Each term a U.S. visiting faculty member teaches two specialty courses. Additional courses are taught by local instructors. A new summer program sponsored by Western Washington University is offered in June 2008 and is open to students from any U.S. institution.
All courses, with the exception of Italian language, are taught in English. No prior Italian language is required.
SUMMER 2008 COURSE LISTING
Sponsored by Western Washington University
Click links for course descriptions. All courses are mandatory.
Italian Language 101
Rediscovery of Humanity: Renaissance in Central Italy
Crosscultural Communication (online course)
FALL 2008 COURSE LISTING
Click links for course descriptions.
Italian Language (mandatory)
Crosscultural Communications / Crosscultural Perspectives (mandatory)
Rediscovering Man: Renaissance in Central Italy
The Jews of Italy: From the Romans to the Holocaust
Dante and Chaucer
WINTER 2009 COURSE LISTING
Click links for course descriptions.
Italian Language (mandatory)
Crosscultural Communications / Crosscultural Perspectives (mandatory)
Picturing People - Italian Art and Society During the Renaissance
Food and Culture in Italy
In Sickness and In Health: The Social History of Plagues, Illness and Healing in Italy
SPRING 2009 COURSE LISTING
Click links for course descriptions.
Italian Language (mandatory)
Crosscultural Communications / Crosscultural Perspectives (mandatory)
The Birth of Art History: Art Criticism in Italy from Dante to Vasari
Literary Landscapes of Italy: Italy in the Popular Imagination from the Renaissance to the Present
Prose, Politics and Place: Travel Writing in Italy
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Click on the course titles for syllabi.
Italian Language (100 contact hours - mandatory)
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Transition into life in Siena and gain better access to Italian culture through practical language and conversation skill development. Italian language courses are mandatory and are offered at levels 1 through 4.
Crosscultural Communications / Crosscultural Perspectives (20 contact hours)
Examine both the academic and experiential nature of crosscultural communications. Analyze and process your personal intercultural experience in Italy.
Rediscovering Man: Renaissance in Central Italy (45 contact hours)
Discover the artistic and intellectual changes which gave rise to the rapid development of visual culture during the Renaissance. Examine the dramatic cultural changes and stylistic developments from the thirteenth- to the sixteenth-centuries.
Picturing People - Italian Art and Society During the Renaissance (45 contact hours)
Explore Italian art during the Renaissance. Examine the way Italian society and culture is reflected in the works of artists of the day.
The Birth of Art History: Art Criticism in Italy from Dante to Vasari (45 contact hours)
As the modern idea of Art and Artist was born in Renaissance Italy, so too was Art History Criticism. The main goal of this course is to demonstrate that this new idea of art criticism was introduced for the first time by Dante Alighieri in his Divina Commedia and then developed by many during XIV century. After an introduction to the most important Classical art writers, we will discuss passages from the best Mediaeval and Renaissance Italian sources about art and artists. This course, on Italian literature and art history both, will explore the aesthetical ideas and the new cultural vision on art and society of the Renaissance.
Explore the development of art in Siena from the beginning (mid XIII century) to the end of the Republic (mid XVI century), focusing on its cultural and historical context. Slide presentations and field trips provide opportunities to see Sienese art in its proper context. Particular attention will be devoted to the golden age of the Sienese Gothic Era
FALL QUARTER 2008 U.S. VISITING FACULTY MEMBER COURSES
Instructor: Judith Baskin, Professor of Judaic Studies/Religious Studies, University of Oregon
The Jews of Italy: From the Romans to the Holocaust
(45 contact hours)
Explore how the Jews of Italy, the oldest continuous Jewish community in Europe, have lived from Roman Empire to the end of World War II. You will take an interdisciplinary approach to the transformations in Jewish life during this almost two thousand year period. Several excursions are included in the course.
Instructor: Warren Ginsberg, Professor of English, University of Oregon
Dante and Chaucer (45 contact hours)
Learn how Dante’s importance in present-day Italy rivals Shakespeare’s in England and America. At the same time, examine how another great poet, Chaucer, responded to Dante’s work. Then, use your knowledge of these poets as a springboard to discuss your own encounters while abroad.
WINTER QUARTER 2009 VISITING FACULTY MEMBER COURSES
Instructor: Geraldine Moreno, Professor of Anthropology, University of Oregon
Food and Culture in Italy (45 contact hours)
Food! What could be more basic to life than food? Consider a marriage banquet, religious ceremonies, national and regional holidays, or a simple dinner with friends. Explore the social, environmental and symbolic aspects of food and culture in Italy.
In Sickness and in Health: The Social History of Plagues, Illness and Healing in Italy
(45 contact hours)
Examine how Italian’s perceptions of health and illness are culturally defined and historically situated. Study Italy’s past and present health practices while discussing the ideology of the Mediterranean diet and why and how it has gained popularity as a way to
prevent illnesses.
SPRING QUARTER 2009 VISITING FACULTY MEMBER COURSES
Instructor: Lorraine Mercer, Assistant Professor of English, Portland State University
Literary Landscapes of Italy: Italy in the Popular Imagination from the Renaissance to the Present
(45 contact hours)
Examine the fascination with artistic and literary Italy in form of plays, poems, short stories and novels. Explore how Italy has been depicted in literature and how it has served as settings, backgrounds, and inspiration for writers and artists for the past five hundred years.
Prose, Politics and Place: Travel Writing in Italy
(45 contact hours)
Practice a mix of travel writing and theoretical study in a course that wallows in the best, (and sometimes the worst), British and American travel writing about and from Italy from the last 250 years. Discover how an appreciation of travelers who attempted to describe their experiences can assist you in recording your our own thoughts and appreciation for the experience of travel.
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY TUSCAN SUMMER PROGRAM
This program is open to students from any U.S. institution. Western Washington University serves as the enrolling institution.
Experience summer in an area of unrivaled beauty and endless cultural opportunities while immersed in a solid academic environment. Participate in excursions to world famous historical sites such as Florence, Pisa, the Tuscan countryside as well as Siena itself. Come learn Italian language and culture in the heart of Tuscany, discover old scents and flavors, and explore the cultural traditions that make Siena and the Tuscan region one of the most fascinating places in the world.
TUSCAN SUMMER COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Italian Language 101 (50 contact hours)
(Syllabus coming soon)
Develop a functional knowledge of basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Talk and write in present and past tense and be sufficiently proficient to carry out simple tasks in Italian. Read any beginners' material and engage in simple conversations. Siena provides an excellent opportunity to experience and use the language in a stimulating linguistic and cultural setting.
Rediscovery of Humanity: Renaissance in Central Italy (40 contact hours)
(Syllabus coming soon)
Journey through the rich pageant of Renaissance art and culture. Develop the critical tools needed to analyze, understand and appreciate more fully the works of art produced in central Italy from the mid-13th to the mid-15th centuries. Examine the way in which changing styles in art reflected contemporary history and cultural attitudes. Italy is your classrooms. Visit museums, churches and other places of historical or artistic interest and see works by the great masters in their original form. Discover the most important artworks produced during Renaissance.
Intercultural Communication (10 contact hours)
(Syllabus coming soon)
Examine both the academic and experiential nature of crosscultural communications in this online course.
EXCURSIONS
Italy is your classroom—excursions to cultural and historical sites around the country are an integral part of your learning experience.
Past excursions include:
• Florence
• Venice
• Pisa
• Assisi
• Rome
Not all courses listed are offered every term. Course offerings are subject to change depending on enrollment and availability.
ACADEMIC CREDIT
All courses offered in Siena are recognized and approved for academic credit by various NCSA member institutions. Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad adviser for more information.
Application deadlines: