Instructor: Mary Beth Hartshorn – Diablo Valley College
PSYCH-160 Psychology of Women
(3 units) Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL-122 or equivalent
CSU/UC; CSUGE Area D9; IGETC Area 4; AA/AS Area IV
Description: Examination of various factors in the development of gender identity, including personality, social processes, biology, and culture.
This course will take a comparative view by providing a short history of Italian feminism. In arguably the most Catholic country in the world, Italy remains a country structurally grounded in male patriarchal power. We will explore issues of divorce, labor, and family law in Italy and compare them to the US. (Women’s right to suffrage in Italy didn’t become a law until 1945 and after 100 years of effort, divorce became legal in 1970).
Students will perform a field study of gender differences in non-verbal communication patterns. They will observe mixed gendered groups from afar and record non-verbal gestures by gender. They will also conduct this research while observing members within the study abroad program from the US, and then replicate it while observing several Italian groups.
As a class, we will visit the Uffizi Gallery to analyze women’s body images portrayed in art from the Renaissance period. Students will identify women’s roles as demonstrated in paintings from three different periods, noting clothing and adornment.
Where were all of the female artists, architects and writers during the prolific Renaissance period? Students will have an opportunity to research historical female Florentine artists whose works are featured in the Pitti Palace and reflect on reasons why there are so few. They will then contrast this to the abundance of works by local female artisans that are featured in contemporary galleries. We will read excerpts from the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, the first female painter elected to the Accademia dell’ Arte, which tells of her struggle to reconcile painting and motherhood in a patriarchal post-Renaissance Italy.
PSYCH-220 Psychology of Personality
(3 units) Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL-122 or equivalent
CSU, UC; CSUGE Area D9; IGETC Area 4; AA/AS Area IV
Description: This course probes into the dynamics of personality development, adjustment, and growth. Particular emphasis is placed on contrasting the ideas and methodologies of the different schools of psychology. The development of personality and what constitutes psychological health in an individual is approached from contrasting theoretical views. Many of the theorists discussed are the historical European forefathers of psychology.
Students will analyze Erik Erikson’s original Psychosocial Stages of Development and update the stages to meet contemporary social struggles that impact young adults in the “emerging adulthood” stage in the US and Italy. The term “twixster” is used in the US to describe the young adult that isn’t financially able to leave home when Erikson deemed appropriate several generations ago. In Italy this failure to launch group is affectionately called “Mammones,” and isn’t judged as harshly as in the US. We will explore the different cultural norms at play and examine what is considered psychologically healthy based the country's social clock.
Students will take several personality tests to determine their own personality type. Once they understand the collection of traits that make up a type, they will “type” famous Italian figures based on their behaviors. Students will research key Florentine’s personal history, accomplishments, and relationships and then take field trips to see their art, tomb, invention or home.
PSYCH-225 Social Psychology
(3 units) Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL-122 or equivalent
CSU, UC; CSUGE Area D9; IGETC Area 4; AA/AS Area IV
Description: Social psychology is the scientific study of the way people think, feel, and behave in social situations. This course is an introduction to the perspectives, research methods, and empirical findings in social psychology. Topics include how people influence each other, the power of social situations, and the application of social psychological theories to everyday life experiences.
Students will have an opportunity to experience and test theories learned in class in a living laboratory. Social experiments will be set up in everyday settings in Florence to record local’s reactions to a given situation. There will be opportunities to observe interactions among Italians and interview them to better understand cultural differences in linguistics, prejudice, conformity, obedience, and group process.
A benefit to traveling with a “program,” as opposed to traveling independently, is the shared experience. It becomes its own social psychology experiment. The group experience provides the participants with an opportunity to process their collective journey in an altogether different way. Weekly class discussions about student’s reactions to being in small and large groups for the majority of the program would allow them to reflect on how this has influenced the way they think, feel and behave.
Instructor: Patrice Gibson - American River College
ANTH 310 Cultural Anthropology
3 Units Prerequisite: None. General Education: AA/AS Area V(b); AA/AS Area VI; CSU Area D1; IGETC Area 4A Course Transferable to UC/CSU
This is an introduction to the various customs, traditions, and forms of social organizations in both Western and non-Western societies. A multicultural perspective is used to examine subsistence methods, belief systems, linguistics, economic systems, art, kinship systems, marriage and family systems, and culture change. This course complements the Italian Life and Culture course that all study abroad students will be enrolled in. ANTH 310 would extend students’ learning and understanding of Italian culture by applying a cross-cultural comparative method used in the course. We will visit The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology which exhibits materials of the original culture, now lost, and of others from different parts of the world. A focus on the multi-cultural environment of modern day Florence will also be incorporated into the course.
ANTH 331 The Anthropology of Religion
3 Units Prerequisite: None. Advisory: Eligibility for ENGWR 300 General Education: AA/AS Area V(b); AA/AS Area VI; CSU Area D1; IGETC Area 4A Course Transferable to UC/CSU
This course is a cross-cultural study of the forms and functions of supernatural beliefs and associated rituals in societies around the world. World religions are also examined. Emphasis is on understanding the role of beliefs and rituals within their given social contexts as well as on a broader comparison to derive insight into the general functions of beliefs and rituals in human life. While abroad, students will explore the range of belief systems from another cultural perspective. Visits to the Anthropology Museum will enrich our exposure to different cultures. In addition, we will explore a variety of places of worship found within the city of Florence.
ANTH 320 Introduction to Archaeology and World Prehistory
3 Units Prerequisite: ENGWR 51 or ESLW 310 and ESLR 310 with grades of "C" or better. General Education: AA/AS Area V(b); CSU Area D1; IGETC Area 4A Course Transferable to UC/CSU
This course is an introduction to the theories, concepts, and methods employed by archaeologists in the study of human history and pre-history. The course emphasizes the development and diverse evolution of social and cultural systems. The challenges and achievements of non-literate, traditional cultures, diverse communities and social classes over time are also explored. Key archaeological sites within the regions of Florence will provide excellent fieldtrip opportunities for first-hand experiences. For example, we will visit the Etruscan ruins in sites just outside of Florence, walking in the complexes of this ancient culture. We will visit The Museum of Prehistory, enriching the curricula in the archaeology course with collections ranging from the pre-stone age to historical times. Visits are also planned to The Museum of Archaeology focusing on Etruscan civilization which flourished in the region.
Instructor: Andre LaRue - Santa Rosa College
PSYCH-160 Psychology of Women
CSU/UC; CSUGE Area D9; IGETC Area 4; AA/AS Area IV
Description: Examination of various factors in the development of gender identity, including personality, social processes, biology, and culture.
This course will take a comparative view by providing a short history of Italian feminism. In arguably the most Catholic country in the world, Italy remains a country structurally grounded in male patriarchal power. We will explore issues of divorce, labor, and family law in Italy and compare them to the US. (Women’s right to suffrage in Italy didn’t become a law until 1945 and after 100 years of effort, divorce became legal in 1970).
Students will perform a field study of gender differences in non-verbal communication patterns. They will observe mixed gendered groups from afar and record non-verbal gestures by gender. They will also conduct this research while observing members within the study abroad program from the US, and then replicate it while observing several Italian groups.
As a class, we will visit the Uffizi Gallery to analyze women’s body images portrayed in art from the Renaissance period. Students will identify women’s roles as demonstrated in paintings from three different periods, noting clothing and adornment.
Where were all of the female artists, architects and writers during the prolific Renaissance period? Students will have an opportunity to research historical female Florentine artists whose works are featured in the Pitti Palace and reflect on reasons why there are so few. They will then contrast this to the abundance of works by local female artisans that are featured in contemporary galleries. We will read excerpts from the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, the first female painter elected to the Accademia dell’ Arte, which tells of her struggle to reconcile painting and motherhood in a patriarchal post-Renaissance Italy.
PSYCH-220 Psychology of Personality
CSU, UC; CSUGE Area D9; IGETC Area 4; AA/AS Area IV
Description: This course probes into the dynamics of personality development, adjustment, and growth. Particular emphasis is placed on contrasting the ideas and methodologies of the different schools of psychology. The development of personality and what constitutes psychological health in an individual is approached from contrasting theoretical views. Many of the theorists discussed are the historical European forefathers of psychology.
Students will analyze Erik Erikson’s original Psychosocial Stages of Development and update the stages to meet contemporary social struggles that impact young adults in the “emerging adulthood” stage in the US and Italy. The term “twixster” is used in the US to describe the young adult that isn’t financially able to leave home when Erikson deemed appropriate several generations ago. In Italy this failure to launch group is affectionately called “Mammones,” and isn’t judged as harshly as in the US. We will explore the different cultural norms at play and examine what is considered psychologically healthy based the country's social clock.
Students will take several personality tests to determine their own personality type. Once they understand the collection of traits that make up a type, they will “type” famous Italian figures based on their behaviors. Students will research key Florentine’s personal history, accomplishments, and relationships and then take field trips to see their art, tomb, invention or home.
PSYCH-225 Social Psychology
CSU, UC; CSUGE Area D9; IGETC Area 4; AA/AS Area IV
Description: Social psychology is the scientific study of the way people think, feel, and behave in social situations. This course is an introduction to the perspectives, research methods, and empirical findings in social psychology. Topics include how people influence each other, the power of social situations, and the application of social psychological theories to everyday life experiences.
Students will have an opportunity to experience and test theories learned in class in a living laboratory. Social experiments will be set up in everyday settings in Florence to record local’s reactions to a given situation. There will be opportunities to observe interactions among Italians and interview them to better understand cultural differences in linguistics, prejudice, conformity, obedience, and group process.
A benefit to traveling with a “program,” as opposed to traveling independently, is the shared experience. It becomes its own social psychology experiment. The group experience provides the participants with an opportunity to process their collective journey in an altogether different way. Weekly class discussions about student’s reactions to being in small and large groups for the majority of the program would allow them to reflect on how this has influenced the way they think, feel and behave.
Instructor: Patrice Gibson - American River College
ANTH 310 Cultural Anthropology
3 Units Prerequisite: None. General Education: AA/AS Area V(b); AA/AS Area VI; CSU Area D1; IGETC Area 4A Course Transferable to UC/CSU
This is an introduction to the various customs, traditions, and forms of social organizations in both Western and non-Western societies. A multicultural perspective is used to examine subsistence methods, belief systems, linguistics, economic systems, art, kinship systems, marriage and family systems, and culture change. This course complements the Italian Life and Culture course that all study abroad students will be enrolled in. ANTH 310 would extend students’ learning and understanding of Italian culture by applying a cross-cultural comparative method used in the course. We will visit The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology which exhibits materials of the original culture, now lost, and of others from different parts of the world. A focus on the multi-cultural environment of modern day Florence will also be incorporated into the course.
ANTH 331 The Anthropology of Religion
3 Units Prerequisite: None. Advisory: Eligibility for ENGWR 300 General Education: AA/AS Area V(b); AA/AS Area VI; CSU Area D1; IGETC Area 4A Course Transferable to UC/CSU
This course is a cross-cultural study of the forms and functions of supernatural beliefs and associated rituals in societies around the world. World religions are also examined. Emphasis is on understanding the role of beliefs and rituals within their given social contexts as well as on a broader comparison to derive insight into the general functions of beliefs and rituals in human life. While abroad, students will explore the range of belief systems from another cultural perspective. Visits to the Anthropology Museum will enrich our exposure to different cultures. In addition, we will explore a variety of places of worship found within the city of Florence.
ANTH 320 Introduction to Archaeology and World Prehistory
3 Units Prerequisite: ENGWR 51 or ESLW 310 and ESLR 310 with grades of "C" or better. General Education: AA/AS Area V(b); CSU Area D1; IGETC Area 4A Course Transferable to UC/CSU
This course is an introduction to the theories, concepts, and methods employed by archaeologists in the study of human history and pre-history. The course emphasizes the development and diverse evolution of social and cultural systems. The challenges and achievements of non-literate, traditional cultures, diverse communities and social classes over time are also explored. Key archaeological sites within the regions of Florence will provide excellent fieldtrip opportunities for first-hand experiences. For example, we will visit the Etruscan ruins in sites just outside of Florence, walking in the complexes of this ancient culture. We will visit The Museum of Prehistory, enriching the curricula in the archaeology course with collections ranging from the pre-stone age to historical times. Visits are also planned to The Museum of Archaeology focusing on Etruscan civilization which flourished in the region.
Instructor: Andre LaRue - Santa Rosa College
History 4.1 History
of Western Civilization to 1648 C.E.
3 Units/ Grade or P/NP Prerequisites: None Transfer: CSU/UC AA/AS area E; CSU area C2; IGETC area 3B
Beginning with the ancient Near East, History 4.1 includes
the study of ancient Greece, ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and
the Reformation. In this course we will
journey from the ancient to the modern world as Europe moves from the periphery
to the center of world events. In
Florence we will explore the rediscovery of the arts and worldview of classical
antiquity characteristic of the Renaissance.
Rising as a powerful center of banking and trade in the 13th
and 14th centuries, Florence gave birth to the Renaissance in the 15th. Course assignments will take us into its
streets and museums to examine one of the most brilliant periods in Europe’s
artistic activity as we analyze how architects and visual artists united
artistic creativity and scientific knowledge to achieve balance, harmony, and a
more realistic view of the natural world.
The confidence displayed in powerful representations of the human spirit
(the David comes to mind) grew out of intense competition among Renaissance
states. The spirit of competition also
inspired an expansion of Europe’s frontiers across oceans to inaugurate the
first period in global history.
History 21 Race,
Ethnicity and Gender in American Culture
3 Units/ Grade or P/NP Prerequisites: None Transfer: CSU/UC AA/AS area D, F, G; CSU areas D, F1; IGETC area 4
History 21 is an examination of the interrelated roles of
race, ethnicity and gender in shaping political and cultural institutions in
the United States. It suggests a
portrait of the United States as a land of opportunity while recognizing the historically
unequal distribution of wealth and power based on socially constructed concepts
of race, ethnicity and gender. In a
comparative approach to history we will investigate the challenges mounted by
the disempowered, their successes and failures, and the unique histories of
populations drawn from around the world to become part of the American mosaic.
Of particular interest for semester in Florence will be the
causes and consequences of immigrant populations from the Mediterranean world
(especially those from the Italian peninsula).
We will explore, not only, the impact of immigration on the New World,
but the consequences of emigration on the Old World as well.
History 17.2 United
States History from 1877
3 Units/ Grade or P/NP Prerequisites: None. Transfer: CSU/UC AA/AS areas D, F; CSU areas D, F1; IGETC area 4
Historians have described the 20th century as the
“American Century,” as the United States played a decisive role in 2 world
wars, emerging from World War II as the wealthiest and most powerful nation in
the world. As America’s foreign policy
came of age, Italy, a unified nation since 1860, was declared a republic,
joined NATO and the United Nations, and helped lay the ground work for the
European Union. As we focus on the two
nations, History 17.2 will frame our investigation of super power politics,
nation building, and the need for international cooperation in the modern
world.
For spring 2015 we will explore some of the common
challenges shared by both the United States and Italy: transnational migration
of populations seeking opportunity, increased globalization and national
identity in an age of instant communication, the influence – cultural,
political, economic – of the U. S. on Europe, and Europe’s influence on the United
States.
Instructor: Daniel Keller, College of San Mateo
Literature 151: Shakespeare.
Prerequisite: English 100 or 105. UC: Area 3B; CSU: Area C2.
William Shakespeare is, of
course, an English author, but 13 of his 38 plays are at least partially set in
Italy. How did such Italian cities as Verona, Milan, Venice, and Padua inspire
Shakespeare’s art? How did Italian folktales become so important as a source of
his plots and characters? How is it that
he even seems to have known Italian language and geography? Some have even gone
so far as to claim that Shakespeare must have been Italian, or at least have spent a lot of time there. In this
class, we will immerse ourselves in the world of Shakespeare’s Italy through
not only reading and analyzing several
great plays but seeing them performed and performing them ourselves.
Literature 220: Introduction to
World Literature.
Prerequisite: English 100 or 105. UC: Area 3B; CSU: Area C2
Though this course will begin
with Italian myths and folktales, we will move from Italy to the rest of the
world, from the earliest literature to the present day. Students will read,
analyze, and discuss poetry, drama, and short stories ranging from Dante’s Divine Comedy to Anuradha Roy’s Atlas
of Impossible Longing. A central
theme will be the idea of travel as discovery: how do travel, exile, and other
voyages across time and space allow readers to see the world in new ways? We
will focus on seeing journeys as metaphors, connecting the discoveries of great
writers of the past with those of the present day, and with our own discoveries
living and learning in one of the world’s great cities.
English 161: Creative Writing.
Prerequisite: Eligibility for English 100 or 105. UC: CSU: Area C2
Florence, a city rich in art,
music, history, literature, architecture, and street life, will undoubtedly
inspire creativity. In this course,
students will use creative writing, particularly short stories and poetry, to
reflect deeply on their experiences as they encounter a new, unfamiliar
culture. Much of the writing in the course will be in response to seeing new
things, meeting new people, and rethinking our own stories and beliefs.
Students in this course will complete at least two short stories and one poetry
project . We will focus on sharing our work together, creating an enviroment of
collaboration and support.
