Ancient Rome - Virtual
This course offers a general though comprehensive introduction and overview of the 14-century lasting civilization of Ancient Rome, from its origins as a monarchy to the "Fall of Rome" and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Alongside the study of main historical events, a series of themes and issues will be explored: the range of primary sources available for ancient history; the political organization of the Roman state; the territorial expansion and its influence on the cultural and administrative sphere; Roman religion and the spread of Christianity; the end of the Roman world and the birth of a new society; the historiographical myth of Rome. In order to stimulate students' critical skills in observing historical phenomena, a problem-oriented approach will be supported by readings of primary sources.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Florentia: The Ancient Roots of Florence - Virtual
This course analyzes the ancient past of Florence from its origins to the end of the Roman Empire. A few aspects concerning the Barbarian rulers will also be considered. The ancient town of Florentia will be discovered during each lesson through a variety of sources: written texts from ancient and medieval authors, archaeological evidence, past excavations and recent discoveries, artifacts and items housed in local museums as well as objects unearthed in recent years. Emphasis will be placed on the urban pattern by tracing and locating the main temples and sacred spaces, public buildings and private houses. Beyond acquiring a basic chronology and a timeline, students will closely examine selected topics about Roman civilization, art and architecture, lifestyle and customs. To better understand certain themes, a number of visits and field trips are planned, including to the National Archaeological Museum of Florence and little-known archaeological areas.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Italian Renaissance Art - Virtual
Florence, "the cradle of the Renaissance," is the setting for this introduction to the history of Renaissance art. The course is intended to give the beginning student a general overview of the main facts, causes, and conditions that led artists from Giotto in the fourteenth century to Masaccio, Donatello, Brunelleschi and Botticelli in the fifteenth century, to Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael in the sixteenth century, to create one of the most fascinating periods in the history of art. In Italy these years witnessed an extraordinary coming together of artistic talent, a passionate interest in antiquity, civic pride and an optimistic belief in "man as the measure of all things." This course examines the most important monuments from the Renaissance period in Italy and the major artists and architects who contributed to the rebirth of western art. Works are always compared with each other to show various relationships, remembering how important it is to view Renaissance art in the context of its creation.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Fashion Consumer Behavior: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in a Time of Pandemic- Virtual
This course examines the decision-making process of the customer through fashion concepts, theories, cultural influences, demographics, psychographics, and consumer dynamics. Students learn the analysis of perceptions, communication, and ethics to determine how a customer can turn into a consumer by understanding behavior and reactions to the impact of purchasing. Students analyze research data and the application in assessing market strategy. The theory of motivation and the reasons underlying the wearing of clothes are also studied.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
History of Italian Fashion - Virtual
This course introduces students to the main historical styles, concepts, and definitions of fashion and fashion design throughout the history of Italian fashion, from its beginning to the present time. Italian fashion will be studied in context, using historical documents and other materials to illustrate relevant time periods, styles, or techniques. We will focus on the lives and careers of some of the most significant Italian designers, including Schiaparelli, Ferragamo, Fontana, Capucci, Valentino, Pucci, Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gucci, and Cavalli. We will also give special emphasis on the rise of Italian fashion in Florence.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Sustainable Food and the New Global Challenge - Virtual
This course explores food and gastronomy in the light of environmental preservation, sustainable agricultural practices, the conservation of biological and culinary diversity and global justice. Drawing on a multi-disciplinary perspective which brings together academic research and the traditional knowledge of farmers and producers, students will explore the complexity of food and food systems through an analysis of their nutritional, social, and environmental aspects. They will be encouraged to reflect on the sustainable food movement in a holistic manner, and to question the roles of individuals and consumers in today's global food system.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Graphic Design - Virtual
This course gives students a theoretical and practical introduction to graphic design in the era of digital communication. Students follow a program based on practical applications, realized entirely using computer graphic techniques. The constant search for the harmony of shapes, colors, and words goes together with the learning of the most modern digital graphic techniques. During the course, bidimensional vector graphics will be used for the realization of all assigned projects. The fundamental concepts of the manipulation of the images are also taught to complete the same projects. In consideration of the great importance that advertising has in this course, student projects address communication issues, exploring the principal media and investigating ways of working with different targets. Curiosity and an inclination for research are the essential characteristics of students interested in this course. Students must be familiar with the computer environment. Professional printing skills are developed in a commercial printing center.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Italian Renaissance Civilization and Culture - Virtual
This course explores the historical, literary and cultural developments of one of the most remarkable and vibrant periods of Italian history: the Renaissance. Students will be introduced to the main historical developments of the Renaissance period from the late fourteenth century to the end of the sixteenth century. The focus of this course is therefore upon great personalities of the Italian Renaissance mainly in the fields of the visual arts, literature and philosophy, but also drawn from those of politics and civic life. These include key figures of the most prominent Italian families: the Medici, the Sforza, the Della Rovere; artists and architects: Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo; writers, poets and philosophers: Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio, Pico della Mirandola, Machiavelli, as well as merchants and bankers. All these individuals left their mark in Italy between the early 1400s and the late 1500s.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Wine Business - Virtual
This course explores the business and marketing of wine, with special focus on U.S. markets. Wine trade and consumption in the U.S. have consistently increased in recent years. If until the early 1990s wine consumption was concentrated in a few major states, today wine is consumed by a large part of the U.S. population. Italian wine, counting for 30% of U.S. wine imports, is a major part of this economic and cultural scenario. In addition, new wine markets have emerged worldwide. This growing interest has strengthened the role of traditional key players in the wine trade such as importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, while helping to create new professional figures such as wine writers, wine club managers, and event promoters. In this course students learn skills that help equip them to take on such roles. Given the notable diversity and quality of Italian wines, students examine issues of sourcing, shipment chains and trading channels, and market impact. The course includes business simulations, and students produce a startup or marketing project.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
The Food of Italy: A Gastronomic Tour of the Regions - Virtual
Although characterized by unique and distinctive features, Italian cuisine is still perceived as the result of many different regional culinary traditions that, although merged and diluted over centuries, still maintain their particular flavors and distinct ingredients. The students will virtually travel down the Italian peninsula learning about cultural traditions tied to foods and regional differences comparing them to their own experience of Italian food. They will also learn a little about the history of the three most popular Italian foods: Pasta, Pizza and Gelato. During each lesson the students, guided by the teacher, will prepare dishes for everyone to taste, therefore learning basic culinary skills and how to prepare easy recipes.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Note: This is a once a week non-credit course. Additional fee required.
Current Trends in Italian Cuisine - Virtual
This course explores major trends in contemporary Italian cuisine that have been emerging in recent decades. These trends, revealed in both everyday and haute cuisine, involve fresh reinterpretations of regional traditions, revaluation of local products, interest in lighter and healthier diet, and an emphasis on creativity. Driving these trends are such diverse factors as interest in other cuisines, innovations by leading chefs, and especially changes in Italian society and lifestyles. Students learn basic cooking skills as well as some specialized cooking methods and techniques. They discover how to select quality ingredients, and they compare their eating habits with those common in Italy today. Particular focus is given to the following aspects: historical origins and developments of food production, regional dishes, seasonal and environmental conditions, social issues, nutrition, safety and health. In each lesson students learn how to prepare representative recipes, with attention to ingredients, nutritional values, and presentation.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Note: This is a once a week non-credit course. Additional fee required.
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Cooking in Context: Traditions of Tuscania - Virtual
Located between Rome, Tuscany, and Umbria, Tuscania has been an important crossroads for thousands of years, and its cuisine reflects this position and history. Tuscania is a hyperlocal market with an intimate relationship between agriculture and cuisine. Here, farm to table, zero kilometer, and cucina povera are not mere buzzwords but reveal a special perspective and even times of hardship. By engaging hands-on with the recipes and ingredients of the area, we will learn about how traditions are created and confirmed. The course links local practices, representative of central Italian cuisine, to the broader history of modern Italian cuisine, society, identity, and history.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Italian Language Elementary 1 - Virtual
In this course students establish an introductory base in the Italian language in the four areas of language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. At the successful completion of this course students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in everyday spoken Italian by performing the following functions: greet people and introduce themselves, give and follow simple directions, respond to and ask questions, describe their families and friends, order items in a café, discuss their life at school and hobbies, express likes and dislikes, and recount recent past actions. Students will be able to read simple written texts in Italian and write short paragraphs on familiar topics. Students will also have gained specific knowledge about contemporary Italy through cultural readings on topics such as family life, pastimes, and food and wine culture.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Romeo and Juliet: a Love Story Across the Arts - Virtual
Course description coming soon!
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Dante's Quest for Love — from the Divine Comedy to Contemporary Culture and Media - Virtual
Course description coming soon!
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Filming, Staging and Directing. The World of an Internationally Acclaimed Italian Artist: Franco Zeffirelli - Virtual
Course description coming soon!
Liver session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
The Mediterranean Diet - Virtual
This thematic course explores the various definitions and claims attached to the Mediterranean diet. Since it was first defined circa 1970, this influential concept has been the subject of much attention and controversy, both popular and scientific. Students will sort through the literature, using the basic methods of nutritional analysis. Among the questions they examine are the degree to which there really is a shared dietary culture and lifestyle in the Mediterranean, claims of health benefits and counter-claims, comparison with other dietary patterns, how nutritionists examine in regional and local diets, and how they distinguish between correlations and causes. Includes hands-on sessions in which selected dishes are prepared.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Florence Sketchbook - Beginning - Virtual
In this course students develop basic observation, drawing and watercolor skills in a refreshing way. Students keep a series of sketchbooks and develop finished drawing projects from them. After initial training in fundamental drawing techniques for pencil, pen and other media, the course is dedicated principally to sketching outdoors in the city and environs. Students develop ability in representing a variety of subjects, including the human form, architecture, and landscape. Exploiting the advantages of the site, students explore such themes as historical monuments, street life, and formal gardens. They encounter art of the past, including efforts to sketch the same or similar topics. The course equips students to efficiently capture impressions by drawing in various media at various rates and scales, keeping annotations, ideas, sketches, and analyses of artwork in a journal, and developing personal interests. Students explore the monuments and vibrant street life of Florence, and observe numerous buildings, outdoor sculptures and squares that form part of the outstanding and entrancing artistic heritage of medieval and Renaissance Florence.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Note: Additional specific materials will be required for this course.
Recommended US semester credits: 3
The Pursuit of Happiness: Cultivating Well-being in Challenging Times - Virtual
Course description coming soon!
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Psychology of Art and Human Creativity: Self-growth and Resiliency through Inspiring Practices - Virtual
Creativity is universal to our species and art, one of its most fascinating forms of expression, has even been described by many scholars as the spearhead of human development. All cultures have developed different forms of art: from the earliest human music and dance, through Paleolithic cave frescoes and Michelangelos astonishing sculptures, to sophisticated contemporary conceptual art. Yet, such human activities are still a psychological enigma. At the intersection of the arts, neuroscience, cognitive studies, psychoanalysis, and cultural and developmental psychology, the course will address human creativity, its underlying psychological processes and its expression through various art forms (painting, sculpture, architecture, performance art, dance, music, film, photography) in the context of cultural and cognitive evolution. It will provide strong theoretical and practical foundations, foster critical reflection, and promote personal development through lectures, experiential workshops, hands-on class activities, a meeting with a local artist, inspiring site visits, and a creative personal project that will lead to a collective exhibition.
Live session: 8:00-10:00PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Yoga: Breathing, Meditation, Spirituality - Virtual
Exploration of yoga as a historical religious phenomenon, set of physical practices, and also as an element of modern culture; includes both lecture and practical components. We will analyze yoga's roots in ancient India and such texts as the Upanishad and Pantajal's Yoga Sutras, as well as its popularity and place in contemporary culture. Students will examine yoga as a spiritual, mental, and physical practice; in other words, as a path to attain spiritual realization and union with the divine, as a quieting and focusing technique, and as a healing and balancing physical exercise. Hence, we will study various breathing (pranayama) and meditation techniques along with ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing system and science of life. Included is an overview of such different forms of yoga such as Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kundalini, Yin, as well as Laughter, Restorative, Bikram and yoga therapies for eating and addictive disorders. Finally, students will explore the interactions between practitioners of yoga and social, political, and environmental activism. This course will include some physical activities. Students must confirm that they are in good physical health and that they may participate in those activities without restriction.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Ceramics and Well-being - Virtual
This course is suitable for students who do not have any experience with clay or have only basic knowledge regarding hand building and wheel throwing with clay. Students will be instructed in the fundamental notions regarding this topic. Special attention will be given to the correct and healthy positions for the spine, hands, fingers and wrist. Students will receive technical information about clay and firing, and at the end of the course, they will be able to decorate their objects with slips and glazes.
Note: Additional specific materials will be required for this course.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Organized Crime: Sociology and History of Italian Mafia - Virtual
One of a long list of Italian words adopted in many other languages, mafia is now applied to a variety of criminal organizations around the world. This course examines organized crime in Italy in historical, social and cultural perspective, tracing its growth from the nineteenth century to the present. The chief focus is on the Sicilian mafia as the original and primary form. Similar organizations in other Italian regions, as well as the mafia in the United States, an outgrowth of Sicilian mafia, are also considered. The course analyzes sociological aspects of the mafia including language, message systems, the code of silence, the role of violence, structures of power, and social relationships. Also examined are the economics of organized crime and its impact on Italian society and politics.
Live session: 5:30-7:30PM CET
Recommended US semester credits: 3
