CEP 401 – Cultural Engagement Virtual Internship: Becoming a Tour Guide for the Florence Civic Museum
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Credits 3
Number of Internships Available 5
Host Institution Mus.e Firenze
Course Structure 12 hours per week (practicum); 120 hours total 1.5 hours per week (seminar); 18 hours total
Location and Travel Remote Work/Online Learning
Description
The main goal of this online internship is twofold. First, we want students to gain a deep knowledge of the main civic museums in Florence (such as Palazzo Vecchio, Museo Stefano Bardini, and the Brancacci Chapel), all of which are rich in both art and history. Second, we aim at teaching them to organize and communicate virtual art history tours to a varied audience (ranging from children to seniors) by developing a personal visual language.
This internship is designed for students with communication skills, a curiosity for history, ancient art and architecture, and a desire to broaden their cultural perspectives. As is true of all internships, students who commit to it should keep an open mind, be motivated to actively learn, and be flexible. From an academic point of view, this activity is of particular interest for students majoring in Art History, Architecture, Museum Studies, History, and Communication.
ISXX 498: Independent Research
Course Description The Independent Research course is a student-centered learning experience that provides deeper academic understanding of a specific topic. This course will engage you in advanced research on your interests with the support of a faculty mentor and is ideal for those who have previously studied a particular topic and would like to explore a narrower aspect through individual research.
Students must submit a detailed research proposal to the Academic Coordinator, Zachary Nowak at [email protected]. Once approved, an appropriate faculty member will then be identified as the advisor. The student and the faculty member will develop a more detailed proposal, bibliography, project design, and a project timeline. Students will work independently and meet bi-weekly with the professor to discuss their progress.
Students will submit the final draft of the independent study during the sixth week of the class and present it to the professor. Projects will be shared with the faculty committee for review.
Evaluation Independent study projects are evaluated based on the successful completion of the research proposal, the final presentation of the project and submission of a full-length study.
Please Note: As is this is customized on-on-one course with an expert faculty member, additional charges will apply. Fees may vary based on discipline.
INT499 Remote Internship: Social Media & Digital Comm Asst
Interested students can submit a resume and cover letter to Ms. Ashley Ipakchi at [email protected]
Number of Internships Available Two (2)
Position Length Summer Internship: 6-12 weeks
Position Hours Approximately 135 hours total
Location and Travel Remote Work/Online Learning
Summary of Position Interns will assist ISI Abroad’s marketing team with social media and other digital communications efforts. Students will also have the opportunity to create content and practice market analysis. Interns will work to develop communication tools that: 1) highlight the curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular work of students; 2) promote scholarly accomplishments of faculty; 3) profile students and alumni; 4) present student life in Italy; 5) promote the Institute’s academic programs.
Interns will work for our US office representing both the Umbra Institute and ISI Florence. All internships are unpaid but credit-bearing options are available.
Qualifications › Familiarity with social media platforms and their use for educational/promotional purposes. › Creative writing skills, and › enthusiastic and proactive work ethic.
Acquired Skills Interns will learn to: › Communicate with remote teams and manage schedules across multiple time zones. › Leverage technology in a professional, international work environment. › Develop and implement marketing strategies – with an emphasis on social media. › Conduct qualitative research methods and coherently present results.
HIST/FLM 370 – Cosa Nostra – History & Cinema of the Mafia
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Course Description Mafia is one of the words most associated with Italian American culture, and the portrayal of the mafia in cinema cannot be separated from popular perception of the organized crime phenomenon (or even an academic study of its history) as it is so pervasive. This hybrid history/cinema course provides an in-depth examination of the Italian American Cosa nostra through a historical, social, cultural, and fictional-narrative perspective. Students will trace the progression of the mafia from its Sicilian roots into the United States and be asked to analyze a variety of primary sources. The fiction – stereotypes, myths, and legends – surrounding the mafia will be examined through a close reading/viewing of some of the most important cinematic narratives portraying mafia culture in order to analyze those works in relation to historical realities. This course has no prerequisites and students will be given all the necessary tools and techniques in order to read primary resources and analyze films with a certain degree of sophistication
Learning Outcomes After completing this course students will be able to:
explain Cosa nostra’s origins, growth, and persistence;
read and analyze different types of primary historical documents;
relate historical facts about the mafia to a broader (Italian) American cultural and historical context;
explain the representation of the mafia in cinematic popular culture;
identify and analyze specific film techniques.
Filmography
Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather II 1972
Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather II 1975
Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas 1990
Mike Newell Donnie Brasco 1997
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman 2019
David Chase, The Sopranos (TV series, selections) 1998-2006
Bibliography
Dickie, John. Cosa nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia. London: 2007.
Newark, Timothy. Mafia Allies: The True Story of America’s Secret Alliance with the Mob in World War II. St. Paul, MN: Zenith, 2007.
Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: Thomas Dunne, 2005.
Renga, Dana. Mafia Movies: A Reader. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011.
Reppetto, Thomas. American Mafia: A History of its Rise to Power. New York: Holt, 2004.
Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.
HIST/FSST/SOC 349: The History and Culture of Food in Italy
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Description What can we learn about Italian culture through an exploration of the history of food in Italy? By examining the radical changes that have occurred in Italian food-ways, the pronounced differences in eating habits of different socio-economic classes, and the important role played by food in shaping Italian national and regional identities, we will uncover various trends in Italian history and society. These trends include the gradual process of political unification, the effects of industrialization, as well as the contemporary rediscovery of “typical” foods as a response to globalizing processes and a way to construct new social identities. The purpose of this course is to use food as a means of exploring the political, social, cultural, environmental, and economic changes that have taken place in Italy through history. By the end of the course, students will have acquired a more sophisticated understanding of food history, an interdisciplinary approach to studying Italian culture and society, and a framework for analyzing important aspects of Italian history.
Objectives
Learn about the Italian history and culture of food through the ages;
Work with non-traditional historical texts;
To challenge students to examine unfamiliar food cultures with unbiased frameworks, applying an anthropological concept of culture to understand diversity;
Integrate theory and practice as it applies to Italian foodways;
Develop a more sophisticated understanding of how historical events are shaped by a combination of economic, political, social, and cultural factors.
ART 215 – Photography as a Visual Language of Culture and Media
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Description Taking photographs is something that most of us do every day. What are we photographing? Why? How can we take photographs that are more effective that convey and communicate our intentions? Students will learn basic concepts, processes and techniques including camera usage, exposure controls, editing and manipulating digital photographic images. We will learn how light, composition, viewpoint and creativity can be used to create stunning and meaningful images. We will explore the cultural phenomenon of photography and the role it plays in society, past and present.
No previous photographic experience is required. Any type of digital camera can be used. Whether you’re interested in learning how to effectively use that daunting looking single lens reflex camera that you’ve kept on auto until now, or if the only camera you have is more of a phone than a camera, this is the class for you. The magic of photography lies in your ability to see a good photograph before you’ve even pressed the button.
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera” Dorothea Lange
Objectives Students will have: – developed an understanding of photographic language; – Learned how to use their camera effectively – acquired a more critical eye in evaluating and reading photographic images; – achieved proficiency in editing and optimizing digital images; and – gained insight into the creation, use, and presentation of photographic images.
Required Material Any camera or device that is able to take photographs (single lens reflex cameras and cell phone cameras welcome.
AAH 214 – The Art of Florence: Exploring Visual Culture
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Description During the Renaissance, roughly defined as the period extending from the middle of the 14th century until the end of the 16th century, the city of Florence was the site of some of the most remarkable artistic experiences in European history. Why, though, should one city have contributed so much to the course of the arts? Why should so many of the city’s works of art, monuments, and buildings have played a major rule in the development of the visual arts? What set of circumstances and conditions made this possible? This course is designed to explore these questions through an examination of historical factors that made Florence the birthplace and point of reference for what we now call “Renaissance art.” We will examine the careers and achievements of some of the central figures working in Florence, including Giotto, Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Donatello, Masaccio, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. We will analyze the art within a sequence of contexts, in order to understand the cultural, political, economic and religious factors that contributed to the production of art in Renaissance Florence.
Starting with the monumental site of the Duomo (the Cathedral of Florence), the first part of the course will focus on the development of sculpture and its architectural setting, emphasizing the circumstances of urban history that demanded public and monumental programs of architecture and sculpture. The first half of the course will end with an amplification of Filippo Brunelleschi’s achievements, while providing an introduction to Giotto, and then Masaccio and Donatello. The second part of the semester will concentrate on the development of painting in the 15th century, and moving on to the Cinquecento (sixteenth century) with the achievements of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael.
BUS/COMM/FSST 355: Digital Marketing: Wine and Wineries of Central Italy
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Description This course offers an overview of the most important digital marketing theories and promotion techniques as applied to wine, with a special focus on wines from Central Italy. Students will analyze the wine markets of the world, consumer segments, companies’ communication strategies and will participate in a practical exercise designed to give them the opportunity to shape an online marketing plan for a winery. In addition, students will learn the importance of describing the sensory experience of wine and acquire the particular vocabulary necessary to describe wines from the Central Italian regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Latium, Marche, and Abruzzo to potential customers.
Objectives By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Explain the basic role, processes, and purpose of digital brand management in the wine business;
Compare and differentiate the concepts of social media marketing, email marketing, branded content, online reputation;
Explain the basics of wine promotion strategies;
Identify and classify wines from Central Italy;
Develop skills needed to taste wines and to understand the role of describing the sensory experience on market positioning using a particular vocabulary.
Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.
HIST 430 – Florence: The Story of the City
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Description
Since its Roman origins, through its internecine conflicts and economic, artistic, and literary flourishing, the history of Florence has been highly representative of the history of Italy. From Dante Alighieri to the Medici family (men and women), from Machiavelli to Michelangelo, and from Leonardo to Galileo Galilei, Florence gave birth to some of the most influential individuals in the Western World in the fields of art, science, politics, and literature. Even in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, Florence remained one of the major centers to be visited during the Grand Tour, was a cosmopolitan city, and gave birth to innovative cultural initiatives. During the course, students will follow the history of Florence step by step, and will appreciate the context where ideas developed.
Objectives Students will become aware of the changes that took place in the city through the centuries and how individuals and groups shaped both the character of the city and its cultural scene. Each week a list of readings will be assigned from primary sources, along with a few questions to help students concentrate on the texts.
Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.
ART/PSYC 250: Art Therapy
Note: Online courses will only run with sufficient enrollments.
Description Art therapy uses different forms of creative expression to help people explore and transform feelings, thoughts, and ideas. It can help to process and cope with emotional issues as well as facilitate self-awareness, understanding, healing, and well-being. Art therapy can be especially useful for people who find it difficult to talk about their thoughts and emotions.
In this course, students will examine theories and models of art therapy from an international and cross-cultural perspective. In a groundbreaking online experience, students will discuss readings, share experiences, work together remotely, and participate in art therapy activities online and at home. Students will increase their understanding of the history, theory, practice, and applications of art therapy in various settings.
This course is of particular interest for students majoring in Psychology, Communications, Art, Human Development, Special Education, Disability Studies, and Occupational Therapy. Students who commit to this course should keep an open mind, be motivated to actively learn, and be flexible.
No artistic aptitude or background is expected or necessary.