Current Courses in the UL Lafayette Italy Program

Design 471-G/Visual Arts 309 (Travel Sketching & Drawing in Florence, Italy)

Looking at the landscapes and streetscapes of Florence will help sharpen both visual and manual skills for the student who will use Florence as their subject in field drawings, touching upon its sculptures, gardens, piazzas, markets, churches, and streets. Students are taught at their own level and encouraged to find their individual style. The course will be based on frequent fieldtrips, demonstrations, visiting local artists, the Academia and major museums and exhibits. Students will use a sketchbook for final evaluations. This course is structured for both art majors and non-majors. All levels of artistic skill are encouraged to join us. (Visual Arts students will not receive Visual Arts credit for this course).

Design 474-G/Design 311/Visual Arts 309 (Introduction to Architecture & Design in Florence, Italy)

“Far off in the valley lay Florence, pink, gray and brown, with the enormous ancient dome of the cathedral dominating the center of the city like a big balloon; ...rising above the horizon a fringe of mountains surging on high. Sprinkled with enumerable white villas ... After nine months of familiarity with this panorama, I still believe as I did at first that this is the most beautiful image on the planet, the most enchanting to look at.” Mark Twain

The students will be introduced to the major buildings, urban complexes, squares, interiors and industrial design in Florence. (Visual Arts students will not receive Visual Arts credit for this course). Topics for the lectures and subjects will include:

A. Introduction to Renaissance Architecture and Design (painting, sculpture) in Florence focusing on the architecture of Philippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battisti Alberti and Palace Designs.

B. Contemporary Architecture since 1970 – The modern movement in Florence, G. Michelucci, L. Saviolo, L. Ricci and others.

Florence in the late Medieval Period and in the 14^th and 15 century was the focus of the Avant Garde Movement in art and architecture. We understand this movement as the Renaissance. Classical elements and techniques were rediscovered to enhance architecture and art. The Renaissance architectural masters Brunelleschi, Alberti, and Michelangelo will focus on the redevelopment of Classical orders into architecture, the development of the three-dimensional façade, and the organization and plan development of the church, the villa, and the Palazzo. Italian contribution to architecture is also expanded through the Baroque Period with architects such as Giovanni Bernini, Italian palate also includes contributions from the 19^th Century as well as modern. The invention of perspective painting, the human body, and the coding of religious icons and Greek allegories will be studied through the paintings of Giotto, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Verbal analysis and interpretation drawing from the field will explore the Renaissance fabric of Florence through art and architecture. Field trips to Venice, Rome, and Lucca will expand the discussion of the Renaissance in art and architecture.

A visual and historical investigation of the physical, urban and architectural layers of Florence and Italian Cities will be the basis of this course. It will explore the nature of the Exterior Room, the Medieval Street, the Baroque District, and the 18^th and 19^th Century Garden from the Italian perspective. Piazzas, exterior spaces, and streets, whether Renaissance or Medieval, have specific social, cultural, and political functions. Piazzas may operate as a market such as Piazza del Mercato in Lucca, or Piazzas may be a social gathering space of the main cathedral as in the Piazza del Duomo, or the most politically important public space such as Piazza della Signoria. The Italian Street is the transitional space for markets, pedestrians, and the culture of Italy. Each mart is marked by a special floor or hardscape. Each Piazza, street, and exterior walls are flanked with important churches, cities, and halls, but may also be surrounded by Medieval or Renaissance buildings. The material, the color, and the light are only Tuscan. We will visit these sites and investigate the historical, architectural and urban background and influences. The Italian Garden, whether Renaissance, Baroque, or 19^th Century, are spaces of beauty and repose and a place to escape the urban environment. Field trips to Venice, Rome, and Lucca will expand the discussion of the Piazza, street, and garden as an urban form. This course will fulfill as a general elective for the Arts and for non-majors. Non-majors are encouraged to apply. All classes will be conducted in the Italian City.

ARCH Note: Because the course work for the Architecture classes is inter-related, it is highly recommended that students interested in an Architecture course take 2, not just 1, of the Architecture courses offered.

Walk down the cobblestone streets of Italy, grab a cappuccino in front of the Duomo, and enjoy a moonlit dinner at a typical cafe in the square, as you see the sights and sounds of beautiful Florence. Now, the books you read are not only in your imagination--they are reality and you can live like a character in a novel for six weeks!

If you've ever dreamed of being a character in your own novel, play, or poem, keep your eyes closed. Now, wake up in Florence, Italy, and there you are. As you experience everything that Italy has to offer, you'll be inspired to create any story, play, and poem you want and bring those thoughts to life!

This course will use the city of Florence as its laboratory for discussing Florence’s place in history, not only in the story itself but also in its social, political, economic, and cultural contributions to Italy and the world abroad. The course will cover life in Dante’s Florence, the rise of the Medici family, the Pazzi Conspiracy, Florence under Lorenzo the Magnificent and Savanorola, the role of women in Florentine society, the city’s pageants and pleasures, tourists then and now, its intrigues and turmoil down through time, the flood of 1966, its modern cultural and economic contributions, and Florence as it was and as it is today. The students will visit the museum Firenze Com’Era with its maps of Renaissance Florence and its model of Roman Florence. The students will have the opportunity to attend a musical concert and to see a performance at the Teatro Verdi as well as the Calcio Storico, a historical football game in the Piazza Santa Croce that resembles a street brawl. Students will visit the leather workshop at Santa Croce, a modern pottery school, and several stores displaying Florence’s haute couture (Gucci began his business in Florence). The historic city center with is its piazzas, palaces, churches, shops, and markets will be thoroughly explored. No classes will be held in a classroom.

This course will use the city of Florence with its museums, churches, palaces, and libraries as a laboratory of exploration into the arts, architecture, humanists, and politics of the Renaissance in Italy in the city where it began. Tours of the city will include the Duomo (the world’s fourth largest cathedral) with its magnificent dome designed by Brunelleschi, its Campanile designed by Giotto, and its Baptistry (where Dante was christened) with its doors designed by Ghiberti that Michelangelo called “The Gates of Paradise.” Museums to be visited include the Bargello with its early sculptures by Michelangelo and the famous statue of David executed by Donatello, the Academia with its magnificent statue of David done by Michelangelo, and the Uffizi Gallery (one of the great museums of the world) with its masterpieces painted by Cimabue, Giotto, Uccello, Mantegna, Raphael, Titian, and Botticelli, among many others. Churches to be seen include Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo, the Medici Chapel, Santa Croce with its tomb of Michelangelo designed by Vasari, and Santa Maria del Carmine that contains the resplendent frescoes of Masaccio. A tour of the Pitti Palace with its world-class museums and Boboli Gardens is included. All of the above will be put into historical context. No classes will be held in a classroom.

Health 410/Humanities 300 (Esplorare Italia! Explore Italy and World Health)

What better place to learn about world health issues than in another country, such as Italy? We will compare and contrast present and past health issues, their causes and effects, and their prognosis, between the United States and Italy. Students will have the opportunity to visit Florence, Rome, Venice, and take field trips to Pisa, Pienza, Montepulciano, Lucca, Siena, and San Gimignano to observe architecture, sculpture, and art in churches, palaces, gardens and museums to see first hand the impact they have on quality of life in terms of health in Italy’s society.

Come experience la dolce vita in Italy, a country known for beauty and sensuality! Visit museums, palaces, gardens, and cathedrals of Florence, Rome, and Venice. See how artists have expressed their visions of sexuality and relationships through paintings, sculptures, and architecture. Come visit the Tower of Pisa and throw a coin in Rome's famous Trevi Fountain. See the famous St. Peter's Cathedral and the Colleseum.

Marketing 425/Hospitality Management 316 (Tourism Marketing/Tourism Promotion)

See the sites in Florence and Italy while learning about tourism marketing. The classroom will be sites and attractions such as the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, the Duoma, the David in the Academia Gallery, San Lorenzo market, wine festivals, antique markets, hotels, restaurants, and much more. Prereq: Upper Division & consent of instructor (all majors) & business majors must have completed MKTG 345 with a minimum grade of C.

Walk through the vineyards, examine the grapes on the vine, and examine the processes used to create the unique Italian wines by touring area wineries. Learn about wine making and distribution through discussions, wine tasting, visits to wine stores, galleries and much more! Participate in an optional trip to Epernay, France to study champagne production and compare it to the wine production. Prereq: Upper Division and consent of instructor. Business majors must have completed MKTG 345 with a minimum grade of C.

This course provides an introduction to the use of Italian as a spoken language and will expose the students to various aspects of the Italian culture. It will be held three (3) hours per week. This course will include:

All course meetings are completed by certified and qualified Italian teachers and are arranged by the American Institute of Foreign Studies (AIFS). There is no need to list this course as an option because ALL participants will automatically be scheduled to take this course.

Document last revised September 29, 2009
text: ©2007 by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Study Abroad · P.O. Box 43331, Lafayette LA 70504
Griffin Hall, Room 437 · Phone: 337/482-5438
E-Mail: studyabroad@louisiana.edu

Study Abroad in Italy The University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Study Abroad in Italy
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette