Florence, Italy
Students live in apartments in the heart of Florence in this 4-week program. They use the facilities of the Florence institute, the Santa Reparata International School of Art, to enroll in 2 courses offered by Maryville and other St. Louis-area and MOSAIC faculty. Students live in apartments in central Florence. Excursions to Siena and other local sites are included, plus there are optional day as well as overnight trips to Venice, the Amalfi Coast, and Rome. Return date depends on participation in Rome optional excursion. Estimated total cost (includes tuition, housing, food, and local excursions) for 6 credits is $4,595 plus airfare (estimated at approximately $1,375). 3 additional credits are available for $750. (Costs vary for optional trips.) Courses are for 3 credits each.
Courses:
- Study of Human Body through Great Italian Renaissance Artists (Natalia Moraru: Anatomy – Maryville)
The Italian Renaissance artists Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael set a new standard in their portrayals of the human figure. 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. Thus learning human anatomy through the study of Italian art masterpieces is important for both science and arts major students. Florence with its magnificent enjoyable atmosphere that inspired the great Italian humanists to create their fabulous paintings and sculptures is the perfect place for students to learn about human anatomy.
- Florence Plants and People: A Renaissance View (Kyra Krakos: Botany – Maryville)
Human civilization is heavily impacted by the plants that are available to its people. Clothing, housing, furniture, music, art, medicine, and of course food are all shaped by the available botanical world. This course is an examination of the relationship between human beings and the plant world, with an emphasis on the role of botany in ancient Rome, Renaissance Italy, and current Florence, Italy culture. Topics covered include basic scientific botany such as morphology, reproduction, and evolution; as well as economically important plant products, medicinal and poisonous plants, and plants in literature and art. We will be using the book Gods and Goddesses in the Garden by P. Bernhardt, in addition to many hands on field trips and activities.- Italy’s Love Affair with Food through the Ages (John Baltrushunas: Art – Maryville)
This course traces the history of Italy in its food. It starts with the diet of the ancient Italians. Imperial Romans had the benefit of the trade routes of the empire until the fall. The crusades and pilgrimage routes brought spices from the east. Convents and monasteries made their contributions. Marco Polo has many legends attached to his trip to China. Pasta and rice were already brought to Italy from Islamic traders.Columbus brought back corn, tomatoes, squash and chocolate. The city states each developed their version of these foods. The Islamic occupation of Sicily left its influence in the cuisine with the addition of dried fruits and nuts to pastry and savory dishes. Venice was a door to the east and the city where coffee entered Italian culture. In the 1930’s Italy made its contribution to the great cocktails of the 20th century. Italians live much closer to their sources of food than we do. The markets are beautiful. We will cook or visit restaurants. We will visit museums and see the visual record of each era. We will visit farmland and vineyards that still feed Italy. This course will be documented in a journal or blog of pictures and reflections on the historical and epicurean experiences.
- Drawing in Florence (Steve Teczar: Art – Maryville)
This course is taken as either a 200-level introductory course (ADSA 208 70) for those students with little or no background in drawing or art history, but who have a strong interest in learning about drawing and documenting their experiences in a travel journal; or it may be taken as a 400-level advanced course (ADSA 408 70) for students with prior learning in drawing and art history who have a strong interest in documenting their experiences. It 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 document and enhance the study abroad experience while living independently in Florence and experiencing Italian culture firsthand, and to allow for creative expression. In addition, students have opportunities to visit Cinque Terra, Fiesole, Siena, Venice, Rome, Milan, and other historic sites and towns in Italy, and to draw related content.- Ancient Mysteries and Medieval Hill Towns: Tuscan Art and Architecture (Todd Brenningmeyer: Art History and Archaeology – Maryville)
This course will examine Etruscan, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance art and architecture in Tuscany and some of the surrounding regions. Students will participate in a series of field trips that take them outside of Florence where they will explore the ancient tombs and cities of the Etruscans and Romans, and Medieval and early Renaissance art and architecture.The course provides a unique opportunity to explore the hilltop villages, ancient cities of the dead, and Roman monuments that influenced the development of art in Florence and elsewhere.
- The Passionate Explorer – Digital Photography & Exploration of Italy (Scott Angus: Art – Maryville)
In this course, students will explore the rich visual street culture of Florence. Students will master the various functions of the digital camera and will create professional images that can be sold, collected or published. The class will be focused on guided walks that will showcase the vibrant and colorful city. Students will have the opportunity to document important cultural spaces. And students can expect to compile a portfolio of professional images that are equal to those published in National Geographic and the Smithsonian Magazine. This is a rare opportunity for students to learn how to capture amazing images in a place that is filled with awe, history, excitement, romance, beauty and mystery.- 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.
- Tuscan Political Thought: Machiavelli and Dante (David Roebuck: Political Science – Columbia College. Course will start a week late)
This course will focus primarily on the political writings of Machiavelli and Dante Alighieri, but will also incorporate ideas from minor writers. Machiavelli and Dante lived and wrote in Florence, and Machiavelli is buried there. The course will combine classroom time with time on the streets of Florence and neighboring villages such as San Casciano, a small town a few miles outside Florence where Machiavelli lived after being released from prison by Pope Leo X. A day trip to Siena will allow the class to visit the birthplace and home of Saint Catherine of Siena, a 14th century philosopher and diplomat. Other day and optional weekend trips relevant to the course may also be planned. Required readings will include The Prince and The Discourses on Livy by Machiavelli and Dante’s De Monarchia.- Intaglio Printmaking (Brant Schuller: Art – Millersville University)
This course explores multiple approaches to creating intaglio prints. The course starts at an introductory level technically and builds with each new process into an intermediate understanding and working knowledge of each process. The course will cover drypoint, etching (hardground/softground), aquatint, and sugar lift, white ground, toner transfers, spitbite, and will introduce color printing (ala poupee/monoprinting). Course will start 11 days late.- Excursions in the Musical History of Florence (R. David Salvage: Fine Arts – Hampden-Sydney College)
From Francesco Landini, the famous blind organist of the fourteenth century, to Guillaume Dufay’s ingenious song composed for the consecration of Santa Maria del Fiore, to the birth of opera from the minds of late-Renaissance humanists (Galileo’s father among them), to the establishment of Italy’s first (and most important) music festival, Florence’s musical history rivals that of any European city. This course takes students through the city’s many musical achievements so often overlooked in light of its other artistic and intellectual accomplishments. In addition to site visits and concerts, we will also spend a day in Bologna looking at Mozart’s (lousily-done) homework for Padre Martini and some musical instruments from antiquity. No previous knowledge of music is assumed.- 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 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.
