Florentines in Italy will be seeing more of ISU students since a study-abroad program has been expanded from two weeks to a semester.

Carl Bleyle, professor of music, said the program is designed for Liberal Arts and Sciences students, but anyone who is interested in the program can travel with the group.

“The two-week program has been very successful,” said Bleyle, who is in charge of the program. He said the trip was expanded from two weeks to a semester because students didn’t have enough time to adequately experience the city.

“There wasn’t enough of it to see everything the rural city has to offer,” he said.

Debra Kuhn, junior in biology, said she went on one of the previous two-week trips to Florence. She said she wished it had been longer so that she could look deeper into the culture.

“There is so much to see; we couldn’t possibly see everything in just two weeks,” she said.

Bleyle said the program has three goals: to provide students with interdisciplinary international experience; to view firsthand the canonical works of western civilization; and to recognize the culture and way of life of the Florentines.

The students in the semester-long program will attend classes at the British Institute of Florence in such disciplines as Italian and Machiavellian political science.

Bleyle said the students love almost everything on the Florence trip, especially seeing famous works of art.

“This is a shocking moment when someone looks at a Michaelangelo sculpture and says ‘Wow, that’s what they mean by 14 feet,'” he said. “It just really hits them.”

Bleyle said the students also love to shop, especially for leather. “They [students] love the leather coats, leather boots and the leather purses,” he said.

Kuhn said she had fun while in Italy, but she also learned a lot. “I have an understanding that the history of another place can really affect the culture,” she said.

Bleyle said students must have at least a sophomore classification and have a 3.0 grade point average or higher. They also must have two letters from professors, explaining how the student is capable of staying in a foreign country.

“No Italian is needed. We will learn it there,” he said. Students will take a class on the language and, when forced to learn it, the language comes easily, he said.

The deadline for applications is March 30, but Bleyle said an informational meeting will be in January.