Academic Profile
Course Offerings
Students may register for this structured program of five 3-credit courses (total 15 credits), which together comprise a unique investigation into to the roots of Western civilization.
Students will be dividing their semester between Tuscania, Rome, and Florence.
Requirements: A 2.5 GPA is required, and official transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose are necessary for admission to the program.
The program has no special prerequisites, and is designed for anyone interested in experiencing the three locations and learning about Western culture.
Language of Instruction: ENGLISH
Tuscania
Department of Italian Language:
Regular Italian Language ITL 101 T / ITL 201 T) *
Credits: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Departments of Classical Studies and History:
Greeks, Etruscans and Romans CLA 275 T / HIS 275 T)
Credits: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Departments of History and Cultural Studies:
Three Cities Research Project (Part I) HIS 291 F/ CLT 291 F)
Rome
Department of History:
Medieval and Renaissance Transitions HIS 292 R)
Credits: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Departments of History and Cultural Studies:
Three Cities Research Project (Part II) HIS 291 F/ CLT 291 F)
For an extra fee students may choose to take an additional 3-credit Italian language course which
commences in Rome and is completed in Florence:
Department of Italian Language:
Regular Italian Language *
Total Credits: 3; total contact hrs in Rome and Florence: 45
Florence
Students choose one of the following:
Departments of History and Political Science:
Machiavelli and Politics HIS 293 F / POL 293 F)
Credits: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Department of Art History:
Leonardo and Art ART 200 F)
Credits: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Departments of History and Philosophy and Religious Studies:
Galileo and Science HIS 245 / PHR 245 F)
Credits: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Students conclude:
Departments of History and Cultural Studies:
Three Cities Research Project (Part III) HIS 291 F/ CLT 291 F)
Credits: 3
For students who have chosen for an extra fee the additional 3-credit Italian language course commenced in Rome:
Department of Italian Language:
Regular Italian Language *
Total credits: 3; total contact hrs in Rome and Florence: 45
* exact level will be determined by a placement test
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
Regular Italian Language - Beginning Level 1
No prerequisites for admission. This level is for absolute beginner students who have never studied Italian before: it is the first of six levels and its aim is to give the basis of the language, allowing students to deal with the most common everyday situations by expressing themselves in the present and in the past tense. All the four main language abilities - understanding, speaking, reading and writing - are gradually developed. In this level, listening and speaking skills are stressed. These language patterns will be taught within a cultural context that will help students to become familiar with some of the most significant elements of Italian cultural life. Grammar: definite and indefinite article, noun-adjective agreement. Regular present tense, to have, to be, there is-there are, main irregular verbs, prepositions and verbs of movement, present perfect, most common irregular past participles. Possessive (adjectives and pronouns). Direct pronouns, the verb piacere. Some thematic areas covered: introducing oneself. Food and restaurant. Daily life and spare time. Finding the way. At the hotel. Shopping: In a clothing shop. Inviting someone to do something. Acceptingrefusing. Talking about one's past.
Regular Italian Language - Intermediate Level 1
This course is for those students who have completed one semester (or equivalent) of Italian and who already have a basic vocabulary of Italian and basic knowledge of elementary structures of the language. Course description and objectives: Students will be able to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring an exchange of information on familiar and routine matters, to describe his/her background, immediate environment and matters related to areas of most immediate relevance. Grammar: Review of the previous level. Reflexive verbs. Future. Stare + gerund. Imperfect: forms and usage. Indirect pronouns. Impersonal form. Imperative, formal and informal. Negative imperative, imperative and pronouns. Interrogative pronouns. Some areas covered: Shopping. Family. Habits in the past. Invite, accept, refuse, give alternative offer. To give advice. Italian festivities. Houses. Planning. Talking about food. Town. How to give directions and instructions. Literature: reading of appropriate literary passages.
Greeks, Etruscans and Romans
This course presents a survey of the extraordinarily rich civilizations that thrived in Italy and the Mediterranean from the 8th century BCE to the 5th century CE. Through colonization of southern Italy and other forms of contact (e.g. trade, war, cultural exchange), the Greeks had a fundamental impact on both the Etruscans of central Italy and their conquerors, the Romans. The course investigates the political, social, cultural and religious dimensions of these civilizations, engaging with surviving literature, art and architecture to help students understand the ancient peoples, values and lifestyles that lie at the heart of the modern Western experience. The location of the course in Tuscania provides students with the unique opportunity to explore first-hand a number of Etruscan burial sites and the treasures that have been uncovered there.
Medieval and Renaissance Transitions
Beginning with the decline of Roman civilization described in the course "Greeks, Etruscans and Romans", this course explores the remarkable series of transitions that Western civilization underwent from the 5th to the 15th century CE, focusing especially on the Italian perspective and on the reorientation of values experienced with the coming of the Renaissance. Topics include: the barbarian invasions, medieval Christianity, the Crusades, the rise of the Italian city states, the Black Death, medieval and Renaissance art and culture, and Rome during the fifteenth century. Site visits in Rome will form an essential component of the course.
Machiavelli and Politics
Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was one of the most extraordinary thinkers to emerge during the burst of creativity that characterized the Florentine Renaissance. Politician, diplomat, playwright and historian, he is best known today as the author of The Prince, the notorious handbook for rulers that represents a watershed in the history of political thought. The Prince was both admired and reviled by Machiavelli's contemporaries and remains mandatory reading for today's statesmen. This course leads students through an in-depth analysis of Machiavelli's main ideas, enabling them to form their own opinions about this remarkable writer. The course both sets Machiavelli's writings in the context of his time and explores his significance for future generations of political thinkers.
Leonardo and Art
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), more than any other figure, represents the Renaissance confidence in the boundless faculties of the human mind. This course will examine Leonardo's life and works in their historical contexts. It will concentrate on the analysis of those of his paintings available for viewing in Florentine galleries, as they epitomize Leonardo's relentless quest for the knowledge of man and nature. In addition the course will also include an analysis of Leonardo's most significant drawings, showing his elaboration of a highly articulated visual language; and an examination of the manuscripts and collections of miscellaneous papers compiled by Leonardo, who throughout his life kept records of all his research embracing every field of learning. The course will cover the breadth and variety of Leonardo's artistic interests, placing him in the artistic culture of his time, exploring his impact on Western art, and attempting to assess his extraordinary legacy.
Galileo and Science
The achievements of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) represent a turning point in Western views of the natural world. Emerging from a Renaissance context that was as interesting for science as it was for art and culture, Galileo succeeded in demonstrating a series of revolutionary theories about the Earth, planetary motion, the stars, tides, and a host of other phenomena. At the same time he evolved a scientific method which continues to underlie much modern scientific enquiry. This course explores Galileo's work and the rich late Renaissance context from which he emerged, with particular emphasis on the periods he spent in Florence and on his famous conflict with the Catholic Church. The course invites students to reflect on the nature of scientific activity and on Galileo's significance for a modern world dominated by rapid technological change. The course includes a site visit to Florence's Museum of the History of Science, which houses a large number of Galileo's own scientific instruments.
Three Cities Research Project
Across the semester students undertake a research project on a subject of their choice, based on their learning experiences in Tuscania, Rome and Florence. These cities hold extraordinary resources for the study of Western civilization: the aim of the project is to give students the opportunity to enhance their understanding of that civilization, its past, present and future. At the same time they will acquire an in-depth knowledge of a particular theme that interests them, and acquire invaluable skills in research and critical thinking. Students will be assigned a different expert tutor in each location who, through individual and small group meetings (amounting to approximately 30 contact hours in total), will carefully guide them through successive stages of the project, from conceiving an idea to the presentation of results. A particular emphasis will be placed on research methodology, identifying and interpreting sources, time management and presentation techniques. This 3 credit project culminates in the writing and submission of a long paper in Florence.
Please consult the following website for updated information on the Three Cities Program:
www.lorenzodemedici.org/florence/
