A Unique Experience

The Advanced Courses are not a summer school suited only for younger scholars. Rather, a significant proportion of established investigators is regularly present among the attendees, often senior faculty at their own institutions. The balanced audience that we strive to maintain in each Advanced Course greatly contributes to the development of intense cross-disciplinary debates among faculty and participants that typically address the most advanced and emerging areas of each topic.

Typically each faculty member presents lectures and discusses with the participants for one entire day. Such long interaction together with the small, exclusive Course size provides the uncommon opportunity to fully explore the expertise of each faculty, often through one-to-one mentoring. This is unparalleled and priceless.

What to expect

Participants are selected on merit only, with attendance limited to a maximum of 50, allowing participants to flourish in an optimal learning environment.

Usually there are two 90-min sessions in the morning, followed by a 30-min open discussion. The faculty and participants then spend 3-4 hours in the afternoon within the lecture hall and the courtyards of the island, delving into an in-depth analysis of each faculty member’s domain.

The curriculum of each Advanced Course is outlined on its webpage. The preset program is however flexible: the participants often steer discussions toward a specific direction, and faculty members incorporate these ideas and themes into their material and presentations. Structured, yet strongly personalized, each Advanced Course will bring about a full-scale transformation of participants.

Time during the evening is reserved for immersing into the unique atmosphere of architecture, art and romance of Venice, a relaxing and enjoyable time that the faculty members and participants normally spend together. During meals and evening time together, attendees and faculty reinforce, amplify, and challenge through the themes of daily discussions. The faculty members remain on-site with the participants for several days, many for the entire duration of the Advanced Course.

Words cannot fully do justice, however, to the informal, rich, and collegial atmosphere that develops at the NSAS, one that the venetian atmosphere makes very special and unique compared with any other course and conference venue.

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Participants

Throughout the years the NSAS has welcomed participants from more than 60 different countries and, understanding the power of the program, many have registered again for more Advanced Courses and Workshops.

Typically a third of participants are scholars holding a faculty position including full professors and head of departments, a third are junior group leaders and postdoctoral fellows, a third are graduate students. Participants from all of the top Universities and research institutions worldwide have taken an Advanced Course, including: