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Course Name: ANTH 48889/58889 FACES:  Human Head Anatomy with a Forensic Art Focus

Description: Our course begins with studying works by Renaissance artist/anatomists to gain an appreciation for how well they understood human anatomy. We also visit La Specola Anatomical Collection (exquisite wax models copied from real corpses during the 17th century). In the classroom students study human skulls and learn the form and function of the muscles of facial expression and mastication. We pay close attention to features of the skull that ultimately give each face its unique qualities and study the areas that indicate age and sex of the individual. Each student will sculpt the facial bones of a skull, using an exact replica cast as a model. Students learn the techniques of two-dimensional forensic facial reconstruction. Using knowledge of head anatomy, and tissue depth data from the literature, each student will prepare detailed sketches (one man, one woman) based on photographs of the skulls. We also learn how to age-progress images of young adults.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  None

Course Name: ARTH 42045 Italian Art from Giotto to Bernini 

Description: This course will explore the development of art and architecture in Italy from the late Middle Ages to the Roman Baroque period. Through an in- depth analysis of the art and history of these periods, we shall develop an understanding of Italy’s role in the overall development of Western civilization. Particular emphasis will be given to Florentine Art. Florence exhibits to this day a particularly well-integrated conception of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Taking advantage of this, we will use the city as our classroom in order to examine the development of Florentine art and architecture in context. In addition to “on-site” lectures, classroom lectures will focus on the art produced in other major Italian cities.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: ARTH 42091/62095 Art Experiences in Italy

Description: You are enjoying the singular opportunity of becoming acquainted with Florence, Italy, one of the most beautiful and celebrated cities in the world, hailed as a birthplace of the modern era in Western civilization.  This course will introduce you to the major artworks and monuments in the city, with the goal of giving you a sense of the progression of styles from the Middle ages through the Renaissance to the Baroque.  You will learn to understand some of the social, political and historical contexts that led to the formation of these styles. We will analyze and discuss the great works and monuments of the Florentine Renaissance directly on the spot in front of the actual works of art, a circumstance few people get to experience, and one which I hope will leave you with a lifetime of impressions and memories to savor.  You will also be exposed to the diverse regional productions of the great cities of Rome and Venice and the Tuscan hill towns.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: BA 34156 Business Analytics II

Description: This course exposes students to methods and models that allow business users to make better data-based decisions. Students would have hands-on experience in different statistical methods, including: data collection, data cleaning, data visualization, linear regression, optimization models, logistic regression.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: or or .

Course Name:  BSCI 30789 Feasts and Plagues: the Science of Italian Food, Wine and Disease

Course Description: This course explores the microbial mechanisms responsible for plagues such as the Black Death as well as for their positive roles in food and wine production. These costs and benefits are explored in Florence, Italy since each is ingrained in the city's history, culture, art, and biology. Course activities include food and wine tastings and field trips to historical sites and museums in Florence and Siena. This course is designed to appeal to students with a wide array of interests in human health and society. Students will analyze genomes of microbes responsible for human disease, discuss ecological and biological factors associated with disease transmission, construct cemetery life tables, discuss the impacts of disease on Italian art, architecture, and culture, master knowledge of the fermentation process, and compare and contrast the microbiomes and environments of vineyards in Tuscany vs. California.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: BUS 30234 International Business

Description: This course provides an introduction to different environments, theories and practices of international business. This course is designed for all students interested in international business, regardless of their principal academic discipline. Topics covered include globalization; international companies; sustainability; the impact and importance of culture; economic, financial, social, political environments; global strategies and structures; international marketing and entry modes. In order to facilitate these goals, students are expected to prepare, present their views, and actively participate in classroom discussions. The course provides a broad survey of the theoretical and practical aspects of management practice in Europe, introducing you the major financial, economic and socio – economic, physical, socio – cultural political, labor, competitive and distributive forces that characterize business in Europe. The course will help you to develop an increased awareness of the differences between European and North American business practices, and a better grasp of the impact of differences in business practices on the conduct of business internationally. The emphasis in this course is both on understanding and applying one’s knowledge of different management practices, using national cultures as an aid to understanding the evolution of various management practices.
We begin by analyzing the international business environment that connects the phenomenon of globalization with the national and cultural differences that characterize the countries in this economy. Next we will analyze, how to first define a strategy to enter foreign markets, select then a global company structure, and define a global marketing and pricing strategies. We will delve into some strategic and functional issues that characterize the management of organizations in the global marketplace.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  or 

Open to all students with prerequisites.

Course Name: CCI 40089: Branding and Social Media Strategies for Italian Lifestyle

Description: The course will analyze the phenomenon of ‘made in Italy’ with a focus on fashion, food and design from a communication perspective. Students will have the chance to better understand the branding strategies effectively operating behind some of the most important Italian brands that make Italy and Italian productions fascinating and attracting for the foreign consumers and markets. The course will focus on PR, social media and advertising strategies that are central for contemporary brands and it will investigate the main strategic areas of ‘made in Italy’ and how they are communicated and promoted. Specific case studies will be presented and discussed in class.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Open to all students

Course Name: CCI 40189: Italian Pop Culture

Description:  This course is aimed at investigating Italian contemporary pop culture with a focus on celebrity culture, television and music in Italy. While investigating media, format, genres and imageries of contemporary Italian pop culture, students will be able to immerse themselves deeper into aspects of the Italian cultural identity that inform and shape pop culture narratives such as mafia, the Catholic/religious imagery etc. The course will investigate new practices of production and consumption of media content and it will take into consideration key concepts and practices that are central to the cultural industries such as genres, format, celebrity and adaptation by presenting and discussing different media products. While focusing on the Italian case, comparisons will be made with The U.S.A. and other European countries.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Open to all students

Course Name: CCI 40289 Italian Cinema

Description: The course introduces the student to the world of Italian Cinema. In the first part the class will be analyzing Neorealism, a cinematic phenomenon that deeply influenced the ideological and aesthetic rules of film art. In the second part we will concentrate on the films that mark the decline of Neorealism and the talent of ‘new’ auteurs such as Fellini and Antonioni. The last part of the course will be devoted to the cinema from 1970s to the present in order to pay attention to the latest developments of the Italian industry. The course is a general analysis of post-war cinema and a parallel social history of this period using films as ‘decoded historical evidence’. Together with masterpieces such as Open City the screenings will include films of the Italian directors of  the ‘cinema d’autore’ such as Life is Beautiful and the 2004 candidate for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, I Am Not Scared. The class will also analyze the different aspects of filmmaking both in Italian and the U.S. industry where I had the pleasure to work for many years in the editing department on films such as Dead Poets Society and The Godfather: Part III. The films in DVD format are dubbed in English or sub-titled.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Open to all students.

Course Name: CLAS 21405 The Roman Achievement

Description: This course is an introduction to the history and culture of the Roman world, from the origins of Rome through its ascent to domination of the Mediterranean world, the troubled changes from Republic to Empire, and the flourishing of the city and its provinces during the Imperial period until its crisis and consequent fall during the 4th-5th centuries AD. Political and military organizations, religious beliefs towards life and death, social identity, entertainment, private life, familial relationships, sexuality and the changes of these assets and values throughout time are examined in this course by means of the most recent archaeological and historical approaches and debates. As we search together to unravel the historical, cultural and social significance of the Roman achievement, primary sources in translation will be used to provide a fresh look of how some political events were perceived, how Roman urban life and its agents were captured by the satirical descriptions of Juvenal and Martial, and how such a catastrophic event such as the eruption of the Vesuvius affected writers such as Pliny and Seneca.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Kent Core Humanities & Global Diversity 

Open to all students.

Course Name: ECON 22061 Principles of Macroeconomics 

Description: Principles and policies affecting aggregate production, consumption, investment and government expenditures. Includes role of money, the banking system, inflation, unemployment and economic growth.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: ENG 38895 Traveling and Writing

Description: Inspired by the environment—the landscape, art, culture, history, etc.—and by writers who have come before us, you may choose to write poetry, fiction, and/or nonfiction. As we try to absorb some portion of all we see and hear, we will employ Virginia Woolf’s practice of street haunting and consider Rainier Maria Rilke’s notion of inseeing. We will share poems or short vignettes, along with brief responses to readings, during classroom meetings, but half our time will be spent exploring. You will choose readings from a range of historical and contemporary poets and writers—from English-speaking travelers and expatriates like Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mina Loy, D. H. Lawrence, James Wright, Joseph Brodsky, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Rachel Cusk to Italians in translation like Boccaccio, Dante, Gaspara Stampa, Eugenio Montale, Cesar Pavese, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italo Calvino, and Patrizia Cavalli. Each week we will focus on a set of topics: art, myth, and religion; landscape and the environment; history and politics; social justice and health care. Related site visits will include places like the churches of Santa Trinita and Santissima Annunziata and the Palatine Gallery in the Pitti Palace; the Cascine Park along the River Arno and the Archaeological Area and Etruscan routes in the hillside town of Fiesole; Casa Guidi (Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning’s home across from the Pitti Palace) and the National Archaeological Museum; the Hospital of the Innocents Museum and the English Cemetery. A longer work or a collection of polished poems or vignettes will be due at the end of the session.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: ENG 39995 Health Humanities in Context: History, Gender and Literature in Italy

Description: When we think of medicine, many people imagine solemn emotional detachment and a commitment to the clear objectivity of science. But medicine is a science that is mediated by the stories of individuals.  Medicine, as a discipline, is constantly managing its identity between the demands of scientific advancement and the emotional needs of patients. This course explores the intersections of the arts, literature and medicine by critically considering what it means to bear witness to multi-modal narratives about medicine and the human body.  The opportunities available to us in Italy will allow us to deepen our understanding of the history of medicine, with all of its bizarre and fascinating true stories that range from horror to romance, parallels literary and art history. 

In this class, we will consider what it means for medicine to be an art, metaphorically and literally. How can models of thought most commonly found in the humanities work within a medical or scientific context? We will use literature, art,  and critical texts to learn to read with what scholars call "narrative humility." Different modes of textual and visual media will be discussed in this class, including memoir/non-fiction narrative, fiction, performance art and film, and anatomical textbooks and museums.  Tentative readings may include Bram Stoker's Dracula, Joanna Pearson's Oldest Mortal Myth, and Suzan Lori Parks' Venus.  Field trips will include The Specola Medical Museum and the Gallileo Museum, among others. 

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  or .

Course Name: ENG 41292 Teaching English as a Foreign Language Practicum

Description: (Repeatable for a maximum of 12 credits) Students observe, participate and teach in a number of school contexts in Florence, Italy, from primary to secondary, community and higher education. Course gives students authentic practice teaching English in the foreign language context.

Credit Hours: 3-6 credit hours

Prerequisites: 

Course Name: EXSC 35054 Exploring Biomechanics through the Legacy of Da Vinci

Description: This course delves into the intricate relationship between biomechanics, anatomy, and the timeless works of Leonardo da Vinci. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students will examine the structural and functional aspects of the human body, understand biomechanical principles governing movement, and explore how Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical sketches revolutionized our understanding of human anatomy and biomechanics. By integrating scientific inquiry with artistic exploration, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the human body's mechanics and appreciate the profound impact of Da Vinci's legacy on modern science and medicine. Course is appropriate for students interested in exercise science, kinesiology, sports performance, sports medicine, athletic training, biology, neuroscience, and physical education.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None (Prerequisites for this course are waived)

Course Name: FDM 35589 Italian Fashion & Culture

Description: This class will examine the evolution of the fashion industry in Italy and the long tradition of art, craftsmanship, style and design that led to the success of the post-war era. We will study the history, creators, design and production processes with emphasis on the evolving roles of the fashion centers of Florence, Rome and Milan. The class will also examine the political, economic and industrial factors contributing to the creation of the Italian fashion system.  The lectures are supplemented by site visits and field trips to museums, artisans and factories.

*Students enrolled in this course will be responsible for an additional fee for field trips related to this course.*

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Pre-approved Fashion Student

Course Name: FDM 45589 Field Experience European Fashion Study Tour for Florence Students (ELR)

Description: (Repeatable for credit)Visit to European fashion markets including design and fabric houses or showrooms, retail stores, buying offices and other areas of the fashion industry.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Fashion design or fashion merchandising major.

Only pre-approved Fashion students may register for this course

Course Name:  GEOG 31080 Geography of Wine

Description: Learn about the physical environment of viticulture, including climate, soil and farm practices; the cultural tradition of wine making, consumption and trade; and regional production styles of Tuscany.

*This course has an additional course fee of $100 per student. Optional wine tastings are included in the course only for students who are 21 years or older.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: GEOG 41800 Global Environmental Issues

Description: Explore some of the most difficult environmental and climate challenges the world faces from the vantage point of Florence this summer.  From mitigating the causes of climate and environmental changes, to adapting to precarious water resources, increased natural disasters, and the effects of urban development we will seek to understand the crises at the forefront of current-day Europe.  We’ll explore some of the local initiatives in Florence to deal with these challenges through field visits, guest lectures from  local experts, and role playing exercises.  Take an optional field trip one weekend to Venice to learn from a local scientist how Italy is dealing with the impacts of the rising sea in a sinking city and is working to preserve it for future generations.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name:  HDF 44089 Families in Florence, Italy: Love, Parenting and Policy (ELR)

Course Description: The course explores the concepts of love, marriage, and family of Florence and Tuscany using the city as our classroom. In this course, we’ll explore how historical family honor, rituals, culture, and social context continue to influence the modern Florentine family. Students will engage in naturalistic observation of modern Florentine couples and families and explore historic family honor and power through art and fashion. We’ll work to identify family rituals and traditions passed down from the Roman empire at Roman ruins and explore how modern policies and culture influence love, relationships, and family. In short, we want to understand what makes the modern Florentine family and understand how those families function.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: HDF 45089 Lifespan Development Practices and Outcomes: The Italian Experience

Description: This course explores lifespan development theories through the lens of Italian culture, policy and practices. Class time will be spent visiting and observing historical sites, schools, non-profit organizations, and observing everyday life while learning about the influence of religion, education,  and state policies on developmental outcomes. Students may have the opportunity to actively engage with Florentines through a brief volunteer experience.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: 2.5 cumulative GPA

Course Name: HIED 6/76657 Leadership in Education Organizations

Description: By learning to appraise their own leadership styles, students improve their leadership effectiveness and explore the relationship between leadership and college and university effectiveness. In this course, we will explore the theory and practice of leadership utilizing a critical perspective. We will engage in reflection upon our own leadership and apply what we’re learning to our educational practice.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name:  HIST 37001 Florence The Myth of a City

Description: Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and the cradle of modern Western Civilization because, among the many Italian city-states, it experienced a cultural development that had no precedent in European history. Florentine republicanism is a political paradigm through which we, still today, trace the origins of the values of democracy, freedom, rational thought, individualism, the scientific method and the capacity for critical reflection. This course covers and analyzes different historical eras of Florence from its founding, during the Roman era, up until today. Special attention is given to periods of intensive development in Florence: the re-birth of the Middle Ages, the splendor of the Renaissance, and the crucial role of the Risorgimento, when the city was the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy (1865-1871) and became a center of culture and modern civilization. This course will be offered only in Florence.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing

Course Name: ITAL 15201 Elementary Italian I

Description: An introduction to the Italian language in the context of Italian culture.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites: None

Open to all students.

Course Name: MCED 40005 Effective Use of Phonics in the Teaching of Reading

Description: The influence of theoretical perspectives on word identification instruction, an examination of the role of phonics in reading and writing strategies for effective phonics instruction and assessment.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: MCLS 39597 Reading Italy from the Renaissance to Today (Florence)

Course Description: This course invites you to read your way across the Italian peninsula through the perspectives of six authors from the Renaissance until today. With a text from each century, these authors will introduce you to some of the most fascinating issues, debates, and stories from the last centuries in Italy. From Arcangela Tarabotti’s criticism of forced enclosure in the convent in Paternal Tyranny to Camillo Boito’s outrageous portrayal of corruption in Italian society in Senso, with many stops in between, you will be entertained and intrigued by the ideas presented across the syllabus. The course is designed to enrich your time in Italy and help you navigate your experience with Italian culture. Special focus will be given to gender and class concerns, which run through each text under discussion. The course will consist of a reading for each class, which we will unpack in lively group discussions. Site visits to museums, gardens, and literary cafés will accompany our lessons and reflections and essays will give you the chance to share your ideas on our readings. Texts and discussions will be in English, and no prior knowledge of the subject matter is required.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: MKTG 45060  International Marketing

Description: The course provides a comprehensive overview of international marketing issues characterizing international companies in foreign markets. It will introduce students to the international markets and the principles underlying the development and implementation of marketing strategies across and within foreign countries. Topics include: political, cultural, and legal environmental changes as new competitive challenges for companies involved in international businesses, international marketing strategies (domestic market expansion, multi-domestic marketing, and global marketing), multicultural marketing researches, international segmentation and competitive positioning, and international marketing mix in terms of product, distribution, communication and price decisions. During lessons the students are expected to prepare, present their views, and actively participate in classroom. In order to facilitate their participation, lessons include discussions of cases and the viewing of videos on international marketing experiences. The course is designed to stimulate curiosity about international marketing practices of companies, which seek global market opportunities and to raise the student's consciousness about the importance of an international marketing perspective in the international business management.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  or  or 

Open to all students with prerequisites.

Course Name:  MUS 22111 Understanding Western Music in Florence 

Description:  The course will survey the history of Western music using Florence as the backdrop. It will connect music with the history of Florence allowing students to gain an understanding of music through live concerts, visits to museums and by studying the numerous links between Florence’s art, architecture and music. Students will have the opportunity to attend concerts from a variety of periods including a full-length opera. A class period will be spent at the Instrument Museum that displays Cristofori’s first piano (you will also see the David in the same museum!). The course will incorporate the free opera that all students attend into the curriculum. Other free listening opportunities include Gregorian chant at San Miniato, a full mass sung in Latin, with the participation of the Maggio musicale Fiorentino, in occasion of San Giovanni, saint protector of Florence. More options will be available as summer schedule materialize. An optional event will be attending a full length opera in the courtyard of Palazzo Pitti. It is about $24 if we go as a group. By the end of the course students will: 1) Become aware of how music has affected the lives of people throughout the centuries 2) Become aware of music in a variety of different styles 3) Understand the connections between Music Art and Architecture.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: MUS 22121 Music as a World Phenomenon in Florence

Course Description: Immerse yourself in the life culture and excitement of Florence, Italy through music. Learn about ancient music sitting in a 2000-year-old amphitheater, medieval and renaissance music in the palaces and churches where they were first performed. See a full-length opera at one of the greatest opera houses in the world. Watch a rock band, such as Metallica, at the Florence Rocks Concert. 

This course will explore music as a part of human life to reflect the experiences, desires, and histories of the world’s peoples. What does music mean to the people who produce it, practice it, and consume it?  How are these meanings constructed and experienced and what does music mean to you! 

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name:  REL 40095 Interfaith Dialogue and Human Fraternity

Course Description: The interfaith dialogue is fundamental to fostering a world of mutual respect, understanding, and peace. By engaging in conversations across religious boundaries, every person can bridge stereotypes and address common challenges collaboratively. Human fraternity, which emphasizes the shared humanity and intrinsic worth of every person, underpins these dialogues, reinforcing the principle that despite our differences, we are all part of a global family. The interfaith dialogue course nurtures environments where tolerance prevails over conflict and where solidarity triumphs over division, paving the way for a more and compassionate world. This course aims to promote empathy and appreciation for diverse beliefs and practices, enhancing social cohesion and cultural harmony. Interact in the course the major representatives of the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Coordinated by the instructor, course lectures will feature talks by the rabbi, the Imam and the bishop of the religious communities of Florence. At the end of the course, Faculty and Students will address the topic in a round table discussion.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: RPTM 46095 Selected Topics in Recreation: Arts, Parks, and Events: Designing Inclusive Experiences for Persons with Disabilities

Course Description: This course will prepare students to understand conceptual, theoretical, and applied aspects of designing inclusive experiences for persons with disabilities in art, event, cultural, hospitality, park, and tourism attractions . Students will experience art, tourism, park, and cultural attractions in Florence and surrounding parks through an inclusion design lens with aim to better understand ways to make places and experiences accessibility and accommodating for persons with disabilities. They will learn the principles of inclusion, accessibility, and designing accommodations in built, natural, and event environments by analyzing these at sites throughout Florence and recommending ways to improve accessible experiences for persons with disabilities. Their learning outcome will culminate in a case study involving the inclusion a person with a disability in an art, event, cultural, hospitality, park, or tourism experience in Florence, Italy.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: SPAD 45024 Sport in Global Perspective

Description:  Students will critically analyze how sport, in contemporary societies, relates to general features of globalization and the connection between global and local issues (including social, cultural, economic, and geopolitical issues). The underlying assumption is that sport is part of a growing network of global interdependencies that bind human beings together. The course will try to fully integrate the students’ abroad experience in their learning process. For this purpose, a focus on the Italian context will be a relevant part of the course through visits (Museo del Calcio di Coverciano – National Football Museum in Florence; Viola Park – ACF Fiorentina training center in Florence), and guest lectures and meetings with professional sport managers from Pistoia Basket – LBA pro team, ACF Fiorentina men and women, Savino del Bene women Volleyball – Italian team, and Guelfi American football Firenze. The role of media system will be emphasized (sport events, such as soccer games, pro basketball games, NCAA varsity sports etc.) for a deep understanding of the media representation and the media coverage of sport in Italian, US and worldwide contexts as well.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Senior Standing

Course Name: SPED 24000 Inclusive Practices

Description: Beginning in the 1970’s the Italian government passed some of the most progressive laws worldwide regarding inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings. Since that time Italian special education law has evolved considerably but still maintains a strong emphasis on inclusion. Students in this course will have the opportunity to observe local area schools and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the Italian approach to inclusive education for students with disabilities. Students in this course will meet with local teachers, students, and school leaders. Students will participate in a series of site visits and guest lectures. Site visits include primary and secondary schools and an international language school.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: SPED 23000

Course Name: AERN 45135 Aviation Safety Theory

Description: This course provides an introduction to safety theories, models, and systems. This will include discussion about specific accidents and applications of those theories and models to real life situations.  

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  None

Course Name: AERN 45791 Aviation Security/Policy

Description: Examines policies, practices, procedures and regulatory provisions developed to create and enhance security in civil aviation with a special emphasis on airlines, airports, airspace and agencies responsible for civil aviation security. As a writing intensive course, AERN is designed to address emerging paradigms in civil aviation security through a scholastic approach that emphasizes descriptive analyses in the study of aviation security policy and practice.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: 

Course Name: ARTH 42045 Italian Art from Giotto to Bernini

Description: This course will explore the development of art and architecture in Italy from the late Middle Ages to the Roman Baroque period. Through an in- depth analysis of the art and history of these periods, we shall develop an understanding of Italy’s role in the overall development of Western civilization. Particular emphasis will be given to Florentine Art. Florence exhibits to this day a particularly well-integrated conception of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Taking advantage of this, we will use the city as our classroom in order to examine the development of Florentine art and architecture in context. In addition to “on-site” lectures, classroom lectures will focus on the art produced in other major Italian cities.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: ARTS 45089  International Experience: Studio Art

Description: Through a daily sketchbook practice in Florence students will observe and record their environment through drawing from observation at locations such as: gardens, museums, churches, the scenic landscapes, and the city views of Florence. By sketching, taking visual field notes (such as rubbings of textures), and using photography, students will create studio-based work that builds upon and distills their direct observations. Through this process students will develop a series of self-directed works-on-paper that translate those impressions into finished artworks. Depending on the student’s sensibility and interest, completed work will range from pictorial to abstract, as well completed works maybe conceptually driven. Students will create a portfolio of artworks reflective of their experience living in Florence, using techniques and strategies that range from drawing and wet-media painting to image transfer, various low tech printmaking techniques, and collage. This studio-based class will be influenced by and will complement the numerous museum and historic site visits which are part of the Florence Summer Institute experience. The daily sketchbook practice will act as a travel-log/diary documenting students’ trips in the region, for example to Siena and the other destinations. Students will be introduced to artists, illustrators and scientists that utilize the sketchbook and fieldnotes as way of seeing and understanding their environment.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: BA 34060 Operations Management 

Description:  A survey course in operations management that covers the managerial concepts, and the quantitative tools used in the design, planning operation and control of operations systems. This FSI course offers two novel aspects. First, students immerse themselves in the realities of living and working in Florence and Tuscany, with a focus on operations and supply management in the historic center. This approach, termed "Florence Life," explores the unique challenges and rewards of this environment. Dr. Berardi will leverage his professional and family relationships in Florence for student benefit. Second, students will learn to use prompt engineering with AI assistants and large language models (LLMs) to self-investigate operations management topics. Guided by Dr. Berardi—a pioneer in AI with over two-decades of research and teaching expertise—students will learn how to take control of their Florence Life learning journey, knowledge which can be applied to any future learning endeavor.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: or ; and or or .

Course Name: BSCI 30789 Feasts and Plagues: The Science of Italian Food, Wine and Disease

Description: This course explores the microbial mechanisms responsible for plagues such as the Black Death as well as for their positive roles in food and wine production. These costs and benefits are explored in Florence, Italy since each is ingrained in the city's history, culture, art, and biology. Course activities include food and wine tastings and field trips to historical sites and museums in Florence and Siena. This course is designed to appeal to students with a wide array of interests in human health and society. Students will analyze genomes of microbes responsible for human disease, discuss ecological and biological factors associated with disease transmission, construct cemetery life tables, discuss the impacts of disease on Italian art, architecture, and culture, master knowledge of the fermentation process, and compare and contrast the microbiomes and environments of vineyards in Tuscany vs. California.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: BSCI 40195 Mythical Creatures and Developmental Biology

Description: Since ancient times and in many different cultures, mythical creatures such as monsters (e.g. the hydra, gargoyles), human and animal hybrids (e.g. centaurs, the Sphinx), and creatures with a combination of traits (e.g. unicorns, dragons) are symbols of human values and feelings including power, loyalty, wisdom, fear, and sadness. Mythical creatures are represented in writing, art, and sculpture throughout the city of Florence, Italy. In this course we will explore and view mythical creatures through a developmental biology prism in order to assess what is possible due to architectural constraints of animal forms vs. what is fantastical, made possible only in man’s deepest imaginations. This course will include site visits to art museums and sculpture gardens to view mythical creatures, discussion of what these creatures symbolize in Italian cultural history, site visits to natural history museums to record animal architectural constraints in a historical context, and discussion of developmental biological processes that underlie these architectural constraints. This course is designed for biology majors and non-majors.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: BUS 30234 International Business

Description: This course provides an introduction to different environments, theories and practices of international business. This course is designed for all students interested in international business, regardless of their principal academic discipline. Topics covered include globalization; international companies; sustainability; the impact and importance of culture; economic, financial, social, political environments; global strategies and structures; international marketing and entry modes. In order to facilitate these goals, students are expected to prepare, present their views, and actively participate in classroom discussions. The course provides a broad survey of the theoretical and practical aspects of management practice in Europe, introducing you the major financial, economic and socio – economic, physical, socio – cultural political, labor, competitive and distributive forces that characterize business in Europe. The course will help you to develop an increased awareness of the differences between European and North American business practices, and a better grasp of the impact of differences in business practices on the conduct of business internationally. The emphasis in this course is both on understanding and applying one’s knowledge of different management practices, using national cultures as an aid to understanding the evolution of various management practices.
We begin by analyzing the international business environment that connects the phenomenon of globalization with the national and cultural differences that characterize the countries in this economy. Next we will analyze, how to first define a strategy to enter foreign markets, select then a global company structure, and define a global marketing and pricing strategies. We will delve into some strategic and functional issues that characterize the management of organizations in the global marketplace.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  or 

Open to all students with prerequisites.

Course Name: CCI 40189: Italian Pop Culture

Description:  This course is aimed at investigating Italian contemporary pop culture with a focus on celebrity culture, television and music in Italy. While investigating media, format, genres and imageries of contemporary Italian pop culture, students will be able to immerse themselves deeper into aspects of the Italian cultural identity that inform and shape pop culture narratives such as mafia, the Catholic/religious imagery etc. The course will investigate new practices of production and consumption of media content and it will take into consideration key concepts and practices that are central to the cultural industries such as genres, format, celebrity and adaptation by presenting and discussing different media products. While focusing on the Italian case, comparisons will be made with The U.S.A. and other European countries.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: CLAS 21405 The Roman Achievement

Description: This course is an introduction to the history and culture of the Roman world, from the origins of Rome through its ascent to domination of the Mediterranean world, the troubled changes from Republic to Empire, and the flourishing of the city and its provinces during the Imperial period until its crisis and consequent fall during the 4th-5th centuries AD. Political and military organizations, religious beliefs towards life and death, social identity, entertainment, private life, familial relationships, sexuality and the changes of these assets and values throughout time are examined in this course by means of the most recent archaeological and historical approaches and debates. As we search together to unravel the historical, cultural and social significance of the Roman achievement, primary sources in translation will be used to provide a fresh look of how some political events were perceived, how Roman urban life and its agents were captured by the satirical descriptions of Juvenal and Martial, and how such a catastrophic event such as the eruption of the Vesuvius affected writers such as Pliny and Seneca.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: CRIM 37095 Born Criminal? The Italian Origins of Criminology

Description: This course focuses on studying crime and criminal behavior. Students will examine the history of criminological theory, which was developed in Italy across the 1700s and 1800s. In this course, we will explore the work of classical philosophers such as Beccaria and Lombroso, examining their thoughts on how crime is defined, what makes a criminal, and how society should punish people who engage in crime. Students will also study Renaissance and Enlightenment era art and its influence on narratives of justice, and visit several museums to see the pieces. This will include site visits to the Bargello, a historical courthouse and prison. Then, students will investigate the legacy of these Italian criminological theories in the criminal justice system today.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name:  ENG 38895 Florence Flash Fiction

Course Description: In this creative writing course, students will read and write very short stories. Referred to variously as flash fiction, sudden fiction, microfiction, etc., these short forms, which range from a paragraph to several pages in length, are a unique literary case. While most fiction abides by certain conventions-- detailed description, causal sequencing, and narrative development that unfolds gradually over many pages— what of fiction that’s super short, lightening quick, and radically compressed? What of scenes, descriptions, and moments of insight that perch on the head of a pin? In this course we’ll read a wide range of contemporary short form examples, and examine their strategies and techniques under a magnifying glass. Some stories will appear quietly and leave a smoldering after effect. Others will explode in your face. Students will learn to approach carefully, read like writers, and build on these studies toward their own creative efforts. The main focus of the class will be on helping students to write their own short, creative fictions via prompts, free writes, experiences, and crafted pieces to be discussed in a supportive, collaborative workshop environment. Voice, style, character, setting, dramatic impact, and how to manage formal concision will be among the craft elements emphasized. Ultimately, students will discover, through study and practice, how very short fiction can challenge and expand possibilities for creative expression.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  or .

Course Name:  GEOG 31080 Geography of Wine

Description: Learn about the physical environment of viticulture, including climate, soil and farm practices; the cultural tradition of wine making, consumption and trade; and regional production styles of Tuscany.

*This course has an additional course fee of $100 per student. Optional wine tastings are included in the course only for students who are 21 years or older.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: HEM 33031 Food, Wine and Beverage Pairing

Description: This course provides students with knowledge of the sensory relationship of Food, Wine, Beer and Spirits, and the important role this process has on Hospitality Operations. Course topics will include developing an understanding of wine, beer and food pairing as a hierarchical process, Old and New World traditions, and traditional and non-traditional gastronomic pairings. Menu development and cooking play an important role in this class.  Food and Beverage are the two most importance facets of restaurant operations.  Furthermore, the growth and interest in this area has been suggested as a reaction to the “homogenizing influence of globalization” with customers seeking unique eating and drinking experiences. To respond to these trends, hospitality firms as well as hospitality training and education need to move beyond basic practical courses or training focusing solely on business issues to training that reflects the growing interest in unique experiences by the hospitality industry.

*This course has an additional course fee of $300 per student. Students must be 21 years of age or older to enroll

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Special Approval 

Course Name:  HIST 37001 Florence The Myth of a City

Description: Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and the cradle of modern Western Civilization because, among the many Italian city-states, it experienced a cultural development that had no precedent in European history. Florentine republicanism is a political paradigm through which we, still today, trace the origins of the values of democracy, freedom, rational thought, individualism, the scientific method and the capacity for critical reflection. This course covers and analyzes different historical eras of Florence from its founding, during the Roman era, up until today. Special attention is given to periods of intensive development in Florence: the re-birth of the Middle Ages, the splendor of the Renaissance, and the crucial role of the Risorgimento, when the city was the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy (1865-1871) and became a center of culture and modern civilization. This course will be offered only in Florence.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing

Course Name: ITAL 15201 Elementary Italian I

Description: An introduction to the Italian language in the context of Italian culture.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites: None

Open to all students.

Course Name: MKTG 45060 International Marketing

Description: The course provides a comprehensive overview of international marketing issues characterizing international companies in foreign markets. It will introduce students to the international markets and the principles underlying the development and implementation of marketing strategies across and within foreign countries. Topics include: political, cultural, and legal environmental changes as new competitive challenges for companies involved in international businesses, international marketing strategies (domestic market expansion, multi-domestic marketing, and global marketing), multicultural marketing researches, international segmentation and competitive positioning, and international marketing mix in terms of product, distribution, communication and price decisions. During lessons the students are expected to prepare, present their views, and actively participate in classroom. In order to facilitate their participation, lessons include discussions of cases and the viewing of videos on international marketing experiences. The course is designed to stimulate curiosity about international marketing practices of companies, which seek global market opportunities and to raise the student's consciousness about the importance of an international marketing perspective in the international business management.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites:  or  or 

Open to all students with prerequisites.

Course Name:  MUS 22111 Understanding Western Music in Florence

Description:  The course will survey the history of Western music using Florence as the backdrop. It will connect music with the history of Florence allowing students to gain an understanding of music through live concerts, visits to museums and by studying the numerous links between Florence’s art, architecture and music. Students will have the opportunity to attend concerts from a variety of periods including a full-length opera. A class period will be spent at the Instrument Museum that displays Cristofori’s first piano (you will also see the David in the same museum!). The course will incorporate the free opera that all students attend into the curriculum. Other free listening opportunities include Gregorian chant at San Miniato, a full mass sung in Latin, with the participation of the Maggio musicale Fiorentino, in occasion of San Giovanni, saint protector of Florence. More options will be available as summer schedule materialize. An optional event will be attending a full length opera in the courtyard of Palazzo Pitti. It is about $24 if we go as a group. By the end of the course students will: 1) Become aware of how music has affected the lives of people throughout the centuries 2) Become aware of music in a variety of different styles 3) Understand the connections between Music Art and Architecture.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name:  PH 30195 Protecting Environmental Health in Europe and the United States: Lessons from Florence

Course Description: Since at least the 1990’s, the European Union (EU) has established environmental standards that apply to and are supplemented by its Member States and the jurisdictions lying within them, including the City of Florence in Italy (Italy is an EU Member State). In the United States (US), the federal government establishes environmental standards that apply to and are supplemented by states and by cities that lie within them. While the EU is a supra-national entity and the US is a nation-state, they both use federal governance structures that have enabled scholars and professionals to compare their policy challenges, governance arrangements, public policies, and environmental management practices . In this course, students will compare environmental problems and public policies in the EU and the US, using Florence Italy and a comparably sized city in the US as illustrative cases (the US comparison city(ies) have not yet been determined, but Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are good candidates). After reviewing perspectives regarding ways in which human beings interact with their physical environments, students will compare environmental challenges, governing institutions and actors, policymaking processes, and environmental health policies in the United States and Europe, with particular focus on Florence, Italy. Environmental problems, issues, governance arrangements, and policies in Florence will illuminate approaches taken in Europe and will be compared to situations in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and/or other appropriate city(ies) in the US. Students will gain an appreciation for environmental challenges facing Europeans and individuals in the US, as well as the varying ways these challenges can and are being addressed.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name:  POL 40995 Crossing Lines: Migration and the Surge of Right-Wing Populism

Course Description: Delve into the dynamics between migration from the Global South and the rising tide of right-wing populism in the Global North. This course begins by examining how migration from Central and South America has contributed to the political ascendancy of figures like Donald Trump in the United States, then broadens to a comparative analysis of how African and Middle Eastern migration has fueled right-wing populism in Europe, including Germany’s Alternative for Germany, France’s National Rally, Hungary’s Fidesz, and Italy’s Lega. Throughout the semester, we will explore a variety of factors that amplify the voice and impact of anti-immigration movements, paying special attention to how different electoral systems—from winner-take-all to proportional representation—influence these dynamics. Students will come away with a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary political landscape shaped by global migration, equipped to critically analyze and discuss the complex interplay between migration and political trends.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: PROS 40095 Soft Skills of Leadership: European and American Perspectives

Description: This course will assist students in tapping into their leadership potential by exploring the soft skills of leadership and exploring both European and American perspectives regarding essential leadership characteristics. There will be multiple opportunities for exploration in and around Florence, studying leadership as it is manifested in business, education, the food and wine industry and professional sports.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: PSYC 41495 Emotions, Culture & Health

Description: Emotions are central in all psychological and many physiological processes. Moreover, emotions are robustly evident in daily life in both culture and in health. In this class, we will investigate the science of emotions and health as well as the broader role that emotions play in society. In particular, we will participate in a century-old yet still pressing debate as to the underlying nature of emotion: biological vs. cultural. We will discuss evolutionary and socio-cultural models of emotion as well as observe emotions elicited and expressed in both art and society. Our primary goal: to attempt to resolve this debate based on evidence accumulated throughout the course.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course Name: SPA 44089/EPSY5/70093 Cognition of Conversation, Miscommunication, and Learning

Description: Communication is the seat of social interaction, and to truly understand the intricacies of communication - we will communicate. Therefore, this course will not be like a traditional lecture-based course but will include three types of immersive learning contexts: field exploration, rich in-class discussions, and online preparatory lectures about communicating. There will be three planned field exploration activities, in which we will learn about pragmatics as we people watch at famous locations in Florence, like Ponte Vecchio, discover the city as we use language to navigate maps, and practice our perspective taking skills in local shops or restaurants. In-class discussion will come from discussions of personal experience and review of assigned readings, while online preparatory assignments will include pre-recorded lecture content and knowledge checks. These activities will allow us to engage in rich dialogue about topics related to cognition, communication, miscommunication, and learning — with the hope to improve personal and cultural communication practices.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: None/Graduate standing and special approval/Doctoral standing and special approval.

Course Name: SPAD 25000 Sport in Society 

Description: The aim of the course is to study and to apply different theoretical perspectives to the reflection and comprehension on sport in different countries, with reference to the United States and Italy.

Students will critically analyze how sport relates to the social relations and cultural values of United States and Italian societies, using a comparative and cross-cultural approach. The course is framed by a critical evaluative perspective, examining how social class, ethnicity, race and gender relations shape sport practices.

Analysis of specific case studies both from US and Italy will stimulate an active in-class students’ participation. The course will try to fully integrate the students’ abroad experience in their learning process. For this purpose, a focus on the Italian context will be a relevant part of the course through visits (Museo del Calcio di Coverciano – National Football Museum in Florence), and guest lectures and meetings with athletes and representatives from Pistoia Basket – LBA pro team, ACF Fiorentina women, Savino del Bene women Volleyball Scandicci-Firenze team, Beep Firenze Baseball for Blind team, and Volpi Rosse wheelchair basketball Firenze team.

The role of media system will be emphasized for a deep understanding of the media representation of sport in Italy and US.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing.