Academic Profile
Course Offerings
Classes meet every day Monday through Thursday for two and a half hours each, providing a total of 45 contact hours per course. There are two mandatory 3-credit courses in the first center, Tuscania: an Italian language course and an introduction to the ancient civilizations of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans.
In the second center, Rome, students take a 3-credit course on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and a second 3-credit course in Italian language and culture, which enables them to continue the study of Italian while learning about Italian culture and society today.
Students choosing to complete the Three Cities experience in Florence will take a final 3-credit course entitled "Leonardo: Art and Science", whereas those completing in Venice will take a 3-credit course entitled "Venice and the East".
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
MONTH 1:
Tuscania Department of Italian Language:
Regular Italian Language (ITL 101 T / ITL 201 T) *
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Departments of Classical Studies and History:
Greeks, Etruscans and Romans (CLA 275 T / HIS 275 T)
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
MONTH 2:
Rome
Department of Italian Language:
Italian Language and Culture (ITC 201 R)
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Department of History:
Medieval and Renaissance Transitions (HIS 292 R)
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
MONTH 3: EITHER
Florence
Department of Art History:
Leonardo: Art and Science (ART 210 F)
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
OR
Venice
Department of History:
Venice and the East (HIS 312 V)
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
ITL 101 T -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. Accepting-refusing. Talking about one's past.
ITL 201 T - 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.
ITC 201 R - Italian Language and Culture
This course taught both in English and Italian aims to give students a full immersion in Italian language and culture. All of the four main language abilities -understanding, speaking, reading and writing- are gradually developed, and the course will be taught at the appropriate language level, depending on students' knowledge and skills. The language elements is taught within a cultural context that helps students to become familiar with some of the most significant elements of Italian life today. Thus (in English) the course examines key aspects in the arts and society of contemporary Italy, as well as political and social phenomena and key events in Italian history. Students who successfully complete the course will come away with an interdisciplinary perspective on the development of Italian civilization, a greater appreciation of Italy's heritage, and a richer understanding of contemporary Italian society. They will also refine their knowledge and appreciation of the language through exposure to different kinds of texts.
CLA 275 T / HIS 275 T - 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.
HIS 292 R - 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.
ART 210 F - Leonardo: Art and Science
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 stress Leonardo's relentless quest for the knowledge of man and nature, both as an artist and as a "scientist". The course will also include an analysis of Leonardo's most significant paintings and 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 interests in art, technology and "natural sciences", placing him in the culture of his time, exploring his impact on Western art and civilization, and attempting to assess his extraordinary legacy.
HIS 312 V - Venice and the East
The course presents a multidisciplinary investigation of the most important European maritime city-state at the climax of its power, analyzing its influences in all fields of European civilization. The period covers the more than five centuries of expansion and engagement with the East, from the 12th century to the 17th century, with particular attention to Venice's imperial era (14th to 17th centuries). Through trade, sea-power and cultural exchanges the Venetians had a fundamental impact on both Italy and the Mediterranean world, connecting Europe to the Near and Far East. The course outlines the political, social, cultural and religious dimensions of this unique republic, with reference to literature, art and architecture, in order to help students understand a culture whose ideas and lifestyle contributed so much to the development of modern Western values. Through direct and vivid contact with the Venetian heritage, students will have the opportunity to explore first-hand a number of institutions, treasures, and monuments that illustrate the impressive history of the "Repubblica Serenissima di Venezia".
Please consult the following website for updated information on the Three Cities Program:
www.lorenzodemedici.org/florence/
