Study Abroad in Italy
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Study Abroad Course Opportunities
Summer 2008

Florence, Italy

Architecture/Design – George Loli

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

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.

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

“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.  Topics for the lectures and subjects will include:  A) Introduction to Renaissance Architecture in Florence focusing on the architecture of Philippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battisti Alberti and Palace Designs in Florence.  B) Contemporary Architecture since 1920.

Architecture/Design – Thomas Sammons

Architecture/Design 472-G (Renaissance Architecture & Art)

Florence in the late Medieval Period and in the 14th and 15th 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.  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.

Architecture/Design 474-F (Florence & Italian Piazzas)

The course is a visual and historical investigation of the physical, urban and architectural layers of Florence and Italian Piazzas.  It will explore he nature of the exterior room from the Italian perspective.  Piazzas are exterior spaces that have specific social, cultural, and political functions.  Piazzas may operate as a market such as Piazza del Mercato in Lucca, or Piazzas may be social gathering space in from of the main cathedral as in the Piazza del Duomo, or the most politically important public space such as Piazza della Signoria.  Each Piazza is marked by a special fllor or hardscape.  Each Piazza’s exterior walls are flanked with important churches, ciies, 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.  Field trips to Venice, Rome and Lucca will expand the discussion of the Piazza as an urban form.

English – Wendi Wilkerson

English 332/Humanities 300 (Italian Folklife & Festivals)

The city of Florence is recognized first for its glorious history, and second for its striking modernity, but rarely is it appreciated for its rich traditional culture. In addition to sampling the traditional foods and crafts for sale in the local food markets, we will be active participants in the several religious and national festivals that take place in Florence, such as Florence Music Festival, Anniversary of the Republic, the Corpus Domini procession, St. John the Baptist Day, and the world-famous Calcio Fiorentino costumed soccer match. Other course activities will include reading and discussing Italian folktales and studying local social customs that can be seen on a day-to-day basis. The course will emphasize analysis of the role that traditional foods, customs, and festival observance plays in promoting and maintaining traditional local culture, as well as the effect of tourism on these local traditions. Students will keep a travel journal of their experiences.

English 372/Humanities 300(Florence in the Popular Imagination)

What does in mean to be a “tourist?” Why do we travel to the places we do, and what do we think we are looking for? What do we find when we get there? How do these places fulfill our expectations of “history,” “authenticity,” and “culture?” How do our experiences of these places change our preconceptions about that place, ourselves, and ourselves in relationship to that place? This course addresses these questions by investigating the “social text” that is the city of Florence. We will compare the ideas about Florence that we encounter in tourist guidebooks, excerpts from a literary history of Florence, and an etiquitte guide to Italian customs, to our own direct experience of the city's varied cultural landscape. Florence's churches, local cuisine, markets, cultural sites, cinema, music, and media provie the primary “texts” for this course, including field trips to the Uffizi Gallery, the Mercato del Porcellino, Mercato Delle Pulci, The Church of Santa Maria Novella, The House of Dante, San Lorenzo Market, the Medici Palace, the Palazzo Vecchio, Boboli Gardens, The Barghello Palace and National Museum, Pitti Palace, and The "Mercato Centrale," as well as local cafes, restaurants, theaters, and shopping centers. Students will keep a travel journal of their experiences.

Hospitality Management – Miranda Kitterlin

Hospitality Management 204 (Facilities Management)

This course is an introduction to the main components involved in the management and design of hospitality facilities, including cost control, purchasing systems, facility design, and maintenance for hospitality facilities.  Students will become aware of current facility designs and management in the hospitality industry, and study current topics relating to technology and maintenance needs.  Students will also become familiar with waste management and environmental legislation issues in the hospitality industry and primary facility systems.  Students will gain knowledge on the aspects of the building, grounds, and parking areas, as well as develop professional basics of design and renovation.  Finally, students will learn to summarize the many engineering principles applied to hotels.

Humanities 300 (Italian Wine Appreciation)

This course will examine the fundamentals of Italian wine, tasting, evaluation, and pairing with Italian cuisine.  Evaluation components, include, but are not limited to, color, aroma, structure, balance, flavor intensity, acidity, and finish.  Field trips to Tuscany area wineries, wine retail stores and galleries, and local restaurants enhance students’ understanding of how wine is consumed and marketed in Italy. Emphasis is given to wine appreciation relative to the Italian culture.
 
Hospitality Management 316 (Italian Wine Appreciation)

This course provides a survey of current issues and trends facing the Hospitality Industry using lecture and group discussions to evaluate and study local, national, and international areas.  Students will discover the different types of Italian wine.  Emphasis will be focused on wine tasting, evaluation, and wine pairing with Italian cuisine.  Wine evaluation components will include, but are not limited to, color, aroma, structure, balance, flavor intensity, acidity, and finish.  Students will evaluate each component and identify difference among varietals, as well as the appropriate Italian cuisine meal pairings for each. (Restr:  Junior standing only or permission of instructor).

Hospitality Management 316 (Advanced Facilities Management)

Students will identify and compare relative differences in American and European facility design and management in the hospitality industry.  Current topics related to European technology and maintenance needs will be addressed, as well as a comparison of American and European waste management and environmental legislation issues in the hospitality industry.  Investigation will include, but will not be limited to, buildings, grounds, parking areas, and renovation. (Restr:  Junior standing only or permission of instructor).


Back to Italy Page