HST300.18 Florence Unveiled: The Evolution of a Destination (Fall, Spring)

HST300.18 Florence Unveiled: The Evolution of a Destination (Fall, Spring)

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 LIT300.18.

This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.

LIT300.18 Florence Unveiled: The Evolution of a Destination (Fall, Spring)

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.

ARI280.4 Serigraphy (Fall, Spring)

Serigraphy, also known as screenprinting, is a printmaking technique that can be applied to fine art prints, graphic design, painting, book arts, and photographic experimentation. This course covers various techniques using water-based inks, focusing on hand-drawn and digital stencils, screen block-out methods, photo emulsion, and monoprint techniques. Students will learn to create editions of prints as well as one-of-a-kind images through detailed instruction on screen preparation, ink mixing, registration, and printing methods.

Limited enrollment, with preference given to students admitted to Studio Art Program.

This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.

PSY300.1 Criminal Psychology: An Analysis of Italian Serial Crimes (Fall, Spring)

This course offers an in-depth exploration of criminal psychology, focusing on the psychological, social, and biological factors that contribute to serial crimes, particularly in Italy. Students will study prominent cases such as the Monster of Florence, examining the psychological profiles of the offenders, the investigative processes, and the impact of these crimes on society. The course combines theoretical discussions with practical analysis, offering students the opportunity to delve into the minds of serial killers and understand the complexities of their actions. By studying the psychological, social, and cultural aspects of serial crimes, particularly in the Italian context, students will gain a unique perspective on criminal behavior, essential for careers in psychology, criminology, law, social work, and law enforcement.

Pre-req: PSY 205 or 209 or equivalent introductory psychology course.

Limited enrollment: Psychology majors may take more than one Psychology (PSY) course, all others limited to one PSY course during the semester.

ECN380.2 Economics of Health and Education (at the U. of Florence) (Fall)

Open only to students accepted to the special program Florence Center & University of Florence (courses taught in English). 

Taught in English at the University of Florence.

Both education and health are important determinants of human capital which is widely recognized as a key issue for individual well-being and economic development. This course investigates the basic model of education as a human capital investment, discussing the difference between private and social returns to education, and models of education as a signaling and a screening device. This course also analyzes the basic model on the demand for health as a consumption good, a capital investment, and an input into production, stressing the importance of complementarities between health and education.

Prereq: Introductory economics course and and at least one college-level Math course.

HOA300.6 Italy to Istanbul: Art, Architecture, and Cultural Exchange in the Mediterranean (Fall)

This course investigates the Mediterranean as a site of contact from Christian Antiquity to the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Through the study of Italian cities such as Venice, Palermo, and Pisa, we will uncover the shared visual and architectural cultures that connect peninsular urban spaces to cities like Istanbul, Alexandria, and Jerusalem. In creating an open dialogue between distant geographic sites we will have the opportunity to engage Christian, Jewish, and Islamic art histories, comparing the structures of synagogues, churches, and mosques, to palaces and piazzas. While emphasis will be placed on medieval and early modern contexts, modern and contemporary responses to the themes of modern Mediterranean Identity and immigration will play a crucial role in our investigation.

This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.

HOA300.5 Art, Alchemy, and Arcana in Early Modernity (Spring)

This course investigates the intersections of art, magic, and early modern science in Italian and broader Mediterranean contexts. While objects like the fabled Philosopher’s Stone, formerly believed to turn base metals to gold or cure the sick, are now relegated to the pages of fiction, Italian alchemists, princes, and artists once searched desperately for their secrets in ancient tomes and Renaissance recipes. Similarly, while disciplines like astrology are now considered a pseudo-science, the very same people relied upon the stars to plan everything from their next business venture to their bodily health. In turn, each of these disciplines utilized the visual arts to realize their goals, using painting, print, and other media to chart their way through the vast and tangled webs of arcane knowledge. Through the contextual studies of alchemy, astrology, and tarot, among other disciplines, we will uncover how early modern artists like Giotto, Leonardo, and Parmigianino believed they could manipulate their very lives using visual materials as a primary conduit to the occult.

This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.

ECN300.1 Energy Economics: Markets, Policy, and Sustainability (Fall, Spring)

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the economics of energy markets, focusing on how energy systems interact with the broader economy and the environment. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of energy demand and supply, energy market structures, the economics of renewable and non-renewable energy sources, and the role of government policy in regulating energy markets. The course emphasizes both theoretical foundations and empirical applications, with particular attention to energy efficiency, climate change, energy security, and sustainable development.  Through case studies and empirical analysis, students will learn how to apply economic principles to solve real-world energy issues and develop policy solutions to contemporary energy challenges.

Prereq: (ECN 101 AND ECN 102) OR (ECN 101 AND ECN 203) or equivalent coursework in microeconomics

ANT300.7 Hands on History in Sicily (Signature Seminar; Fall 2025)

LIMITED ENROLLMENT

This traveling seminar investigates the work of the archaeologists who research and unveil the past of ancient Greek cities on the Italian island of Sicily. Students will visit Catania, Agrigento, Selinunte and Palermo, touring archeological sites and assisting on projects which promote archaeological research and the valorization of Art and Archaeology.

The 3 credits earned for this seminar will be included in the maximum 19 credits that you are permitted to take during your semester abroad. You must enroll in a minimum of 12 other credits for the semester, not including this seminar.

This Signature Seminar is optional and travel destinations are subject to change. Seminar takes place before the start of the semester.

HST300.15 Walking Florence (Fall, Spring)

This course offers a firsthand experience that will enable you to learn about Florence’s unique history and heritage through themed walks providing full immersion in the city aimed at creating a long lasting bond with Florence.
Thanks to this firsthand experience, you will come to know the history of the city through the concrete reality of its art, buildings, streets and urban structure, and will form a special bond with Florence, a sense of belonging arising from the understanding of the structure and shape of today’s city. Exploring the various neighborhoods and areas of Florence, follow traces of the city, both visible and invisible, from Roman times to our day. Which influential families, buildings, architectural styles, art masterpieces and historical events have marked the development of the city? Why is Florence so widely recognized as the home of the Renaissance and as one of the art capitals of the world? How much of its glorious past is still present? And what events have shaped the urban structure of contemporary Florence? To develop this understanding, the course’s combined on-site and off-site methodology will adopt an approach uniting practice and theory. Each walk will be prepared by readings and practical assignments that will allow full participation in lessons in which our classroom will be city of Florence itself. Each lesson will concentrate on a specific topic that will follow the historical development of the city of Florence.

This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.