Curriculum

The Semester in Florence program is open to all majors and offers students the opportunity to discover Florence, Tuscany, Italy, and broader Europe. The curriculum promotes engaged, hands-on learning in the city that travelers routinely designate "the best city in the world." Courses focus on Italian gastronomy; Italian wine culture; the Renaissance tradition in society & the arts; Florence in literature; global politics and issue advocacy; and U.S. and Italian approaches to marketing.

Each elective program course is worth three credits and counts as a JMU course. Fall and spring students register for a minimum of 16 Florence-based credit hours, which may require pre- and post-program instruction, (including a mandatory 3-credit course on modern Italy and a mandatory 1 credit of University Studies). Summer students register for 10 Florence-based credit hours (including three credits on modern Italy and one credit of University Studies 390). In addition, fall and spring students may take one independent study in their major under the supervision of a JMU faculty member and the prior approval of program director Charles Blake.

The Semester in Florence program qualifies as a semester-abroad experience for JMU International Business majors.

All courses are taught in English and no previous study of Italian is required.

Courses

ARTH 313: Masterpieces of Renaissance Art
Exploration of the invention of perspective and techniques of Renaissance realism including masterpieces by major artists such as Giotto, Donatello and Michelangelo. Weekly visits to museums and churches. Satisfies General Education Area: Arts and Humanities, Visual and Performing Arts
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

FL 447: Modern Italy
This course explores contemporary Italian society in a cross-disciplinary manner that engages with the humanities and the arts. It begins by examining the evolution of Italy from the Renaissance forward to the twenty-first century. The majority of the course then focuses on contemporary Italy and on the evolution of values and behaviors in society. In each component of this course, students will explore Italy in an historically grounded way that enables them to assess in what ways modern Italy is an extension of past ideas and in what ways contemporary Italy has rethought or even sometimes rejected its past.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

HUM 200: Great Works
An intensive examination of great literary works that focus on key issues of knowledge and reality, meaning and purpose, ethics, and aesthetics. Discussion, analysis and intensive writing are required. Satisfies General Education Area: Arts and Humanities, Literature.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring

ENG 302: Florence in Literature
An intensive examination of great literary works that focus on key issues of knowledge and reality, meaning and purpose, ethics, and aesthetics. Discussion, analysis and intensive writing are required.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring

HM 361 / ITAL 490F: Italian Culture and Wine
An introduction to the fundamentals of wine making, wine tasting and glossary of terms provide a framework for visual, olfactory and gustative analysis. The historical value of wine, together with its cultural, economic and social meaning in Italy, are explored.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

HM 362: Italian Gastronomy
The course trains students in basic food preparation and menu development as informed by the Tuscan and broader Italian contexts. The focus is on preparing students to understand gastronomy and communicate with culinary professionals. The course includes development of effective menus, plate presentation, preparation methods, flavor development, and food service trends. [NOTE: HM majors who have not previously taken HM 252 can take this course toward the HM 252 requirement in the HM major.]
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring

MKTG 380: Principles of Marketing
Deals with fundamentals involved in the marketing process; concerned with the functions, institutions and channels used to distribute goods and services from producer to consumer. Involves case studies of Italian firms and systematic comparisons between prevalent Italian/European and American marketing practices. Taught in English. There will be an additional fee, per COB differential tuition, of $150 billed to students who take this course.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

POSC 371/SCOM 395: Global Issues and Issue Advocacy
How has a state as diverse as Italy managed to hold together for so long? Why do so many citizens continue to support the aging, libidinous, and frequently embarrassing Silvio Berlusconi? Does the pope have any political influence in contemporary Italy? Why is Italian bureaucracy so inefficient? How do phenomena like corruption and patronage make it difficult to police the quality of olive oil, wine, gelato, leather, and the many other products for which Italy is famous? Just how many times can Amanda Knox be tried in an Italian court of law? These are just a few of the questions that we'll pursue. Satisfies General Education Area: American and Global Perspectives, The Global Experience.
Credits: 3
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

UNST 390: Special Studies in University Studies
This 1-credit course, in which all Semester in Florence students enroll, encourages critical engagement with the Florentine and broader Italian environments. Students reflect on the meaning of their study abroad experience and its relationship to their academic, professional, and personal development. This course is tied to the standard JMU term dates and may require pre- and post-program instruction.
Credits: 1
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer