aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

School of Arts & Sciences TUSCANIA
mainly on historical data and information, aims to provide a
general background about Italian politics and culture. In the
second part, we will focus on the current changes that have
occurred in Italy during the past 20 years, focusing especially
on the breakdown of the traditional political system and on the
decreased relevance of the Church in State and public matters.
Finally, we will examine how the last 10 years – during which
there has been a great transformation in the way media affects
the distribution and spread of information – have brought an
apparent, but possibly not real, upheaval in the way politics,
culture and information are received and debated among
Italians.
Prerequisites: an introductory course in History or Political
Science
Italian Renaissance Civilization and Culture
HIS 300 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course explores the historical, literary and cultural
developments of one of the most remarkable and vibrant
periods of Italian history: the Renaissance. Students will
be introduced to the main historical developments of the
Renaissance period from the late fourteenth century to the end
of the sixteenth century. The Renaissance is above all the age
of the individual and the affirmation of his/her achievements,
best summed up by the credo “Man – the measure of all things”.
The focus of this course is therefore upon great personalities
of the Italian Renaissance mainly in the fields of the visual arts,
literature and philosophy, but also drawn from those of politics
and civic life. These include key figures of the most prominent
Italian families: the Medici, the Sforza, the Della Rovere; artists
and architects: Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Leonardo
da Vinci, Michelangelo; writers, poets and philosophers: Dante,
Petrarca, Boccaccio, Pico della Mirandola, Machiavelli, as well as
merchants and bankers. All these individuals left their mark in
Italy between the early 1400s and the late 1500s.
Prerequisites: HIS 130 Western Civilization, or equivalent
Literature
Survey of Western Literature
LIT 150 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course is an exploration of major texts from antiquity to
the present that have shaped and expressed Western cultural
traditions (all readings are in English translation). Emphasis
will be placed on the nature of genre, period, and style. The
course also offers the opportunity to develop an awareness of
literature and the skills required to approach and understand it.
Italian Theatre from Arena to Opera
LIT 278 T; Dual listed: MCT 278 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course is an introduction to the history of theatre and
performing arts in Italy from antiquity to the 20th Century.
Students will study Greek and Roman tragedies and comedies
and the sports and the games so popular in antiquity. They
will then explore the development of medieval sacred
representations; the Commedia dell’Arte; the total performances
of the Renaissance and Baroque periods and their ultimate
culmination in Italian opera; works by Goldoni; Pirandello and
Italian Futurism. Translated texts of all authors studied will be
required reading in class or as homework, and original versions
of some of the above-mentioned texts will be read in class.
Discussions will be based on the students’ readings.
The Age of the Heroes: Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid,
and the Origins of Western Literature
LIT 306 T; Dual listed: CLA 306 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The course is a general overview of ancient literature through
the analysis and comparison of some of the oldest works of
Western civilization. Through a reading of the most significant
chapters of the Iliad and the Odyssey, students will get in
contact with the aristocratic world and heroes described by
Homer in 8-7th century BCE, in order to reconstruct the society
of early Greece in the Mycenaean period. The stories presented
in the Iliad and Odyssey, considered the “Bible” of classical
civilization, show how Greeks used myth to express archetypal
values which became immortal for successive generations.
Myths are analyzed not only as amazing stories but also as
bearers of important messages about life within society, and
as primary forms of communication and instruction in a nonliterate
and oral society. The great influence of Greek myths on
Roman legends will also be seen through the reading of some
passages of the Aeneid - the national poem of Rome written
by Virgil in the 1st century BCE - focusing on the link between
Roman history and Greek tradition. The hero of the work,
Aeneas, was the survivor of the fall of Troy and the ancestor of
Rome’s leaders. A comparison between Aeneas’ and Odysseus’
wanderings will conclude the course.
Masterpieces of Italian Literature
LIT 307 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The focus of this course is on Italian writers and literary
movements from the 13th century to the present. Its goal is
to read some of Italy’s most representative literary works in
translation and to examine their structure, novelty and relevance
to their times, and to our own times as well. This course is
designed to bring works of Italian literature to the attention
of students who may have or may not have any knowledge
of Italian. Topics will be introduced, followed by readings to
be commented on by the students. Each student will also be
required to develop an individually chosen project based on a
complete translated work. At the end of the term, each student
will be required to write a paper on a chosen text and then give
a presentation in class about his/her own work.
Prerequisites: LIT 150 Survey of Western Literature, or
equivalent
Italian Grand Tour: Italy through the Eyes of
Famous Travellers
LIT 350 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course is an introduction to the literature generated by
the «Grand Tour» experiences between the 18th and the 19th
centuries and to its continuation and development in the
20th century. The main focus will be the textual analysis of
the memoirs, letters and diaries written by some of the most
famous artists, writers and intellectuals who resided and
traveled in Italy. Our selection will include British, German and
American writers. Another important aspect of the course will
be the study of the history, the works of art, the monuments
and the folklore events of the main Grand Tour destinations:
Venice, Florence, Rome. Students will learn about the different
experiences of famous foreign travelers in Italy through the
centuries and will be able to understand some stereotypes,
prejudices and idealized visions about Italy and Italians that still
survive today.
Music, Cinema and Theatre
Studies
Introduction to Acting
MCT 205 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 60
The course will center on three fundamental aspects of acting:
imagination, sensuousness and physicality. In fact, the base of
an actor’s initiation consists of the exploration of the world
around him and the development of the five senses (plus the socalled
sixth sense which has more to do with our own instincts).
An actor must be able to transmit emotionally what nature
gives her or him. So, work in this course will focus on: a) the
awareness of the body and moving with greater physical ease
by the understanding of how the five senses work together;
b) the creation of a bridge between body and imagination; c)
activating the senses through a series of games and exercises;
d) script analysis in order to understand the message or
meaning and to find the super-objective of the play. Students
will work on relaxation techniques, on their sensuousness and
its application to their creative instinct; on their concentration
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LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014