The Umbra Podcast

In this episode Cheryl Mei, an Umbra Student from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, presents her academic project for the Positive Psychology course taught by Professor John Dennis.

She had a straightforward idea: to stop passers-by and ask them what happiness means to them. 

Enjoy listening to the voices Cheryl collected from the US, Canada, Italy, Germany, and Egypt!

By the way, what does happiness mean to you?

This podcast is the result of a project of the Communicating Taste course that was held in the Fall 2023 Semester, taught by Professor Jacopo Cossater.

In this episode students explore culture shock under a very special point of view: food.

What are the differences between Italian and American food? What is the value of food for Italian people? How to get along with these different values?

The students that designed and realized this episode are Janet Scharmer (Santa Clara University), Luciana Musmanni (Richmond University), Genevieve Dishman (Vermont University), Taylor Sheehan (Quinnipiac University), Elsa Martin (Williams College).

In this second episode on the Fear of Missing Out we will hear some professional voices about this topic. What is FOMO and why does it happen? What is the link between FOMO and Communication?

Join this conversation with Gabriella Klein, PhD, international expert in Communication and professor of Intercultural Communication at Umbra; John Dennis, PhD, psychologist and professor of Positive Psychology at Umbra; Alyeska Shore, student at Umbra from Long Island University.

What to expect? Where to look for support? How to manage your doubts?

In this episode Emily Chuco (Uconn) and Julia Newmann (Bates College), two of our Fall23 Students, share their experience on how they prepared themselves mentally for their semester abroad. 

Amanda Fontana, our Enrollment Management & Institutional Relations Assistant, is the host for this episode. 

During the summer, Professor Michael Di Giovine from West Chester University introduces his students to Anthropology and Ethnography. This educational journey takes place at Umbra.

Join in the conversation with Umbra students from WCU, Kate Sharbaugh and Jordyn Dale, and professor Di Giovine. They share riveting accounts of their time at the field school and the interactions they experienced in Perugia.

Food is much more than just a daily intake of nutrients: it’s a way of being together. 

In this episode three of our students from Ohio Wesleyan University, Abigail Eyerman, Lindsay Wolverton, Samantha Diaz together with Professor Christopher Fink (professor of Health and Human Kinetics at Ohio Wesleyan and professor at Umbra since 2014), explore the value of community in nutrition. 

Have you ever experienced FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out?

Join the conversation with Amelia Daly (Uconn), Manal Maigari (Babson College), Sophie Raducanu (Arcadia University) and Taylor Sheehan (Quinnipiac University) our Umbra Reps for Fall 23 who share their thoughts about FOMO and some ways to cope with it. 

Join host Jacopo as he embarks on an immersive archaeological adventure in the Umbrian town of Castiglione del Lago, Italy. In this riveting episode, Jacopo is joined by two returning students, Emilie Prince and Morgan Lawson, from DePauw University. Together, they delve into the enthralling world of the archaeology field school program, an extraordinary collaboration between the Umbra Institute of Perugia, the Trasimeno Regional Archaeological Project (TRAP), DePauw University (Greencastle, IN), and the Comune of Castiglione del Lago.

Join Caden Freer (Lebanon Valley College), Diego Pena-Parr (University of New Mexico) and Tyler Nelson (University of South Carolina) as they explore the essence of cultural immersion, bringing real examples from their academic and student life here in Perugia. 

Are you wondering what it is like to study and do arts in Perugia and in Italy?

In this episode Bailey Schiering from Clark University tells us more about her artistic experiences: a solo trip to Florence to find inspiration, hours spent in museums observing sculptures and paintings “live”, special spots in Perugia to draw… and much more! 

Host: Alexandra, Student Services & Extra-Curricular Activities Assistant