DES300.2 Bellissima! Unraveling the Threads of Italian Fashion (Spring) NOT OFFERED SPRING 2027

DES300.2 Bellissima! Unraveling the Threads of Italian Fashion (Spring) NOT OFFERED SPRING 2027

Registration priority to Design Program students. Italian fashion has become a global phenomenon. However, it wasn’t until the end of the Second World War that international customers began to recognize brands such as Simonetta, Schuberth, and Marucelli. Although these names may not be familiar to contemporary audiences, they played a significant role in laying the foundation for the later success of Made in Italy fashions and household names. This course will provide students with an understanding of how Made in Italy became a global phenomenon in fashion, by examining Italy’s role in 20th-century fashion and couture from the perspective of its main client, the United States. Topics will cover the significant historical events in the history of Italian fashion from handcrafted goods to high-end, couture-like tailoring and, later, to luxury ready-to-wear, to map out the transitions of the Italian fashion industry. We will delve into the intriguing history of the people who contributed to the industry through case studies, site visits, and in-class workshops, investigating the significant role played by women in this field and evaluating some inspiring examples of their accomplishments. Bellissima will explore the stories of influential individuals such as buyers, journalists, commissionaires, and retail intermediaries. This journey will help us understand how the contributions of these unsung heroes have helped Italian brands become some of the most successful in the world.

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

HOA300.4 Science, Art, and Technology in Renaissance Florence (Fall, Spring)

Renaissance Florence was a laboratory of research and innovation. Collaboration between painters, architects, astronomers, and mathematicians led to some of the most iconic works of art and technology in the city, such as those by Brunelleschi, Galileo, and other scientist-artisans. This course explores the intersection between art and science, considering these accomplishments as a product of the society of Renaissance Italy. Why did Florence produce thinkers like Leonardo and Galileo? Special attention will be given to interdisciplinary connections in Florence between the arts (painting, sculpture, architecture) and the sciences (mathematics, engineering, chemistry, astronomy, anatomy, and others).

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

HST300.14 Making Italians: History, Memory and Identity in Modern Italy (Spring)

This course explores the connection between national identity and ‘historical memory’ — i.e. the way in which a society, its media and institutions talk about their past and how this shapes national identity. Examining Italians’ different perspectives on major historical turning points, we will explore how these moments have molded Italians’ different identities. Controversies around the legacy of Fascism, colonialism, and political violence continue to shape contemporary politics and divides of region, class, gender, culture, religion and migration status have often complicated the idea of a monolithic ‘Italianness’. Students will examine how this historical memory is created not just by professional historians, but by media, cultural products (movies, novels), political institutions and popular myths. They will be able to critically analyze different representations of the past, and develop their own independent perspective on how identities are formed.

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

HST300.13 Edible Histories: Mediterranean Food Cultures Through Time And Space (Fall, Spring)

This history course transcends widespread interest in the health benefits of the so-called Mediterranean Diet, inviting students to explore the extraordinary diversity of Mediterranean food cultures and the many meanings and significances that Mediterranean civilizations have attributed to food. In this course you will be introduced to foundational concepts linking history and food, challenging prevailing stereotypes. Then you will examine the role of food in defining cultural, religious, and social identities across various epochs in the Mediterranean; this includes a focus on the historical and cultural significance of bread, olive oil, and wine, augmented by experiential tasting opportunities. Finally, explore the global influences that have shaped Mediterranean food cultures and vice versa. The course will offer a comprehensive exploration of how historical dynamics and cultural exchanges have shaped the history and culture of food in the Mediterranean. By combining historical inquiry with interdisciplinary perspectives and experiential learning opportunities, you will develop a deepened appreciation for how food serves as a lens through which to understand the complexities of Mediterranean history and society.

Registration restriction: Students may not register for both this course and ANT 300 – Food, Culture and Identity or NSD 452 – Mediterranean Food and Culture.

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

HST300.6 Italian Fascism: Rise, Fall and Legacies (Fall, Spring)

Explore the origins, ascendancy, and decline of Italian Fascism, tracing its development from the late 19th century to the aftermath of World War II. The socio-political upheavals that facilitated the rise of Fascism will be explored, including Italy’s post-unification challenges and the transformative impacts of World War I. The course provides an in-depth analysis of Mussolini’s totalitarian regime, examining how Fascism influenced various aspects of Italian life and governance, from cultural innovations and economic policies to foreign relations and wartime strategies. This course aims not only to provide a thorough historical account of Italian Fascism but also to develop a critical understanding of how historical narratives are formed and how they resonate in contemporary political and social contexts.

ANT300.10 Peace and Conflict in the Balkans (Signature Seminar; Spring 2027)

LIMITED ENROLLMENT

An immersive experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s social, political, cultural and natural environment. The global politics of peacebuilding, reconciliation and democratization are providing a blueprint for postconflict reconstruction projects around the world, including Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the continued reconstruction of the former Yugoslav states. Among these, Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly interesting due to the intensive involvement of the world’s most powerful states and leading international institutions in the region’s governance. This external project of postwar state-making and nation-building makes Bosnia and Herzegovina into an exceptionally rich site to investigate the nature of “western” geopolitical imaginings and the forms of humanitarian interventions in a post-Cold War context. At the same time, due to prolific ethnographic research conducted in the postwar era, the Balkans provide an excellent context to study how ordinary people negotiate their postwar realities, the effects of international military and humanitarian interventions, and conflicting expectations of the future.

This ten-day-traveling seminar offers an immersive student experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s social, political, cultural, and natural environment. This experience will allow participants to not only learn about Bosnia and Herzegovina in its complexity, but to reflect on and examine their own worldview, biases, and ways of life. Participants will be encouraged to consider both Bosnia and Herzegovina and their own “homelands” in a comparative light, allowing them to realize that their way of life is one among many, and that it is connected to all others.

Cross-listed with HST300.10.

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 after the semester concludes.

HST300.10 Peace and Conflict in the Balkans (Signature Seminar; Spring 2027)

LIMITED ENROLLMENT

An immersive experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s social, political, cultural and natural environment. The global politics of peacebuilding, reconciliation and democratization are providing a blueprint for postconflict reconstruction projects around the world, including Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the continued reconstruction of the former Yugoslav states. Among these, Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly interesting due to the intensive involvement of the world’s most powerful states and leading international institutions in the region’s governance. This external project of postwar state-making and nation-building makes Bosnia and Herzegovina into an exceptionally rich site to investigate the nature of “western” geopolitical imaginings and the forms of humanitarian interventions in a post-Cold War context. At the same time, due to prolific ethnographic research conducted in the postwar era, the Balkans provide an excellent context to study how ordinary people negotiate their postwar realities, the effects of international military and humanitarian interventions, and conflicting expectations of the future.

This ten-day-traveling seminar offers an immersive student experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s social, political, cultural, and natural environment. This experience will allow participants to not only learn about Bosnia and Herzegovina in its complexity, but to reflect on and examine their own worldview, biases, and ways of life. Participants will be encouraged to consider both Bosnia and Herzegovina and their own “homelands” in a comparative light, allowing them to realize that their way of life is one among many, and that it is connected to all others.

Cross-listed with ANT300.10.

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 after the semester concludes.

HST380.1 Economic History of Globalization (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.

This course will examine the idea of globalization as a long-term phenomenon, analyzing the different forms that such a concept can take over the centuries from the late Middle Ages to the early contemporary age. Some macro-themes will then be analyzed from this perspective in order to identify trends and moments of discontinuity, as well as the different global impact of their dynamics. The course will also propose a historical as well as thematic investigation of economic globalization since the 1820s, revolving around three main macro themes, all considered in a historical perspective:  first, the notion and phases of globalization and the weight that modern industrial development and technology had in its development; second, the role of international trade and finance, as well as governance, in globalization; finally, the weight of economic crises, which constitute a feature of market economies, in hampering or stimulating economic globalization. 

HST300.12 A History of Florence in Twelve Objects (Fall, Spring)

This course is an object-led study of the history of Florence through some of the artistic objects that are emblematic of Florence’s material and visual culture. Examining a wide variety of art forms, including painting, sculpture, and architecture, but also illuminated manuscripts, coins, maps, and textiles, this course will introduce students to a variety of ways in which objects tell their stories and, by extension, what those objects say about the history of the city of Florence. Taught in the classroom as well as on-site in Florence, we will learn about an object and its context each week, while also tracing the continued history of those objects and their legacy up to the present day.

Cross-listed with HOA 300.12.

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

HOA300.12 A History of Florence in Twelve Objects (Fall, Spring)

This course is an object-led study of the history of Florence through some of the artistic objects that are emblematic of Florence’s material and visual culture. Examining a wide variety of art forms, including painting, sculpture, and architecture, but also illuminated manuscripts, coins, maps, and textiles, this course will introduce students to a variety of ways in which objects tell their stories and, by extension, what those objects say about the history of the city of Florence. Taught in the classroom as well as on-site in Florence, we will learn about an object and its context each week, while also tracing the continued history of those objects and their legacy up to the present day.

Cross-listed with HST 300.12.

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