well as secure additional time to prepare for payment deadlines and scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

If you do not have the necessary access to submit your application by the deadline, please reach out to admissions@ieimedia.com to speak with an advisor.

Location Map

Videos

Sights and Sounds of the Urbino Program

The Urbino Program Highlights

Nocturnal Urbino