Pursue the Classics in Canada or Italy, From $139 Per Diem

By The Frommer's Staff

Published: Apr 01, 2002

Updated: Oct 11, 2016

You don't have to read Latin to pursue the classics with the University of Toronto's St. Michael's College this summer, but you do need an interest in literature, the arts or just being a well-rounded human being. With any of those requirements met, you can take one of their highly regarded seminars in the Ontario capital, or fly off with them to Italy, depending on your whim and your purse, to immerse yourself in one of several fascinating intellectual challenges.

A Cool Canadian Campus This July?

For just $138.67 per day, you can participate in a weeklong summer seminar in Toronto (July 7-13), on subjects such as The Canterbury Tales, Die Meistersinger von Nurnburg or The Name of the Rose, just to mention three. You meet Monday through Saturday from 10 to noon, then adjourn for lunch with your fellow classmates to continue the discussion (or not), and have each afternoon and evening off to pursue related activities, such as films, talks, city tours (or those on campus or to a variety of galleries), or sightsee. Other options include a theater performance by the Soulpepper group, a Blue Jays baseball game, a ferry trip to the Toronto Islands for dinner, or just dining around the city. You can also make use of the university's diverse athletic facilities.

In addition to the three seminars mentioned already, you could choose from one of the following: The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce), Selected Works of Flannery O'Connor, Doctor Faustus (Thomas Mann), Selected Works on Desire, Classical and Christian Perspectives on Belief & Myth, or Modern and Post-Modern Elements in Music, Art & Culture. The Great Books Foundation helps support these seminars. (You can participate in only one seminar for the week.)

The tuition is CDN $1,000 (US $650), but you get a CDN $50 (US $32.50) discount if you register and pay prior to May 1, 2002. If you want to stay in Sorbara Hall at the college, the cost is CDN $55 per night for the six nights, or CDN $330 (US $214.50). The total cost, staying at the college and getting your early bird discount, would be US $832 per person.

The Name of the Rose in Italy Proper

In May, a glorious time to visit Italy, Classical Pursuits is operating a two-week seminar (one week each in Abruzzo and Tuscany), focusing on The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco. There will be plenty of day trips in Tuscany, following the seminar in Atri, an old town near the Adriatic. Flying out of Toronto, your cost will be CDN $4,800 (US $3,200), which includes the round-trip airfare, all accommodations, seminars and group excursions, two full meals a day, and travel from the Rome Airport and to the Tuscany location, as well as a copy of the book. Ground cost within Italy is CDN $4,000 (US$2,700).

For more information or to make reservations, contact Ann Kirkland at 877/633-2555 or 416/892-3580, Web site www.utoronto.ca/classicalpursuits, e-mail ann.kirkland@utoronto.ca.