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COURSES
Three-credit
Courses, taught in English, except for the Italian language
courses.
For
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS and course codes click on the course title
below
OR scroll down the page.
All
courses are PERMANENTLY OFFERED except where noted.
Art History
of the Italian Renaissance
(Giotto
to Michelangelo)
(Art History) - ART304
This course concentrates on Renaissance Art within the history
of art in Florence and the surrounding area. Points of study
encompassed include: Rome and antiquity's role in the revival
of classical ideals; the roots of the Renaissance in the later
medieval art of Florence and the nearby rival towns of Pisa
and Siena; Florence's civic identity during its great flourish;
the Early Renaissance of the 1400s; and the emergence of the
High Renaissance masters Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
The instruction will be mainly on site, with field trips to
view Florence's famed monuments, masterworks, and museums.
Students will experience firsthand the artistic achievements
of the Florentine Renaissance and Italian art.
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Contemporary
Florence -Offered
Fall and Spring only-
(Italian Studies/Humanities/Sociology)
- ITA222
PREREQ:
Elementary Italian 1. However, this course can be chosen
also by absolute beginners enrolled in Elementary Italian
1, since the semester schedule allows students to take first
Elementary Italian 1 and then Contemporary Florence.
This is an experiential learning course, taught in English
and partially at an appropriate level of Italian. For the
part in Italian, the course is taught in order to allow even
those students with a very limited knowledge of the language
to grasp fundamental ideas and concepts and also to further
develop their language skills.
We will study how people work today and how they worked centuries
ago, trying to note and identify the differences and similarities,
keeping in mind the character and nature of Florentines, always
inclined to irony, sarcasm, humor, and witty criticism. We
will examine particular trades, habits, customs, social issues,
and traditions that have made Florence a center for Western
culture and civilization.
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Environmentally
Sustainable Businesses in Tuscany
-Offered
Fall and Spring only-
(Business/Economics/Sociology)
- IND347A
Following the increasing awareness about environmental degradation
throughout the past two decades, Tuscany is progressively
filling up with small environmentally-conscious businesses.
The course focuses on the new role played by these companies.
The course kicks off with a brief overview of the economic
outline of the country as well as its cultural predisposition
towards the growth of small family companies, which above
all in Tuscany play an essential role. It then identifies
a particular group of local environmentally-conscious companies
and engages in an interactive assessment of their ideology,
their innovation, and mostly their impact on the economy,
the environment and the consumer.
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Florence
& Italian Literature in Translation (Dante to Machiavelli)
(Literature/Humanities)
- LIT310
This course will study the pivotal role of Florence in the
development of Italian vernacular literature during the Medieval
and Renaissance periods. Readings, discussions, and written
essays will be made upon the major genres of this period (lyric
poetry, the novella, autobiography, theatrical comedy, chronicles,
biographies, saints' lives, and epistles). The major authors
and lyric poets including those of the Sicilian school will
be covered. The pre- and post-Boccaccian novellistica will
also be addressed, as well as other biographical and historical
texts to deepen students' understanding of how literature
was produced and received in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
These readings will also provide a springboard for discussing
historical and social concerns.
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Italian
Cinema
-Offered
Fall and Spring only-
(Film/Performing Arts/Humanities) -
LIT315
The course introduces the student to the world of Italian
Cinema. The first part of the course will analyze Neorealism,
a cinematic phenomenon that deeply influenced the ideological
and aesthetic rules of film art. The second part will concentrate
on the films that mark the decline of Neorealism and the talent
of "new" auteurs such as Fellini, Antonioni, and
Visconti. The last part of the course will be devoted to the
cinema from 1970's to the present in order to pay attention
to the latest developments of the Italian industry. The course
is a general analysis of the history of post-war cinema and
a parallel social history of this period using film as "decoded
historical evidence". The screenings will include films
of the Italian directors of the "cinema d'autore".
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Italian
Contribution to Western Civilization
(Italian Studies/History/Humanities)
- IND447
This course will survey Italy's contribution to Western Civilization
by covering major themes in Western European political, social,
religious, intellectual, and cultural history, from the Renaissance
through the 20th century. The course will introduce the major
intellectual Italian movements and examine how they have contributed
to the development of modern Western Civilization. We will
analyze how Italian genius and intellectual culture has helped
to define modernity and how innovations and breakthrough discoveries
made by Italians have influenced many aspects of our daily
life, in the fields of science, education, arts, and politics.
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Italian
Identity Today
(Humanities/Sociology/Italian
Studies)
- IND347D
This course is an introduction to current Italian culture
and identity. We will explore the role played by different
aspects of Italian culture in the definition and perception
of "italianness." The aim of the course is to give
students a better understanding of the complexities of Italian
identity, examining the roots of regional differences while
at the same time identifying common characteristics shared
by all Italians. Part of the course will also focus on how
Italians are considered by other cultures and the various
stereotypes, as conveyed in literature, film, and popular
culture. Students will also explore issues of cultural awareness,
drawing from their own experience of living in Italy.
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Italy
and the European Union
(Political Science/Business/Economics)
- IND320
The European Union has proven itself to be the largest, most
complex and most controversial "political and economic
synthesis" of recent history. Students are expected to
gain a broad and clear understanding of what the E.U. is and
all about its rapidly changing historical, political, economic
dynamics from the perspective of an outsider looking inwards
(seeing E.U. as an entity) as well as from the perspective
of an insider looking outwards (seeing E.U. by being part
of that entity, the case of Italy).
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Italy
as a Nation
(Italian
Studies/History/Humanities/Sociology)
- IND347C
The course is an introduction to the major themes of modern
Italian history and culture, from the period of unification
(1861) to present-day, with a special focus on the 20th century.
We will examine how Italian intellectuals contributed to the
development of Italy as a nation through a survey of primary
sources (traditional texts, art, music, and cinema), spanning
from the Medieval and Renaissance age, through the Age of
Nationalism, to modern times. The political, economic, social,
and cultural aspects of Italy's history will be covered, focusing
on the major historic events, which have had an impact on
the formation of the collective consciousness. We will compare
pre-modern and modern elements in Italian life and analyze
how unification has been a controversial issue, studying the
conflict among the cultures of the North and South of the
Italian peninsula.
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Photography:
Florentine Portfolio
(Studio
Art)
- ART355
Students will be introduced to the basic concepts of photography,
including camera usage and exposure techniques. They will
explore Florence and will make a photo diary of their experience.
Photographing in Florence, students will have the great opportunity
to record their visual impressions and will be encouraged
to use their camera and photographs as tools of creative art.
The class will include in-class lessons and on-site work.
Darkroom experience is not included in this course. Students
are requested to purchase a camera in the U.S. and arrive
in Italy with the requested camera for the course.
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Relief
Sculpture in Florence
(Studio
Art)
- ART447C
This course will examine the use of low relief sculpture in
Florentine art history and use these works to inspire the
artist's interpretations of both religious iconography and
visual narration. Using simple materials, students will also
investigate drawing and painting techniques used as surface
decoration for their sculptures. Emphasis will be placed on
historical context from which students will be asked to interpret,
challenge and transform into their own personal creations.
Sculpture techniques may focus on oil clay modelling, mold
making, plaster casting, and surface treatment, amongst other
possible techniques. This course requires no sculpture or
drawing prerequisites and takes advantage of low-maintenance
materials to create highly crafted pieces.
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Relief
Sculpture: Casting and The Narrative
-Offered
Fall and Spring only-
(Studio
Art)
- ART447E
PREREQ: Relief Sculpture in Florence.
Using and strengthening the base modeling and casting skills
developed in Relief Sculpture in Florence, this course will
provide students the freedom to develop their personal and
artistic responses through single and multiple panel/tile
sculptures. Students will be required to use the various relief
sculpture techniques learned from historical sources that
lead to personal narrative and story telling, as well as develop
their own creative and unique solutions to the problem of
time, sequence, information, etc. Due to the interpretive
nature of narration and autobiography, surface decoration
techniques will be more fully addressed and students will
be encouraged to experiment with their own ideas.
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Room and
Space
in Tuscany
(Studio
Art/Architecture/Design) - ART406
In the early weeks the course concentrates on the exploration,
analysis and documentation of selected sites in Florence,
with emphasis on perception, representation and description
of the environment. Students develop these concepts through
pictures, drawings and written texts collected in a workbook,
during sessions of life drawings on-site. Environmental design
approach is described by the work of architects and artists,
which will complement the analysis of the morphological components
of landscape, buildings and furniture. Students will learn
about techniques of fast rendering in perspective as used
by architects and designers. In the last week students are
engaged in translating their Florentine experience into the
language of design in the reuse of an existing site in town.
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Survey
of Florentine Architecture
(Architecture/Fine
Arts/History)
- ART310
This course will provide students with a basic survey of the
history of Architecture, from the Roman times through the
20th Century, using the cities of Florence, Siena and Rome
as a case study of major movements and issues in architectural
and urban design. We will examine the city of Florence from
its earliest foundations as a Roman military colony through
its great Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque monuments
that still define the city today. We will finish the course
by looking at the interventions of Poggi and Michelucci in
the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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The Illustrative
Image and the Making of a Book
(Studio
Art) - ART322
In
this course students will create a book based on a story (from
a literary source or original). A common theme may be decided
upon, or each student can propose small stories, observations,
or annotations to be illustrated and correlated with images
of various formats. Varied illustration techniques (pastels,
acrylic, wax, oil, mixed media etc.) as well as creative binding
methods will be used and developed. The goal of the course
is to give each student the possibility of exploiting to the
up most his/her own creative capacity using fantasy and imagination,
without feeling restricted only to direct observation from
nature.
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The Roots
of Capitalism -Offered
Fall and Spring only-
(Business/Economics/History) - IND343
This course will focus on the prominent business, economic,
historical and sociological conditions and developments which
took place during the 12th - 16th century Europe upon which
modern capitalistic systems and practices were built on. Emphasis
will be given on Renaissance Italy as it has been inevitably
the most interesting and phenomenal case. Throughout this
course students should develop a clear understanding as to
what capitalism is and how it is profoundly associated with
historical, sociological and economic changes within the designated
place and period of study.
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Understanding
Immigration
(Sociology/Economics/History)
- IND347B
The course comprehensively presents the issue of immigration
in Italy. The historical roots as well as the economic impact
of such a phenomenon will be introduced offering a framework
of the context in question. The rest of the course will focus
upon the sociological ramifications such as integration versus
assimilation, the flexibility of public education towards
minorities' needs, the issue of perceived security, the ability
of the public authorities to successfully manage the situation,
and others. Students will be required to critically observe
and assess the topic of immigration in a new geographic context
and to draw parallels with the United States.
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Watercolor
Painting: Postcards Home
(Studio
Art/Composition)
- ART347B
Like the Grand Tour of the 17th and 18th centuries, which
encouraged young Englishmen to travel and study the masters
and ancient relics, often using techniques such as drawing
and painting as a way to document the richness of their experiences
and share it with those unable to travel, your personal and
physical journey through Florence will provide you with a
rich assortment of moments, memories, ideas, questions. The
objective of this course is to give students a basic understanding
of watercolor and ink wash techniques and to provide them
the opportunity to achieve a technical and personal means
of expression inspired by their individual "Grand Tour"
experiences within Florence.
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Women
and Art in Italy
(Art
History/Women's Studies/Sociology)
- ARHWS447
This course will examine the role of women as subjects, artists,
and patrons in Italian art. Their roles in the social, political,
economic, and cultural life during various periods (mainly
Renaissance and Baroque age) will be studied. We will look
at how art reflects the perimeters set for women's roles in
society and how depictions of women, in the various guises
(sinner, saint, heroine), symbolized the virtues, vices, and
intangible ideas of Italian culture and learning.
We will also examine how women's roles constrained them in
many ways, but also how they provided opportunities for women
to build a position for themselves in society. We will then
investigate into the lives of exceptional women and understand
how they were able to overcome limitations set by society.
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Writing
& Creativity
(Composition/Humanities/Literature)
- CMP301
This interdisciplinary course aims to introduce the student
to the world of creative writing, focusing primarily on fiction.
What the course offers is an enriching and highly personal
experience as the student learns to tap into his or her own
life experiences and draw on them. The course is structured
around the close study of certain seminal literary texts with
a view to analyzing their structures and narrative dynamics.
In-class exercises take place, often with highly specified
objectives (development of character, introduction of story,
scenario, theme, exposition). Students are encouraged during
workshops to criticize and inspire each other. The ultimate
purpose is to impart something of the tools and craft of creative
writing, while nurturing the student's interest in literary
art.
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The
NECA language courses, utilizing experiential learning
method, has proven to be effective. It allows students
to develop their basic language skills and at the same
time provides students with fun and motivating opportunities
to use the language. Familiarization with the sounds and
distinction of individual words form the basis upon which
the student begins to build or increase his or her linguistic
skills at any level. In order to reproduce authentic situations,
some lessons may be held outside the classroom. This permits
the student to witness first-hand the direct connection
between the language and its culture. Discussions will
be carried out to give the student a broad picture of
how the language is used.
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Elementary
Italian 1
(Experiental
learning language course) - ITA101
No Placement Test is required.
No
PREREQ.
Description: See above
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Elementary
Italian 2
(Experiental
learning language course) - ITA102
Placement Test is required. PREREQ:
ITA101.
Description: See above
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Intermediate
Italian 1
(Experiental
learning language course) - ITA105
Placement
Test is required. PREREQ: ITA101 and ITA102.
Description: See above
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Intermediate
Italian 2
(Experiental
learning language course)
-
ITA106
Placement
Test is required. PREREQ: ITA101, ITA102, and ITA105.
Description: See above
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Conversation
and Composition in Italian 1
(Experiental
learning language course)
-
ITA207
Placement
Test is required. PREREQ: ITA101, ITA102, ITA105, and ITA106.
Description: See above
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Conversation
and Composition in Italian 2
(Experiental
learning language course) - ITA208
Placement
Test is required. PREREQ: ITA101, ITA102, ITA105, ITA106,
and ITA207.
Description: See above
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NOTE
ON ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSES
For
Non-Beginners ONLY:
If you are a Non-Beginner in Italian and want to enroll in a NECA
program, you should complete the Placement
Test and e-mail the answers as an attachment in Word
to neca@necaflorence.com.
Go to the Test
your Italian
web page for the test.
DIRECTED
STUDY AND INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM
NECA offers for every Program the possibility for each student
to apply for a Directed Study and/or Individualized Program.
Interested students can send NECA their requests of courses on
the on-line application.
Possible program excursions off the beaten
path:
•Excursion to Pratolino,
to Villa Demidoff, in the Florentine hills.
•One-day excursion to
the Tuscan town of Pisa.
•One-day excursion to
the Tuscan town of Siena.
•Excursion to Montebeni,
Settignano, in the Florentine hills. Typical Florentine lunch
together.
•Excursion to the open-air
market at the Cascine Park.
•Excursion to the area
of San Frediano & Porta Romana.
•Morning & afternoon
visit to the area of Pozzolatico, a visit to the Florentine countryside
and farms. Walking tour.
•Excursion to San Lorenzo
& San Ambrogio open-air markets and some characteristic eateries.
•Two- or Three-day excursion
to Rome.
•Visit to Piazzale Michelangelo
and to the 1,000-year old Church of San Miniato.
•Morning visit in the
historical center and walking tour through the city's history
in the hills: via San Leonardo, Arcetri, Torre del Gallo, Pian
dei Giullari, Santa Margherita a Montici.
•Morning & afternoon
visit to the countryside of Greve in Chianti and Castellina in
Chianti, with visit to Etruscan tombs.
•Morning & afternoon
visit to the area of Olmo, and visit to the Florentine countryside
and farms. Walking tour.
•Afternoon visit to Impruneta,
the land of artistic terracotta production.
•Visit to the hill
of Fiesole (see below), including via Vecchia Fiesolana and Badia
Fiesolana.
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The
Hill of Fiesole | NECA students on the terrace overlooking
the town
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