Final course selection occurs in Bologna at the beginning of the academic year. The faculty resident director serves as academic advisor. Most students take courses in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Although IU credit normally transfers to other universities, students from non-BCSP institutions are urged to consult the advisers on their campuses about the applicability of course work in the program to particular degree requirements. Italian Academic System Students in the program must be adaptable if they wish to succeed academically, for Italian universities differ in important ways from American universities, despite their common use of the lecture system.
Some courses run the entire academic year.
Grades are usually determined by a final oral examination covering readings and lectures alike, without the frequent quizzes and midterm examinations that encourage American students to keep up with their work. The Italian system therefore places a premium on self-discipline. Intercultural Experience Formal course work is only one dimension of study abroad. Returning program students often note the significance of new perspectives gained on their own society, their heightened self-confidence and maturity, and friendships they formed with Italians. BCSP is committed to making the intercultural experience as rich as possible, not only through the program's distinctive format of integrated study alongside Italian students, but also through activities outside the classroom.