The Department of Multicultural Diversity and Gender Studies offers courses related to intimacy and sexuality in various eras of human history and societal development. The department also explores the definition of gender roles, contemporary slavery, and Italian culture with a special focus on gender relations in the Mediterranean.
3 semester credits. This course will explore sex, love, romance, desire, and intimate relationships in the modern world from both global and historical perspectives. Topics include multicultural awareness and exploration of how identity formation, cultural norms, gender, xenophobia, class, and sexual orientation influence various ethnic and cultural stereotypes. Students will analyze how ethnicity, class, gender, nationality, ability, and sexuality intersect, along with the changing definitions of sexual respectability, prostitution and sex-based work in different contexts, sexual behavior and sexual ideals, trans-sexuality and trans-gender identities, the meaning of marriage, the cult of romance, sexual revolutions and gender conflict, state regulation of sexuality, global sexual epidemics, and love and sex in popular culture.
3 semester credits. One week of on-site field learning in different locations before session start: Italian-French Riviera. The course engages the student in the exploration of the history and culture of the French and Italian Riviera, a region that still today preserves a peculiar identity, and builds a bridge between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Strategically placed in the north of the Mediterranean, Provence and the city of Nice have always attracted civilizations from all over. Throughout its long history, people of many nationalities have docked here and been assimilated into the city, turning it into a cultural and culinary melting pot: Greeks, Romans, North Africans, Corsicans, Sicilians, Arabs, have all left their mark. The course examines the many culinary identities of the area creating a unique culinary cornucopia of different cultures and flavors, as seen in establishments such as restaurants, markets, boulangeries, Maghreb spice stalls, Mediterranean fishmongers, and Sub-Saharan vegetable vendors. The course also focuses on the relevance that the area had in the development of Europe. During the Middle Age, in monasteries and abbeys, the roots of cultural and religious traditions of Europe were continued. Furthermore, thanks to the work of the monks, the techniques of agriculture and viticulture were preserved and improved. Two of the great ancient pilgrimage routes have their start in Provence, the Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James), through the Roman Via Aurelia to Santiago di Compostela, and the Via Francigena, which leads from France to Rome. Places of culinary, historical, and religious relevance, such as ethnic restaurants and local markets, archaeological sites, and monasteries, will be studied in order to contextualize an interdisciplinary understanding of the culture and history of the Italian and French Riviera. Group discussions and personal research assignments are essential forms of re-elaborating the course topics. The course emphasizes the development and evolution of religion, its connection to food, and their heritage in the contemporary society. Field learning is a method of educating through first-hand experience. Skills, knowledge, and experience are acquired outside of the traditional academic classroom setting and may include field activities, field research, and service learning projects. The field learning experience is cultural because it is intended to be wide-reaching, field-related content is not limited to the course subject but seeks to supplement and enrich academic topics. Students will have the opportunity to integrate theory and practice while experiencing Italian culture, art, and community within the Italian territory. Faculty will lead students in experiencing Italian culture through guided projects and field experiences as planned for the course. Field learning will be developed through classroom preparation, follow up projects, and guided learning outcomes. Field learning will provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and appreciate the multifold components of Italian Culture through direct experience. Field education will advance student learning as a relationship-centered process.
3 semester credits. The course engages the student in the exploration of the history and culture of the French and Italian Riviera, a region that still today preserves a peculiar identity, and builds a bridge between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Strategically placed in the north of the Mediterranean, Provence and the city of Nice have always attracted civilizations from all over. Throughout its long history, people of many nationalities have docked here and been assimilated into the city, turning it into a cultural and culinary melting pot: Greeks, Romans, North Africans, Corsicans, Sicilians, Arabs, have all left their mark. The course examines the many culinary identities of the area creating a unique culinary cornucopia of different cultures and flavors, as seen in establishments such as restaurants, markets, boulangeries, Maghreb spice stalls, Mediterranean fishmongers, and Sub-Saharan vegetable vendors. The course also focuses on the relevance that the area had in the development of Europe. During the Middle Age, in monasteries and abbeys, the roots of cultural and religious traditions of Europe were continued. Furthermore, thanks to the work of the monks, the techniques of agriculture and viticulture were preserved and improved. Two of the great ancient pilgrimage routes have their start in Provence, the Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James), through the Roman Via Aurelia to Santiago di Compostela, and the Via Francigena, which leads from France to Rome. Places of culinary, historical, and religious relevance, such as ethnic restaurants and local markets, archaeological sites, and monasteries, will be studied in order to contextualize an interdisciplinary understanding of the culture and history of the Italian and French Riviera. Group discussions and personal research assignments are essential forms of re-elaborating the course topics. The course emphasizes the development and evolution of religion, its connection to food, and their heritage in the contemporary society. This course includes cooking labs, food and wine tastings, and visits.
6 semester credits. One week of on-site field learning in different locations before session start: Italian-French Riviera. Upon completion of the field learning week, the course continues as a regular academic session in Florence. The course engages the student in the exploration of the history and culture of the French and Italian Riviera, a region that still today preserves a peculiar identity, and builds a bridge between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Strategically placed in the north of the Mediterranean, Provence and the city of Nice have always attracted civilizations from all over. Throughout its long history, people of many nationalities have docked here and been assimilated into the city, turning it into a cultural and culinary melting pot: Greeks, Romans, North Africans, Corsicans, Sicilians, Arabs, have all left their mark. The course examines the many culinary identities of the area creating a unique culinary cornucopia of different cultures and flavors, as seen in establishments such as restaurants, markets, boulangeries, Maghreb spice stalls, Mediterranean fishmongers, and Sub-Saharan vegetable vendors. The course also focuses on the relevance that the area had in the development of Europe. During the Middle Age, in monasteries and abbeys, the roots of cultural and religious traditions of Europe were continued. Furthermore, thanks to the work of the monks, the techniques of agriculture and viticulture were preserved and improved. Two of the great ancient pilgrimage routes have their start in Provence, the Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James), through the Roman Via Aurelia to Santiago di Compostela, and the Via Francigena, which leads from France to Rome. Places of culinary, historical, and religious relevance, such as ethnic restaurants and local markets, archaeological sites, and monasteries, will be studied in order to contextualize an interdisciplinary understanding of the culture and history of the Italian and French Riviera. Group discussions and personal research assignments are essential forms of re-elaborating the course topics. The course emphasizes the development and evolution of religion, its connection to food, and their heritage in the contemporary society. This course includes cooking labs, food and wine tastings, and visits. Field learning is a method of educating through first-hand experience. Skills, knowledge, and experience are acquired outside of the traditional academic classroom setting and may include field activities, field research, and service learning projects. The field learning experience is cultural because it is intended to be wide-reaching, field-related content is not limited to the course subject but seeks to supplement and enrich academic topics. Students will have the opportunity to integrate theory and practice while experiencing Italian culture, art, and community within the Italian territory. Faculty will lead students in experiencing Italian culture through guided projects and field experiences as planned for the course. Field learning will be developed through classroom preparation, follow up projects, and guided learning outcomes. Field learning will provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and appreciate the multifold components of Italian Culture through direct experience. Field education will advance student learning as a relationship-centered process.
3 semester credits. This course is centered around Ferrante’s four-volume work known as The Neapolitan Novels: My Brilliant Friend (2011), The Story of a New Name (2012), Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (2013), The Story of the Lost Child (2015). Lectures will investigate the multifaceted universe of a friendship between two women, Lila and Lenù, from their childhood to adulthood. It also aims to shed light on the connections between their experiences and Southern Italy’s complex history and culture from the post-WWII war years to the present. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the course will examine the protagonists’ effort to break out of the circle of extreme poverty, illiteracy, and male violence. Amongst the themes addressed by this course through the study The Neapolitan Novels, students will explore issues such as post-war settlement in Italy and in the South, Italy’s Southern Question, the Neapolitan Camorra and its influence on the poor, the changing role of women during the Seventies, the “Economic Miracle,” terrorism during the “anni di piombo,” student movements in the late Sixties, Italian factory strikes throughout the Seventies, and technological advancements for computing machines.
4 semester credits. This course is centered around Ferrante’s four-volume work known as The Neapolitan Novels: My Brilliant Friend (2011), The Story of a New Name (2012), Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (2013), The Story of the Lost Child (2015). Lectures will investigate the multifaceted universe of a friendship between two women, Lila and Lenù, from their childhood to adulthood. It also aims to shed light on the connections between their experiences and Southern Italy’s complex history and culture from the post-WWII war years to the present. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the course will examine the protagonists’ effort to break out of the circle of extreme poverty, illiteracy, and male violence. Amongst the themes addressed by this course through the study The Neapolitan Novels, students will explore issues such as post-war settlement in Italy and in the South, Italy’s Southern Question, the Neapolitan Camorra and its influence on the poor, the changing role of women during the Seventies, the “Economic Miracle,” terrorism during the “anni di piombo,” student movements in the late Sixties, Italian factory strikes throughout the Seventies, and technological advancements for computing machines. This class includes field learning hours. Field learning is a method of educating through first-hand experience. Skills, knowledge, and experience are acquired outside of the traditional academic classroom setting and may include field activities, field research, and service learning projects. The field learning experience is cultural; because it is intended to be wide-reaching, field-related content is not limited to the course subject but seeks to supplement and enrich academic topics. Students will have the opportunity to integrate theory and practice while experiencing Italian culture, art, and community within the Italian territory. Faculty will lead students in experiencing Italian culture through guided projects and field experiences as planned for the course. Field learning will be developed through classroom preparation, follow up projects, and guided learning outcomes. Field learning will provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and appreciate the multifold components of Italian Culture through direct experience. Field education will advance student learning as a relationship-centered process.
3 semester credits. #MeToo has rapidly moved from a social media hashtag to an international movement that demands changes in society towards how and what we view as sexual harassment. The power of the internet has become an integral tool in promoting empowerment through empathy by bringing together individuals that have been subject to harassment, and by exposing the predators that have exploited their power through pressure as well as force. This course aims to present a comprehensive history of sexual harassment to give the student a better understanding of how past events have contributed to the current movement. Examination of how the shifting standards of the 21st century have created a foundation for new definitions of acceptable behavior will provide an important tool for critical analysis of conduct between genders. Evaluation of sexual harassment in gender relations will create new perspectives and sensitivity to the current movement as a way reinforce #MeToo, not just an assessment of a viral trend, but as a tipping point in contemporary society.
3 semester credits. Beginning with an examination of the “how to” advice manuals common to Italian households during the Renaissance period, this course explores various aspects of sexuality in Renaissance Italy. These aspects range from the aforementioned self-help books aimed at instructing young couples in sexual pleasure, to conception and childbirth, and an examination of the differing social roles of the common prostitute (meretrice) and the high-class courtesan (cortigiana). The theme of male homosexuality will also be explored with special focus placed on the intellectual climate of Renaissance Florence where the prevailing interest in Neoplatonic philosophy may have played a part in creating a more lenient moral climate for homosexuals. Discussions will take cue from Renaissance art in which erotic subjects became increasingly popular in courtly circles in the sixteenth century. Exploratory visits form an integral part of this course.
3 semester credits. This course will explore love and romantic relationships through the words of notable individuals from the past. The letters written by great men and women - poets, novelists, musicians, philosophers, politicians, kings and queens - to their loved ones will provide an opportunity for students to examine the evolution of romantic relationships from the ancient Roman times to modern days, with a special focus dedicated to the 18th and 19th century. Through reading, analyzing, and discussing love letters and other background materials, students will explore the ties between the experience of love and its expression through the means of writing as a characteristic trait of human interaction, from an historical, social, cross-cultural, and literary point of view.