Study Abroad in Florence: Courses
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A minimum of 10 students must enroll for classes to be offered. Classes are taught Monday through Thursday with some mandatory course-related field trips on Fridays and/or Saturdays.
Please note that for all courses with field trips and on-site visits students must pay a supplement of approximately 50 euros per course upon arrival in Italy. Visit the Richmond website for details of prerequisites.
Traditional Academic Program
Session 1
Choose one course from the list below. Please note that all courses are taught in English. Students taking both the optional Rome and Venice excursions can also register for the Introduction to Italian Art course and earn 1 extra credit (see Session 2 for course description).ADM 3855 (3) | Painting in Florence I
This course teaches students how to produce the illusion of volume, space and movement on a two-dimensional surface. Students explore hands-on approaches to paint application, color, structure and composition, and experiment with different ways of applying the paint. They learn to imitate the techniques of painters such as Caravaggio, Monet, Seurat, Van Gogh and Picasso. This course includes classroom assignments and painting out of doors in places such as the Boboli gardens and the hills around Florence. Classroom assignments are also related to the city of Florence, and students work with their own photographic material. The course is designed to provide a foundation in the subject, and prepares students for the next course in the sequence. A studio fee is levied on this course.
ADM 4855 (3) | Painting in Florence II
In this course, problems associated with tone and light are studied, including side lighting, candle lighting, and artificial lighting. Studio practice is combined with discussion, critique and demonstration. Students are encouraged to talk about their work with the instructor and fellow students to clarify their objectives and problems. The course includes open air painting and work in the studio. A studio fee is levied on this course. Prerequisite: ADM 3855 Painting in Florence I.
ADM 5855 (3) | Painting in Florence III
This is an advanced painting course, structured around specific painting projects to develop the range and technical competence of the student. Professional painting techniques are demonstrated and experimented with. There are advanced discussions of style, color, form, composition and subject matter. A studio fee is levied on this course. Prerequisite: ADM 4855 Painting in Florence II
HST 5825 (3) | Italian Food and Culture
Per anthropologist Jon Hertzman, the tastes and flavors of a country’s traditional table are a meaningful representation of its collective memory. This course examines the geography, history and culture of Italian regional dishes that have brought Italy worldwide renown. The course looks at regional gastronomic traditions and their origins, including differences in how food is prepared, the representation of Italian food practices in media and cinema, food symbolism in Italian culture, food ethics and sustainable agriculture, with an examination of today’s fast and slow food traditions. A visit to a wine and olive oil farm in Tuscany will give a practical illustration of how resources are linked to food practices.
MKT 5810 (3) | Psychology of Fashion and Luxury Goods
Consumer psychology within the context of the consumption of fashion and luxury products and services is complex and is influenced by many factors. A thorough analysis and understanding of these factors allows organizations to plan effective marketing activities suitable to their target markets. This course enables students to understand the importance of consumer behavior in the process of marketing fashion and luxury goods and services. Prerequisite: MGT 3200 Foundations of Business
Wine Marketing Program
Richmond, in collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Science in Pollenzo, offers a course which combines classes, tastings, visits to wineries and vineyards and study trips with seminars led by international faculty from enology, wine culture and wine management. In the first week, with the collaboration and hospitality of the Wine Bank and Slow Food’s Slow Wine, classes are taught in Pollenzo in the UNESCO Heritage Castle in the Langhe (Barolo area), while the remaining two weeks are held in Florence at the Richmond Study Center with trips to the Chianti Region. Students take MKT 5820 Wine Marketing, a 3-credit course which focuses on the importance of wine as a tool to understand and approach cultural diversity in a more globalized world.MKT 5820 (3) | Wine Marketing
Focuses on the importance of wine as a tool to understand and approach cultural
diversity in a more globalized world. Wine will be studied as a global as well
as a “local”, and “glocal” product. Students will analyze wine marketing and its
environment, market segmentation and consumer behavior, product strategy (in
particular branding, packaging and design), marketing communication strategy, and
the ways that the Internet and Social Media can be used as marketing tools in the
promotion of wine. The role of cellars and wine tourism will also be analyzed as a tool
of promotion and reinforcement of brand identity.
Session 2
Please note that all courses are taught in English apart from Italian language. Choose 2 courses. Students taking both the optional Rome pre-program tour and the optional Venice excursion can also register for the Introduction to Italian Art course and earn 1 extra credit.
Italian Language Courses (Taught in Italian)
ITL 3831 (3) | Elementary Italian I
A thorough, basic introduction to the Italian language for those with little or no
previous experience, the course teaches essential vocabulary and grammar and
develops students’ ability to communicate in an authentic linguistic context – key to
making the most of the experience of their stay in Italy.
ITL 4831 (3) | Intermediate Italian I
This course helps students to develop their ability to communicate effectively and
accurately, using an expanded range of vocabulary. Conversation practice improves
listening and interpretation skills for better understanding and response. Reading and
writing exercises improve skills in understanding prose and writing letters and simple
messages. Prerequisites: ITL 3832, Elementary Italian II, and/or min. 70/100 score on
the diagnostic test.
Content Courses
ADM 3855 (3) | Painting in Florence I
This course teaches students how to produce the illusion of volume, space and
movement on a two-dimensional surface. Students explore hands-on approaches
to paint application, color, structure and composition, and experiment with different
ways of applying the paint. They learn to imitate the techniques of painters such as
Caravaggio, Monet, Seurat, Van Gogh and Picasso. This course includes classroom
assignments and painting out of doors in places such as the Boboli gardens and the
hills around Florence. Classroom assignments are also related to the city of Florence,
and students work with their own photographic material. The course is designed to
provide a foundation in the subject, and prepares students for the next course in the
sequence. A studio fee is levied for this course.
ADM 4855 (3) | Painting in Florence II
In this course, problems associated with tone and light are studied, including side
lighting, candle lighting, and artificial lighting. Studio practice is combined with
discussion, critique and demonstration. Students are encouraged to talk about their
work with the instructor and fellow students to clarify their objectives and problems.
The course includes open air painting and work in the studio. It follows on from ADM
3855 Painting in Florence I and builds on the principles established in that course. A
studio fee is levied on this course.
ADM 5855 (3) | Painting in Florence III
This is an advanced painting course, structured around specific painting projects
to develop the range and technical competence of the student. Professional
painting techniques are demonstrated and experimented with. There are advanced
discussions of style, color, form, composition and subject matter. This course includes
outdoor painting and work in the studio. This course builds upon ADM 4855 Painting
in Florence II. A studio fee is levied on this course.
ADM 3800 (3) | Drawing I
This course introduces students to figure drawing, structure and object drawing,
and outdoor drawing which includes the city of Florence/Rome and the Tuscan/
surrounding landscape. Students experiment with lead, charcoal, conté pencil and
crayon and ink. The course is designed to provide a foundation in the subject, and will
also prepare students for the next course in the sequence. A studio fee is levied on
this course.
ADM 4800 (3) | Drawing II
This course includes figure drawing, still-life drawing and landscape drawing, with the
focus on Florence and the Tuscan landscape. Students are encouraged to examine
the problems of drawing the human figure (anatomy), perspective (several vanishing
points) and objects (complexity, varied tonality). This course includes a consideration
of the individual handling of traditional drawing techniques. It follows on from ADM
3800 Drawing I and builds on the principles established in that course. A studio fee is
levied on this course. Prerequisites: ADM 3800 Drawing I
ADM 5800 (3) | Drawing III
This is an advanced drawing course, further developing students’ drawing skills. It
focuses on figure drawing, still-life drawing and landscape drawing, with attention
to the Florence and the Tuscan landscape. Students are encouraged to further
develop their personal style of composing and choosing types of lines and markmaking.
Assignments are complex and narrative/illustrative, requiring a processbased
approach, which students are asked to verbalize to their instructor and fellow
students. This course follows on from and builds upon ADM 4800 Drawing II. A studio
fee is levied on this course. Prerequisites: ADM 4800 Drawing II
ADM 3860 (3) | Travel Photography
This course concentrates on developing the student’s visual intelligence via travel and reportage photography. Key features include learning to express a sense of place, capturing atmosphere, and photographing a variety of subjects ranging from daily life, landscapes and urban settings to cultural portraits, festivals and rituals.
Students learn about the history, compositional issues and techniques of photojournalism, architectural and reportage photography by studying the work of relevant influential photographers and by conceiving, shooting and laying out a series of travel photography projects. This course is recommended for those majoring in Communications, Journalism, Environmental Studies and Tourism.
Required: A digital single lens photographic camera (DSLR): 10 megapixels minimum with an optical zoom lens at least 3X.
A lab fee is levied on this course.
AVC 4800 (1) | Introduction to Italian Art
This course examines developments in early Italian painting and sculpture leading
up to the Renaissance and Baroque. Students consider early Italian art from the
Etruscans and Romans up to the Renaissance, in art historical context, particularly in
terms of patronage and the key social, religious and philosophical events. It is normally
taught during field study visits, which include Lucca, Pisa, Venice, and Rome. A field
project paper is normally required.
AVC 5860 (3) | Florentine Art in Context
This course examines the concepts underlying Italy’s Renaissance art and architecture
in their art historical context, including the visual representation of space in painting,
sculpture and portraiture, harmony and space in architecture, disguised symbolism
in Christian art and the language of allegories. The course normally includes weekly
visits to museums, galleries, and exhibitions, with their rich intercultural collections,
enabling students to engage directly with the original art works and consider their
display.
COM 4800 (3) | Fashion and Media from Past to Present
This course aims to shed light on past and current changes in fashion communication examining a variety of textual platforms over time. The evolution of fashion magazines and the exploration of the image of fashion in magazines, painting, photography, music, film and art are studied in relation to key social and cultural issues. The role of new digital technologies in the fashion media landscape and their impact on production and consumption is explored.
HST 5810 (3) | History of Florence
This course covers the history of Florence, concentrating on its development as a
city and a state before and during the Renaissance and the Early Modern period. The
uniqueness of Florence is underlined by drawing comparisons with other cities in Italy
and Europe. The course features primary source readings by such authors as Dante
Alighieri, Dino Compagni, Giovanni Villani and Franco Sacchetti. Some lessons take
place on-site so that students experience this city’s past first-hand. Prerequisites: HST
3200 World Cultural History or GEP 4180 Research and Writing 2.
HST 5825 (3) | Italian Food and Culture
Per anthropologist Jon Hertzman, the tastes and flavors of a country’s traditional
table are a meaningful representation of its collective memory. This course examines
the geography, history and culture of Italian regional dishes that have brought Italy
worldwide renown. The course looks at regional gastronomic traditions and their
origins, including differences in how food is prepared, the representation of Italian
food practices in media and cinema, food symbolism in Italian culture, food ethics and
sustainable agriculture, with an examination of today’s fast and slow food traditions.
A visit to a wine and olive oil farm in Tuscany will give a practical illustration of how
resources are linked to food practices.
MKT 5805(3) | Fashion Marketing and Retail
This course covers the fundamentals of fashion and the basic principles that govern all
fashion movement and change. It examines the history, development, organization and
operation of merchandising and marketing activities, trends in industries engaged in
producing fashion, purchasing of fashion merchandise, foreign and domestic markets,
and the distribution and promotion of fashion. Prerequisite: MKT 5200 Principles of Marketing
MKT 5810 (3) | Psychology of Fashion and Luxury Goods
Consumer psychology within the context of the consumption of fashion and luxury
products and services is complex and is influenced by many factors. A thorough
analysis and understanding of these factors allows organizations to plan effective
marketing activities suitable to their target markets. This course enables students to
understand the importance of consumer behavior in the process of marketing fashion
and luxury goods and services. Note: This course is cross-referenced against MKT
5410 (offered on the Richmond campus). Prerequisite: MGT 3200 Foundations of Business
MKT 5820 (3) | Wine Marketing
Focuses on the importance of wine as a tool to understand and approach cultural diversity in a more globalized world. Wine will be studied as a global as well as a “local”, and “glocal” product. Students will analyze wine marketing and its environment, market segmentation and consumer behavior, product strategy (in particular branding, packaging and design), marketing communication strategy, and the ways that the Internet and Social Media can be used as marketing tools in the promotion of wine. The role of cellars and wine tourism will also be analyzed as a tool of promotion and reinforcement of brand identity.
NOTE: During Session 2 this course is taught entirely in Florence and is separate from the Wine Marketing Program in May during which students spend the first week of the course in Pollenzo.
SCL 5855 (3) | Culture and Style in Italy
This course is recommended for students with an interest in contemporary Italian
culture and style. The course focuses on aspects of post-war Italian culture including
cuisine, fashion, religious beliefs and the persistence of superstition. Lectures cover
topics such as the role of women, food and wine as cultural traditions, the effect of
social change, and culture and style. Lectures are supported by field visits, food and
wine tasting sessions, and audio-visual materials.
