Erasmus Participant Report

Erasmus Participant Report

Host university: Università di Pisa, Italy

Programme: European Languages and Cultures (Profile Literature, Language Italian, Minor Journalism)

Courses I have taken and earned credits:

Since my study programme in Groningen is called ‘European Languages and Cultures’, I had to choose my courses according to that programme, meaning more than 50% about literature (my profile) and all of those in Italian. I chose three courses for my time in Pisa to fulfil the 25 credit points but the system of credits is different in Italy so I could only take courses for 27 points in total.

One of them was ‘Letteratura Italiana’ (Italian literature) for 12 ECTS and treated classical Italian literature with works from Dante, Machiavelli, Parini, Alfieri and Goldoni. The course was very interesting (a little dry) but also hard because it included many works to read and lectures 3-4 times during the week. The language in which the works were written is quite old, therefore it was difficult to follow the lesson with my level of Italian at that time.

My second course of 9 ECTS was called ‘Letterature comparate’ (compared literature) and treated the genre ‘horror’ in literature and film. It was a really cool course, since I have never learned something about this special genre before because most literature courses treat classical literature. I had to watch many movies (also available in English) and read horror stories to discuss in class afterwards principles and elements used by authors or screenwriters to enhance the feeling of fear in the audience. Much theory way used to explain the influence of horror on the audience, taught with enthusiasm about philosophy and the genre.

My third course of 6 ETCS belonged to the partner department ‘Civiltà e Forme del Sapere’ because it was about my minor course in the field of journalism, called ‘Il Web: Linguaggi e strategie di communicazione’ (The web: language and strategies of communication). The course actually interested me the most, treating the current phenomena of new media changing journalism and how journalists have to deal with it.

Quality of education and the level of information and help provided by the host institution:

The system of educating in Italy is totally different from the Netherlands. Seminars do not exist, only lectures with frontal education. I was surprised that none of the professors used any technological devices to help support their arguments. No Power Points or other visual help. Therefore, it was hard to follow especially in the beginning, because the professor just starts talking for 1,5 to 3 hours without breaks and I needed to take notes in Italian. In general, the course content was interesting but way too much at once, I did learn a lot but needed some time to adjust to the new (or rather old and traditional) way of teaching. Nevertheless, the professors were always very helpful (after class) if I had questions or needed an extra explanation or an example to understand the argument/topic.

Some documents where uploaded on one of the many websites of the university (very confusing

system), while I had to buy many books for my classes.

A very negative point within this ‘traditional’ system was the way exams took place. For me having lived in Germany and the Netherlands the not existent organisation drove me crazy. You have to sign up to the exams online – as early as possible, because you will be put on a list. All exams are oral and last between 5 and 45 minutes (really random), there is no plan whatsoever of how the professors try to fit in up to 150 students in one day of oral exams. Therefore, the people that enrolled early will be the firsts (with luck) to take the exam. Although I was second for two exams I was tested only as the 6

or 8

person because suddenly the professor had to join two or three lists of enrolments. All students wait in the corridor in front of the exam room and wait from 8:30am to the time when they can finally do the exam (sometimes not even the same day but a week later, as if the professors only checked on the day of the exam how many students actually have to be tested). Another point is that the exams are public, meaning that everyone can listen while either staying in the same room or in front of the open door, which was very negative for me being not that secure in the Italian language and already really nervous for an (for me) unusual oral exam.

Some professors are nicer to Erasmus students, so I could for example do my journalism exam written, although meanwhile people had oral exams in the same room and I had to write my exam on my lab, because no tables where available. One professor spoke also a little English so that when I couldn’t put in words what I knew and wanted to say I could switch to English (although that is rather the exception!). Another professor provided beforehand 25 questions that I could prepare, but although I at first thought it was really nice and helpful of her, the amount of information I had to know was impossible to remember (the questions were either veeeery detailed or included basically a whole genre…). I learned that Italian students write every word of the lecturer down during class and just learn everything by heart, which is a way of studying that I am totally not used to and personally do not like a lot.

Reception and accommodation at the host institution:

The Erasmus coordinators in Italy were very helpful and responded emails with questions right away.

Directly at the beginning of the semester a Welcome Meeting was being held by the Erasmus coordinators (in Italian) which informed us about all the necessary steps for university life such as the student card, tax number, Mensa card, library card, enrolment, etc.

Helpful for me was also the organisation ESN which organised many events for your free time to get to know spots in the city and a lot of people, as well as cities in the surrounding area, sport events, music evenings, tandem partners etc. and in case of need also accommodation in the city. I actually found my place via one of the many facebook pages for flats and rooms in Pisa. Living together with two Italian girls really helped e to get to know the language and culture (especially food!) even better.

Contacts with teachers and students support from home institution:

The Erasmus coordinator in Groningen responsible for Italy was not really helpful in many cases, she responded late or never to emails and took a long time to sign necessary documents for me to receive the Erasmus Grant. I had to send several emails to get a response on time.

I had to take part in a 5 ETCS course for the Netherlands to get the final 30 credit points for the

semester (although I now earned 32 credits due to the not corresponding grading systems). For this

course I had to hand in 3 little essays in which I describe my experiences, 2 narrations of a cultural

event I attended in Italy, 3 times pages of grammar exercises and also lists of vocabulary that I learned

there (including regional dialect, language of the youth and everyday words). I handed in all of those

things on time (if the professor actually uploaded the instructions on time, sometimes even a few weeks late!) but never got feedback like she promised. We were supposed to skype 2-3 times during my semester abroad (once in October and then again in January) which did not work out at all, we skyped only once in late December with the promise to do so again in January which never happened. (Other students didn’t skype at all…) During this skype session she evaluated my speaking and grammar skills while writing down my mistakes. Those mistakes I am supposed to learn by heart through example sentences that will be tested in my oral exam back in Groningen. For this exam I will also need to learn by heart all the vocabulary lists I created during the semester.

Another thing that did not work out at all was the essay I am supposed to write for that (only) 5 ETCS course – which took more time and work than the other courses together. I sent in the proposal end of January (at the deadline) but until now never got a response. The 5-6 pages essay is supposed to treat the content of one of my courses in Italy and should be based on 200-250 pages of literature.

I had some contact with other students from my home university, hearing the same complaints about exams and the 5 ETCS course and coordinator.

Estimation of expenses during your exchange:

For my place I paid around 320€ not including gas, water, light, internet (which costs a lot in Italy!), but in general around the same as for a flat in the Netherlands. Food in the supermarket is quite expensive but eating in restaurants is comparably quite cheap. I guess I paid around 450€ a month for living, not including the many trips I took. The Erasmus money was helpful but did not cover all the costs.

If applicable: problems you have encountered:

The problems I encountered were basically the language barrier in the beginning of the courses, slow organisation and missing support from my home institution, especially concerning the 5 ETCS course which I described already.

Another big problem for me was the fact that heating was barely used (not only in my flat but in general), because apparently gas is ‘too expensive’. Thus, I had a cold room (around 14 degrees) and mould problems due to bad isolation and old houses. The living standards in general are way lower than I am used to but in the end, it is possible to accept these for the period of 6 months.

Personal observations and recommendations:

Life in Italy is definitely very different from the Netherlands, next to all the nice things such as the sun (!!), the beautiful cities and landscapes, the nice language and the amazing food, I had to get used to the ‘southern lifestyle’ which is way more relaxed but can also be problematic in some cases. The amazing people I’ve met could compensate the lower living standards, as well as all the trips throughout Italy (travel is cheap there!).

Pisa is a small town where you know everyone after two weeks but there is nevertheless much to

discover with the mountains and the sea as well as many travel destinations close-by. You should find

a nice (and new) flat to have a nice home, it is always great to live with Italians to get to know the

culture, although you’ll meet so many Erasmus people that life will be great anyways.