Geography

The Department of Geography focuses on geographic diversity, transformation, people and cultures, and an insight on European and Italian aspects of cultural geography.

6 semester credits. This field learning course engages the student in topics related to Italian civilization and culture through direct experience and on-going research. Places of historic, archeological, artistic, architectural, religious, and culinary importance will be introduced on-site as students are guided by the instructor to contextualize an interdisciplinary understanding of Italy. The 3-week course focuses on three distinct areas of geographic interest in Italy: Northern Italy and its relationship to Europe; Southern Italy’s proximity to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures; and Central Italy’s cultural dominance due to the Etruscan, Roman, and Renaissance influence. Pre-course research is required through the analysis and study of designated resources and bibliographies. On-site fieldwork and assessment are conducted on a daily basis between the instructor and students. Discussion, recording, and presentation are essential forms of re-elaborating the course topics. The course analyzes the cultural and geographic complexities that define regional identities throughout Italy. 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.

This course will take students into a literary and cinematographic journey of Italy through the words and images of great historical personalities who – with their novels and films – helped to create a well-established link between Italy and romantic love. Through an exploration that goes beyond all stereotypes, students will become familiar with Italian places that inspired writers and directors as the perfect settings for beautiful, intense, and sometimes dramatic love stories. Texts and films from different historical periods (focusing on the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century) will be read and viewed, analyzed, and discussed so that students will be able to create their own personal map of the sites that contributed to the collective imagination of Italy as the “land of love.”