Art in Republican Florence. 1293-1494 (Summer)
Professor Stefano Casu
Course Description
The course presents the evolution of art in Florence in two crucial centuries of its history, from the
Ordinances of Justice in 1293 to the exile of the Medici family in 1494, analyzing the works of great masters
from Arnolfo di Cambio to Leon Battista Alberti, from Andrea Pisano to Verrocchio, from Giotto to Botticelli.
The period covered presents, at least from a formal point of view, a continuity in the structure of the State
that can be defined as the Florentine Guelph Republic: it is a moment that shaped the city, its urban plan, its
cultural and civic identity as well as its artistic development. In this course Florentine art is analyzed stressing
the social and economic context and assessing the consequences of the main events in the history of the
Republic, such as the Black Death, the wars and the expansion of the State, the Oligarchy or the rise of the
Medici family. The use of a political periodization, instead of a “stylistic” or “cultural” one, allows students to
have a fresh approach to artistic monuments, avoiding preconceptions or rigid definitions in assessing the
passage from “Gothic” to “Renaissance” art. On-site lectures and discussions, with a hands-on approach to
art history, are an essential part of the course. 4.0 quarter/2.7 semester units: upper-division.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students should be able to:
- Recognize the main works of 14th and 15th Century Florentine art
- Analyze their style, function, patronage
- Explain the meaning of the most diffused iconographies of the period
- Elaborate how political, cultural and social life influenced the production of works of art
- Assess the significance and analyze the content of translated primary sources
- Master a small vocabulary of Italian terms related to the field of art, history, and politics
Assessment
Participation (10%)
Active participation is expected in class as well as during visits. Readings must be prepared for the day
indicated on the schedule, and they are going to be discussed during the lesson.
Presentation (15%)
All students will be asked to present one monument on site. Presentations are to be accompanied by a two
page outline (typed, single-spaced) containing the content and sources consulted. Information about
commission, context, function, style and meaning/interpretation should be included. Students should be
ready to discuss the monument answering teacher’s questions or the questions of classmates. The
presentation should be about 10 minutes long A list of possible topics for each visit is to be found in the class
schedule under “Monuments”.
Term Paper (25%)
This essay (8 pages, double-spaced, printed) must discuss a topic pertaining to Florentine art of the 14th or
15th Centuries. The topic must be approved by the instructor. Part of the assignment is to identify an
interesting issue: papers may investigate such diverse topics as the stylistic development of Florentine art in a
given period (a decade, for instance); the activity of a single artist studied during the course; works of art in
an important site (in a church, for example); artistic patronage in a period or by an important family;
connections between social and political life and the artistic production and so forth. The bibliography should
contain at least three books or scholarly essays.
Revised 9/2014
Mid-term Exam (20%) and Final Exam (30%)
In the first part of the exams students will be asked to identify ten works of art (artist, title, date, location); in
the second part students will have to answer a series of open-answer questions on themes related to what
has been discussed during the course and in assigned readings. The final exam has also a third part: students
will be asked to write a short essay (about two pages) on a topic related to the course, choosing it from a list
given by the teacher.
Bibliography
A reader will be prepared, with selected passages from the following works:
H. Baron, The Crisis of the Early Italian Renaissance. Civic Humanism and Republican Liberty in an
Age of Classicism and Tyranny, Princeton 1966
G.A. Brucker, Florence, the Golden Age, 1138-1737, Berkeley 1998
A. Butterfield, “New Evidence for the Iconography of David in Quattrocento Florence”, in I Tatti
Studies, 6, 1995, pp. 114-133
S.G. Casu, "The Council of Ferrara-Florence (1438-1439)", in In the Light of Apollo. Italian
Renaissance and Greece, Cinisello Balsamo 2004, pp. 134-5
S.G. Casu, “Bernardo Daddi, Christ Blessing”, in The Pittas Collection. Early Italian Painting (12001530), Firenze 2011, pp. 40-5
B. Cole, Giotto and Florentine Painting, 1280-1375, New York 1976
F. Domestici, Della Robbia. A Family of Artists, Firenze 1992
P. Joannides, Masaccio and Masolino. A Complete Catalogue, London 1993
E.H. Gombrich, "Botticelli's Mythologies. A Study in the Neoplatonic Symbolism of his Circle", in
Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, VIII, 1945, pp.7-60
C.E. Gilbert, Italian Art 1400-1500. Sources and Documents, Evanston1992
L.H. Heydenreich, Architecture in Italy. 1400-1500, New Haven 1996
R.W. Lightbown., Sandro Botticelli. Life and Work, New York 1989
M. Meiss, Painting in Florence and Siena after the Black Death, Princeton 1978
K. Montagnani, “The Wool Guild Palace Artwork”, in The Wool Guild Palace since its Origins,
Firenze 2009, pp. 43-68
P. Murray, The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance, New York 1986
J.M. Najemy, A History of Florence. 1200-1575, Oxford 2006
J.T. Paoletti - G.M. Radke, Art in Renaissance Italy, Upper Saddle River 2005
J. Pope-Hennessy, Donatello Sculptor, New York 1993
J. Pope-Hennessy, Italian Gothic Sculpture, London 2000
N. Rubinstein, The Palazzo Vecchio. 1298-1532. Government, Architecture, and Imagery in the
Civic Palace of the Florentine Republic, Oxford 1995
J.T. Spike, Fra Angelico, New York-London 1996
M. Trachtenberg, Dominion of the Eye. Urbanism, Art, and Power in Early Modern Florence,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1997, pp. 92-105
J. White, Art and Architecture in Italy 1250-1400, New Haven and London 1993
Further bibliographical advice will be given during the course according to students’ need.
Revised 9/2014
History and Culture of Food in Italy (Summer)
Professor Peter Fischer
Course Description
This is a challenging course on one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of food. We will trace the
historical evolution of Italian food culture in the geographical and cultural context of the Mediterranean from
the times of the classical civilizations until today. The focus will be on understanding the extraordinary
significance of food for the definition of “Italianness”. Pasta, pizza and cappuccino have become some of the
most recognizable signs for Italian identity and they contribute to the creation of a coherent, unified image of
Italy. To fully explore the evolution of this fascinating relationship between “Italianness” and food, a
cornucopia of historical, cross‐cultural and theoretical views is offered, drawing from history, anthropology,
sociology, as well as from geography. Each class is based on a set of readings, and it is crucial that students
keep up with the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class. Some lectures will directly engage our
readings while others will provide contextualizing historical and theoretical information. Lectures and class
discussions will be supplemented by special food workshops in which we will explore the history, culture and
taste of some Italian key products: bread, wine and olive oil as well as coffee. Emphasis will be placed on
developing a methodological and structured approach towards how to taste these food items, covering all
of the essential elements of the subject, from the physiology and experience of the senses to tasting
techniques, tasting vocabulary, and quality assessment. We will visit food markets in Florence, and go on a
fieldtrip to the Tuscan country side. This course is designed for undergraduate students of history,
anthropology, sociology and geography and students generally interested in food studies. 4.0 quarter/2.7
semester units: upper-division.
Course Method
The course will be taught through a combination of formal lectures (based on power point presentations and
video clips) class discussions, student presentations, tastings and out‐door activities designed to engage
students with the local community such as a culinary walking tour in Florence and a field trip to the Tuscan
countryside.
Objectives of Course and Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, I hope that you will have a better understanding of the complexity of the
relationship between Italians and food and of the historical and social construction of ethnic and cultural
identity. In addition, the class is intended
•
to explore the relevance of an interdisciplinary approach studying food;
•
to understand the historical and social construction of taste;
•
to develop an understanding of food as a most fundamental cultural aspect of Italian society and
•
to acquire a basic Italian vocabulary pertaining to food and
•
to communicate your ideas quickly and effectively in written and oral formats. Furthermore, the
course will address historical skills or habits of mind:
•
Using documents and other primary data: developing the skills necessary to analyze point of
view, context, bias, and to understand as well as interpret information.
•
Developing the ability to assess issues of change and continuity over time.
•
Enhancing the capacity to handle diversity of interpretations through analysis of context through
bias, and frame of reference.
•
Constructing and evaluating arguments: using evidence to make plausible arguments.
Course Requirements
Revised 9/2014
This is an introductory course and as such, there are no prerequisites. However, a genuine desire to learn will
be infinitely useful. Course requirements include regular class attendance, class participation, required
readings and pop quizzes, a site report, a mid‐term exam and a final exam.
Required Readings
Material contained in course reader.
Suggested readings
Capatti, A., and M. Montanari, Italian Cuisine. A Cultural History. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003;
Flandrin, J.L. and Montanari M. (eds), Food ‐ A Culinary History, New York: Columbia University Press, 1999;
Parasecoli, F., Food Culture in Italy, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press 2004
Grading
Class Participation, Required Readings, and Pop Quizzes (15%)
I expect that you will be committed to giving a professional effort in this class. Participation means active
engagement in the course: being consistently prepared for class (having really read that day’s assignments),
asking questions, responding to questions, offering your own insights and opinions, attentive listening to
others. Class participation grades are not automatic. I begin by assuming a C for each student’s class
participation grade and move from there. The Required Readings are an integral part of this course and
should not be considered supplemental. Reading assignments should be done for the class day they are
assigned. Unannounced Pop‐Quizzes covering reading assignments may be given periodically throughout the
semester; these quizzes cannot be made up unless a valid doctor’s certificate is provided.
Short Writing Assignment (Site Report) (15%)
Since students are experiencing a different food culture here in Italy it is important to supplement lectures,
class discussions and readings with visits to locations where food is produced, processed, distributed and
consumed. Specifically, students need to write one site report, devoted to food distribution in Florence (food
market review). For this report, students write about 500 words to describe what they observe, then another
500 words to make at least 3 connections to class readings and discussions. This report should be typed and
double spaced. It is worth 15% of the grade. There should be a one or two sentence introduction in which
students identify the place they have visited and the circumstances (companions, day of the week, time of
day, etc). The report should include a one or two sentence conclusion which tells me how they felt about
their experience.
Mid-Term Exam (30%)
An exam covering all topics presented until the mid‐term exam. It will consist of a series of multiple choice
and short answer questions and one short essay (about one page) chosen among two questions. The exam
will take approximately 90 minutes to complete and will constitute 30% of the final grade.
Final Exam (40%)
The final exam is the final step in the sequential learning process the course involves. In this exam students
will bring together the various concepts/topics they have studied. The exam will take approximately 120
minutes to complete and will constitute 40% of the final grade. This is the only time the exam will be given.
Students who plan to depart prior to the exam should not take this course. Students must pass the final exam
to pass the course.
Review Sessions
Thorough review sessions are held prior to both the midterm and final exams. A written study guide will be
made available for students.
Revised 9/2014
Humor and Jokes in Tuscan and Italian Literature and Culture (Summer)
Professor Filippo Andrei
Course Description
Humor is that aspect of human nature that provokes laughter through a variety of literary forms and verbal
devices. Humor can also be distinguished from the comic, as Pirandello puts it, since it elicits the tragic aspect
of human existence. The ease with which humor is bound to the comic, to play, or to various mechanisms of
language makes it such a multi-faceted subject that it is challenging for anyone to formulate a comprehensive
definition.
This course will focus on a close reading of several famous texts of Medieval and Renaissance Italian
Literature such as the Decameron and the Orlando Furioso, as well as some less known texts (i.e., the
Renaissance facetiae, Leonardo da Vinci's humorous writings), from the interrelated perspectives of humour
and knowledge. Through critical reading and discussion of both medieval and modern Italian literary works,
students will appreciate how humor permeates Italian intellectual tradition and our contemporary society.
Students will engage in a critical analysis of the philosophical implications of humoristic literary works and
explore the many aspects of wisdom that the texts of this genre conceal. Ultimately, this course will address
the issue of the boundaries between comedy and tragedy by focusing on a single comic genre, the practical
joke or beffa, which is typical of Florentine and Tuscan culture. As Peter Burke puts it, Florence, the "capital
of la beffa," and Tuscany appear to be obsessed by practical jokes. Thus, specific attention will be given to
Florentine authors and emphasis will be placed on particular aspects of Florence and its social, political and
literary context. By looking at the cultural contribution of the city of Florence and Tuscan authors (e.g.
Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Leonardo), we will attempt to promote discussion on how humour can shape human
nature.
The course is based on the study of primary literary sources and addresses problems of comparative literary
criticism. Lectures and class discussions will be supplemented by class meetings in museums and film views.
4.0 quarter/2.7 semester units: upper-division.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of the complexity of Italian humor
literature and its historical, social and cultural construction. In particular, the class is intended:
•
to explore an interdisciplinary approach in studying humor;
•
to understand the historical and social construction of humor;
•
to develop an understanding of humor literature as one of the fundamental cultural aspects of
Italian society;
•
to develop an understanding of the scholarly and critical discourse on the history of humor
literature;
•
to broaden the knowledge of Florentine and Italian culture, society, history, economy, politics,
literature, and cinema;
•
to use documents and other primary data developing skills necessary to analyze point of view,
context, bias, and to understand as well as interpret information;
•
to acquire a basic Italian vocabulary pertaining to humor literature and criticism; and
•
to communicate ideas quickly and effectively in written and oral formats using evidence to make
plausible arguments.
Reference Texts
Course reader.
Revised 9/2014
Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Trans. and intr. G.H. McWilliam. Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics,
2003. ISBN 0140449302.
Ariosto, Lodovico. Orlando Furioso. Trans. Guido Waldman. Oxford University Press, USA, 2008. ISBN-10:
9780199540389
Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Comedies of Machiavelli. Edited and translated by David Sices and James B.
Atkinson. Hanover: Published for Dartmouth College by University Press of New England, 1985. ISBN10: 0872209016
Recommended readings for reference
Brand, C. P., and Lino Pertile. The Cambridge History of Italian Literature. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge
University Press, 1999. ISBN-10: 0521666228
Bremmer, Jan N., and Herman Roodenburg. Eds. A Cultural History of Humour: From Antiquity to the Present
Day. Cambridge, Mass: Polity Press, 1997. ISBN-10: 0745618804
Burke, Peter. The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy. Princeton University Press; 2 edition (April
26, 1999). ISBN-10: 9780691006789
Grading
Class participation (attendance and active involvement)
Oral Presentation
Midterm Exam
Written Papers (3)
15%
15%
20%
50%
Oral Presentation: free topic (or inspired by the "temi di approfondimento"); 10 minutes.
Midterm: describe and comment an Italian text from the syllabus.
Papers. Papers are due on time. These include 2 short papers of 3 pages and a final paper of 5-7 pages. The
choice of topics for papers and presentations should be discussed with me. I am open to have students
pursue comparative approaches or interdisciplinary work on history of art. There will be no final exam.
Grading criteria for the papers (subject to revisions): (a) Writing skills (20%): organization and exposition,
word choice and clarity of expression, grammar, and spelling. (b) Argument and Ability to answer the precise
paper topic (50%): definition of the problem, historiographic foundation, historical contextualization, formal
analysis of the text (if relevant), analysis of other evidence, arguments, conclusions. (c) Creativity (10%):
original thought and keen observations. (d) Proper use of sources (20%): Reading comprehension skills,
conscientious and correct citation, footnotes, and bibliography.
(1) Humor in literatures other than Italian (or inspired by the "temi di approfondimento"); 3 pages.
(2) Free topic: literary analysis and close reading of one Italian literary text is required; 3 pages.
(3) Final paper: personal synthesis, literary analysis and research are required; the choice of topic should be
discussed with me; 5-7 pages.
Basic resources and Bibliography. Basic resources are available at the library of our school, either on free
consultation or on-reserve. You may also explore the Internet and look through magazines, journals and
archives. As an abroad student you should also use the on‐line library facilities of your home university to get
access to important databases such as JSTOR.
Revised 9/2014
Italian Foodscapes (Summer)
Professor Davide Papotti
Course description
Food and nutrition are acquiring a more and more important role in contemporary societies; a specific set of
disciplines denominated “food studies” has become in the last decade one of the most promising and lively
fields of interdisciplinary research. Contributions from sociology, anthropology, geography, medicine, history
of art, forestry and other disciplines enrich this field of studies.
Italy, a country characterized by a strong tradition of food culture, plays a central role in the world imagery
about food. Food is an important component of the country “brand” and Italian restaurants can be found in
every corner of the planet. The Italian society itself is no exception in this growing interest in the ways of
preparing, commercializing, consuming foods.
The course will provide a theoretical approach to the field of food studies, giving examples of the complexity
of issues and approaches to this topic. A specific attention will be given to the contribution of social sciences.
After the construction of a theoretical disciplinary framework, the course will concentrate in the specific
characteristics of the Italian context, especially through the use of direct observation of contemporary urban
landscapes during field trips in the downtown of Florence. A filed trip will also allow a direct observation of
agricultural and rural landscapes. A spatial approach will be used to interpret the distribution of regional and
local food cultures in Italy, adopting concepts and methodologies mostly developed in the field of
geographical studies. A specific attention will be devoted to the analysis of contemporary Italian foodscapes
(the visibility of food production, distribution and consumption in contemporary urban and rural landscapes),
which are rapidly changing under the influence of globalization processes and immigration flows. Together
with a quantitative approach based on statistics and data, also a qualitative one will allow the students to
read and analyze essays, journal articles and narrative texts dealing with food.
The case studies of the Italian regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, and specifically the case of the town
of Florence, will provide useful territorial contexts to understand the complexity and the importance of the
cultural processes related to food. 4.0 quarter/2.7 semester units: upper-division.
Prerequistes: there are no prerequisites for this course
Methodology
The course will consist of lectures by the teacher (including Power Point presentations) and discussion
sessions conducted in a seminar-like approach. Some lectures will directly engage the readings, while others
will provide contextualizing historical and theoretical information. There will also be oral presentations by the
students, followed by group discussions. Tasting activities will be organized in class.
A few field trips – walking distance from the school - in one or more of the neighbourhoods in Florence (local
markets, areas characterized by the presence of food shops, supermarkets, restaurants, etc.), together with a
field trip in the Florentine countryside, will also be organized.
Objectives of the course
1.
Provide a theoretical approach to food studies, giving examples of the variety of disciplinary
competences that converge in this field
2.
Offer an analysis of the food production in contemporary Italy
3.
Explain what a “foodscape” is, and provide an overview of the “geographies of taste”
4.
Offer an analysis of contemporary food habits and foodscapes in Florence
Revised 9/2014
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, the students will be able to:
read in a critical way the rhetoric of food that is permeating contemporary societies, both in the
United States and in Italy
analyze the importance of the territorial dimension in the field of food studies
critically discuss concepts, such as “typical”, “traditional”, “local”, used in food promotion
analyze the relationships between the agricultural systems of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna and
their local food cultures
Materials for the course
During the course students will be provided with additional bibliography for each of the covered topic, with a
critical approach.
The course reader will contain readings from the following works:
ATKINS Peter, BOWLER Ian, Food in Society. Economy, Culture, Geography, London, Arnold, 2001
BELL David, VALENTINE Gill, Consuming Geographies. We are where we eat, London–New York, Routledge,
1997
CONZEN Michael P., “Ethnicity on the land”, in CONZEN M.P. (ed.), The Making of the American Landscape,
New York-London, Routledge, 1994, pp. 221-248
DU PUIS Melanie E., GOODMAN David, “Should we go ‘home’ to eat? Toward a reflexive politics of localism”,
Journal of Rural Studies, 2005, XXI, pp. 359-371
FEAGAN Robert, “The Place of Food: Mapping out the ‘local’ in local food systems”, Progress in Human
Geography, 2007, XXXI, n. 1, pp. 23-42
FREIDBERG Susanne, “Supermarkets and Imperial Knowledge”, Cultural Geography, 2007, XIV, n.3, pp. 321342.
HENNION Antoine, “Those Things That Hold Us Together: Taste and Sociology”, Cultural Sociology, 2007, n. 1,
pp. 97-114.
JENSEN Darin, ROY Molly (editors), Food. An atlas, Guerrilla Cartographers, 2013
KNIGGE LaDona, "Urban regions and Localized Food systems: 21st-Century Innovations", in 21st Century
Geography: A Reference Handbook (ed. Joseph P. Stoltman), Thousand Oaks - CA, SAGE, 2011, pp.
563-75
MONTANARI Armando, STANISCIA Barbara, “Culinary Tourism as a Tool for Regional Re-Equilibrium”,
European Planning Studies, 2009, XVII, n. 10, pp. 1463-1483
NESTLE Marion, Food politics. How the food industry influences nutrition and health, Berkeley–Los Angeles–
London, 2002
PARROTT Nicholas, WILSON Natasha, MURDOCH Jonathan, “Spatializing Quality: Regional Protection and the
Alternative Geography of Food”, European Urban and Regional Studies, 2002, IX, n. 3, pp. 241-261.
SLOCUM Rachel, “Race in the study of food”, Progress in Human Geography, 2010, XXXV, n. 3, pp. 303-327.
ZANERI Taylor, “Tell Me What You Eat And I’ll Tell You Who You Aren’t: An Examination of Food, Culture,
Ethnicity, and Identity In Italy”, in Don SANDERSON, Mira CROUCH (editors), Food: Expressions and
Impressions, Interdisciplinary Press, 2013.
Course requirements
Each student is expected to write a paper of about 6-8 pages Topics must be chosen in agreement with the
teacher. The topics are determined by the available reading, and guidance will be given throughout. You may
choose to pursue further a topic that we are exploring in class, or examine another area of academic interest
which is related to the subject of this course. No paper will be accepted without the approved paper outline
(see below) attached. Late papers will receive a drop in grade of a full letter grade per week.
Revised 9/2014
The outline of the paper project should contain:
–
the title of your paper
–
the bibliographic references (a minimum of three is required)
–
a short abstract
The paper outline is a short, single–spaced, 1-2 paragraphs statement of the goals of your paper. It should
allow the reader to grasp immediately what the paper seeks to communicate in terms of questions, evidence,
methods, or interpretations. The more detailed and specific the outline, the easier writing the paper will be.
The approved outline must be attached to the paper.
An oral presentation in class about an extra article, essay, book chapter related to the topic chosen for the
final paper.
A midterm exam covering the topics presented in the first part of the course, made of both multiple choice
and short open questions. The exam will take approximately 60 minutes to be completed
A final written exam covering the topics presented in the second part of the course, made of both multiple
choice and short open questions. The exam will take approximately 90 minutes to be completed
Class attendance and participation in class discussion will also be taken into consideration for the final grade
Assessment
15% class attendance and participation in class discussions
20% midterm exam
15% oral presentation
25% final exam
25% paper outline and final paper
Revised 9/2014
Machiavelli & Friends (Summer)
Professor Lisa Kaborycha
Course Description
What does it mean to be called "Machiavellian" -- to be sneaky, underhanded, evil? Niccolò Machiavelli is
known by most people only for having written The Prince, the notorious handbook for tyrants, but he also
wrote the sparkling comedy La Mandragola, many love poems and songs, as well as The Discourse on Livy, a
treatise which passionately praises self-governing republics. In this course we will challenge the Florentine
author's "Machiavellian" reputation and get to know the man who, in addition to the above works, also
wrote hundreds of letters to his friends, letters that are incisive, witty, tender, and often hysterically funny
and occasionally obscene. As an official of the Florentine government, Machiavelli traveled and met most of
the principal figures of the Italian Renaissance--Cesare Borgia, Caterina Sforza, Pope Alexander VI, and
Leonardo da Vinci--he was also close to the historian Francesco Guicciardini and the leader of the Florentine
Republic Piero Soderini. In getting to know Niccolò and his friends we will become acquainted with the
fascinating world they lived in -- the world of the Florentine Renaissance. 4.0 quarter/2.7 semester units:
upper-division.
Readings
The Essential Writings of Machiavelli, ed. Constantine
Machiavelli and His Friends: Their Personal Correspondence, ed. Atkinson and Sices
Kaborycha, A Short History of Renaissance Italy
Site visits to Palazzo Vecchio; Machiavelli's country home in Sant'Andrea in Percussina in Chianti where he
wrote The Prince; and the Orti Oricellari in Florence where he met with friends to discuss philosophy.
Requirements
Completing all the assigned readings on time at the beginning of each week and lively participation in class
discussions are essential. In addition, there will be required excursions outside of class hours, a midterm, a
final exam, an oral presentation in classroom debate and a 5-6 page essay.
Grading
Essay
Oral presentation
Midterm
Final exam
20%
20%
30%
30%
Attendance policy
Attendance is mandatory and only two unexcused absences are allowed. Please refer to the Academic
Handbook for the attendance policy in place at the Florence Study Center.
NO MAKE-UPS for missed work
Revised 9/2014
Michelangelo: Art, Persona and Politics in Renaissance Italy (Summer)
Professor Sheila Barker
Course Description
This course examines the life and creative production-- sculpture, painting, and architecture--of one of the
great protagonists of the Renaissance, Michelangelo Buonarroti. An important leitmotif of the course will be
the tensions that colored Michelangelo’s interactions with his patrons, rival artists, the Medici rulers of
Florence, and the Catholic Church. We’ll consider how social and political conditions may have fostered or
hindered his creativity, and we’ll also consider how Michelangelo’s ‘creativity’ and ‘genius’ were understood
both in the Renaissance, as well as in recent historiography. In addition to familiarizing students with all of
Michelangelo’s major works, the course aims to enhance abilities in historiographic analysis, to stimulate
independent critical thought, and to sharpen argumentational skills. 4.0 quarter/2.7 semester units: upperdivision.
Course learning objectives
At the end of this course students will be able to:
– demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the chronology and patronage of Michelangelo’s artistic
production
– analyze Michelangelo’s artistic production using a technical lexicon particular to the analysis of
sixteenth-century art.
– identify debates in scholarship and analyze the validity of the various arguments in an expository oral
presentation
Course learning activities
–
class discussion (Learning Objectives 1,2,3)
–
oral presentation (Learning Objectives 1,2,3)
Required Reading
Howard Hibbard. Michelangelo (first published 1974, I cite the pages from the second edition, 1985)
Erwin Panofsky, “The First Two Projects of Michelangelo's Tomb of Julius II,” Art Bulletin 19 (1937): 561-63
Giorgio Vasari, The Life of Michelangelo, in the 1564 edition of Vasari’s The Lives of the Artists)
Absences, Missed Exams, Late Assignments
A student’s grade may be adversely affected by unexcused absences. Missing an exam, even in the case of an
excused absence, automatically results in failure of the exam, as neither early exams nor make-up exams can
be given. No extensions can be given for the paper deadline. Whether an absence is excused or not, it will be
the student’s responsibility to obtain notes and any other disseminated information, instructions, or
homework assignments from his or her classmates. Handing in assignments after the due date will
automatically result in a lower grade (3% per day).
Participation
Participation, for the purposes of this course, is defined as timely arrival, active engagement in class
discussions, competent responses to the professor’s questions, demonstrating courteous regard towards
classmates, and completion of the appropriate reading assignments in advance of the relevant class.
Participation is a sizable component (10%) of the final grade.
Grading
Revised 9/2014
The final grade for this course will be assessed according to performance on work two written exams (one
mid-term and one cumulative final), an independent research paper (5 pages), and an oral presentation. In
addition, class participation will factor into the final grade. Each exercise and overall class participation will
receive a letter grade, which will contribute to the final grade for the course according to the following
schedule:
Course participation
Midterm exam
Oral presentation
Final exam
Course grade
10%
20%
40%
30%
100%
Assessment Tools
Classes will meet on-site at various locations in the historical center of Florence according to the schedule
below. There will also be a one-day study excursion to sites in Rome (the Capitoline Hill, Santa Maria sopra
Minerva, and the Vatican). Students will come to class having read the required pages in Vasari, Hibbard,
Ackerman, and Seymour, and having completed and assignments to visit and study monuments on their own
time; and their ability to recapitulate and discuss these readings and visits will be the basis of the
participation grade. Each student will present a brief oral report on a work of art as assigned by the
instructor. Research is to be done in advance using at least three published scholarly sources (a bibliography
must be handed in to the instructor on the day of the oral report). The ideal report will identify a point of
debate within the scholarship on Michelangelo’s art, and lay out the various arguments. Students are not
expected to resolve these debates, but only to clarify their terms. A mid-term and final exam will test
students’ familiarity with the chronology, patronage and location of Michelangelo’s major works by means of
identification of images of “seen” works.
Course Philosophy
Michelangelo, for nearly three quarters of a century, set the standard for artistic achievement in Italy. During
the same period, the dramatic conflicts and crises that afflicted his society left a direct impact on him as well
as his aesthetic production. Yet despite this close conformity with the currents of his own time, Michelangelo
nevertheless managed to open up new cruxes of artistic (and humanistic) investigation which were of great
concern for many later generations of artists and which have remained fertile realms of aesthetic
experimentation even through the present day.
In this course, we are seeking to forge a comprehensive understanding of the artist’s oeuvre, and its relation
to his times. The assessment of Michelangelo’s oeuvre is in itself a great challenge: His visual semantics
varied dramatically; his works were carried out in diverse media-- sometimes with the help of studio
assistants; a few works underwent radical design changes in the course of execution; and some were
abandoned before completion. Moreover, a number of artworks associated with him are fraught with
problems of authorship. Having said this, though, we will nonetheless construct a solid base of historical
information about his works, the conditions of their patronage, and the meanings these works may have held
for the artist and for his immediate public. These issues will be set within a framework of political history,
social history, religious history and the history of ideas.
Though the bibliography on Michelangelo is vast, our knowledge of the artist is far from complete. The
readings selected for this course have been deliberately chosen to bring to light important areas of debate in
the scholarship on Michelangelo. Students therefore need to understand that many questions will be raised
for which no definitive answer can be provided; these areas of irresolution will serve us as opportunities for
exploring the validity of various theoretical and methodological approaches.
Revised 9/2014
‘What's Love Got to Do with it?’ The Social History of Quattrocento Florence
(Summer)
Professor Lisa Kaborycha
Course Description
Why were babies in Renaissance Florence sent away from their mothers as soon as they were born? Why
were women in their teens married to men more than a decade older than they? How was it that in a culture
that produced Petrarch's passionate sonnets to Laura and Botticelli's Primavera, love was not considered a
requisite for marriage? This course will explore attitudes toward love, marriage, and the family in
Renaissance Florence, mainly through primary sources: letters, diaries, trials records, criminal reports, tax
records, as well as stories, poems, and paintings created by Florentines themselves. 4.0 quarter/2.7 semester
units: upper-division.
Readings
Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron
Alessandra Strozzi, Letters
Leon Battista Alberti, The Family in Renaissance Florence
Gene Brucker, Giovanni and Lusanna: Love and Marriage in Renaissance Florence
Gregorio Dati, Diary
Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, Women, Family, and Ritual in Renaissance Italy
Site visits to the Museo Casa Davanzati, The Florentine State Archive, the Convent of San Marco, Corbignano
(Fiesole), and the Uffizi Gallery.
Requirements
Completing all the assigned readings on time at the beginning of each week and lively participation in class
discussions are essential. In addition, there will be required excursions outside of class hours, a midterm, a
final exam, an oral presentation on the Decameron and a 7-8 page final essay.
Grading
Essay
Oral presentation
Midterm
Final exam
30%
10%
30%
30%
Attendance policy
Attendance is mandatory and only two unexcused absences are allowed. Please refer to the Academic
Handbook for the attendance policy in place at the Florence Study Center.
NO MAKE-UPS for missed work
Revised 9/2014