Join many other students and faculty from Maryville and other local universities in one of Italy’s most famous cities. Students will enjoy learning about “things Italian” through formal classroom settings, lectures “in the streets of Florence” by course professors, and excursions beyond the city to the area’s popular culture venues. Experience especially the wonderful city of Florence – known for its beauty, art, history, gelato, pizza and pasta, business, and the birthplace of the Renaissance. Live and study in the most famous of Renaissance cities. Live in student apartments within walking distance of all Florence has to offer. Enjoy excursions to Siena and other surrounding cities, and optional overnight trips to Venice and Rome.

• 6-9 credits for 4 weeks.
• Select courses from a list of 9 course offerings taught in English (see course descriptions below).
• Excursions to Siena and other places.
• 2 optional weekend trips – Venice and Rome.
• Estimated cost for everything, excluding airfare, is $4,497. This includes room and board, transportation to/from Florence airport, local transportation, some excursions, insurance, and tuition for 6 credits.
• Airfare from St. Louis is estimated at $1,400.
• 3 additional credits cost an additional $750. This is an independent study (Exploring the Culture of Florence), where the student selects 15 different sites/experiences outside their other two classes – structures their free time (see description below).
• A $300 deposit (refundable until March 1) guarantees a participation slot in the program.
• For additional information see Dr. James E. Harf (jharf@maryville.edu) in Gander Hall 101.

 Excellent economic value – the total cost of the program for 9 credits is less than half of the cost of an 18-credit on-campus semester!

Course Descriptions

•  Historical & Contemporary Italian Trade & Commerce (Michael McCarty: Business – Maryville)

This course will afford the student an in-depth understanding of the relationship between historical and contemporary Florence in terms of economic foundations and development. This uniquely Florentine cycle (“the future as past and the past as future”) of Renaissance entrepeneurism contributing to contemporary prosperity and, in turn, the current economic situation, will be studied from political, religious, artistic, and international viewpoints and will be illustrated through numerous historical and contemporary local sites.

• The Study of the Human Body through the Great Italian Renaissance Artists (Natalia Moraru: Biology – Maryville)

The Italian Renaissance artists Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael set a new standard in their portrayals of the human figure; they pioneered a consistent vocabulary of anatomical illustrations with which new discoveries could be precisely recorded. They produced images of the body that combined medical knowledge and an artistic version of humanity’s place in the world. They also significantly influenced our understanding of the human form in art and science. Italian Renaissance art can hardly be imagined apart from the discoveries in the human body’s structure. Italian humanists demonstrated how extremely complicated but at the same time perfect and beautiful the human body is. That is why learning Human Anatomy along with studying of Italian art masterpieces can be very important and impressive for both medical and arts major students. And that’s why Florence with its magnificent enjoyable atmosphere that inspired the great Italian humanists to create their fabulous paintings and sculptures would be the perfect place for the students to learn all the inheritance of Italian masters and feel and understand that Human Anatomy has a great beauty.

• Jewelry Making in Florence (John Baltrushunas: Art Design - Maryville)

This is a studio course based on the availability of a metal-smithing studio in Florence. It will be a beginning course in fabrication (working with pieces of metal) or casting (making wax models) for jewelry or small objects. This is dependent on the availability of a studio. The city of Florence, its history and museums would be the basis of the content. Side trips to Rome could include The Villa Giulia with its extensive collection of Etruscan gold-smithing. Venice has the Palla d’Oro, the gold alter.

• Drawing in Florence (Steve Teczar: Studio Art – Maryville)

This course requires observational drawing from original monuments of Italian art, architecture, culture and history from Etruscan, Roman, Medieval, Renaissance and modern times. Emphasis is on perceptual drawing on-site to develop and apply drawing skills, to allow for creative expression, and to document and enhance the study abroad experience while living independently in Florence and experiencing Italian culture firsthand. Open to new and experienced artists alike.

• Digital Photography and Storytelling in Florence and Milan (Jon Fahnestock: Photography and Interactive Design - Maryville)

Capture stories of Florence, art and rich Italian culture through photographic image, motion and sound. This course begins with instruction in digital photography and editing then focuses on completing a variety of projects that emphasize storytelling. We will explore telling stories through still image as well as the combination of image, motion, narration and music. Open to Art and Design Majors and non-majors. Note: A mid-level digital camera with manual capabilities is required (an SLR is not required).

• Interior Architecture and Design in Florence and Milan (Darlene Davison: Interior Design – Maryville)

The cities will be our studio as we explore architecture, interiors, and design in Florence and Milan. We will investigate the principles of form and composition in the making of architectural space. We will study past and present ideas and principles of design. Florence, famous for its rich history as an important center for art and architecture, will be our base. Milan, recognized as the world capital of contemporary design and creativity, will be an extension of our Florence studio.

• Sites/Sights  of Inspiration: American and British Writers in Italy (Jennifer Eimers: English – Missouri Valley; Annette Van: English – Central Methodist)

This course will examine the weeks of several American and British writers who spent time in and who wrote about Italy, with an emphasis on Florence, Rome, and Venice. Authors may include Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Ernest Hemingway, and Ezra Pound. Students will gain additional insight into the works by visiting the Italian sites in Florence, Rome and Venice that inspired these authors or that appeared in their works.

• Florence Museums and Galleries (Ashley Buchanan: History/Art History – University of Southern Florida)

This course traces the origins and breadth of Florence’s major art and cultural collections. Students will visit all the important and some out-of-the-way museums and galleries: Accademia and The David, Uffizi, Santa Maria del Carmine, Santa Maria del Fiore, Santa Croce, San Marco, Bargello, San Lorenzo, Opera del Duomo, and Museo Bardini and Palazzo Pitti.

• Exploring the Culture of Florence (James Harf:Political Science & International Affairs – Maryville)

This 3-credit course allows students to prepare for and reflect upon a wide range of both group and individual excursions during their program in Florence. Students will participate in several day-long excursions in and around Florence. Students will select 15 individual excursions in and around Florence, approved by the program’s head professor at least one month prior to departure for Florence. These latter 15 locations: (1) could represent a variety of student interests and would be simply used by the student to fulfill the total number of elective credits toward graduation; or (2) may be tied closely to a student’s general education requirements; or (3) may be tied to a student’s major/minor. In the later two classes, the student should also seek prior approval of the list of 15 sites from his/her campus academic advisor if the course is to be used for a student’s general education requirements or major/minor academic program. The selected sites in these cases will relate to the specific discipline(s) of the general education area or the major/minor program.

The student will write two short papers for each excursion, a “before excursion” paper where the student describes the reason for the choice and what he/she expects to find, and an “after excursion” paper where the student reflects on his/her experience. The 15 “before excursion” papers are due prior to arrival in Florence and the 15 “after excursion” papers are due one month following the end of the Florence portion of the program. This allows you expanded time beyond your time in Florence to complete the work.