Through a historical introduction to the transformation of Florence into Destination Florence, this course will guide students to reflect on how foreign influences have affected contemporary Italian culture and society, as well as on their own experience as students abroad. We will focus on the transformation of historic Italian cities into Destination cities, starting with the accounts of 19th century travelers on the Grand Tour and culminating with mass tourism today. Students will identify the foreign influences that have continuously affected the nation-building process in Italy, as well as contemporary Italian culture and society. The focus of the course is Florence, an historic urban landscape that for a long time has been negotiating the presence of foreigners, including students abroad. In the tradition of the Grand Tour, this course will guide students to reflect on how their own experience as students abroad fits into the dynamic between local culture and global culture in Florence. The course includes a field trip to a destination that falls outside of the tourist map, to try and define the notion of cultural authenticity today.
Meets with HST300.18.
This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.
Department: Literature
Location: Florence
Semesters: Fall, Spring
Credits: 3